Hello Aero GPX pilots!
The Steam Autumn sale is here and it's high time I start hitting the release button on updates to Aero GPX. Over the course of the next couple of months, I'm going to release various improvements and additions to the game in preparation for the holiday season and some potentially exciting events that Aero GPX might be participating in. For the rest of the year I'm going to be dropping a number of updates and additions as I button them up. I feel like waiting to do big updates is negatively impacting the development of the game so I'm trying a slightly different format of smaller updates for a while. Here's a basic layout of how Aero GPX will be updated in the near future:
October -> New visual updates/overhauls to most of the tracks in the game. I'm going to try to upload at least one improved track each business day of October; I've got quite a few mostly ready to go so I should be able to hit this goal. By the end of the month, I also want to have Sponsor Billboards and other in-world objects fleshed out and present. By the end of October the tracks of the game will have gotten a full facelift! I can't wait for y'all to see the way some of these tracks have transformed; but most of them still need a little polishing up.
November -> New machines and pilots will be updated into the game as I fully complete and balance them. I'm also going to update the Career mode with the remaining two divisions and an overhaul of the first tutorial. A new tutorial scenario will be added in the third division as well that covers combat and other techniques.
December -> Unlocks, Extras, and Statistics! I finally came up with and have mostly implemented a progression and reward system that I think fits the game much better than what I had planned and originally made. More details about these systems will be lined out in November.
Once the end of December hits, I want the game to be in a "version 0.99" state where it's only polish and buttoning up loose ends before the game will finally leave Early Access sometime in early 2027. Kickstarter reward tiers and reward fulfillment (art book, names in credits, etc etc) will also happen around the time of the 1.0 release.
This first little update today along with the start of the Steam Autumn sale is a visual overhaul of Dire Dire Donut. I'm super happy with how it turned out, and I can't wait for you all to see the visual updates given to other tracks in the game. Some of them changed quite a bit! Starborne Sprint will be tomorrow's updated track.
I've been feeling much better about my ability to work on the game recently and I'm confident that this time around I'll hit these goals. There was admittedly a period of burnout that made it difficult to work on the game and not other distractions/projects, but there's been some exciting news behind the scenes that was a perfect excuse to finally put the dumplings down and finish Aero GPX. It's what every one of you who has poured themselves into this game deserves; whether that was supporting the Kickstarter, supporting the release on Steam, or just being around and patient with my inconsistent update release schedule. As always, thank you so much for your continued patience. Aero GPX isn't there yet, but its own "Final Burn" is fast approaching.
I'll see you on the starting grid!
-Aaron