More fixes before the weekend, and plenty of new dependencies and game mechanics too. Getting rid of some of the long-standing exploits is also a nice touch... Like super slow cars generating fuel instead of using it. I still want one!
Hotfix B190216
Fixed cars spawing in mid-air in BeamNG.drive
B190215 Additions & Tweaks
Changed car/engine designers to expand on double click if they have trims/variants
Added "Engine Architecture" tech / research to unlock materials and engine configs
Added leaded fuel ban company alerts
Added direct effect of top end quality slider on valve float, independent of tech pool
Added direct effect of exhaust system quality slider on power output
Added over- and under-automated factory penalty to build quality
Added tooling time multiplier depending on tooling quality & automation sliders
Added company headquarters location info to car project sales panel
B190215 Fixes
Fixed crash when trying to load fixture favourites of mods no longer installed
Fixed soft top based trims not calculating
Fixed factory tooling time being independent of factory size
Fixed super slow cars sometimes generating fuel, dominating eco categories
Fixed campaign end screen not popping up when completing campaign
Fixed changing trim bodies removing all fixtures
Fixed new tire speed cost multiplier not being implemented in sandbox
Fixed brake quality making brakes heavier instead of lighter
Fixed exploitability of quality slider when no driver assists were selected
Fixed steel panels saying they only need a small factory (requires medium)
Fixed rim paint category icons being 1 3 3 instead of 1 2 3
B190215 Info for Modders
Set up car bones to understand Blender left/right naming conventions
Set up car bones to be able to have constraints in parent bone space
Set up car bodies to (optionally) use morph targets as bones
Next week we will merge the openbeta branch with the default branch, which will get rid of all kinds of startup / corrupted data issues people are having. It also means all UE4.17.2 based mods will have to be updated to be usable.
Cheers!
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 8 (B190213)
Fixing more important campaign issues in today's patch, some which where making it such that some cars would never come out of engineering.
The new company alert system is also seeing some useful additions, along with a new game mechanic that now in more detail evaluates if your car is deemed fast enough for the intended market - depending on road quality. Good stuff!
B190213 Additions
Added company alert for upcoming minimum safety regulations
Implemented Top Speed based desirability penalties for different stats per region
Added 70sCoupeLargeSize coupe and sedan
B190213 Fixes
Fixed changing model body after making a trim breaking all kinds of things
Fixed issue that could cause cars to not sign off correctly, staying in engineering forever
Fixed issue (potentially) with log file flooding with FMOD errors in rare cases
Fixed issue where pressing ESC would kill the UI in sandbox
Fixed countries being selectable even when greyed out in marketing hub
Fixed (roughly) alignment of factory manager UI
Fixed grille materials incorrectly displaying on some scoops
There will most likely be another patch on Friday as we're getting ready to merge the current open beta branch into the default branch - and with it get rid of all those "corrupt data", plugins, and database issues.
Cheers!
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 7 (B190211)
A quick update to address a critical campaign issue that caused timeline freezes due to a missing file. Along with that fix come a few updates as well, check out the changelog below:
B190211 Improvements & Fixes
Implemented first basic message/news system (WIP)
Added tire cost penalty for low (for their time) tire profiles
Improved tire cost progression when going over 300 & 350 km/h
Fixed critical campaign issue caused by missing file (time freezes)
Fixed Longitudinal FWD being selectable when using front live axle
Hope that resolves the issue!
Cheers
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 6 (B190208) [Fixed]
In today's patch there is a bit of polish and optimization, but also some much needed attention to the BeamNG Exporter. Engine designer scenarios are back (and car designer scenarios to follow next week) as we are preparing to merge everything into the default branch of Automation.
