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[MinskWorks]

Development Update
#6 Berlin Progress

Thought I'd share how I'm now approaching the environmental construction.

Berlin, June 23rd 1990 (before Die Wende)

This is the rebuild of the starting Berlin environment. It’s loosely based on the areas of Kreuzberg and Freidrichshain, as these areas - to this day - represent a more genuine approach to ‘Ostalgie’ than say, Friedrichstraße.

Rather than go for an approach in remembering the DDR through checkpoints and watchtowers, I’m trying to find a human insight into the end days leading to Die Wende. I’ve still got several staple landmarks, many of which gave east Berlin it’s famous identity. The slouched street lights. The little   Ampelmännchen. The towering  Fernsehturm. The contrast between the historic Oberbaum Bridge and the Plattenbau structures. The luxury provided by the Outershop stores, and the good times to be had at the Reinheit Eck.

Still need to add more detailing but I’ve been working so long on this that I need to get it out there to realise where I’m going wrong.

And though I'm no longer using the height shader for buildings, I’m much happier with this approach than my first go at it around November last year. It's less Killer 7 now, that's for sure, but it's more coherent and consistent overall.

The above works so far represent 43 hours and 37 minutes.

I've got some AI and shop stuff nearly there. I'm saving sharing these for a later date, when I've fleshed them out more thoroughly. You can see an insight into how that stuff will work on my Dev blog : www.minskworks.tumblr.com

As always, any questions about any of this feel free to fire away and I'll do my best to answer as soon as I can.

Thanks,
Greg

[MinskWorks]

Development Update
#7 Route Generation

Small update to explain the player's influence with Route Generation.

So Hac see's players embarking on point to point gameplay. Travel from point A to reach point B. The conflict arises during the bit in-between.

The above image showcases the route selection of the first leg of the journey; Berlin to the ČSFR (now Czech Republic) border. Berlin and the ČSFR border are likely to remain pretty static throughout playthroughs. These act as landmarks during the gameplay. Any activities that are consistent through gameplay occur during these parts (Changing of the dates and gameplay chapters, mostly).

What happens between these landmarks is heavily generated however. I'm very much into proc-gen and rogue-like mentality stuffs, the difficulty in using these systems is avoiding having the player feel cheated due to RNG. So my approach is to generate a library of routes, then allow the player to make a selection on what best suits their current needs.

I plan to add weather and road conditions to the map booklet, (so far it only shows if there's a location to stop off at during the journey). But I think in it's current state it's a wonderful little thing that makes the world feel much bigger than it actually is.

Anyway, thanks again,
Greg

[Alphaman]

These updates are very impressive!

I didn't get a chance to test the latest builds however looking at the screenshots of Berlin (the art-style is sublime) and the route-generation this seems to be shaping up nicely. Always like a bit of proc-gen elements, makes for a more enjoyable game due to the re-playable elements. Regarding this last point, how will these proc-gen elements manifest during the journey or are they only limited to the road being different?

You have managed to combine some of my favorites genres and elements into this beautiful game and I cannot wait to see the final build. Keep up the excellent work!

[GlaDOSik]

It's getting better and better. I hope it'll be possible to change route dynamically. I love those moments in Euro Truck Simulator when I accidentally miss turnoff and have to find another way to destination or place where to turn the truck.

[MinskWorks]

These updates are very impressive!

I didn't get a chance to test the latest builds however looking at the screenshots of Berlin (the art-style is sublime) and the route-generation this seems to be shaping up nicely. Always like a bit of proc-gen elements, makes for a more enjoyable game due to the re-playable elements. Regarding this last point, how will these proc-gen elements manifest during the journey or are they only limited to the road being different?

You have managed to combine some of my favourites genres and elements into this beautiful game and I cannot wait to see the final build. Keep up the excellent work!

Thanks so much.

So the proc routes are built with varying lengths, environmental generation, scenery generation, AI density, AI variety and stop off destination (these stop of destinations then have proc generation within themselves for variables such as inventory stock and layout).

I'm looking to add Road Condition & Weather to the generation as soon as I can, as I want players to adapt to a shifting handling model, and pack for any potential conditions, or face a difficult journey.

It's getting better and better. I hope it'll be possible to change route dynamically. I love those moments in Euro Truck Simulator when I accidentally miss turnoff and have to find another way to destination or place where to turn the truck.

Thanks.

I'm probably going to be keeping the routes fairly linear, with the option to stop off at places that pique your interest. There's no hand-crafted world ala Euro Truck Simulator 2, as the scope of such a world exceeds my capabilities. I'm trying to be as clever as possible and compromise by realising as re-playable a system as possible.

Thanks again, I've had a bit of a mare the last couple of days but hopefully I'll be able to share some weather work soon.

Greg

[MinskWorks]

Development Update
#8 Weather

I've added weather to the route generation.

