Dust Rider

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  Game cover

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  Friends selection

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  Chemicals selection

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  Set the angle and power

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  GO

Inspiration

Our inspiration stems from the classic physics-based launcher games like Homerun in Berzerk Land. We wanted to infuse this genre with a social and humorous twist by imagining a crossover between the 19th-century American Old West and modern "mad science" experiments. Thus, Dust Rider was born—a game where you put your friends into a custom-built buggy and launch them into the heart of the desert using Mentos, Dry Ice, Stinky Gas, or Espresso as fuel.

What it does

Dust Rider is a Snapchat AR experience where the player takes on the role of the "Chief Launch Officer":

Pick a Crew Member: Select an "unfortunate" friend from the Bitmoji Friends Carousel.

Choose Your Fuel: Select from four wild chemical combinations (e.g., Mentos + Liquid Nitro or Dry Ice + Anti-Matter). Each substance uniquely affects the car’s physical performance and trajectory.

Precision Launch: Use two "ping-pong" oscillating dials to time the perfect launch angle and power.

Witness the Result: Watch the car fly across the desert, track the distance in meters, and generate a humorous summary card to share with the friend you just launched.

How we built it

Engine: Developed using Lens Studio.

Scripting: Wrote custom JavaScript logic to handle the physics engine integration, UI transitions, and the oscillation mechanics of the dials.

Audio System: Integrated single-shot propulsion sound effects to provide satisfying haptic and auditory feedback during the launch.

UI/UX: Crafted hand-drawn "parchment paper" style assets and utilized Screen Transform to ensure smooth navigation between game states.

Social Integration: Leveraged Snap’s Friends Carousel component to pull Bitmoji data directly into the game, making the experience feel personal and engaging.

Challenges we ran into Remote Collaboration: Our team worked entirely remotely while balancing full-time jobs. Coordinating across different schedules to sync our development efforts was a major logistical hurdle.

Privacy vs. Functionality: The most difficult technical challenge was discovering that Snapchat does not allow "Sensitive User Data" (Friends Carousel) and "Network APIs" (Leaderboards) to coexist in the same Lens. We had to make a tough design choice between social interaction and global competition.

Accomplishments that we're proud of Visual Cohesion: Successfully merged the hand-drawn "Dust Rider" title with the desert environment to create an immersive, vintage Western atmosphere.

Fluid State Machine: Developed a seamless transition flow from friend selection to fuel choice, through to the launch and results page, without any noticeable lag or friction.

Humor & Tone: We successfully combined chemical "pseudo-science" with the lighthearted fun of "pranking" friends in AR.

What we learned

Navigating Technical Constraints: We learned how to quickly pivot our design direction when faced with engine-level limitations, such as API permission conflicts.

AR User Experience: We realized that in AR gaming, minimalist UI combined with immediate audio feedback is crucial for player retention.

Advanced Scripting: Deepened our understanding of using JavaScript within Lens Studio to manage complex asset hierarchies and event listeners.

What's next for Dust Rider

Our next goal is to find a workaround to implement a Leaderboard system that respects user privacy and security guidelines. We want players to be able to compete for the "Longest Launch" title while still being able to feature their friends in the game.

Built With

• blender
• figma
• javascript
• lens-studio
• photoshop