Hello Night Drivers!
December has arrived, outside the window, you can start to hear the roar of Santa's sleigh engine. It also means we're getting closer to the game's release. Work is picking up pace. This month, there will be no Demo update because I’ve fully focused on completing/adding content.
Although there’s no Demo update, I have a ton of information along with screenshots about what’s new.
Major updates:
1. Achievements Update
The game will feature a total of 60 in-game achievements. Until now, the achievement values were set as placeholders. These have now been recalculated, and the final values have been established.
Additionally, I’ve finally addressed the topic of rewards. In my view, awarding currency as a reward for the game’s main progression was a mistake. This has been updated to include:
20 smoke skins, 12 car plates, 6 car skins, 6 car textures
Side quests will now also be part of the progression that can be unlocked. As a result, I've added 9 additional rewards in the form of bonus quests.
In total, this gives us 53 rewards other than MB.
2. Cars Update
All the cars that will be available in the game have finally been added, bringing the total to 15.
The previous approach, where each car had completely different stats, led to many of them being unplayable in certain aspects. I’ve addressed this by categorizing the cars into slow, medium, and fast groups (5-5-5). Cars within the same category now have similar stats, with the primary differences being speed and nitro.
3. Perks Update
All 15 cars now come with unique perks. I’ve tried to avoid monotony and introduce a variety of perks to keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.
Here are some examples:
4. Plates Update
With the Achievements now set, the game allows players to earn additional license plates that are not tied to the Ghost Riders.
(colors and textures can still change)
5. Smokes Update
I’ve also added smoke customization for tire effects. Unlocking new variants is now possible by completing achievements.
(colors and textures can still change)
6. Leaderboard Update
I’ve dedicated a lot of time to testing the leaderboard. This is intended to be the main challenge of the game. I wanted it to be very difficult but still achievable. After hours of testing, I decided to implement an assist feature in the form of a "minimum score value".
This means that after defeating specific Ghost Riders, players will unlock the ability to start the game with a base score higher than 0 (1000,2000,3000).
For players who manage to reach the #1 spot on the leaderboard without the help of the minimum score, a special Steam achievement will be awarded!
Minor Updates:
1. Login Screen
Added two new options: the ability to rename and change the player icon, and an option to delete the account.
2.Game Performance
I continue make better performance. The game itself is very lightweight, and my goal is for it to run on any device. As such, I’m constantly optimizing.
This time, I managed to improve the game's performance by 60% compared to the last update and the current Demo version.
One of the key improvements involved optimizing assets. Previously, there were 1.4 million vertices active simultaneously, which has now been reduced to around 580,000.
3. Shop Update
I’ve finally fine-tuned the controller navigation in the shop, addressing all inconveniences to ensure it’s fully intuitive for controller users.
Additionally, I added particles and sound effects during car customization to provide players with clear feedback that their choice has been confirmed.
Next Steps:
Now it's a straightforward path to the game's release. I plan to launch the game on January 20th. Until then, I will focus on creating a tutorial for quests and leaderboard, refining what’s already in place, and adding new car skins.
When Racer is released, it won’t have a massive number of skins. I’ll ensure that each car has at least 10, but as for unique skins, their quantity at launch will be limited.
However, over time, more skins will be added.
Besides that, I should be able to get everything done. At the moment, my work pace is very good, and I don’t need to extend the development time. Midnight Racer will continue to be improved after its release. I’m confident that new tracks, quests, and maybe even cars and perks will be added. However, I won’t feel the same pressure to do it all immediately!
To wrap things up, I want to wish you all a peaceful and merry Christmas. Remember, you’re awesome Night Drivers!