Hi everyone,
This entire thing took longer than I expected. The remaining mess of my amateur self has been slowing me down A LOT. Everywhere I look I see flaws here and there, and the majority of my time goes to redesigning/remaking them instead of focusing on adding new content. Still, I kept working nearly non-stop last month to make up for it, almost as much as I had free time, yet there is still a lot left to do.
(solo dev is tough, haha)
There is a lot to unpack here, since this is one of the biggest update I've made to the game, might not be "big" as in new content, but rather tons of QoL improvements, little details and countless improvements all around. I originally had more stuff to add for this update, but I decided to leave them for v0.10.1 to avoid the extra wait between drops. I did not write down every change so there might be a few changes that I haven't addressed here, but I will update the changelog if that's the case.
NEW MAP - WALES
From now on, rather than sticking to Unity's own terrain tools, I decided to invest in a 3rd party asset (MicroVerse), which I can clearly say is one of the best decisions I've ever made. Long story short, I am now able to create AND adjust terrains much easier and faster than ever before thanks to MicroVerse's non-destructive workflow. With Wales being the first map to use this system, older maps are now under "Legacy maps" section and will no longer be supported.
NEW CAR - NZ-L
I know I don't spend enough time modeling new cars, but I am getting better at it and deliver better looking models each time.
NZ-L takes the crown for being the quickest car in the game (yet). It can be unlocked for 500,000 Credits.
FULL CHANGELOG
Added new map, "Wales"
Added new car, "NZ-L"
Added odometer
Replaced the fake rev limiter effect with simulated limiting
Rear camera will now follow the car loosely while airborne
Reversing logic is now much simpler and more reliable overall
Handling improvements to loosen the grip across all cars
Replaced the stage progress tracking system with much more accurate and reliable tracking
Finished implementing the new shader for terrains (MicroSplat)
Added exhaust particles and sound effects for Burn Boost
Changed how particles behave when sliding
Added Screen Space Lens Flare
Adjustments to engine sound curves
Adjustments to rain and dirt particles
Added imperial measurement support for driven distance in the menu
Added license plates (yet to be customizable)
Dirt smokes now have a smoothing property to blend with terrain and objects
Adjusted stage rewards
Added bokeh fade in-out for pause screen
Added interpolation to lens flares to achieve a smooth transition
Added pop-up headlight animation for Mezos RS
Changed stage start screen
Added a backup system for save files in case the main files become corrupted or lost
So, what's next?
I don't have a long roadmap in my mind, but as for v0.10.1 I'm planning to extend screeenshot/photo mode to include various post-processing options, and also remake the pre-stage menu for something easier to navigate and overall more pleasing to look at. For the next minor version(s) I'll mainly be focusing on creating more and more stages, since level design is no longer such a nightmare.
That will be it for now. Enjoy the drop and take care everyone!
