Net Gains
Hey all,
We're currently hard at work focusing on a variety of community requests and improvements.
I don't want to spoil EVERYTHING going into the next update but hopefully this dev blog will go a little way towards assuring you all that we're still listening and doing our best to improve the game.
So without further ado, let's go behind the scenes and talk about a couple of things we've been working on...
Cargo Nets
Easily the most requested feature by the community 😀 It's been a little tricky working out the best approach but we finally have something we think looks good and functions pretty well…
Couple of things to keep in mind here.
Firstly, you can purchase them from any Auto-Essentials Upgrade Shop as long as you’ve met the requirements (e.g. reach Rank 5).
Secondly, items can still take damage from being rattled around so we recommend using boxes and containers to protect your shelved goods!
Once you’ve installed and deployed cargo nets, they will prevent items launching themselves from shelves after large impacts or if your gravity compensator shuts down.
We’ve also made sure they inherit the color theme of your chosen cab palette. So they should fit nicely with any style you’re running with…
Precision Strafe
We know there’s a bunch of players who would really like the truck to be able to strafe. So, this year we spent some time experimenting with lateral movement.
It turns out high powered lateral movement breaks some key fundamentals of the game and plays havoc with truck and trailer physics (sad trumpet noise).
HOWEVER! What emerged from all of this experimentation is something we’re calling “Precision Strafe”.
For those curious as to what exactly is going on above in the .gif above, it’s showing the truck moving laterally with NO rotation. Kinda hard to capture but hopefully you get the idea.
This new control mode ONLY works at very low speeds and is currently being balanced to help alleviate some of the frustration caused when attempting to hitch to freight or dock with a station. It’s also handy for getting closer to various Venture objectives!
So for players who just want to shimmy a little bit without needing to completely reposition yourself - this is for you!
Logbook
It might not be as sexy as cargo nets and strafing but as of the next update you'll also be able to access a logbook full of gameplay stats.
Found in the glove compartment (next to the user manual) the logbook provides information on how you've been spending your average day alongside profits, expenditures and various other statistics.
A lot of the stat tracking is new so it will take a little while for the logbook to start to fill up - but after a few hours of in-game action you should start to see some lovely data like below…
Bug Fixes & Balance
Those with a keen eye might have noticed the recent hotfix included (another) attempt at solving the mysterious warp debris issue. Hopefully this has helped, but we’ll continue to monitor bug reports.
Since then, there's been a bunch of other issues we've been working on / have already squashed for the next update. We’ll keep chipping away at various issues the community has reported and as usual we’ll make sure there’s a comprehensive list of fixes in the upcoming changelog.
We’re also fine tuning various areas of the game and smoothing off some rough edges. Thrusters, freight jobs and shop stock are all being tweaked alongside some work around the Upgrade Shop and how we introduce new features to players.
Lots of improvements all around and as always we'll have a more detailed run down of this stuff in a future dev blog.
Rollin’ On
Although we've completed key feature work like the cargo netting and logbook, we’re still working on balance tweaks and have lots of playtesting to do. We expect this phase to last well into November.
As things currently stand we should have the next update ready for you all Early December.
We wish it could be sooner but we're really excited to get this one into your hands. It's a very much a player focused update and there's still a lot more to talk about before it drops.
So until then, thanks for reading and keep your eyes peeled for more news soon!
- Dan & Dave ( aka Monster and Monster )