Dear Junkers! 🔧😄
This update introduces one of the biggest technical and gameplay overhauls to date. Alongside major performance and visual improvements, the entire restoration system has been redesigned from the ground up to provide a more realistic, intuitive, and satisfying renovation experience.
⚙️ Completely Redesigned Restoration Mechanics
The entire restoration workflow has been rebuilt to provide greater precision, realism, and visual feedback.
Removed the old sphere-based restoration progression system.
Introduced a new restoration approach based on actual painted and restored object surfaces.
Restoration progress is now calculated in real time based on the percentage of the object's surface that has been worked on.
Renovation tasks are now significantly more accurate and consistent regardless of object shape or size.
Improved restoration completion detection for greater precision.
⚙️ New Tool Interaction System
All restoration tools have received updated working area shapes tailored to their real-world purpose.
Grinding tools now use rectangular working areas instead of circular zones.
Tool behavior is more closely matched to the actual surface being restored.
Improved accuracy when working on edges, corners, and narrow elements.
More predictable restoration results across all object types.
⚙️ Improved Restoration Visibility
Working on restoration projects is now significantly more comfortable and intuitive.
Added a new mechanic that automatically lowers the player's hands while using restoration stations.
Improved visibility of the item being restored.
Reduced visual obstruction during restoration work.
Enhanced overall usability of restoration workstations.
⚙️ New Visual Effects
The entire restoration process now provides much stronger visual feedback.
Improved particle effects for all restoration tools.
Added localized particle effects directly on the surface being worked on.
Restoration actions now feel more responsive and immersive.
Enhanced visual clarity when sanding, cleaning, painting, and restoring objects.
⚙️ New Restoration Highlight System
The entire restoration process now provides much stronger visual feedback.
Added a completely new restoration highlight mode.
The system precisely displays areas that still require work to reach 100% completion.
Improved visibility of missed spots on complex objects.
Helps reduce frustration when searching for tiny unfinished areas.
Greatly improves restoration efficiency for larger items.
⚙️ Customization Options
Added the ability to enable or disable restoration highlights at any time.
Players can now choose between a more immersive experience or maximum restoration assistance.
Restoration guidance visuals have been fully integrated with the game's overall hint system.
⚙️ Performance Improvements
Significantly improved overall game performance across all maps.
Reduced frame time spikes during extended gameplay sessions.
Improved streaming performance when moving through large areas of the map.
Reduced CPU overhead from background world systems.
Optimized environmental update systems for better frame consistency.
Improved memory management to reduce performance degradation over long play sessions.
Reduced micro-stutters caused by dynamic world calculations.
Improved asset loading behavior to provide smoother exploration.
Reduced hitching when traveling quickly across the map.
Improved performance in densely populated industrial areas.
⚙️ Weather System Improvements
Reworked cloud rendering pipeline for improved visual quality and efficiency.
Enhanced atmospheric lighting calculations.
Improved sky rendering performance without sacrificing visual fidelity.
Refined environmental reflections for a more natural appearance.
Improved cloud movement and weather transitions.
Enhanced visual consistency across different weather conditions.
Better balance between visual quality and performance during dynamic weather events.
Improved environmental lighting stability.
Reduced visual artifacts in certain atmospheric conditions.
Improved shadow consistency across large outdoor areas.
⚙️ World Optimization
Optimized environmental systems running in the background.
Improved update frequency management for non-critical world systems.
Reduced unnecessary calculations occurring outside the player's view.
Better prioritization of active gameplay systems.
Improved overall world simulation efficiency.
Enhanced large-map performance and responsiveness.
Reduced workload generated by environmental monitoring systems.
Improved scalability on lower-end hardware configurations.
⚙️ Stability Improvements
Fixed multiple sources of rare performance spikes.
Improved system stability during extended play sessions.
Reduced likelihood of background systems causing unexpected frame drops.
Improved handling of dynamic environmental updates.
Additional safeguards added to prevent timing-related issues.
Improved reliability of world-state synchronization.
Enhanced robustness of weather and atmosphere systems.
⚙️ Quality of Life
Smoother overall gameplay experience.
More consistent frame pacing.
Improved responsiveness during exploration.
Better visual stability during changing weather conditions.
Reduced interruptions caused by environmental updates.
Improved immersion thanks to more natural environmental behavior.
General optimization and polish across numerous gameplay systems.
⚙️ Additional Fixes & Improvements
Fixed an issue where restoration task descriptions could extend beyond the screen while dismantling vehicles on the Two-Post Lift.
Tools are now automatically hidden when performing breakdown repair actions, preventing situations where pressing LMB would put away the equipped tool instead of executing the repair.
Fixed an untranslated "Parcela" label appearing in the large map tooltip when hovering over the player's junkyard.
Fixed an issue with the stationary press where the "LOWER THE PRESS PUSHER" message could remain permanently displayed regardless of the current operation being performed.
Improved vehicle torque and climbing performance on slopes across all drivable vehicles.
Adjusted vehicle drivetrain behavior to provide more consistent power delivery when driving uphill.
Improved overall vehicle responsiveness when carrying heavy loads or towing on uneven terrain.
Fixed light reflection issues on the Arcade Machine during the final renovation stage
Removed the wet object effect after completing the Armchair renovation
Fixed an issue where Barrel colors changed after placing the item in the renovation station
Fixed the final painting stage for the Gas Cylinder, Refrigerator, and Microwave
Fixed a texture hole artifact on the Coffee Table
Improved the texture of the completed Microwave
Fixed an issue with picking up Lamps near the renovation station that could cause tool-related problems
Fixed percentage progress updates not refreshing correctly when completing a renovation stage
Behind the Scenes
This update includes one of the largest technical overhauls in the game's history. Major systems responsible for restoration, weather simulation, environmental rendering, world streaming, and performance management have been reworked and optimized to deliver a smoother, more immersive experience for all players.
As always, thank you for your feedback and continued support. More content, features, and improvements are already in development.
Important Development Update
I would like to share an important update regarding the future of the game. Over the coming months, update frequency will likely slow down significantly.
This is because I have started work on a major redesign of several core gameplay systems, including the game's opening experience, player progression, and a number of fundamental mechanics that have been part of the game for a long time.
As the project has grown over the years, it has become increasingly clear that some systems need more than incremental improvements. To take the game where I want it to be, I need to step back and rebuild certain foundations properly rather than continue patching and expanding old solutions.
This means that development will be focused less on frequent content updates and more on large-scale restructuring behind the scenes. As a result, there may be periods of several months without major public updates.
I know this may be disappointing for some players, and I sincerely apologize for the longer wait. However, I firmly believe that these changes are necessary for the long-term future of the game and will ultimately result in a much better experience for both new and existing players.
In many ways, parts of the game need to be rebuilt almost from scratch. It is a significant undertaking, but it is the right step forward.
Thank you for your patience, support, feedback, and trust throughout this journey. The game is not being abandoned — quite the opposite. The work happening now is aimed at building a stronger foundation for everything that comes next.
See you in the next major chapter of development.
The game is constantly being developed — I strongly recommend checking the integrity of the game files!
Massive junkyard hugs from your favorite rust whisperer —
Junkman Adrian 😎🛠️💛
