Powerboat VR News

This is a quick hot fix to address the following issues -

1. (Non VR Mode) Turning MSAA anti-aliasing on would cause the world to go black. This is now fixed and you can use up to 8x MSAA again.

2. Multi controller fix - for some reason the multi controller system had stopped working and would duplicate axis across controllers.

So, for example, if you bound the X axis on your wheel to steering and the X axis on your throttle control to throttle then both controllers would control both steering and throttle at the same time!

This has now been fixed and the game supports 3 distinct controllers with up to 10 separate axis each.

I'll add more distinct controllers shortly but just wanted to push this hotfix out ASAP.

There is now a new BETA for you to opt into if you wish.

This BETA will include the updates to the cargo system allowing you to use your own boats to ship cargo and passengers between the islands.

For more instructions please look at the forum post on how to opt-in to a BETA.

BETA Updates...

1. Available "Quick Jobs" increased from 5 to 8 to provide a bit more variety
2. "Quick Job" screen now has a map which will show you a basic route from your current port to the destination port when you click the "View" button.
3. Ship cargo bays are now generalised to the following...
- DRY - general dry goods e.g. Mail, Plastic, Metal Ore etc
- CHILLED - chilled or frozen goods e.g. Fish, Fruit etc
- LIQUID - liquids such as oil, petroleum, LPG
- CAR - bay for cars (ferries only)
- TRUCK - bay for trucks (ferries only)
- PASSENGERS - seating areas for passengers

This update fixes an issue where cargo would not be created at the port when taking a quick job so there was nothing to load and no way to complete the job.

It also gives the ship used in a quick job a random name from the name generator as this was actually the underlying reason the quick job was not working correctly.

BOAT NAMES

This update brings the 1st of the boat customisation systems to the game so that you can now give your boats a suitable name. Names are displayed in sensible positions on the boat hull.

Purchased boats will be automatically given a random name but you can change this in the boat deployment page.

Boat names are saved into the save game system

RADAR/GPS

The RADAR and GPS have been updated so that they now have "North Up" and "Head Up" modes. You can toggle the modes using the up/down keys on the MFD.

"North Up" is the default mode and as the name suggests North is always at the top of the screen and it is your boat's icon that rotates to show your direction. This mode makes it easier for you to hold a compass heading but makes determining positions of objects in relation to your boat a little more tricky.

"Head Up" means your current heading is always to the top of the screen and it is the map that rotates around you. This mode helps you with situation awareness as it clearly shows the bearing to objects in relation to your boat. E.g. A RADAR contact to the top, bottom, left or right of the screen will be in front, behind, to the left or to the right of your boat respectively.

Other updates

1. Improved the Sea Buzzards hull lift and stabilisation when at speed
2. Improved the text quality in the boat garage screens
3. Boat garage now shows the boat name as well as the boat type
4. Minor update to the T800 texture maps to remove some baked in text

This update adds Fuel Usage to the main game. The BETA was pretty painless and I don't see any reason to delay putting fuel usage into the main branch.

1. You can now fill up with fuel at any port at a cost of £1 per litre
2. All boats have their own fuel usage stats so it will be up to you to set the most appropriate speed vs fuel usage for your journey
3. New Fuel & Engine Performance page on the MFD shows fuel amount, usage, endurance and efficiency.
4. Fuel gauge now shown on the digital dashboard for all boats and on the HUD
5. Most boats have had a slight speed increase when running at "Flank" speed. This is countered by a much increased fuel usage.
6. Fuel levels are stored for each boat in your garage and are stored into the save game files.
7. New boats always come with a full fuel tank
8. Quick Job boats always come with a full fuel tank
9. Boat engines will stop when you run out of fuel. If you get stranded you can either swap to another boat that has fuel or hit the "Reset To Start" button in the "Boat Recovery" menu.
10. T-800 physics resolution increased and weights altered
11. FerryCat physics resolution increased and weights altered.
12. Optimisations for terrain rendering
13. Distant fog effects massively improved.
14. Tweaks to colour grading should improve picture quality

Next update will be the generation of jobs to complete using your own boat...

Happy Boating!