Above you'll see one of the more extreme heavy rain conditions (bonus, spot the yellow Lada sneak past).

There's currently 4 weather states that can occur; Sunny, Overcast, light rain, heavy rain. A sunny route is always preferable, but that doesn't mean you won’t avoid a spot of light rain if the route is quicker, more interesting, or you just want an easy way to clean your car.

Weather also effects handling. So whilst driving down the autobahns in heavy rain will cause little worry, going off-road will mean you’ll need the correct tyres otherwise you’re going to have a hard time.

I've also added a cosey system where if you close all the doors and the windows of the Laika 601, the noise of the world outside will become duller, the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting your car will comfort you on your drive.

Anyway, thanks again,
Greg

[MinskWorks]

No big update, I've been fixing a lot of long standing bugs, but added the ability for your uncle to fall asleep when it gets very late.

zZz...

[MinskWorks]

Development Update
#9 Books, Letters


Understand the basics of vehicle maintenance with your user manual.


One of the narrative threads within Hac is told through the aquisition of your Uncle's old letters.

I've been working on the diegetic UI for text elements in Hac.

This system will be used for reading letters and books mostly, though I'll see how far I can take it the further I get along.

You can turn pages, zoom & scroll. all of which is showcased above, (with the Laika introduction serving as a placeholder for the letter).

Thanks again,
Greg

[JobLeonard]

 

I kind of forgot, is this mouse or touch-screen oriented?

[gimymblert]

mmmm could he checked passport on kolechian border too?

[MinskWorks]

I kind of forgot, is this mouse or touch-screen oriented?

It's mouse controlled.

mmmm could he checked passport on kolechian border too?

It'd be rude of me to not have some sort of nod towards Papers, Please, wouldn't it.

[gimymblert]

 

[MinskWorks]

Development Update
#10 Engine Maintenance, Damage & Repairs

Added engine damage and the ability to repair them.

Engine damage effects performance, maintain your Laika 601 and you'll maintain your journey.

Crash too heavily along your journey, and your car will begin to suffer. Fortunately repairs can be made easily enough with the use of a vehicle repair kit. You can find these at any trusted retailer.

Thanks again,
Greg

[JobLeonard]

Hey, a passenger. Was he mentioned before?

[MinskWorks]

Hey, a passenger. Was he mentioned before?

That's the in-game Uncle simulation.

He adds a Narrative arc to the story and also acts as a helping hand for when your stuck or unsure of something - a little like Yorda from Ico.

I like to keep the playable characters in my games as anonymous and placid as possible, so as to allow people to easily place themselves in the game. All the dynamics and story come from the gentleman sat beside you.

[MinskWorks]

Development Update
#11 Town Generation

This week I've implemented my first go at Town Generation.

Each town you visit in the game will be generated at runtime using a load of pre-baked assets from a library I’ve compiled. They layout of the town will also differ for each playthrough.

Each town will contain three special buildings; the Laika Factory, A Motel & a Market.

The Laika Factory allows you to install upgrades to the car.
The Motel allows you to sleep and plan the next leg of your journey.
The Market allows you to buy and sell goods with the aim of turning a profit.
I’ll go through these each in more detail in the coming weeks.

There’s a lot of stuff being chosen at runtime here. The pavements, road types, buildings, street clutter and road design all have to be calculated at runtime. I’m fairly happy with if for a first go, but systems like these inevitably live or die by the amount of content the system can cycle through, so more needs to be added.

Anyway, thought I’d share a load of images for you lot to have a nose at, let me know your thoughts.

Thanks again,

Greg

[JobLeonard]

Looks good! Any specific region the architecture is inspired by?

[MinskWorks]

Thanks!

East-Berlin, mostly. Though it's a more joyful, colourful rendition than it's usually portrayed in.

[MinskWorks]

Development Update
#12 Crates, Boxes, Supply & Trade

Shown above is some store generation and sorting.

I've forced stock level higher than normal to showcase this, but essentially the above location is a store with randomly generated and arranged stock.

Each destination you visit will contain a store, it is here where you can buy and sell goods with hopes of turning a profit, or simply stock up on essentials such as water, tools, tire, gas cannisters, repair kits, etc.

Above are some of the crates and box interactions.

Crates and boxes can be scavenged whilst travelling the routes between towns.

Boxes can be opened by hand, but crates will require the use of the crowbar tool to break open.

Whilst crates and boxes can be sold as are, not only do they take up more room, but the potentially offer little profit return being sold as this. You'll have to open the crates and boxes to find out what goodies lie inside them. That's not to say it isn't beneficial to keep the contents of crates and boxes a mystery. Some goods are banned in specific towns by border control. By keeping the contents of your boxes and crates a mystery, you could end up turning a significant profit selling banned goods in specific towns.

Thanks again,

Greg

[Harry Harrison]

This looks absolutely incredible. You've gotta set up preorder link or something.