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Hello all,
There's been a bunch of work on different areas, so I thought it best to group all of these together into a single post. Hopefully the wait since wet weather was implemented hasn't been too tough!
UI improvements
Honcho has ARPG design deep in its DNA. Players will spend a lot of time scavenging, purchasing, repairing, modifying, and upgrading all sorts of components on the truck. Each component affects the truck in a number of ways. Each component also has its own condition, rust level, weight, value, and various unique characteristics. Within "Condition" and "Rust" are also specific part requirements that need replacing in order to repair their status. All these complexities can be a lot for players to keep track of, so it’s important that we provide a dynamic yet easy-to-parse UI.
Iconography has been added to show unique attributes, which are the attributes that directly affect the base stats of the component. Iconography has also been added to the "Condition" and "Rust" issues to indicate that action is required.
A broken gear is currently used as an icon for a part breaking on a component. I still need to think of a good icon to represent rust issues.
Vending Machines
I’ve previously been using a pretty basic vending machine for building the end-game system. I was getting a bit tired of looking at placeholder art, so I decided to spend a week adding some more variants.
Vending machines can be found along various generated routes. The player can bring them back to their garage, repair them, and put them to use. They can also be purchased. Each vending machine has various attributes such as stock amount, vend time, energy consumption, weight, etc. Above is a single-item vending machine—a cheap and easy-to-repair solution for getting your business off the ground. Below is a repurposed coffee vending machine, which provides customers with much more choice and the player with much more earning potential.
NPCs
Customers exist in the world, and you can watch them use your vending machines. I’d previously been using a placeholder model; you may have seen these as "ghost" NPCs in various screenshots. These have now been replaced with asset pack characters.
We’re planning on pitching to publishers in the new year. If we can get funding, we’ll be able to replace these characters with bespoke designs. If not, I think they’ll get the job done. A lot of simulation games utilize asset packs, and I think with the current realities of game financing, it’s sensible for me to start doing the same.
Suspensions
Previously, there was only one suspension in the game: a 14-Layer Leaf Suspension. I’ve now added a MacPherson Strut Suspension, which comes as standard for the front two wheels of the car.
The MacPherson and Leaf suspensions can be installed on any wheel of the car. More suspensions are planned, as they change the driving experience significantly. For example, while the Leaf suspension has a lower tension value, it allows for a higher load capacity for the truck. Replacing the front suspensions with the Leaf suspension would allow for heavier loads to be carried, but at the cost of the driving experience.
vehicle handling
While working on the suspension, I also took the time to revisit vehicle handling. I’ve lowered the overall grip values and reduced the damper values of the suspension. The result is a much nicer driving experience and less "trolley-like." Improvements in this area are on-going, as they are driven by the large number of components players can install on their truck.
That about wraps it up. Thanks!
Greg