Crazy Coaster

Project Overview

Crazy Coaster is a VR roller coaster editor built in Unity for the Meta Quest platform, developed as a solo project from concept to release. The game lets you design and ride your very own roller coasters from the comfort of your living room, combining intuitive track editing tools with physics-based coaster simulation for a thrilling and endlessly replayable experience. Using the VR controllers, players place track segments, loops, corkscrews, and drops to construct increasingly wild coaster layouts. Once built, you can hop into the front seat and experience every twist and turn in full immersive VR.

My Role & Contributions

As the sole developer on Crazy Coaster, I owned every aspect of the project from initial concept and prototyping through to Meta Quest store submission and post-launch support. I designed and implemented the entire track editor system, which allows players to snap together modular track pieces in 3D space using natural VR hand interactions. I built the physics simulation engine that calculates coaster speed, momentum, and G-forces based on track geometry, ensuring each ride feels physically plausible and thrilling. I created the complete UI/UX system for VR, including floating menus, track piece selection palettes, and contextual tooltips that guide new players through the building process. I also handled all 3D modeling for track segments using Blender, designed the visual environments surrounding the coaster, implemented the audio system with dynamic wind and rail sounds that respond to speed, and managed the entire submission process for the Meta Quest store including compliance with Meta's technical requirements and comfort guidelines.

Technical Challenges

Building a track editor that feels intuitive in VR presented unique interaction design challenges. Unlike traditional screen-based editors, every action must feel natural in 3D space without relying on keyboard shortcuts or mouse precision. I developed a snap-point system where track segments automatically align and connect when brought close together, with haptic feedback confirming successful connections. The physics engine was another significant challenge — calculating realistic coaster dynamics including gravity, centripetal force, friction, and momentum required careful tuning to feel authentic without making the experience nauseating. I implemented multiple comfort modes including adjustable vignette intensity during high-speed sections, optional camera smoothing that reduces rotational jolts, and a static reference frame option for highly sensitive riders. Performance optimization for the standalone Meta Quest hardware was critical, as the game needed to maintain a stable 72 FPS while rendering complex track geometries, environmental detail, and real-time physics calculations — all without the benefit of a tethered PC. I employed aggressive LOD management, GPU instancing for repeated track segments, and baked lighting to stay within the Quest's mobile GPU budget.

Results & Impact

Crazy Coaster was successfully published on the Meta Quest store, making it accessible to the entire Quest user base. The game received positive feedback from players who praised the intuitive building controls and the genuine thrill of riding their own creations. The comfort options proved particularly effective, with many players reporting that Crazy Coaster was one of the few VR coaster experiences they could enjoy without discomfort. The project demonstrated my ability to ship a complete, polished VR product as a solo developer — handling game design, programming, art, audio, QA, and store compliance entirely on my own. It also deepened my expertise in standalone VR optimization, VR interaction design, and the specific requirements of the Meta Quest ecosystem, skills that have directly informed my subsequent VR projects.