Post Masters Update #7 - Wear & Tear, Design Decisions, and a Playtest Window
[h3]We Have a Closed Playtest Window! [/h3][p]Soon-to-be couriers, thank you for your overwhelming interest in our future closed playtest for PACS! We want to make sure we’re in a position to get the best possible feedback from you while you’re having fun, and are excited to announce that you can expect the closed playtest within the first 4 months of 2026.
In the meantime, we’ve had our excellent founding courier community members do regular testing, and we can’t thank you enough for helping us on our development journey!
Don’t forget to sign up at pacsgame.com for closed playtest access![/p][p][/p][p]![]()
[/p][p][/p][h3]Tyre Popping[/h3][p]A vehicle is only as good as the tyres it sits on, so keeping on top of your rubber is important in the post apocalyptic world. As you traverse the rugged landscapes, your tyres will take the brunt of it. Wearing down as they’re used and degrading on more difficult surfaces. Tyres with lower condition are prone to pop, leaving you feeling…deflated, especially with that rad storm rolling in. [/p][p]Tyres won’t last forever! Leave them on for too long and that rubber becomes…wheel rim. Not great for off road traversal. It’s always handy to have a spare tyre on board and a puncture repair kit handy. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]Vehicle Wear & Tear + Damage[/h3][p]Tyres aren’t the only vehicle part that needs maintenance, if you think the apocalypse means you don’t have to check the oil, think again.[/p][p]Engines and batteries degrade over time and require oil to run. Engine’s without Oil in them wear and tear faster and they will start cutting out and spluttering if you run them too far into the ground. [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]The puncture repair kit isn't the only tool in your toolbox to maintain your vehicles to keep them ticking over in the wastelands. Battery recharge kits, engine repair tools and others give couriers utility to keep all the mechanical components working.
[/p][p][/p][h3]Classic Screenshots and Realism (“Dude, where’s my truck?”)[/h3][p]Since PACS was re-announced with a brand new trailer, a common comment we’ve seen was around the shift in visual style and tone of the game in comparison to the original Steam announcement trailer and the loss of the large ZIL-131 style truck. [/p][p]We’ve heard you and wanted to address this by explaining the creative decision making behind these changes and outline what our plans are generally with the visual identity of the game: [/p][p]Though we have stepped away somewhat from the hyper realism in the first trailer, the combination of a new trailer that leans more heavily on the social chaotic co-op elements of the game and a more stylized player character has possibly made this shift in tone feel more drastic than it really is. [/p][p]Our setting remains the same, we’re still planning to have the sandy desert biomes and snowy peaks shown in the original trailer, though we’re not showing this in content right now to set expectations as we don’t expect those biomes to be ready for Early Access release. We still have the ZIL-131 and other large trucks planned. From a visual perspective with the world and environment, we are still aiming for something that leans on the side of realism: a difficult world that will be dark and gritty, and one you can get immersed in. [/p][p][/p][p]So why move away from hyper-realism? Truthfully it’s just quite difficult to put together perfectly. Especially with vehicles that would need super high fidelity and intricate detail, which was unfortunately out of scope for a team of our size, and presents performance challenges (especially in multiplayer!). [/p][p]It also didn’t quite reflect the level of simulation in the gameplay experience that we are aiming for. Our thinking is this type of realistic style can too easily imply a heavily simulated experience in gameplay, like taking each individual wheel nut off as you replace a tyre; but we were never intending PACS to have such granularity.[/p][p]The original trailer was made at a time when we weren't funded, so we had minimal time and resources to bring something together that would, at the very least, showcase the core experience of the game (delivering packages in the apocalypse), so we could validate if there was a receptive audience. [/p][p]To put this together we looked at the art and models we wanted to create ourselves later in development, and used assets in place of them (like the ZIL!). There are way more realistic assets available than there are stylized, so it was easier to make things visually coherent for that trailer by choosing that style. [/p][p]The core experience of PACS hasn't changed since then, aside from embracing some of the more co-operative and social aspects of the game because we found in testing with community members, that the social co-op shenanigans side of the game is where the most fun was had. [/p][p]As we've discovered that fun, we've leant a bit further towards it visually, with slightly more playful character models, vehicles that aren't ultra realistic in their visual style, and a more playful upbeat trailer to show that personality. [/p][p]We appreciate that this shift may not be what some of the community wanted from the game after seeing the first trailer, but we truly hope that the experience we’re creating will win you over nonetheless. To show that we’re still aiming for a grounded immersive, we’ve collected some screenshots from the game as it’s being created that showcases that direction, and we can’t wait to share more on the other vehicles you’ll be able to modify and drive in PACS.[/p][p][/p][carousel]![]()
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[/carousel][p][/p][h3]FAQ[/h3][p]If you have any questions you’d like answered, join our community Discord![/p][p]Here’s some answers to questions we’ve heard so far:[/p]
In the meantime, we’ve had our excellent founding courier community members do regular testing, and we can’t thank you enough for helping us on our development journey!
