September 2022 Update - with camera system + performance improvements
The Fall season is now arriving, which is always a nice time to take pictures, so work on Whiskey Island this month focuses upon the camera system and a few other smaller projects.
Changes to the camera system include:
standard camera assignment / selections for all equipment (vehicles, trains, vessels, and planes),
Camera 2 now has a zoom feature using the mouse scroll wheel,
The automatic re-centre of Camera 2 can now be disabled with the Left-Mouse-Button,
The camera selection list (below the top bar) can now be hidden with the 'V' key on the keyboard, which also controls visibility of instrument and gauge overlays (use the game options menu to "pin" the selection menu if you prefer).
In addition to various changes to improve performance, the Firewood Loader structure (to refuel locomotives) has been upgraded with new meshes and textures, and the back bumper on locomotive #1's tender has been upgraded to match the front bumper on the locomotive. I've also fixed a small texture issue on the roof of the Town Depot train station building.
If you have any suggestions for future updates or features you'd like to see in the game, please leave them in the discussion area of the Community Hub on Steam.
Thanks for supporting Whiskey Island!
Locomotive, Railcar, and Cargo Upgrades - August 2022
This latest update includes improvements to locomotives (Rusty and Dutchess), railcars, and cargos with new details and textures.
Locomotives Upgrades:
Previously, Rusty and Dutchess shared a common body type (the same model of locomotive), and while they still share many components, they are now modelled and textured as unique individuals.
A special detail has also been added to all the steam locomotive boilers - selecting the letter 'P' on the keyboard will now open / close the boiler door to reveal the fire burning within. The locomotive must be activated by the player to see this feature.
To recap a few of the locomotive controls (tip: the front / back headlights are direction-of-travel dependent):
Q = bell E = whistle I = headlights P = boiler door
Railcar Upgrades:
The railcar fleet has also been upgraded with new details and textures, which provide for a more realistic appearance. The old ore cars that carried rock from the mine to the smelter have been replaced with a new model entirely that are now capable of carrying 3 cargo units of ore.
The box car doors can now open and close which indicates whether the car is locked. If the door is open it is unlocked and will automatically load / unload cargo, and when it is closed the car is locked and the auto-load feature is disabled.
Locking a railcar is a useful way of controlling what is loaded at the various factories and resources along the way (another way is to load specific cargo at a warehouse loading point), which is toggled via the train manifest panel ('left-shift' on keyboard to view panel, select the car with the arrow keys, then select 'L' on keyboard to lock / unlock - a locked car will have a purple indicator showing on the manifest).
Cargo Upgrades:
With improvements to locomotives and railcars, it seemed fitting to upgrade the cargo they carry as well. The resource, product, and supply cargos have been upgraded with new details and textures, and can now be identified by the labels on the various boxes - which is especially useful when looking at a factory to gauge how much of a particular cargo type is already there. Of course the building's information panel (select 'R' on the keyboard) will also provide the inventory amounts.
Next Time:
My plan is to spend the rest of the summer on additional upgrades to a few more models, textures, and artwork ... it's nice to take a break from coding to do artwork and it means I have a bit more time to volunteer at our local streetcar museum. Please let me know in the Steam Community forum if you have any suggestions!
As always, thank you everyone for your support of Whiskey Island!
July 2022 ~ Update Now Available
Whoah Nellie! A new aircraft is now available to try out - it's a small, single seat speed machine called Little Nellie, and can be found at the airfield next to the biplane.
Along with a few code improvements and a bit of detail work on the Warehouse type building, I've also experimented a bit with GAMEPAD support. If you have a Gamepad, you can try to operate player-controlled vehicles, vessels (the Fishing Boat), and aircraft ... mostly just the steering and the throttle for now.
The gamepad controls for vehicles and vessels are pretty standard: left thumbstick for steering / throttle, and right thumbstick for cameras (orbiting cameras only), and the gamepad 'X' for brakes. It's a bit different for aircraft - left thumbstick for pitch and roll, L1 and R1 for rudder / tailwheel steering, the gamepad 'square' and 'circle' to control the throttle, and the gamepad 'X' for brakes.
Note - You still need to use the KEYBOARD 'X' to enter / exit vehicles, etc. The plan is to gradually add more gamepad functions as the different code sections get updated, but I wanted to get a start to smooth out the flying of the aircraft especially. You can still operate everything with the keyboard and mouse, though I think it's much easier flying with a gamepad now that I've experimented with that system.
Please provide any feedback or suggestions about gamepad use in the Discussion section of the Community Hub, and like always thank you for your support!
