Our First Devlog! Level Designing Sewer Snake

Welcome to the first Paint Rush devlog!

I’m Tristan, one of the developers behind this kart racer, where the goal is to win the race by covering the track with flashy colours that have powerful effects

Level Design Document

Since this is our first devlog, I thought I’d dive into how we started building the very first level, Sewer Snake. We initially started with a level design document to plan out our ideas and organize our thoughts. In it, we laid out the goals of the track: dramatic curves and banks, risky jumps, and sections where a perfectly timed paint shot can completely shift the race.

To help define the track’s atmosphere and visual identity, we pulled visual references from many places that include narrow passages, grates with rays of light, half pipes, graffiti walls, side entrances, and cement pillars. We want the players to feel like they’re blazing through a gritty yet colourful sewer, leaving their paint behind on the floor and walls.

Greyboxing

With the design vision done, I jumped into Unreal Engine 5 and started the greyboxing phase. Using landscape splines, I was able to quickly form the main path of the level by attaching modular road and wall meshes that resemble winding sewer pipes. This approach allows for fast iterations. Just drag a few spline points, adjust the tangents, and you’ve got a brand-new corner or slope to test.

Greyboxing in this way also gave us a good sandbox to start tuning the core mechanics. For example, once we had a full testable loop, it became clear we needed to adjust the kart’s speed variables to get the right feel. Some of the early versions felt sluggish, especially around hard turns or dramatic drops. With the new tweaks, the karts now handle more smoothly and carry just the right momentum for those satisfying jump boosts.

What’s Next: Shortcuts, Side Paths, and More Open Areas

Even though this first pass of the level is far from finished, it’s been a great help in figuring out game design metrics, such as the right camera distance, FOV settings, and how long boosts should last. Having a playable track, even in its rough state, lets us feel the game’s beats and flow.

There’s still more work to do. One of the next big steps is adding shortcuts and alternate routes to reward players who take risks or use their paint abilities creatively. More iterations will follow as we refine the layout, visuals, and gameplay feel, but this first track has already laid the groundwork for the kind of gameplay experience Paint Rush is aiming to offer.

That’s all for this first devlog!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates on Paint Rush.