We are still looking for some cars that break the exporter, BeamNG, or cause simulation issues in BeamNG. Now would be a great time to send us the .car files to such cases (support@camshaftsoftware.com) so that we can look into them further to fix some of the remaining exporter issues that have been following us around. One specific testcase we need is a car that is breaking in "exporting sounds" phase. If you have one of those lying around, please send it to us! :)
B190208 General Improvements & Fixes
Engine designer scenarios are now back, car scenarios will come back soon
Big optimization for model designer performance
Made top bar's time controls work on demographics and market UI
Added rough difficulty presets for the lite campaign
Added warning to torsion beam rear suspension to show it can't be driven
Removed back button in designers where it was not applicable
Improved world map plaque text and its scaling, improved country selection info UI
Fixed issue with car paint
Fixed camera issue with world map view
Fixed countries not being greyed out when you can't sell to them in marketing screen
Fixed issue with engine not reloading properly in car after engine change
B190208 BeamNG Exporter Fixes
Fixed several instances where exported cars would cause simulation instability
Fixed issue with shift points for automatic transmissions
Fixed issue where exported car's rear suspension would break
Fixed issue with viscous diffs don't seem to do much locking at all
More improvements and fixes are coming next week!
Cheers
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 5 (B190204)
Just a small update today, more or less hotfixing the issues with the BeamNG exporter producing cars that "explode" or shake themselves to destruction or simulation instability.
B190204 Fixes
Fixed BeamNG Cars exploding, exhausts wobbling. Exhausts have been simplified.
Now not breakable. The smoke chain of nodes has been simplified.
Fixed issue where cloning a trim would invalidate other trims
Fixed some logic around Drive Type / Engine Placement selection
Fixed some logic (and silent erroring) around Brake Disc Options
There are more fixes and additions in the work for later this week, of course! :)
Cheers!
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 4 (B190201)
Lots of patches, and this one fixes another critical issue that was stopping the campaign from progressing at seemingly random times. Here's hoping we've now got all those types of bugs squashed.
We recently announced a Q&A as the last one was from almost five years ago, even though it held up nicely and is still relevant today. Here are 41 interesting questions answered:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFN1q3Ydclo
B190201 Fixes & Tweaks
Fixed critical issue with the campaign stopping at seemingly random times
Fixed things exploding when you delete an engine facelift
Fixed the awareness change in the markets tab not working with more than one region
Fixed brake piston count not being set to 1 when switching between drums and discs
Fixed issue with the emission tooltip going in wrong direction for head/valvetrain choice
Added a flat engineering time of 6 months to aerodynamics section before quality effects
If you find any new issues, please let us know!
Cheers
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 3 (B190131)
Quick turn-around on the patches, today with a fix to a critical bug that unfortunately slipped through with yesterday's patch, killing time progression in the campaign! Hence why we didn't want to wait eith patching till tomorrow as originally planned.
There are a good few changes for a day's work in this one too though. Have a look at the full changelist:
B190131 Improvements & Tweaks
Factories built from hub now assume car / engine weight for more accurate tooling costs
Further tweaked tow hitch attachment point behavior for BeamNG exports
Disabled addons that do not function in factory UI.
Added more information to 2nd panel of factory UI.
Added system to better replace outdated entertainment and safety packages in facelifts
Tweaks to Team Funding slider progression
Tweaks to Tooling slider progression in engineering
Added 5% service cost to V engines, 10% to Boxer engines
B190131 General Fixes
Fixed critical bug in campaign time progression (was an issue since yesterday's patch!)
Fixed exhausts falling off in BeamNG exports, unfortunately had to turn off their destructability
Fixed rounding on car tooltip for wheelbase
Fixed VVL disappearing when you unlocked it via tech pool
Fixed demographics data for market overview having bad values on first game month
Fixed engine techpool locked to the techpool you had when first designing the engine family
We may get another patch out tomorrow if there are significant enough changes.
Cheers!
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 2 (B190130)
We got a mid-week patch for you here as we're continuing to dig through our big list of reported and known issues. There are quite a few issues that keep getting mentioned that we are looking into for the end of the week, like the exhaust systems falling off for exported cars and such.
With more and more issues being sorted out, we're getting to the point where we're not just putting out fires but can start polishing and adding much needed data to the UI, as well as making it play and flow better.
Here is the changelog for today's patch!
