Time for another update for all you beautiful patient gamers! :silverworker:
We've been making good progress in getting the new version of the game up and running again. It's not finished, but as our systems are becoming more and more complete, we're getting closer to finally having a playable version again.
So, let's go straight to the news.
New Monster Truck Visuals
Here's the new textured Monster Truck Model:
New Vehicle Physics
And here's our new vehicle controller. It features far more dynamic wheel placement and chassis damping, visually. As far as physics go, we also completely revamped the way it behaves, so less floaty driving, and more direct acceleration.
Respawn
When playing Yardage with one builder and several drivers, and one driver explodes or falls off the track, the other drivers can bring them back to life by driving back to where they died. Their soul will be waiting to be saved.
AI Builder
To enable Single Player gameplay, we started implementing AI players. The builder is now complete, and allows you to practice driving offline, without other players. The driver AI appears to be far more difficult to implement, and a lot of work is still needed on that. For the time being, we'll focus on more important issues (like getting the game running again), and go back to a driver AI once we have the time.
Online Play
We're technically able to "play" online as of now – cross-platform and all. We hope to keep that, but whether or not cross platform multiplayer will make it into the game in the end, is not certain yet, as that depends on multiple factors.
* The word play is in quotation marks, because this is really playing in the broadest sense. There's no logic to rounds, no points being counted, no teams, etc. Basically it's only the building and driving, without any rules. But not to fret, we're on it.
Up Next
Our roadmap is pretty tight, as we're trying our hardest to get the updates into your hands. Here's a quick rundown of what's happening now, and what's going to happen next:
[In Progress] Bonus Points (for certain actions while playing)
[In Progress] Sound Effects
[In Progress] UI (HUD and Menu Flow)
Implement Gameplay & Mode Rules
In-game Music
Re-implement Customization
New Game Mode: Capture the Flag
Implement missing tiles
Performance Optimization
Fix network glitches
Bugfixes
We're hoping to have an offline playable version ready in time for gamescom, where we will be displaying the game. If you're in town, please stop by and come hang out!
Anything Else?
That's it for now. Is there something you're missing in the current build that you'd like to see in the next version? Or something we really really shouldn't touch? Or something else you want us to know? Get in touch! ːsteamhappyː:goldworker:
Take care you all!
Re-Design Sneak Peek
Hey y'all,
after spending some time away from the office at GDC and PAX, we're finally back and ready to do some gamedev. The engineers are hard at work implementing some of the new game design, and the network code, so right now is the perfect time to do some menu stuff.
So, here's a mock-up of our new main menu.
The idea is that as players join your party, their cars pop up in the background – whether they've joined local or online. Note that nothing is final yet, especially not the background. There will be a lot more happening around the vehicles, this is just placeholder artwork, to give an idea of necessary content.
Also, our artist Valerij is working on re-doing the vehicles. Right now, the monster truck is getting overhauled. Here's a work in progress:
The old one (you can still see that in the menu screenshot) had some technical flaws, and doesn't fit well enough with the new design.
What do you think? Like it? Hate it?
Anything you'd like to see, that we missed?
Take care,
Steve
A Word on Early Access
Hello one and all,
how have you all been doing? I'm here today, to give you some news about the Early Access version of Can't Drive This, and a rough timeline of what's going to happen next.
Warning: Lots of text incoming.
Working off Game-Jam Code
As I've mentioned before, we've been hard at work updating Can't Drive This. So why, you may wonder, are you not seeing any of the progress?
Well, let's go back a step: Can't Drive This was born during a game jam – we prototyped the initial version of the game within 72 hours (This way way before the Early Access version. You can still play that prototype online. Don't though, it's horrible.).
And clever as we are, we kept building on that code base. Now let me tell you, working on game-jam code is never a good idea. At some point, we realized this, as the whole thing became too unstable to support continued development. That, while not being the only reason, was the trigger for us to re-work the game from the ground up.
Re-Working the Complete Game
When we started development during the game jam, we didn't have a specific plan in mind, we just started developing, and went with the flow.
