In the poll on our Discord server asking which topic you'd like us to cover next in DevLog #5, there was one clear winner: What stage of development will the Early Access version be?
What really excited us was the huge number of people who participated in the poll. With Early Access approaching, that's a great sign. A project like this only works with an active community—and we can't wait to get started together.
Developing Notruf 3 through Early Access has been our plan from the very beginning. It simply makes sense to involve a community in the development process when so many of its members have valuable professional experience that can help shape the game. Or, to put it simply: in many cases, you know better than we do.
On one side, we have a passionate community with ideas, expectations, and a wealth of firefighting knowledge. On the other, we have a development team with years of experience from the previous two games. For this collaboration to truly work, however, Early Access needs to begin at a very early stage of development.
Only then can we still make meaningful changes to gameplay systems, mechanics, interactions, and features based on your feedback. If we were to launch later in development, much more of the game would already be set in stone, making major changes difficult—or sometimes even impossible. That's something we learned firsthand while developing the previous games.
By the start of Early Access, all core gameplay systems will be in place. They'll be complete enough to communicate our vision, allow you to provide constructive feedback, and serve as a solid foundation for future updates. This includes:
The introduction to the game and the role system
Daily routines, shift changes, and the progression system with end-of-day summaries
Emergency callouts, driving to incidents, and the first smaller missions as part of the attack crew
The first training courses and practical exercises
Fitness training to improve your character's physical condition
Various activities around the fire station (you'll have to discover some of them yourself)
The user interface as well as item and object interactions
Visually, the game is still far from complete. However, everything we've already implemented reflects the quality and style we're aiming for. Other parts of the world are currently placeholders or still under development. At the beginning of Early Access, our main focus will be the fire station and its immediate surroundings.
Only part of the station has been completed so far, but this area is fully explorable. For the initial Early Access version, we've focused on the following locations:
Fire and EMS vehicle bays
Sleeping quarters, common areas, and the clean/dirty zones
The offices of the station commander and training officer
The breathing apparatus training facility and conditioning area
The gym with a variety of fitness equipment
The training and drill grounds
The vehicle wash bay and workshop
The station and the game world will continue to grow throughout Early Access, with new areas, features, and details being added over time. Our goal is to make the entire station fully explorable. Just one word of warning: when the alarm goes off, those hallways can suddenly feel very long... ;-)
Since we needed a working emergency vehicle as quickly as possible, we decided to start with the old HLF. We already had the reference material, knew the vehicle inside and out, and understood how every part of it worked. That allowed us to focus on learning the specifics of Unreal Engine much more efficiently.
Right now, we're working on the ambulance. After that, we'll continue through the rest of the fire apparatus, all the way to the KEF. And of course, the new HLF will eventually find its way into the game as well.
Throughout Early Access, we'll continue expanding the game's core features. This includes new playable roles such as the driver/operator and the water supply crew, along with their corresponding training, exercises, and missions. At the same time, we'll be implementing systems like radio communication, status reporting, and many other features. The city itself will also continue to grow, becoming increasingly populated with traffic and pedestrians.
And then we'll see what other great ideas you come up with... ;-)
Your Crenetic Team