B190130 Additions & Improvements
Added support for importing cars from previous version of Automation
Added exporting cars from the campaign, available only from trim designer (so far)
Implemented tight engine fitting penalties: adds ET, PU, and Service Costs
More tweaks and fixes to engine bays and engine size calculations
Added the ability to enter a car project from the model and trims in the production calendar
Factories now rebate 80% instead of 100% of value when upgraded to higher size class
Realigned fixtures by making "back" button the same size as fixture thumbnails
B190130 General Fixes
Fixed sales algorithm slowly reducing sales to a single trim over time
Fixed not being able to select engine factories when they are paused
Fixed engines not pausing production correctly when produced in multiple factories
Fixed not being able to save a loaded campaign game manually
Fixed black / not loading photo scenes
Fixed cloning-deleting a trim/variant slot leaving phantom engineering project
Fixed driveshaft spawning issue for Longditudinal AWD mid engine
Fixed company reputation and prestige being the same for all regions
Fixed debug text being shown instead of full descriptions on engine project factory screen
Fixed factory location UI appearing to have previous factory plot size pre-selected
Fixed not being able to add variants or trims back to factories once removed
Fixed the costs not updating when changing factory sub-size class
Fixed factory plot costs % showning wrong in the country info panel
B190130 BeamNG Exporter Fixes
Fixed issues with coupling tow hitch in BeamNG sometimes smashing car and trailer
Most likely there will be another ptach coming this week (Friday).
Sorry for the delay with the Q&A that was announced, I haven't gotten around to producing it yet apart from the rewriting of the FAQ recently.
Please continue to report the various issues you find. Thank you!
Cheers!
LCV3 Open Beta Patch 1 (B190125)
Sorry for the long wait for this patch, some of these rabbit holes turned out to be deeper than anticipated! With this patch we're fixing the biggest reoccurring issues that have been pointed out and should make the campaign as well as sandbox more playable in this open beta. Have a read of the full changelog here:
Improved launcher, showing number of mods and how many have been processed
Improved engine size / fit UI
Updated mod package to 4.12.2
B190125 General Fixes
Fixed cloning of engines not being possible in sandbox
Fixed campaign time bug that caused markets to show zero results
Fixed car import not working for new version cars (2018 cars don't import yet)
Fixed issue where car wouldn't calculate with certain engine warnings
Fixed wheelspin warning not taking into account traction control
Fixed validating of variants and trims during facelifting
Fixed tutorial video continuing to play once closed
Fixed icons and tooltips in hub finances
Fixed issue with cars having a strange lighting issue on one side
B190125 Exporter Fixes
Added oil cooler and higher possible turbo temperature to BeamNG exports
Fixed exporter issue with twin side exhausts
Fixed issues with turn signals and other lights in BeamNG exports
On a side note, we also updated the FAQ after a long time, so it should better cover the various most-requested things and most-brought-up discussion topics. Have a read here.
The list of things to do still is very long and continuous patching and improving will continue until the LCV3 is deemed fully playable (we still consider it "somewhat playable" by experienced players).
More fixes and polish coming next week! Thanks for all your reports on a whole lot of issues. :)
Cheers!
LCV3 Open Beta Milestone B190118 (+Hotfix)
Hotfix B190119
Fixed issue with campaign not saving
Fixed issue with sandbox UI throwing you back to model selection after engine
Fixed weight distirubtion issues
Corrupt data issue on launch now notes required manual fix (delete old plugins)
On a first run it might look like all your cars are gone from sandbox, that is not the case, just a one-time quirk of the database being updated. After going back out to the main menu and in again, or restarting Automation, it should be back to normal.
Milestone Release Note (B190118)
With today’s bigger update to the ongoing Lite Campaign V3 (LCV3) beta we are reintroducing Sandbox mode as well as the BeamNG Exporter - upgraded with new features:
New BeamNG Exporter Features / Fixes in B190118:
Tow hitches (misc fixture in automation)
Driveshafts and updated suspension models
Engine thermals
Exhaust piping and particles
Fixed grille texture sizing issue
Note that these have not been thoroughly tested, as is the case with most other new-ish features in this LCV3 version. Polishing up the LCV3 in the coming weeks, we will also address some of the long standing problems and inconsistencies with the exporter and improve it where we can.
