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Unreal Engine 5

So fast it can go, I'll get back to you. I hope you had a good start into the new week. In the meantime, half of the week is already over and we'll soon be heading back to the weekend.

This morning we had a livestream, where unexpected problems occurred.
We are currently working with the Unreal Engine 4.26.2 and have been using it for a very long time.
Until now, it was actually clear that there are no more updates coming from the Unreal Engine, because this version is already over 3 years old.

However, a few days ago there was an update that affected our current Unreal Engine version. Since we rely on some plugins, like voxel, vehicle system, etc., they have to be compatible with our version as well. Unfortunately, most plugin creators only support 3 versions. Since there is now the 5.2, we are with our version no longer in the range where we can still expect updates.

In today's livestream it was already stated that at least 2 plugins will no longer receive an update with our version. Unfortunately, this leads to the fact that we have no other option than to get a newer version. This step was actually only in the later development possibly planned, as this also brings a lot of advantages.

We also had a meeting a few minutes ago, in which all possibilities were collected, discussed and we decided to switch.
This means that we will integrate our project on a new Unreal Engine version.
Unfortunately there is no other possibility, we have to make this switch so that the game can get updates in the future. Due to this decision, the already published roadmap from the previous post is invalid.

To avoid such a step in the future, we will build the project on our own source files of the Unreal Engine. This will give us the opportunity to avoid any compatibility issues at any time. This will avoid such errors or problems in the future. And this will allow us to decide for ourselves if and when we want to receive updates provided by the Unreal Engine.

Unfortunately, this is also a very time-consuming step, because we cannot simply copy the project to the new version. We can copy items, objects and vehicles, but all modules and functions have to be rebuilt.

Of course we will take you with us on this way. In the live streams you can see the progress and there are also various pictures and videos posted on all social networks. So we can feed you regularly with information.
Starting tomorrow, we will start directly with Unreal Engine 5.2 in the livestream and make the first preparations for all further steps.

Of course, everyone is interested to know if this will delay the next update and the answer is definitely yes. As mentioned above, unfortunately we have no other way to deliver further updates for the game in the future. Unfortunately, we can't say a time frame, as this can't be estimated yet. But as soon as we can say something more precise, you will be the first to know.

One thing I can tell you already, as soon as the first modules run stable, like character, vehicles, multiplayer and savegame, we will publish this on our experimental version on Steam, so you can get a first impression.

Otherwise, that's it for today, I wish you a pleasant rest of the week and see you in the next livestream.

1st Anniversary Early Access

It has been one year since the release of the Early Access version of Gold Hunter.
A lot of energy and time has been put into the project and we still have a lot planned.
First of all, we would like to thank all players for their support, be it in the form of suggestions, bug reports and livestreams. This is what makes the game unique and
allows us to design the game partly according to the players.

There have been many ups and downs in the past, all of which we have been able to overcome so far.
In the end, that's what makes the project and also makes us strong for future tasks.

Live Streams

Currently I am still a bit sick, but I hope that this will improve in the near future. From the 15th of June I plan to start regular developer livestreams again. That means, again dev streams from monday to friday and there will be as usual on friday evening the talk stream. the talk stream. In the talk stream we talk about news, answer your questions and if an update is planned, the changes will be shown and the update will be released afterwards.

Updates

The next planned update should come this month. Unfortunately I can't give an exact date yet. In this update the focus is on multiplayer, gold balance and general bug fixes. There will be no further system and enhancements yet, because I lost some time due to my illness.

But by popular demand from the community, the Experimental version will be back. For you as a player, this means that we will bring future updates to "Experimental" first and this can be tested extensively.

Since all players will have access to this version, a large number of players can filter out the last bugs in the shortest possible time and we can fix them.

After 1-2 weeks the version can then come to the "stable", ie standard version of the game. This means that we don't only have a small group of players who can test the update before it is actually released, but every player can test it.

Once the next update is released, there will also be an update every week on Friday if necessary. This is to get back into the rhythm of being able to provide an update within a short period of time.

Roadmap 2023

We still have over 6 months to release various updates this year.
In this time there will also be one or the other new system/module in the game.
To give you a little foretaste, I'll mention a few points here.

■ more vehicles
■ tank system
■ company system (employee-, vehicle- and rights management)
■ power system (generators, cables, etc.)
■ water system (pumps, hoses, etc.).

These are just a few modules that will be waiting for you.

Social Networks

Another point, are the social networks. Unfortunately, these have been used very rarely in the past. On Discord or Steam news and announcements are published, but you can provide much more. Be it regular news, teasers on future updates and much more.

In addition, other networks such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. were very neglected.
But this should change in the future and we want to fill these channels with regular content.

So, that should be it for today's article. We hope that we can answer many of your questions.
If you still have questions, please feel free to ask us.

Otherwise, we wish all players a nice weekend and see you at the next livestream.

Dev-Blog #7

Today I'm getting back to you with the next dev blog.

Some time has passed again and I have some news for you.
In the last 2 months a lot of progress could be made again and the big update is getting closer.

