Powerboat VR News

This update adds the Quick Job system to the game.

Quick Jobs can be found in by going Company Info > Job Board > Quick Job

Quick jobs are generated whenever you enter a cargo loading area in a port and will generate random jobs from that loading area to another loading area. Quick jobs are unique as you will be provided with a "hire boat" to complete the job so they are a good way of trying out boats before buying them.

You can cancel a quick job at any time but please be aware that if you save your game while doing a quick job you will lose the "hire boat" when you reload so don't save during a quick job just yet ːsteamfacepalmː

Other things to be aware of - Quick Jobs don't show your destination on the MFD map yet so local knowledge of where the ports are in Menorca is required (you can use a real map if you want).

Sometimes the job generator will create a job between 2 cargo areas in the same port. I will fix this next week but until then it is easy money!

Other Updates...

1. Fixed the floating rocks & lighthouse to the south of Fornells.
2. Tweaked the Mako physics - it still needs some work!

Next week will all be about the boats with at least one new vessel arriving and hopefully some nicer control models for throttle and steering wheel.

I will also be adding in a new map so you can see where the ports are and where your destination port is to aid navigation when doing quick jobs.

I shall also be tweaking the weather system so that extreme weather is less likely and the time between weather changes will be longer and randomised to be a little more unpredicatable.

Once these are in I shall be rolling the current game state out into the main branch. ːsteamhappyː

This is a quick update to stomp a few bugs before Friday's main release...

1. Fixed Mouse/Joypad throttle control which would make the engine go full forward when trying to reverse.

2. MFD now shows the map correctly

3. HUD now anchors to the bottom of the screen correctly so it won't appear half way up the screen on resolutions higher than 1080p

4. Hopefully fixed a Unity challenge which would cause the graphics driver to crash when dealing with some textures. This would result in the game hanging visually but you would still be able to hear the boat driving etc.

5. Added the Quick Job menu which will now display a list of jobs whenever your enter into a docking area. You can't yet select the Quick Job - that's coming on Friday :)

6. Fixed the Quit button so that it actually quits the game now :)

7. Buttons on the boat dash board are now fully clickable in Non-VR mode so, if you wish, you can turn the hud elements off and simply click on the 3D buttons to control everything!

This is just a small update to push a few minor but important changes....

1. Changed how the 3rd person camera works. Instead of pivoting up and down near the centre of the boat the camera will now pivot up and down in its local space - it's a bit hard to explain but is a similar system to the one used in "World of Warships" and allows you to look more easily at the horizon and what is around the ship.

2. Altered the physics calculation for rudder force to be correct to real world calculations.

3. Some behind the scenes code for the upcoming cargo missions where you can choose a job and borrow a suitable boat to complete it.

Updates should now return to normal Friday updates. The past 2 weeks I've been busy doing some "real work" on my day job!

Hopefully by the end of next week I will be able to move the BETA to the LIVE branch

This update adds the "Bank Account" screen and "Rename Company" screen to the menu system.

The "Rename Company" screen is fairly self-explanatory and allows you to set your shipping company's name.

The "Bank Account" area logs all your transactions so you can see how much you are getting paid for delivering things and what you are spending your money on!

Both of these areas are now stored into the save game system.

Other Updates...

1. Tweaked the "Free Play" start so that all boats are automatically purchased at the start and placed in the "Your Boats" area ready to go.

2. Moved to a proper currency system to store money values. This may cause issues with previous saves.

3. Fixed the clamping of buoyancy which was causing some of the larger boats to sink!

4. Minor button name changes on the Menu System.

This completes the "boring" menu updates for the moment!

Next week I will be working on the "Job Board" area which will generate random missions to carry various cargo using rented boats. This will allow new players to try out various boats and discover new ports while as they get to grips with the game and is a stepping stone before purchasing your own boats (which, at a later date, will require fuel and maintenance to keep running).

Hopefully I will be able to drop in a new boat next week too - probably some kind of smaller starting cargo vessel.

This is a fairly "boring" update as it is focused purely on overhauling the menu system but it also includes a few game updates as well.

1. New menu system with better navigation and buttons!

2. Load and Save system is fully operational! Just 1 save slot at the moment but I will increase that to more in the future.

3. New "Your Boats" area stores all your purchased boats. There are 80 slots and you can own more than one of each boat (important for the future!).

4. There are now 2 different starting states "Normal" and "Free Play"

- Normal mode will give you a Bluefin 24 starting boat and £1,000,000 in the bank to purchase boats you want. The rest you will have to earn from delivering things!

- Free Play gives you the same start but significantly more money. However, you cannot save in this mode. Good for trying out boats before buying them in "Normal" mode.

- I will add extra starting situations as we go forward e.g. "Rags to Riches" for those that want a real challenge etc

5. You can now view your company information screen. Some areas are still under construction, but show what future additions are planned for the game.

6. Physics calculations have had some values clamped to ensure the physics engine doesn't crash when dealing with large numbers. This should also prevent any weird "extreme bouncing" happening if your boat catches too much air.

7. Adjusted the Bluefin's rudder forces and prop steering angle.

Next update will focus on implementing the world map which will show where all the ports are, what cargo they import/export and their various stock levels.

I'll be looking at adding some smaller cargo vessels to give some progression options to the game as well.

Once this is complete I shall move the beta test into the live version.

After that I shall be revisiting the racing side of things....

Happy Boating!