Project Taurus
Progress - It's a big thing
As you've no doubt noticed. I went quiet, very quiet, for which I sincerely apologise for. You've no need to fear, work carries on.
As ever, personal things got in the way. Something happened which has taken the best part of 2 months to process, and now I'm finally at the stage to get on and fully back into things.
I'll be posting an update in future which will be a very good vision of the final game, and we'll move on from there.
This was to serve as a quick post to show I'm still here, and will be working away!
Thanks to everyone who's still there for the game, you'll have something worth playing before long!
Launch of the Wiki!
This will be added to over the next few weeks, and I invite the community to help build it up!
Here it is: https://projecttaurus.gamepedia.com/Project_Taurus_Wiki
Alpha Update - 0.7.589.3644
Changelog
<*> Added a Model System for information and errors
<*> Fixed uploading of some workshop mods
<*> Upload Progress of mods is now shown
<*> Subscribed mods are listed in the mod-menu now
Alpha Update - 0.7.586.4793
Steam Workshop
The Steam Workshop is now live for spoilers, wheels and hood objects. A guide as to how to make them will go live later on this week. There is a mod on the workshop which can be downloaded for modders to investigate how to configure mods for the game.
Changelog:
- The way the game handles car objects has changed to make it simpler to add cars, and also serves as the foundation for modding in the future
- Workshop integration
- AI Cars are destroyed if they leave the Arena
- AI Cars now respawn if stuck
- Fixed a freeze on Linux (one of the causes, some freezes may still be present)
- Heavily improved optimisation with the number selection UI objects
Coming towards the end of the Open-Alpha
We've had over 1600 people sign up to take part in the testing that's been going on in recent weeks, we're just under halfway through the testing cycle of the game. And progress has been going great. We've seen the addition of Multiplayer, Steam Lobbying, improvements to game features, bug fixes and shaping the game with the community.
This stage of testing will end towards the end of this month, as we transition to Early Access. I've said many times on Reddit, Discord and other places that it's something I've been uncertain about due to some games abusing the system. However, it's really helpful for developers in our situtation, as we'll be able to afford better tools and equipment to help make the game the best it can be.
Many people won't be interested in buying the game in Early Access, and I fully respect their decision, and I'd invite them to look at the game once-more when it will be released after 3-4 months in the process.
I realise so many games have promised before what I'm saying, only a short time in Early Access, continual development etc. But I hope that the game being worked on as actively as it is currently shows that I truly mean that.
How will it differ from the current version?
In one word: Content
Currently in the game there are 3 cars, 4 if you've managed to mod the files. This will be expanded on release, giving a far wider variety of vehicles for you to smash into. There are a bunch of features planned, some of which are already in development, for release on Early Access, and these will be announced closer to the time.
Thanks to everyone who's participated in the Alpha so far, it's great to get feedback from so many people, and I hope you continue to enjoy the game as it develops.
Alpha Update - 0.7.579.5627
Steam Lobbies
Steam Lobbies are a great tool for getting friends together, you can invite them to lobbies now! Simply go to the multiplayer screen, press invite and select who you want. Then once everyone is ready, you can launch the game. They'll automatically connect to your server, and should remove the need for Port Forwarding.
NAT Traversal
Using a library called Open.NAT and utilising the UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), the game creates a temporary rule in your router to allow the game's traffic through. UPnP should be supported on most routers, but if not you will have to port forward 8421. The warning exists in-game still on the multiplayer menu, but doesn't apply to everyone now.
Changelog
- Integration of Steam Lobbies
- Integration of NAT Traversal
- New Post-processing Stack
- Improved Depth of Field implementation
Alpha Update - 0.7.572.4578
Changelog
- Fixed Multiplayer being skipped when using a controller in the menu
Alpha Update - 0.7.572.3880
New Damage Model
The new damage model has really stepped up the feeling of the game. Calculations are made as to who hit who, and then appropriate damage is done based off of the relative velocity of the collision. It means less damage done to you when you hit someone, so it feels better to play.
This still requires tweaking, and will be addressed in hot-fixes.
Multiplayer
This patch hallmarks the release of Multiplayer for the game. It will be Peer-To-Peer based, where players host the games themselves, in a similar style to that of Minecraft, Terraria. This does require Port Forwarding for now (8421 for those who are interested), but hopefully in the coming weeks we'll move onto a system which doesn't require that. The current system is purely an implementation to test the Networking, and to enable people to play with/against their friends for now. It will defintely change in the future.
Multiplayer will no doubt have many issues, so expect several patches and hot-fixes addressing any issues that crop up.
This will be pushed later on tonight!
For more information on our new update schedule, read here
Alpha Update - 0.6.931.2967
Changelog
- Ability to press Enter/Space to spawn
- Mouse now hidden in-game
- Fixed Garage Menu on 21:9 resolutions
Alpha Update - 0.6.931.48
Changelog
- Fixed Controller issue in options menu
- Fixed Movement issues on Mac & Linux