March 2022 Update - with New Marine Industries!
Spring is here with another major update to Whiskey Island! I've added new Marine Industries including a Fishing Cove, a Cannery, Fishing Supplies Workshop, and a Boatyard, as well as a Fishing Boat and new 'Fish Net', 'Fresh Fish' and 'Seafood Products' cargo types. Players can now operate Trucks, Trains, an Aircraft, and a Boat to harvest and haul cargo around the Island.
The new Marine Industries are located along the rugged North-west shore of the Island, just north of the Grain Elevator and Maple Sugar Farm. A small fishing cove is the new home for the Island's fishing industry. Try out the Fishing Boat by picking up a net at the Fishing Supplies Workshop, then head to the nearby fishing grounds (marked by special buoys) to try your luck. Your fresh fish can be taken back to the unloading dock in the cove, or delivered to the Cannery dock. The nearby Boatyard is where to go for maintenance, similar in idea to the way vehicles are maintained at the Vehicle Garage.
This update also includes a few other changes. The menu for the cargo transfer systems has been improved and simplified - there is now just 1 system to control manual cargo transfers for warehouses and selected buildings (such as the new Fishing Supplies Workshop when loading Fish Nets onto fishing boats), and for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-railcar transfers.
Also note, the ability to transfer fuel between vehicles has been temporarily disabled pending upgrades to vehicle fuel systems which should be ready later this summer.
The new Fishing Boat is a nice way to tour the Island, and the new Compass instrument (a UI overlay) will be useful to help navigate. It appears when the boat is activated, and is also now part of the aircraft instrument package when flying. The compass-rose can be set to either rotating or locked mode in the Game Options panel (select 'Esc' to access), if you prefer your heading or the North direction to be upward on the display. Tip - select the 'V' key on the keyboard to toggle the visibility of the instrument overlay.
Enjoy your time the water!
Time to Fly!
Whiskey Island has a few new features which were added this month:
Airfield area with a Grass Runway
Airfield Building with a Hangar Repair Bay
Airfield Tender Truck
Biplane
There's a completely new transportation mode available on Whiskey Island - aeroplanes! A new airfield has been constructed on the Peninsula Road near North Beach. It has a fancy new hangar building where a Biplane is now based.
The Biplane is tricky to fly and will probably take a few attempts to learn how to smoothly take off, and even more to master the art of landing. The trick to landing is to make a gradual, shallow approach at a slow speed - but not too slow or the plane will stall.
In a similar way to other vehicles, if all else fails, the Biplane can be relocated to the hangar Repair Bay by selecting the relocation button on the Biplane's equipment inventory panel (select 'R' on the keyboard to display the inventory panels).
The aircraft can also be towed into position by the new Airfield Tender Truck, the same way the Tow Truck can connect and pull vehicles. Reverse the back-end of the Airfield Tender Truck toward the tail of the Biplane until the pop-up menu appears, then select the indicated key to activate the connection.
The Airfield Tender Truck is also used to refuel the Biplane. Align the left-side of the large gas tank (on the back of the truck) with the front of the propellor hub to trigger the refuelling system.
Happy Flying!
January 2022 - New Content Additions!
Whiskey Island has a few new features which were added this month:
New Locomotive
New Railway Speeder
New Scrapyard Building
New Scrap Cargo
New Cargo Ship
Special Task Assignments
Train Lights
Cargo Manifests
Keyboard Changes
There are a few new things at the engine house to try out - a new locomotive has been added to the game (really an "old" locomotive), which will be useful for shunting cars around the Seaport. Also at the engine house is a new railway Speeder which can be used to inspect the track. The engine house now has windows and doors (I'm still experimenting with how to add those to buildings so it's a bit of a trial).
A new Scrap Yard building is located on the shoreline across the road from the Engine House. Special Scrap cargo can be found is various, random locations around Island. Use trucks to carry them to the Scrap Yard for a delivery payment. Once there is enough scrap at the yard (minimum 12), it will be transferred to the old cargo ship at the scrap yard dock (now being used as a scrap tender) which will then set sail with the rusty cargo.
A new, larger Cargo Ship (still a tramp steamer, of course) has been assigned to the main Whiskey Island supply route. It docks at the Seaport pier where the old ship used to tie up. The old cargo ship has been sold to the Scrap Yard where it is now being used as a scrap tender.
