Hi ! I hope you are all doing great ! This update brings working trailer to the game, now you can haul around second rig on the test maps.
So to be honest, last few months I had a few personal things that needed taking care of, that took its tol on my time that normally I would spend working on Pure Rock Crawling. And when finally everything settled in I had a hard time going back to work as usual...
That's when I realized that I have to make something that I always wanted to try out, something that would bring smile to my face, a trailer :)
Right now it might be out of place, but in a bigger picture it will be essential in further improvement of this game. And as its game ready right now i thought why not add it :) So you can check it out in the test maps. While selecting the map pick a secondary vehicle and you will start game with 2 cars and a trailer. Have fun with it and as always please report any encountered bugs on the forums, I will make separate thread.
As for the tires, right now the simulation was only focusing on the physical properties, the way the tire deformed under load. But there was one thing that was missing. Tire deformation to the sides - because it was not needed for the physics. Now, you can enjoy fully deformable tires !!!
To sum up, expect next update sooner than this time :) Also, I wanted to thank you all for great reception of the last update !!! You guys are great ! Thank you :)
Take care and have fun !
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! - VEHICLE UPDATE
Hi ! I hope you are all well ! Pure Rock Crawling is celebrating 2nd birthday ! Following increased detail in wheels and suspension options there was no other way around it - visual customization needed some work.
Looking at the older vehicle models there is a clear lack of detail compared to the new suspension and wheels. Not only that made me to redo the first vehicle, but also because of how the first model was made there was no way to make it customizable on the level that I wanted.
So behold the new and improved Short Rock, now with new visual elements that can be swapped or removed. On pair with suspension and wheels it completes the vision that I had regarding customization.
Apart from all the models that you see there are many things under the hood that needed reworking for all of this to work, and having these things done now, i can shift my focus on adding new parts for all vehicles and reworking old models.
Minor updates:
improved physics calculations
new engine load model - resulting in smother ride
fixed tire glitch while customizing in game
improved difflock off behavior
For the game birthday sum up i think that this picture says it all:
And for the future plans, first lets take a look at what i wrote a year ago:
update car models, as well as suspension, i think i can do much better now
rework customization, I want to make something that would really let you feel like building dream rock crawler. Different tire sizes/types, axles that actually change something, being able to chose between spring or leaf suspension, more cosmetic items etc., so that's something that i want to work hard on.
different progression system, since i find levels/credits in current form a little annoying
multiplayer and mod support, so these are the tough ones. Don't get me wrong, I want both in game as soon as possible ! Both require the game to be more finished than it is right now (especially mod support) so first things first. Once i settle on how the core mechanics work, I will start working on these features. Cant say anything for sure but I will try as hard as i can :)
So yeah, I am quite happy with the progress! I think that besides smaller updates you have suggested, one of the important things will be adding more maps. Join me in the next 12 months of updates ! :)
Thank you for all of the support throughout the year ! Take care and stay safe !
NEW ENHANCED WHEELS
Hi ! I hope you are all doing well ! Following the last update which brought the ability to customize the suspension, this update lets you choose different wheels !
First of all I wanted to say that I am overwhelmed by the great reception of the last updates ! I hope that Pure Rock Crawling is heading in the right direction for you. The journey of making this game is far off what I imagined it would be - it is far more better ! Thank you all !
Now for the update :) There are six different types of wheels, each with different physics properties. One is stiffer than the other, some bend sideways and of course all are much more softer. Thanks to reworking the whole wheel physic model I could finally free myself from the old system which was in use since the early days of the game. It is much lighter on the simulation side and much more capable of realistic simulation.
To make exploration of this update easier, now you can customize your truck right on the map via pause menu (only in free roam mode). This will allow for much quicker wheel and suspension changes - there is no better way to compare them.
Also, as suggested, you can now access all maps in free roam mode without the need of unlocking them. I hope this will please everybody interested only in free roaming.
Minor updates:
driver animation fix
added option to turn on V-Sync
vehicles are slightly faster
Hope you will have fun with this update ! Stay tuned for more and take care !
