I know iit's been a long time coming, but Auto Fire is back in action and cranking out the updates and improvements!
There has been a major UI revision for just about all of the supporting screens and menus. Consumable gear was added so you can manually heal up in the field if you have the right items. There is a significant and growing tutorial that pops up how to play the game as situations present themselves. (And yes, you can turn them off in the settings!) More is in the works, including the long-promised arenas, the future looks shiny and chrome this year!
Gameplay/Combat
- Some garages and repair outlets have a limited amount of gas or ordnance they can sell you.
- Consumable gear was created that can repair your internals, drop mines or smokescreens, or basically enact any normal equipment's function.
- You can also target yourself on specific sides for armor repair gear, and the UI reflects it on your armor display.
- Radar is now a dedicated equipment type and slot called "Sensors". All cars have a default radar sensors package, but this can do a lot of different things.
- AI consider facing when planning their navigation routes, meaning that vehicles will plot paths more naturally and loop around their targets.
Content/Tuning
- Old instant repair and armor pickups removed from drops in favor of the repair consumables.
- Desert sectors should no longer have random encounters, only emplaced ones (that is, glints and smoke columns rather than just rolling dice)
HUD
- Rework of the HUD colors and aiming interface.
- Shrank the HUD components (gear, armor, social) slightly to allow for more playable space.
- Changed social feed to dark mode, because the bright display was distracting from the gameplay.
- Event-based tutorial popups appear when the player experiences various events, from taking damage to skidding to picking up gear.
- Added a real date display that updates based on player turns.
Menus
- Complete rework of the character and loadout screens.
- Complete rework of the repair experience.
- Complete rework of the vehicle stable, to show all stats for all vehicles.
- Complete rework of inventory, buy and sell screens to add categories and better controls.
- Complete rework of the loading dock experience to show a map where you must deliver your chosen item.
- New Automap with improved visuals and interactivity.
- Entirely new inventory icons, for a punchier and yet colorful look
- The loadout view shows pips that indicate when a higher-level item is available to be slotted in that location.
- The inventory view shows pips that indicate when an item is new and has not yet been examined.
Visuals/VFX
- Enemy shouts appear in bubbles both on the HUD and over the enemy vehicles in-world.
- New power lines, cargo containers, and other assets
- Revised fire oil, burning objects and flamethrower VFX
- Added decals on the ground from gunfire and explosions.
Audio
- Vehicle audio uses Realistic Engine Sounds package and adjusts and shifts gear based on speed.