Powerboat VR News

This update improves the cameras and views for non-VR users...

1. Added "Toggle Camera Dolly" button (L by default). This allows you to move the camera forward and backwards using the "Player 1 Rotate Cam Y" axis and works in both 1st person and 3rd person views.

2. The 3rd person camera points have been modified so that it is possible to dolly the camera right into the cockpit for a more centred cockpit view, or zoomed right out for a birds eye view.

3. 3rd person view position is maintained when switching between 1st person and 3rd person views.

4. When switching to 3rd person view there will now be a default driver model sitting in the captain's chair - bit better than having a phantom, driverless boat! I will get round to doing some more varied models so you can choose your avatar.

5. When switching to 3rd person view the ocean clipping mask that prevents water from appearing inside the boat will be disabled as it was quite jarring to see a hole in the ocean under the boat from from an outside view.

6. Added keyboard axis camera controls. By default these are mapped to Numpad 2,4,6 & 8. This allows you to swap between camera controls and MFD controls by pressing "Num Lock" (assuming you haven't reassigned anything).

7. Removed some colliders from the ports that were not necessary

This update adds in the background simulation system for island industry.

The simulation runs every "tick" which is currently 30 seconds of real time and processes the production of goods and consumption of materials at each industry site.

This means you can now collect oil from the oil rigs and transport it to the oil refinery at Mahon harbour and it will slowly be converted from oil to fuel.

I've updated the delivery point menu's to show the name of the site and also the stock levels for each item it imports/exports. The levels are indicated by the icon filling up with colour. Items that are empty will appear grey.

There's still no reward for delivering cargo just yet and the storage values will reset each time you start the game, so don't get too invested in hauling cargo just yet :)

Other updates...

1. Upgraded the physics engine for the Fury Extreme. It should feel a bit more lively and shouldn't get bogged down when turning tightly at low speeds. This is a "Jet" boat so there is no rudder - it turns by vectoring the engine thrust so you'll always need to keep power on for it to turn.

2. Adjusted the thottle curve for the Fury Extreme so it should now be easier to drive at lower speeds.

Quick update to sort out a few challenges I discovered in the current Beta version...

1. Increased LOD level distance to stop buildings etc popping into view at short ranges. Mainly effected VR as the screen ratios are significantly different in that environment.

2. Hopefully fixed the challenge of boat colliders getting in the way of the main menu.

3. Added a dedicated pause button (P or Pause) instead of the game pausing when the main menu was open. This is a work around to fix the main menu sometimes not responding while the game is paused especially if you moved the camera via the seat position adjustment. VR players can pause simply by opening the Steam VR menu.

4. All boat seat positions have been adjusted so that the default position is approximately correct when playing in Non-VR. It should also be close to correct for VR but because you can play standing or sitting it's difficult to make it work for everyone by default.

To combat this, seat position adjustments are now stored on a per boat basis. So you can have a different position for each one. Whenever you swap to a different boat the correct adjustment will be applied straight away so once you've got it all setup you shouldn't need to adjust it again.

This works for both VR and non-VR modes.

5. Non VR interior camera now has motion feedback from the boat. The amount of motion can be set in the seat adjustment menu's lock level. I've set it to a default of 90% which is about right for me. Setting it to 100% will lock you to the boat completely (which is how it was), while 0% will lock the camera to the horizon.

6. Rudder force on the Bluefin has been reduced slighty.

7. Added some mooring buoys to Fornells harbour - (you can't moor to them just yet).

This should leave me clear to work on the logistics side of the game so that I can start hooking up island industries, and also give you rewards for delivering stuff!

The economy will be dynamic so Oil will need to be delivered before Fuel can be refined. Fuel is then needed by the various industries to produce their goods etc. The more in demand an item is the more you'll get for delivering it. Consequently, you won't get the best price if you only deliver one item type continously.

This is one of the largest updates I've released so far....

1. Resized Menorca down to 1/4 size. Doing a full 1:1 size proved an impossible task - there's just too much coast line. A 1/4 size works rather well and it's now possible to sail around the coast in a sensible time frame.

2. All ports (Mahon, Ciutadella & Fornells) have all been updated to what is, essentially, final production levels. Each port is different and reasonably close to real life layout. The scenery around each port is designed to look pretty rather than being exactly like the real thing.

3. All ports have been optimised as best I can. I think there are probably few LOD levels to sort out to stop things visibly spawning in too much please feedback thoughts in the forum.

4. Fornells now has channel buoys to help show where the deep water is. They currently float but do not have any colliders.

5. Menorca's 3 light houses (Far de Cavalleria, Far de Punta Nati & Far de Favàritx) are modelled in their correct locations with suitable rocky outcrops etc. They do not yet emit any light at night though.

6. Monte Toro (Menorca's highest point) has been modelled and is visible from Fornells harbour. Should see some lights on it at night too.

7. Changed starting location to Fornells as that's a good place to start exploring from.

Turn left out of the harbour and you should see one of the light houses (Far de Cavalleria). You can then continue to cruise down the coast to the 2nd light house (Far de Punta Nati) which then leads you round to Ciutadella harbour.

or

Turn right and cruise to the Far de Favàritx lighthouse, continue on to see the oil rigs and then turn right into Mahon harbour.

8. New physics modelling for water impact resistance. There's only two boats that currently make use of this (the Bluefin and the T800) but it now makes the Bluefin an enjoyable ride. You should be able to "feel" the impact into the water which also prevents the boat bouncing out of the water in rougher weather.

9. Fixed the sun so it is now visible!

10. Ocean water wave detail as been increased

11. Ocean water clarity has been reduced just slightly.

12. All harbours have suitable collection/delivery points. These do work but currently you don't get any reward for transporting things - that's my next task!

13. Cave has been removed for the moment due to world rescaling and the fact that it was terribly in-efficient and also broke co-op mode due to lighting issues. It will make a return shortly! :)

14. Minor adjustments to lighting levels and fog levels.

This update adds the 1st cave system to the game.

It is located not too far from Mahon harbour. I recommend using the Bluefin to explore it as it is currently the only boat with a light and it gets pretty dark in the caves!

At the moment there is a very noticeable change in the lighting as I have to adjust the ambient lighting to make it dark - I will smooth that out :)

The cave is a reasonable size with multiple routes around it. However, it is fairly sparse as I haven't added any decorations/props.

Other updates....

1. Completely overhauled the rudder system for all boats. Makes a huge difference in low speed manoeuvring and also the boat turns the correct way when going backwards!
2. Tweaked all boat physics so that they handle better on the water. I have also removed all artificial stabilising . This makes it much more interesting and you can dial in the boat's handling by tweaking ballast weight and position.
3. Tweaked ambient lighting.
4. Updated all cargo loading points so they now have the correct import/export items.