Things are going well and we're approaching the open beta release of the next big update which comes with plenty of added content and balance changes. We're aiming for the end of next week for when you can dip your toes into the new version.
V16s
Part of this update will be the delivery of the promised preorder bonus of V16 engines for those early supporters who paid an extra $10 about 3-4 years ago to support development. Back then that was part of the reason two of our back then 3-man team were able to go full-time. During those years, the issue of DLC and preorder bonuses has turned from pretty much a non-issue into a big one, a massive potential pitfall for developers.
So now we're stuck between a rock and a hard place, breaking our promises is not an option, and paid DLC during Early Access is not perceived as acceptable either. There definitely is no perfect solution that can please all. We're going discuss what the best course of action would be all sides considered and will announce what exactly is going to be done in a separate video and a "V16 FAQ". At least that means it all stays transparent, even if we can't please everyone.
Major Balance Changes
Back to easier things - with the scenario balancing currently ongoing, we're taking the opportunity of having to rebalance the scenarios anyway, to change and fix some of the realism and balance problems in the engine designer.
Among those changes are a rebalance of the exhaust system, intake flow, a complete rewrite of the smoothness calculations, and with that some natural changes to how large engines can be made depending on their configuration. Bye bye 3L I3s, there's a good reason you don't exist IRL!
For more info and discussion on how these changes will affect the engine designer, have a look at the latest Little Dev Update:
https://youtu.be/S9AipxrdJXU
Cheers!