A new feature in the game is automatically generated "special tasks" ... they're special deliveries that offer a gold bonus and if accepted must be completed before the timer runs out. A special task will be generated from time-to-time, which will be indicated by a small gold icon in the top bar next to the gold / happiness levels (top bar, left side). When a special task is available, press 'T' on the keyboard to open an information panel on the left-side of the screen - it will provide information about the task and display a timer for task acceptance and completion.
The locomotives (and the new Speeder) now have lights which can be activated with the same keyboard keys as the trucks .... select the letter 'I' to toggle headlights on / off, and the letter 'O' to activate special lights (such as the hazard strobe on the Speeder. The railway headlights are directional (they change depending which direction the locomotive is moving).
Along with the new features, there are a couple updates to the input assignments and UI menus. The "Train Manifest" information panel (selected by 'Left-Shift' on the keyboard) has been updated to show truck cargo, too. The name is now "Cargo Manifest" and the player must by in a locomotive or vehicle to display the panel with the 'Left-Shift' key. The new Special Tasks panel (discussed above) is selected with the 'T' key on the keyboard, which was previously assigned to the 'Transfer Cargo' menu. To transfer cargo now, use the 'U' key to display the transfer panel when prompted.
3 New Trucks and a Race Car now In-Game
It's a great way to finish the year with new vehicles added and some great upgrades! The new vehicles include a fire truck, a farm truck, another depot hack, and a race car to zip around the island. The vehicles now have headlights, brake lights, horns, and a subtle engine audio. Also, a new "power steering" system has been added to the vehicles to help with steering control at higher speeds, which is especially useful when using the keyboard to steer (the WASD keys). It dampens steering angles at higher speeds to reduce the chance of suddenly veering off the road - be sure to adjust speed based on how sharp a corner is!
The new key controls are 'I" (the 'letter next to 'U') to toggle headlights on / off, 'O' to activate special lights (like the flashing lights on the fire truck or the hazard lights on the tow truck), and 'P' to activate special audio (like the siren on the fire truck). Vehicle horns can be sounded by 'E' and the fire truck bell by 'Q' (the same keys for sounding whistles and bells on trains).
The new Fire Truck vehicle is now in-game ... it doesn't carry any cargo, but attracts a lot of attention when the flashing lights and siren are on (it also has a bell)! It's parked by the lumber mill, ready to try out. Maybe a great way to ring in the New Year on Whiskey Island?
The new "Old Farm Truck" has a handy cargo bed for carrying 1 cargo unit, and is parked at the Orchard ready to load up.
The new "Old Depot Hack" is parked at the Train Station. It doesn't carry any cargo, but is a great way to quickly drive about.
And ... a Race Car! It's parked at the Garage where the mechanics can work on it, and makes a great garage-car for people to borrow when their own vehicle is getting repaired. Careful though, the mechanics adjusted the power steering to race around sharp corners at high speeds!
This update also includes a few new music tracks for the background music and a correction / fix for the player gold calculation when deliveries are made by trucks.
Thank you for supporting Whiskey Island, and best wishes for the New Year!
New Distillery Truck now In-Game
The new Distillery Truck vehicle is now in-game ... it's a useful vehicle for those errands to get a few extra resources and trips to make a quick delivery. It can only carry cargo used by the Distillery, and is parked in the Distillery yard, ready to try out.
The Island Map has been modified in some locations to make room for a few new buildings. Three warehouse are now available to store cargo - the existing Townsite Warehouses (near the Seaport), and the new North Beach Warehouse (near the Distillery) and the Hidden Cove Warehouse (near the Cooperage). Another new building is the Hot Springs Resort, accessible only by rail. Alas, it is closed for the season pending up-coming developments ... any guesses?
Trucks and railcars can now transfer cargo to and from warehouse buildings using the new Warehouse Transfer System for cargo. It's a very useful way to transport cargo, allowing "local" stocks of resources to be maintained, or products to be gathered together for bulk shipment. It's also a handy way to juggle truck and railcar manifests. The system employs a new Loading Dock category for trucks (at warehouses, identified by a red sign with a 'W') which when activated triggers a new UI menu for selecting cargo. Similarly, a new loading point category for railcars (3 vertical posts + 1 horizontal) mark the location at warehouses where cargo transfers can be made.
The Equipment Detail panel in the Economy Manager UI menu now shows the cargo types, capacity, and current amount that a truck or railcar may carry.
This update includes a few other upgrades and changes - locomotive speeds are now the same in forward and reverse, Loading Docks have new signs (green with white squares to auto-load, blue with downward pointing arrow to auto-unload, and red with a 'W" for warehouse transfers), and an issue with UI menu selection in the Economy Manager panel has been fixed.