Continued development after the jam was a little more strategic – but whenever we had new ideas (remember, we didn't have a design document, or anything), we just built them on top of the existing game. Whenever we decided to remove something from the game, we removed it.
If you've ever played Jenga, you know where that tactic eventually leads.
So we decided to go back to the drawing board. We took everything we'd learned, and put the vision that was evolved during development, to paper.
From this point, we're able to produce a coherent game, with a clear plan.
As beneficial as this may be for the game, reworking from the ground up has a few drawbacks.
Drawbacks of Square One
The main issue of starting over is, of course, time. Whenever you begin anew, it costs time, especially when you're relatively far along in a project. But the main issue we're having, and the one that most affects you, is that it's a new project.
This unfortunately means we won't be able to publish regular updates, as we had originally planned. Right now it looks like the next update is going to be the full release, or at least somewhere very near it.
What this means for Early Access
If you're reading this, having bought the game in the past, expecting regular updates, this may hurt. In a perfect world, this wouldn't have happened. But game development is more art than science, and these things tend to happen, as games evolve. We know it sucks, and we're very, very sorry about it.
We're confident that it will allow us to make Can't Drive This the best game it can be, and we hope you understand. Every decision we make (and this was a tough one) is for the sake of the game.
To Buy, Or Not to Buy
If you haven't bought Can't Drive This, and you're wondering whether or not to do it, please keep this in mind. You won't be getting regular updates until the full launch.
But, you will be able to play a working prototype of the game.
You will get the game at a super-discounted price.
And you will support the game's development.
Which makes you absolutely awesome.
Plans for the Future
First off, if the above text worried you that Can't Drive This may not ever be finished, let me assure you: It will.
We've received funding form the FFF, a Bavarian fund for film, television and video games. This will allow us to complete the game, in any case. Plus, every penny from sales of the Early Access version are going directly into the development – allowing us to add even more features.
The way it looks right now, we'll be releasing the full version of Can't Drive This in Q4 2018. The base of the game is getting close to production-ready, and we're beginning to plug everything together.
Right now, we're re-working the vehicle system, including everything from customization to the physics. Then, we'll be adding game modes, menu-flow, UI, and all the little things.
We're going to be at GDC and PAX East soon. I'll be there personally, along with our Lead Artist Valerij (at GDC), and our Lead Programmer Andi (at PAX). If you're in San Francisco or Boston during those events, feel free to get in touch, or stop by! We'd love to chat!
That's it for now
If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to chat, feel free to hit us up on the forums, or via email.
Thanks for your time, you all!
Cheers,
Steve
Preview: 2v2 Race Mode
Hey there,
if you've read my previous post to the end, you saw that we've been working on a four player mode. Well, here's a short gameplay video of our first 2v2 mode:
2 Drivers, 2 Builders, 1 Goal
What do you think?
Take care,
Steve
New Look, New Modes, New Everything
Hey you all!
As promised, we've been hard at work on Can't Drive This. Here's a short update on what's going on at Casa Del Pixel Maniacs:
Network Code is looking good
Unfortunately, it's hard to visually show you how awesome our new network code is, but we're already seeing a few huge benefits as opposed to the old version:
Improved matchmaking speed & reliability
Noticeably less lag
More robust online gameplay
Multi-platform and Cross-platform support
Something secret, I'm not allowed to tell you about yet
We needed to concentrate on revamping our network code before we could do much else, because that's what the much of the game relies on. In short, whenever we change something in the game, we need it to work online as well. And without functioning network code, well...
New Look
Since not all of us are programmers, I can present you with another teaser for something we've been working on: Can't Drive This is getting an all-new look! New street tiles, new vehicles, new post processing, the whole package. Here's a shot of the new street and an early version of the new vehicle explosion.
New Vehicles & Modes
Right now, we're re-doing the customization shader for the vehicles, as well as some of the vehicles themselves. As soon as that's through, I'll make sure to post an announcement highlighting the changes.
We're also trying out new crazy game modes, including ones with progression, different ways to build roads and more. More info on this, also coming in the next few weeks.
