Hello everyone!
June has been a particularly busy month for the team, as we focused on preparing our Alpha, which is now live since June 29th. Despite the heatwaves, we kept pushing forward on many aspects of the game. Here’s what we’ve been working on 👇
On the art side
Our artists continued working on the port and its buildings, which are starting to really take shape. It’s getting harder not to imagine spending a holiday there, right?
We also made multiple fixes across the Provence map based on Alpha feedback: floating objects, terrain issues, collision problems, and more. We’re steadily polishing the experience to make exploration smoother and more immersive.
On top of that, the UI has been evolving with both artists and developers working together. Buttons have been improved, and new elements such as sliders and dropdown menus have been added to enhance usability.
On the development side
As mentioned last month, two major systems are currently in progress alongside regular bug fixing. We’ll be sharing dedicated videos soon to go deeper into these changes.
The first major task is a full rework of the player controller. The character’s speed handling has been reworked, along with walking, running, and jumping. Many movement animations have also been improved.
You can already check out a preview video, but keep in mind this is still a work in progress. We still want to improve the sense of weight and inertia, but we’re already very happy with the level of detail and the solid foundation it provides.
The second major task is the complete overhaul of our hose system and its physics.
This work continues to impact many gameplay systems, requiring us to refactor and reconnect a lot of existing features. Here are some of the key improvements so far:
All existing systems (water cannon, self-protection, hose reel, etc.) have been reconnected to the new system
Hose connectors are now fully physics-driven, meaning they can be moved even when fully extended or connected to another hose
Each hose type now has its own level of rigidity
A new pump system dynamically affects suction pressure and flow rate, resulting in more realistic behavior
Water leak VFX now takes network pressure into account
The new circulation system replaces the previous one by simulating actual water volumes, allowing hoses to remain filled even when not under pressure
Water tanks now empty proportionally based on remaining water volume when no pump is connected
These changes are a major step toward a more realistic and satisfying water system.
We’d like to wish strength and courage to all firefighters facing this difficult season. And to all our Alpha testers: thank you, and have fun!
See you next month.
❤️ Rescue Ops: Wildfire team