Don’t forget to sign up at pacsgame.com for closed playtest access![/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Classic Screenshots and Realism (“Dude, where’s my truck?”)[/h3][p]Since PACS was re-announced with a brand new trailer, a common comment we’ve seen was around the shift in visual style and tone of the game in comparison to the original Steam announcement trailer and the loss of the large ZIL-131 style truck. [/p][p]We’ve heard you and wanted to address this by explaining the creative decision making behind these changes and outline what our plans are generally with the visual identity of the game: [/p][p]Though we have stepped away somewhat from the hyper realism in the first trailer, the combination of a new trailer that leans more heavily on the social chaotic co-op elements of the game and a more stylized player character has possibly made this shift in tone feel more drastic than it really is. [/p][p]Our setting remains the same, we’re still planning to have the sandy desert biomes and snowy peaks shown in the original trailer, though we’re not showing this in content right now to set expectations as we don’t expect those biomes to be ready for Early Access release. We still have the ZIL-131 and other large trucks planned. From a visual perspective with the world and environment, we are still aiming for something that leans on the side of realism: a difficult world that will be dark and gritty, and one you can get immersed in. [/p][p][/p][p]So why move away from hyper-realism? Truthfully it’s just quite difficult to put together perfectly. Especially with vehicles that would need super high fidelity and intricate detail, which was unfortunately out of scope for a team of our size, and presents performance challenges (especially in multiplayer!). [/p][p]It also didn’t quite reflect the level of simulation in the gameplay experience that we are aiming for. Our thinking is this type of realistic style can too easily imply a heavily simulated experience in gameplay, like taking each individual wheel nut off as you replace a tyre; but we were never intending PACS to have such granularity.[/p][p]The original trailer was made at a time when we weren't funded, so we had minimal time and resources to bring something together that would, at the very least, showcase the core experience of the game (delivering packages in the apocalypse), so we could validate if there was a receptive audience. [/p][p]To put this together we looked at the art and models we wanted to create ourselves later in development, and used assets in place of them (like the ZIL!). There are way more realistic assets available than there are stylized, so it was easier to make things visually coherent for that trailer by choosing that style. [/p][p]The core experience of PACS hasn't changed since then, aside from embracing some of the more co-operative and social aspects of the game because we found in testing with community members, that the social co-op shenanigans side of the game is where the most fun was had. [/p][p]As we've discovered that fun, we've leant a bit further towards it visually, with slightly more playful character models, vehicles that aren't ultra realistic in their visual style, and a more playful upbeat trailer to show that personality. [/p][p]We appreciate that this shift may not be what some of the community wanted from the game after seeing the first trailer, but we truly hope that the experience we’re creating will win you over nonetheless. To show that we’re still aiming for a grounded immersive, we’ve collected some screenshots from the game as it’s being created that showcases that direction, and we can’t wait to share more on the other vehicles you’ll be able to modify and drive in PACS.[/p][p][/p][carousel]
- [p]"I have a question that’s been on my mind ever since I learned about PACS Will there be some kind of demo available to get an early feel for the game?"
We have some public playtests coming up, and also plan to take part in a Steam Next Fest with a demo ahead of release :)[/p] - [p]"I was curious how big the maps are/how long some of the deliveries can take. Also are the world's randomly generated?"
We're still experimenting with the exact sizing of the EA map, but we're aiming for around 3x3km with the longest deliveries taking up to an hour. The map will be hand crafted by our team, letting us curate interesting experiences we'd like players to go through on their journey.[/p] - [p]"Was a little curious how progress worked in multiplier. It it tied to your personal charter or the the servers host??"
Progress will be tied to an overall world save which will be owned by the server host. Hosts will have to be online, on that save for others to join. [/p][p]Unlocks and progression are world based, if you find and unlock blueprint, everyone in that session will be able to use the CRAFT machine to make that item.[/p]