NEW SUSPENSION CUSTOMIZATION
Hi ! I hope you are all doing great ! This update changes how can you customize your truck suspension. Now you can choose between 6 different setups, both for front and rear - and mix them up!
Let me start with specifying what has changed. In the customization menu now you have the ability to choose different suspension types. This allows you to customize your truck in a whole new dimension. Let's say that you want 3 link in the front and leaf springs in the back - no problem ! One link setup ? Got you covered :) Each type is modeled with attention to every nut and bolt. Let me list every available option:
One Link with Panhard bar - front/rear
Two link with Panhard bar - front/rear
Three link - front with Panhard rear triangulated
Four link triangulated - front/rear
Five link (4 with Panhard) - front/rear
Leaf spring - front/rear
Every suspension has its own characteristic, eg. one link is very unstable but gives the most flex and on the other hand there are leaf springs, the most stable and predictable but the worst flex. Also Panhard bars push suspension to one side etc. Once I polish these values they will be exposed in the customization menu so it will be easier to compare them. Feel free to comment and give suggestions on how each type could be tweaked.
In addition to that, axles got a lifting too. Now you can see working axles shafts with exposed u-joints. New engine model etc. Whole new suspension to play with. As for the overall look of customization, right now the UI is a mess and needs to be changed.
Suspension change don't require in-game currency, and from now on parts that affect gameplay won't require it. In the future I want to separate mechanical parts from cosmetic ones - but that will be a whole another update.
Other thing that was added is nvidia ansel. You can now use this tool to take in game screenshots having freedom to move the camera around to get the best angle possible ! Also this helped me to take pictures for today's update.
Also got a fixed a few bugs and improved some things:
driver animation not working corectly when using controller
fixed issue with car loosing power in certain situations
changed acceleration curve, plus removed a bug where two methods of calculating load interfered
camera center of rotation moved closer to center of car
So, this one took longer than expected... But I must say it was a ton of work and I have done a lot more than I had planned at the beginning of working on this update. Hope you will like it ! Can't wait to see your favorite setups ! And of course Happy Holidays !!!
DEVBLOG
Hi ! I hope you all had a great time while I was away ! Let's do some News ! I am back from my holidays on which I was gathering some assets for the game using photogrammetry. I had a great time but most importantly done some work !
So, first things first. I had a blast driving through USA, did a trip from LA to Moab and visited a few National Parks along the road. Then back to LA through SF, again visiting a few National Parks. Death Valley and Sequoia are by far my favorite, it was just so unreal to be there ! I got to say, the nature was just so incredible, definitely helped me recharge my batteries :)
During the trip I managed to visit Hell's Revenge trail in Moab, and also Moon Rocks near Reno. Visiting these locations let me get a sense of the scale and atmosphere and I must say, no video or photo could do this a justice, just so unimaginable for me :) Moreover, I was able to get a ride with a professional driver on Hell's Revenge, which was unforgettable ! All this experiences will definitely help me get more realism into the game !
As for the photogrammetry, it is turning out great ! There are few new things for me, like eg. shooting photos in the desert produce very harsh shadows that needs to be removed from the textures, and that's a mix of going through software and manual painting over. There is a ton of work ahead of me but the results so far are just plain awesome ! Here is a test pice that I put together:
I was also able to capture few textures, references of vegetation and inspirations. Everything to make this game look better and better ! Here is really nice rock detail:
Another key benefit of this trip was seeing everything in person, and oh my, the scale... I wasn't aware how big these kind of rock formations are ! Combining these experiences with photogrammetry assets will lead to environments that should be far more enjoyable and realistic. Here are a few photos from the trip:
As for the future of the game in general. I am having a lot of new ideas on how to change the game further and make it better. Sometimes this lead to stalls in development, because of having to redo or test something. These things often don't even get released but have to be done to develop things that does. I know, that some of you are frustrated about game taking too long to develop, or have questions about the direction its heading, but every time I delay an update it is just in a good will of delivering something interesting. Plan for now is to completely rethink the whole game and redo parts of it starting with a new map with all the new stuff that I've learned, finishing new car customization that I've been working on lately + many other smaller things. After that, new gameplay mechanics that won't rely on grinding.
