Every year, the Cologne-Deutz exhibition grounds open their doors for the biggest video game spectacle in the world. After many years at Gamescom, this year was especially exciting for us. Where else do you get the chance to watch different players play Emergency Call 3 for the very first time? But talking to players who have been with us since the very first game is also always exciting, interesting and educational after a new release.
Overall, the changes and new features were very well received. During conversations about the future development of the game and what else could be added, we got the feeling that we are on the right track.
Together with the feedback from our Discord community, we have now compiled an impressive wishlist. So, we still have quite a bit of work ahead of us before the full release – and some of those ideas could make for a great DLC.
Immediately afterwards, we continued at the Mülheim Fire Department. They were hosting their Fire Station Open Day, and we also wanted to be there. With good weather, the event can easily attract 10,000 visitors or more. After setting up our demo stations at 9:30 a.m., we were promptly overrun by visitors at 10:00 a.m.
Unlike at Gamescom, the visitors here were even younger. However, the players managed very well and needed surprisingly little help. Some visitors had even travelled specifically to meet us and talk to us about Emergency Call 3 and its future development right in front of the real-life setting. That made us particularly happy!
The atmosphere was great, and there was even enough time for an interview with the local radio station.
After all the excitement, we are now back in the thick of development and are working on the next update with new content.
Before we release it, however, there will still be some smaller patches with adjustments and optimizations. These are necessary and provide the foundation for upcoming expansions.
The upcoming update will focus on the Driver/Operator role for the HLF. This includes the following features:
Training course: Driver/Operator – Basics (HLF)
Option to select the “HLF Driver/Operator” role at the station officer
Ability to play existing incidents from the Driver/Operator role
In addition, there will be several further improvements and features:
Park the emergency vehicle at the incident scene as a player
Navigation system with automatic route planning
Allow the crew to safely exit the vehicle at the scene
Secure the emergency vehicle from traffic using traffic cones
AI can take over most of the tasks of the attack crew
New activity at the fire station (as always: discover it for yourself!)
The HLF starts the game clean and gradually gets dirtier over time
Training course: Handling Hazardous Materials – Basics VU1
And many other little things
And of course, some things may still change here and there – we will keep you updated.
Your Crenetic Team