Hey guys! I really appreciate everyone's patience. It's been a busy few months and my time has been split across multiple projects, like Engine Simulator and others which I don't want to reveal publicly yet.
Nonetheless, work on the DLC continues and the project has definitely not been abandoned. A mostly complete version has already been released to testers and I'm working that initial feedback into the final version I'm working on now.
Some new features that you may be interested in are:
Boiler damage and explosions
This feature will also be coming to the base game and you won't need the DLC to unlock it. It's a fairly simple damage model but you can now boom-boom the boiler which has been heavily requested. Damage is also toggleable in the main game mode.
NPCs
Steamtown now has NPCs with simple AIs and can communicate with the player through text-based communication. Some testers found the game was extremely frustrating without guidance, so some NPCs were added who can guide and instruct the player (sort of like a tutorial). They also move the story forward and give some life to the in-game town.
Game story: missions, goals, plot
The game now has basic goals, missions, challenges and a real story. It's not going to win any awards but I like it.
New toggleable readouts for all gauges
This has been heavily requested since the game's release. The small window in the top-left is no longer necessary as all important measurements are visible directly in the game's UI. All of these instruments are toggleable with the mouse.
Resettable max speed readout
Max speed can now be seen in digital form and reset.
About the release date...
I don't want to reveal too much about the intended release date right now. I know this seems like a simple project because of its outward appearance, but the reality is a bit more complex than that.
At the end of the day, I feel a great sense of responsibility because over 32,000 people have wishlisted this product, around 100 times more than I was originally expecting. I don't want any of those people to be disappointed with their purchase and I've allowed this project's timeline to go way beyond what I was originally planning to hopefully succeed in that goal. Being my first ever "game" project that goes beyond being a sandbox simulation, I don't expect this game to win awards, but I at least want everyone to feel that it was worth their money and support.
To be honest though, after this experience I'll stick to sandbox simulations... game development is hard haha. Thanks for your patience guys.
- Ange