Many are already waiting very excitedly for it and here I will also briefly explain what the update will contain everything. The biggest change in the next update will be the Gold Balance. The gold balance will be completely revised.

In addition, the transfer and the animations between the items have been rebuilt, so the performance has also been improved. Furthermore, there will be many improvements in the multiplayer, which will significantly improve the gaming experience with friends.

Of course, we are also working hard to find and fix more bugs and errors.
At this point I would also like to thank all the players who regularly report bugs via the Bug Report System.

This month was also our marathon on Twitch and tremendous progress was also made during this time. This includes, among other things, many improvements in the area of performance, which make it possible to enjoy a smoother gaming experience.

Unfortunately, there was hardly any livestream lately, because the hardware failed on my end. But the problem has been solved in the meantime. During this time off I was able to take care of some important things concerning the company, which were left undone during the marathon. Some people don't know yet that I'm doing this alone by now. Therefore some new tasks have been added.

Starting Monday, there will be regular livestreams on Twitch again, where you can look over my shoulder during development. The dev livestreams are as usual on monday, wednesday and friday. Additionally, there will be a talk stream on Friday at 7pm.

And finally, the most important thing that every player is interested in. When is the update coming?

Due to the hardware problems, the planned update, which was scheduled for the end of April, was delayed.
Therefore, the update is unlikely to be released in April and is expected to be released in May. You can always check with us in Discord about the status of the update.

https://discord.com/invite/goldhunter


Personally, I'm also looking forward to the livestreams on Twitch again.

Here again the link to Twitch. https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp

In this sense I wish all players a nice weekend.

Dev-Blog #6

Preface

Well it's that time again, the next dev blog is back. In case you missed some news, the blog is just the right thing for you.
In the last weeks a lot has happened, be it updates, changes or news and about that we want to inform you today.

Updates

At the end of January there was a very big update, which included many changes and bug fixes.
You can read the details in the changelog. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1082450/view/3346757662563126882

But also this month we released some updates which fixed many more bugs in single- and multiplayer.
Of course, there are still bugs in various places, but they are already on the list and will be the focus of the next updates.

These include the following features or revisions.

■ Performance improvement
■ Re-enable point of sale
■ Rework gold balance
■ Rework gold wash
■ Rework voxel
■ Saving of client data
■ Missing/incorrect synchronization in multiplayer.

So you already have an overview of which tasks and goals are in the foreground for the next updates.

Further updates are also coming regularly, but no exact date can be given.
The release of an update depends on the scope, duration of testing and bug fixing.

QOL-Tester

We recently added a new section (Quality of Life-Testers) to our team.
This area supports the developers, so more intensive and detailed tests are possible.
This has the advantage that in future updates there will be more capacity for internal tests.
Especially when new features or extensive areas are added to the game, the QOL testers can track down bugs even in longer tests.

Change of price

Another change you may have noticed is the price of the game.
After much deliberation, the price has been adjusted, which should please many players who were previously still put off by the high price.
No further price change is planned in Early Access, except for discounts and events.

Conclusion

That should be it for this dev blog for now. We wish you a nice weekend and see you until the next dev blog.

You are welcome to join our Discord, there you will also find regular news, announcements and you can talk with other players.
If you want to look over the shoulder of a developer, we invite you to our regular livestreams on Twitch.

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/goldhunter
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp

Version 0.631.5 Alpha

Level Design

■ Added some lights to building "customizer"
■ Added some lights to road for beginner claims
■ Added light to each object "mobilehome01"

■ Fixed error with missing rivers

Voxel

■ Fixed error with voxel area outside claim 07

Multiplayer

■ Fixed error with did not show long message in chat window

Activated

■ Activated again to toggle roll/unroll for item "minersmoss" while holding in hand

Changed

■ Changed location for npc "customizer"

Troubleshooting

■ Fixed error with no collision between stands for item "hopperfeeder01" on claims
■ Fixed error with spawn vehicle "excavator01" at the store

■ Fixed error with did not correct attach/detach item "minersmoss" to item "highbanker01"
■ Fixed error with did not correct attach/detach item "minersmoss" to item "washingplantportable01"
■ Fixed error with did not correct attach/detach item "minersmoss" to item "washingplantportable02"

Improvements

■ Improved handling for vehicle "pickup01"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "pickup02"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "buggy01"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "buggy02"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "campervan01"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "truck01"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "minidumptruck01"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "miniexcavator01"
■ Improved handling for vehicle "excavator01"

■ Improved lights for vehicle "pickup01"
■ Improved lights for vehicle "pickup02"
■ Improved lights for vehicle "buggy01"
■ Improved lights for vehicle "buggy02"
■ Improved lights for vehicle "campervan01"
■ Improved lights for vehicle "truck01"
■ Improved lights for vehicle "minidumptruck01"

Work in progress (WIP)

■ Sell point
■ Gold balance
■ Save client data
■ Rework gold panning
■ Voxel Rework