Anyway, its good to be back ! Hope you will find this post interesting and clarifying few things ! Thank you for playing the game and being active on forum as it develops !
Stay tuned as there is a lot to come ! Take care !
UPDATE ! - the DRIVER
Hi ! Among many other things, this one was highly requested one. Finally Pure Rock Crawling gets a driver ! Also some news !
So, hit the road with the new driver character. As requested the driver reacts to the physics of the car. There are some bugs to be polished out like hands not being really tied to steering wheel but nothing major. Have fun and don't shake him to much :)
As for the news part of this update. I am going on a trip to USA to capture photogrammetry assets for the game - and also have a holiday. Tests that I have made with the landscapes/rocks in my home country were successful so I want to give it a try on a bigger scale ! Hopefully I will capture some parts of the real trails, keep in mind that I am rookie in photogrammetry ;)
I will be gone for one month, so next update will be delayed at least that.
Wish me luck and have fun during this time !!!
UPDATE 27.08.2019
Hi ! Quick update to patch few things. Mostly focusing on how the vehicle handles.
Increased friction of the rocks on the winter map, turned out that there was a problem related to how collisions are setup on the test maps' rocks. Now all good :)
I added experimental rescue function on the winter map, so when you hit rescue button vehicle will be re-spawned to location from 10 s ago.
There was a bug that caused you to earn only half of a credits on new challenges, fixed.
Vehicles' response to terrain is greatly improved, with the new solution for calculating engine load, cars now react properly when hitting obstacles and behave far more realistic while driving incline. All of that provides more fluid experience even when playing on keyboard.
I tweaked damping on the suspension so the ride is now much better and less bouncy.
Few improvements to how the tire flexes.
Have fun !
UPDATE 19.07.2019
Hi ! Hope you are all having great summer ! Fixes, updates and future stuff, let's get to it !
Let's start with the highly requested one, engine sounds. I took some time to record my daily driver Fiesta, and a friends diesel Cherokee. I must say that sound recording is an art of its own. As an addition, there is sound for handbrake and gearbox now.
Next on the list is support for 2 separate input devices. I would call this more of an experimental feature but maybe helpful for people with wheels separate from pedals. If anybody happen to have Fanatec wheel, please let me know if this works with your setup now !
And a few minor updates:
fixed AA flickering in main menu and in certain situations
finish sound is now toned down
handbrake now stays engaged, second click is required to release
tires had a material that caused some issues with physics, now tire bounciness is simulated only through soft body
As for the future, a little teaser of the new photogrammetry assets that I have recently made:
Hope you like the changes ! Let me know in the comments. Take care !
UPDATE 19.06.2019
Hi ! I hope you are all doing great ! This update focuses on the visuals of the game.
So previous method of Anti-Aliasing was doing ok for having sharp still image, but was very faulty when looking around, especially on maps with trees. It produced too much noise and jitter. To address this issue I changed the AA method for the one that normally produces more blurry but stable image and tweaked it to suit this game. Now you can enjoy sharp image with no background noise, resulting in much more smooth image. I find these changes having a big impact on the gameplay as it is now more visually pleasing.
Thanks and take care !
UPDATE 01.06.2019
Hi ! Time to adres few things in the vehicle physics, including one of the most requested one - vehicle speed. Let's get to it !
So, since day one the vehicle speeds were limited, or even got slower as the updates were rolling and whole car physics model was becoming more complicated. Increasing speed resulted in very floaty physics and collision problems. Since the vehicles are made in a unique way, not relying on the default ray-cast method, the game engine was struggling. Also tires are very different from what you can find in other games and are really pushing the engine limits.
Every time when working on update I was trying to fix all of this, and finally I was able to !
Now the physics feel more agile, vehicles can go faster and the physics are more stable - resulting in much more realistic experience !
Big thanks to the community for all of the suggestions ! Now you will be able to reach your favorite locations much faster :)
I hope you will like the changes ! Stay tuned for the next update !
