We have never described the development sequence in the format of logs: what we did, how our work is progressing, and what will happen next. Only one of the logs was dedicated to how we started developing City Car Driving.
As was noted in the tenth log, we came to creating the game gradually: we collected various build options, tested engines.
In this log, we will talk about how we are working on CCD 2.0 after we have completed work with the prototype: how many people are in the team, what we have fully implemented, and what we is still in the making.
After we got the prototype and confirmation for us that CCD 2.0 could be created, the very first thing we decided to create from scratch was the setting. We realized that many players expected an update to the first part, but we wanted to provide something new.
Setting | Location
The very first thing our small team started to do was to conceptualize the main location that will open CCD 2.0.
Of the many options, we chose the average option in the south of the Mediterranean with European traffic rules.
We made that decision because we wanted to reinvent the core CCD gaming formula.
The setting of the original CCD is Russia. Regardless of the change in the traffic rule base in the settings, the location did not change.
We didn’t really like this – it contradicted the first principle developed for us: everything should be authentic and not take away from the gameplay.
It is precisely because of the combination of our approach and the desire to try something new that CCD 2.0 opens in a Mediterranean location where it is eternal summer.
At the same time, we realize that you are not likely to want to study the traffic rules of a specific country in which most players do not live. European road safety rules are very universal: they are similar to many rules in countries around the world (except for unique ones, such as Great Britain, for example), and in our idea, they should suit most players.
In the future, we plan to expand and add game locations: move from the abstract “European Mediterranean countries” to specific ones.
During development, we saw all your feedback, so the first thing we want to add is Russia. Only after the European and Russian regions are fully implemented, will we think about expanding the in-game geography.
Gameplay
Before we began to talk in detail in our Logs about what we were developing, it seemed that we were literally taking the original CCD, transferring it to a modern engine, remaking favorite locations and that’s it. In fact, along with developing the location, we designed the gameplay.
Combining two game modes into one turned the entire gameplay into one campaign. That entailed abandoning the capability for the player to customize the amount and density of traffic. Abandoning the free choice of weather conditions and time.
Instead, we are developing an environment that simulates a complete game world with its own rules and dynamic changes in weather and traffic.
In addition to global changes in the weather, we reduced the scope of the driving school. CCD 2.0 retains the core exercises and exam. However, during development we removed many exercises. That needed to be compensated for with something: that’s how the “Quest Exercises” appeared. Cargo transportation is a logical continuation of what was in the original CCD.
Also, all the infrastructure relevant to driving has been added.
Team | How things are now
Of course, in words, in the form of a small story, it looks like an excellent car simulator. Let’s go through the key points of the project in reality.
The concept of the gameplay, location, and basic mechanics was completed in mid-2022. After that, we started development.
By the start of 2023, we had the location and several basic mechanics roughly ready. We expected that we would be able to quickly talk about the development of the project, but our silence lasted for long six months: this is due to the fact that we put some of the mechanics on the back burner (we haven’t talked about them yet, everything mentioned in the logs will be available in the game). Part of the location also had to be removed.
Realizing that we had kept silent for too long, we filmed driving a car on the most finished street in the game: this became the first teaser for the game.
Then and now we did not start an advertising campaign. We share the development with the audience that we gathered over the years of the life of the original CCD and carefully select all the feedback; at this pace, we can create what we planned, manage to make changes to the project, and lay down opportunities for the future.
After a long time of development, we decided to share a little information about ourselves, and at what stage our development is.
How many people are there on the team?
Currently fifteen. Initially, CCD 2.0 was developed by no more than three.
How long has CCD 2.0 been in development?
One and half year; before this, research was carried out, various prototypes were created.
Is this a simulator or a game?
Despite the fact that we are Forward and are developing City Car Driving 2.0, we are a separate division from the simulators and are creating specifically a game.
Why will the game be released in early access?
We don’t have the budget to create a large-scale car simulator. As everyone knows, car simulators are not very popular in the gaming industry. The second reason is that we want to see your feedback and plan a future game together.
Why the answer to many requests is “no, we won’t have it”?
The type of the game has already been planned, so at the moment, we are creating the foundation for the future. We collect all reviews: about the drunk driver mode, and about Russia, and about traffic rules in the UK.
What about the graphics?
We have optimized the game for different devices. For example, the teaser was shot on “default” settings, not even on medium graphics settings. Since then, it has changed for the better. We constantly share the look of the game “at the moment,” so before the game is released in early access, we will definitely preview the final look of the graphics.
Why are logs published only once every two weeks, and video formats, even short ones, have appeared not long ago?
We do not have a development or marketing team. All videos and screenshots are taken during the work of level designers. Most of the logs, which do not touch on a serious technical component, are written by our game designer. The tester carefully reads all the errors, and the project manager tries not to lose the semantic component by reading the log again before publication. We do all the logs in between our main work sessions.
What’s next?
We are finishing up the location, straightening up the gameplay, testing traffic, and finalizing the weather.
After that, we carefully polish the game for the remaining time and release it in early access. Part of the team, when they complete work on early access, will move on to creating the second half of the city, creating new game modes and tasks.
What we tell in the logs before the game release in early access is certainly not everything we planned.
At the end of the log, we would like to specifically note that we see and collect all feedback and try to personally answer every question and comment. And you can also influence the game and its final appearance after early access.
You can always find out more about the upcoming game before its release in the Developers Logs, regularly published every two weeks.