Today’s beta milestone update is now available on the much more subscribed “openbeta” branch of the game. If you are subscribed to that or the “lcv3_test” branch, you will get this update automatically. Else you can opt into it via your Steam Library: R-Click the game, Properties, Betas, select the “openbeta” branch.
Note that the LCV3 is NOT considered properly playable by anyone but experienced Automation campaign players that have watched the campaign tutorial video. It is now way less broken than it was when first launching before Christmas though. A lot of UI required to put everything into context is still missing. That will slowly change over the coming weeks of development during which we will add a lot much needed detail.
New Launcher
This version comes with an updated launcher that much better handles mods and won’t break for those of you who have old UE4.17.2 mods installed. You can now directly manage your mods from the launcher window, including not loading specific ones on launch or unsubscribing, but also visiting a mod’s workshop page directly.
Mods
Existing mods will have to be updated to the new engine version Automation is running, UE4.21.1, using the new modding tools we made available with this update. Modders will be pleased to hear that there now is an official example photo-scene mod available in the workshop, i.e. you can now make your own photo scenes! The modding wiki does have some basic information for you to get going with that.
What happens to the Kee Engine version?
We have removed the Kee Engine version from this build of the game, it is still available via the default branch of Automation and once the beta of the LCV3 concludes - merging with the default branch - the Kee Engine version will be available through a specific opt-in standalone branch only giving you the Kee Engine version. That way you can still access it but don’t have to have a significantly bigger download and install with the normal UE4 version which at that point will have more or less the same (and more) campaign features.
Update B190118 Changelog
With today’s patch we’re fixing a wide variety of issues, including factory related issues you were running into during the opt-in beta. Again this should make the campaign more solid, but there are of course many more issues that need to be resolved. Your reports and sharing of savegames and game logs has been very helpful in hunting down bugs so far. Thank you!
Here are today’s patch notes for the changes since B190109.
B190118 Changes & Additions
Added Indonesian to language selection
Added new photo scene
Updated to latest translation versions from Crowdin
Tweaked and fixed many engine bays, making them more realistic
Made engine placement in engine bay more realistic in dependency on drive type
Factory summary now shows model / family names, dates, and current state info
Factories now have basic, automatically generated names
Factory default in campaign setup now is M plot, S factory for both car and engine
Locked QA and worker wage sliders for now until build quality is implemented
Hidden all UI on engine sign-off page as it does not show any actual data yet
Changed graphics settings Resolution Scale to be the actual scale percentage
B190118 Fixes & Polish
Fixed issue with engine factories not being released after canceling project
Fixed some issues connected to deleting an engine facelift
Fixed an issue where factories were selectable despite already having a future state
Fixed the hub factory manager UI not having a top bar with icons and tooltips
Fixed several issues with car building AI and its car body selection, updated competitors
Fixed issue where the campaign would not properly reset starting a new one
Fixed issue with base car cost calculations in forecaster
Fixed issues with front transverse engine placement in many cars
Fixed test track map not changing when setting it to the airfield track
Fixed issue with wheelspin warning and added tiers for the warning
Fixed tire service cost multiplier display value and updated suspension tuning UI
Fixed many cargo boxes and passenger volumes of car bodies
Fixed issue with data display not adhering to what significant figures they ought to show
Fixed various sections of the UI, like the calendar and the R&D panel
Fixed weight stat not showing correctly in final summary tab of the car designer
Fixed wheelbase not displaying on summary screen of car designer.
Fixed the "in engineering" status color in the calendar falsely switching to "in production"
Fixed missing textures in leaf rear suspension
Fixed some formatting of body variant tooltip
Fixed slider for cash on campaign setup screen having wrong number of steps
Fixed distributors on boxers being weirdly offset
Fixed Power to Weight ratio in bottom panel on test track now telling you what it is
Fixed some tyre treads pointing in the wrong direction on one side
Fixed shading issue with normals on car body morphing
Fixed mid engined cars not using their correct cargo box, had zero cargo space
View a full-size version of the development timeline here.
All that being said, in the coming weeks there will be 1-2 patches per week until the LCV3 is where it needs to be for a full public release. The currently missing Challenges will also come back in the near future.
