Hello everyone, and welcome to our very first Developer Diary! ☀️
When we asked what you’d like to see on the Discord server, many of you said: more info about the development. So here it is – a monthly format to give you a look behind the project.
Summer is usually a quieter time, but even with part of the team on some well-deserved rest, development kept moving forward. Our main goal: getting closer to the demo you’re all waiting for.
A brand-new interface
Until now, many UI elements were just quick placeholders. But now, an artist has designed a (nearly) complete interface, consistent with our art direction. Integration has started, and the difference is striking: everything feels clearer, smoother, and more immersive.
Reworked map and tactical support
Two major mechanics got some serious attention this month:
The map: its design and navigation have been completely reworked. It’s not finished yet, but the improvement is already huge.
Tactical support: operations are now better organized and easier to access. Other design questions came up as well, especially around ‘usage costs’ – more on that later.
Check out this evolution! Still a work in progress (especially the wind vane and the tactical support panel), but already a huge improvement
Missions and tutorial
We’ve also been working on the mission system: how you’ll unlock them, how they’ll chain together… At the same time, new missions are being prepared, and the tutorial is already being tested in-engine.
Art & environment
On the art side, things are busier than ever! The team is currently overloaded because they’ve started redoing the entire environment. This overhaul comes from our desire to improve mountains, roads, and landscapes. That means tons of new assets being created - rocks, vegetation, and much more.
A sneak peek at the new rocks, with more improvements on the way
The upgraded truck
Your main firefighting vehicle also got some love. We added or reworked several key features: headlights, sirens, and even the horn! These changes bring more immersion and make missions feel more authentic.
This work will lay the foundation for the next vehicles we’ll be developing.
Headlights piercing through the smoke
Fire, super-sized
This is without a doubt one of the biggest technical breakthroughs of recent weeks: we’ve gone from handling 6,000 to 500,000 burnable elements. A huge leap forward that makes wildfires feel far more realistic.
Our fire propagation algorithm, which we’ve been developing for nearly two years, is a unique system we’re especially proud of – something no other simulator has achieved so far. We’ll share more about it in a dedicated video that dives into all the details.
Of course, such progress also requires plenty of fine-tuning for existing mechanics… so trust us, the developers are anything but bored!
And also…
Progress on integrating the game into Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Visual improvements to details, such as backpacks (straps now follow the shoulders more naturally).
A new display system for carbon monoxide poisoning.
That’s it for our very first Dev Diary! We hope you enjoy this new format and that it gives you a clearer picture of our progress. Let us know what you think!
Thank you again for your support, and see you next month for the next update!
❤️ Rescue Ops: Wildfire Team