Vector Unit
TypeIndependent video game developer
FoundedDecember 2007 (2007-12)
HeadquartersSan Rafael, California
Key people
Ralf Knoesel, Matt Small
Products
Websitewww.vectorunit.com

Vector Unit is a video game developer founded in December 2007 by Ralf Knoesel and Matt Small.[1] The company is best known for its title, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, released on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2010.

History

Vector Unit was founded in December 2007 by Ralf Knoesel and Matt Small.[1] The two originally worked together on Blood Wake at Stormfront Studios.[2] Following Blood Wake, Small took a job with EA Redwood Shores. Knoesel and Small kept in contact, and started a small side project. One night, Small received a message from Knoesel which read "So I've been having these thoughts... about quitting and doing the small games thing."[3] The two decided to quit their job and begin their studio.[3] Vector Unit was incorporated on January 28, 2008.[4]

Although officially the company consists of only four employees, a team of five contractors were brought in to complete their first title, Hydro Thunder Hurricane.[5] Creative Director Matt Small was interviewed on the difficulties of starting a new company by Gamasutra in April 2010.[5] Small noted that with a small team members are required to take on multiple roles. "You get to choose at least 80 percent of the time which hats you wear, and then sometimes you end up forced into wearing a particular hat."[5]

Technology

Vector Unit uses a proprietary engine known as the Vector Engine to develop their games.[6] The engine allows for real time "baking" of assets; when assets are first run in the game, they are optimized for that particular platform. Visual scripting is used to allow editors to write scripted events without a comprehensive understanding of code.[6] FMOD is used for audio and Bullet Physics Library handles all in-game physics.[3] 3D models are created in Maya and artists are able to see how the asset would look in-game via a plugin.[3] Level construction and placement of props are done in BarracudaEditor, the team's level design tool. During the development of Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Vector Unit maintained a PC build of the game which allowed artists and other team members to test their assets in-game without moving to an Xbox 360 Debug Kit.[3]

Games developed

Year of initial release Title Platforms
2010 Hydro Thunder Hurricane Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft Windows
2011 Riptide GP Android, iOS, BlackBerry 10, Windows Phone
Shine Runner
2012 Beach Buggy Blitz Android, iOS, BlackBerry 10
2013 Riptide GP 2 Android, iOS, BlackBerry 10, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows Phone
2014 Beach Buggy Racing Android, iOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows Phone, Nintendo Switch
2016 Riptide GP: Renegade Android, iOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
2017 MouseBot Android, iOS
2018 Beach Buggy Racing 2 Android, iOS, Tesla, Microsoft Windows
2021 Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows

Additional work

Year of initial release Title Platforms
2018 Nickelodeon Kart Racers PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
2020 Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows

References

  1. 1 2 "Company". Vector Unit. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  2. ↑ Small, Matt (2010-09-30). "The Hydro Thunder that wasn't". Vector Unit. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Small, Matt (2010-10-27). "Postmortem: Vector Unit's Hydro Thunder Hurricane". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  4. ↑ "Vector Unit Inc". California Businesses. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  5. 1 2 3 Remo, Chris (2010-04-01). "Interview: Vector Unit's Small On Starting A Studio And Reviving Hydro Thunder". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  6. 1 2 Knoesel, Ralf (2010-10-27). "Vector Unit Game Engine". Vector Unit. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
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