That's all for now
That's all for now, but keep your eyes open for some more Can't Drive This goodness in the near future.
Take care,
Steve
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Oh, and remember that thing from the beginning, that I can't talk about?
Well, nobody said anything about screenshots.
Sorry For the Silence
Hey there,
let me begin with apologizing for this post. This is long overdue. In the name of the entire team, I also apologize for the lack of updates in the recent time.
TL;DR
We didn't forget you, we just had a lot of stuff to do. We're getting off our asses now. Promise.
Is Can't Drive This Cancelled?
No, not at all. Quite the opposite. Really, really, the opposite.
Though we haven't been actively developing CDT during the past few weeks (more on that below), it's still very much alive. In fact, we've recently received funding for it from the awesome folks at FFF Bayern! We're definitely going to finish it, and we have some exciting new features planned – including awesome new game modes, achievements, trading cards, more customization, and more.
What's Going On, Then?
In short, we had other commitments, we thought we could handle better. In the past weeks, things went a little awry here, as we went through some operational changes. The console port of our debut title ChromaGun took longer and required more resources than we expected, and we were trying to get funding for CDT. These, among other things, had us crunching overtime lately, and we didn't get around to really working on updates, other than the last one.
We're a particularly small company, with eight employees. Two of these work on marketing and other things outside the actual game development. And only four of the remaining developers work here full-time – and they've been trying their hardest to get stuff done on three games.
I hope that gives you an idea of why it can be difficult to get certain things done in a reasonable amount of time sometimes – and why you haven't heard from us in so long.
Good News, Everyone!
I can confirm, that as of now, we're back in the saddle.
We currently have three active projects: ChromaGun for PSVR, Can't Drive This, and Escape the Loop. ChromaGun is nearly done, and Escape the Loop is still some time in the future. That finally brings us to a point where we can focus most of our work on the development of CDT – with some time being spent on bug fixes and improvements for ChromaGun, and the design work of Escape the Loop.
We're now working on getting Controller Support for the entire game, developing new game modes, and improving our network code – among other things.
We truly appreciate your support and your patience. With that – and the funding – we're confident we can make Can't Drive This the best game it can be.
Keep your feedback coming. We're listening. Always.
Cheers,
Steve
Raise Your Hats Build #301
We've introduced hats as customization items, in addition to noses and tails.
You'll find the "Rocket" there now, together with the "Beer Can Hat" and others.
A new car has been added, too. The community voted for a beetle. Have fun with it!
The in game HUD received UX improvements:
Thumbnails for the next tiles are placed in the center of the screen and are bigger.
The "Ghost Tile" (the one which is going to be placed next) now displays in colors which guarantee strong contrast to your custom tile colors. Its borders and markers have distinct colors from the asphalt.
Together this helps a lot in recognizing the upcoming tile, compared with the small thumbnails and monochrome (green) look of the previous version.
New Custom Noses and Spoilers, CDT Update Build #281
We have added a monocle, a pig nose, a beer can hat and a foxtail.
Thanks to Flokatiteppich, lumiangames, Penus and everybody else
for suggesting and voting in our gadget thread.
Currently hats in general can be selected from either nose or spoiler menus. We'll add customization menu for hats in the future.
Can't Drive This Xmas Updates
We've added new Items to customize the vehicles. Now you can put on a Santa hat or Rudolph's antlers. We've also reduced the reflections a bit.
There's a already few changes queued for 2017 and we're busy integrating them. Expect more vehicles and items to customize them to come :)
Merry Xmas everyone!
Build #275
Let’s Have a Word…
Build #268
Remember the days when you couldn’t yell at each other after a round, even though your friend played like an idiot? ːsteammockingː
Well, these dark days are over! Now, with the built-in chat, you can rage at each other at your heart’s content – and discuss who's fault it was to get to that darn game-over screen.
Have fun, and don't be too rude. ːsteamsaltyː
Minor Fixes:
- Improved online vehicle sync: we removed some ugly code to make it much smoother.
- Improved the visuals, the game is now less blue. Literally.
