Hey all,
It's been a busy few weeks - development is going well, and I wanted to share some of the progress along with an update on release targets. I'm on schedule to finish core development by the end of the month, though sadly can't confirm everything will be ready for release in August. With issues raised so far during testing, and also some unexpected real-life difficulties, it seems wise to take another week or two so as not to rush these final steps. I've updated the target release month to September for now, and will try to confirm a specific date after the results of testing next week. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who's been waiting for release in August - I promise I'm going as quickly as I'm able. I can at least keep you updated on how things are going, so here's an overview of what I've been working on.
Development Progress
For the first time since 2022 I've been working on new vehicles: a rally hatchback, designed for dirt trails, and a GT3-style sports car, for higher speed and traction. Both are still WIP, so you'll only get these views from afar for now, but they're complete enough that I can confirm they'll be included in version 1. Like the existing vehicles, these will each have customisations available, both for style and tuning.
I've also altered the handling physics slightly for better control, especially when sliding/drifting on the off-road tracks. You can get a feel for this in the latest demo update, though be aware the Coupe isn't the best off-roader...
Besides vehicles, I've been working on a handful of UI and quality-of-life features, including:
Finishing the music player for playing from local files or radio streams
Profile statistics for distance travelled under different contexts
Milestone achievements
A non-slip steering option for easier driving
An option for distance interval notifications
Extra controls for graphics settings, including disabling all foliage
Individual gear-select mappings to support shifters
Improved UX for controllers
Finally, many kind volunteers have graciously offered to help with localisation, and thanks to them translation is underway for a number of languages. I can't yet confirm which languages those will be, but will likely include Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, and French, at least. I'll be updating the Steam page as new languages are finalised, so you'll be able to check there for confirmation nearer to release day.
Updated Demo
The demo has been updated with a handful of changes to the engine, physics, and UI features. The same limitations are in place as before, but with a new road and a few extra tuning options for the Coupe. Full changes:
Altered the road generation algorithm (meaning the demo road has changed)
Altered steering/handling physics to improve feel and reduce loss of control
Added a "non-slip steering" option which limits steer angle to help you retain traction
Added gear-select input mapping, to support shifters - though multi-controller support is still in development
Altered the audio system to hopefully reduce some of the crackling issues
Added a "distance notification" feature to ping you after passing certain distance intervals (disabled by default)
Added extra tuning settings for the Coupe
Added extra graphics settings, including the ability to disable foliage
Improved headlight shape/brightness, and the switch between high/low beams
Improved UI audio a little
Minor bug fixes and UI improvements
Removed reference to some features that have been pushed to later updates, such as Fast Roads
Give it a try and let me know how it feels. If you're interested in testing future beta versions, you can switch the demo to the "staged" branch in the game properties on Steam, which is where the pre-release betas are tested. Join the Discord or post in the Steam forums to let me know your thoughts!
Thanks for reading, and apologies for pushing the date once more. Game dev is tough, especially as a solo developer, and the final tasks leading up to release somehow seem to never end. But they will end, and soon - I'll do my best to confirm the release date in the next news post.
See you there,
Anslo
