P.A.C.K. :: Post Apocalyptic Cleaning Kit News

[p]Howdy Folks![/p][p]
[/p][p]Thanks for all the great feedback and support. I’m excited to announce a big update to the existing demo with a bunch of new content that includes multiplayer support![/p][p]
[/p][h2]New Level[/h2][p][/p][p]The demo now includes a new starter level that offers a quicker experience to get your feet wet before diving into larger levels. The demo still includes the existing two levels which have been renamed and have had various tweaks and changes.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]Multiplayer[/h2][p][/p][p]The demo now includes multiplayer for up to four players. Invite your friends into your game and clean, recycle and restore together. [/p][p]
[/p][h2]Recycler Machine[/h2][p][/p][p]The recycler machine has been completely reworked to include new animations and is generally more fun to use.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]Echo Spheres[/h2][p][/p][p]The readable notes in the previous demo were easy to miss. The artwork has been changed and existing story content has also been updated.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]What’s next?[/h2][p]The next major release milestone is the early access release. I don’t have a release date for that just yet, but several more levels are in development for early access release. [/p][p][/p][p]Stay tuned for more development logs showcasing the process of what has already been created and some sneak peeks at what's to come. Thanks for all the amazing support and let me know what you think of PACK.[/p][p]
Follow & Support[/p][p] Wishlist | Discord | Patreon[/p]

[p]Howdy Folks![/p][p]I hope everyone is doing well and is ready to learn more about PACK :: Post Apocalyptic Cleaning Kit. Today I wanted to dive into how I designed the PACK robot. [/p][p][/p][h2]Why A Robot?[/h2][p]The goal of PACK is about a robot cleaning up after the fall of mankind, but why? While cleaning up the various environments in the game, the player will come across information that sheds light on what happened to humanity. The robot itself is not meant to learn anything from this, but the player behind it should. [/p][p]The robot is simply doing what it was programmed to do, blissfully unaware of the futility. The world isn’t about the robot, it’s about the stories left behind that are discovered while cleaning and restoring each area. The game is about the sense of discovery and accomplishment in spite of that futility.[/p][h2]
Robot Inspiration[/h2][p]I’ve always had a general interest in robotics and have seen a lot of examples of robots trying to emulate humanoid movement. Boston Dynamics has done extensive development on various robot designs including BigDog, Cheetah, Handle and its newer robots Spot and Atlas. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]By using real world examples I was able to create something that was futuristic looking, but still grounded in reality. [/p][p][/p][h2]Development[/h2][p]The first step was to figure out what type of mobilization the robot would have. Should it be on treads, legs or tires? I experimented with various designs before settling on tires. This decision was largely inspired by Boston Dynamics’ Handle robot which mobilized very well on two legs with tires instead of feet. The image below illustrates some of the designs that were scrapped during the design process.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]Game development and art is a process of iterative design. It’s important to throw ideas on paper, or the screen, so you can quickly see what might work and what definitely does not. It’s just as important to know what not to do, as it is to know what you should do.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The second step was integrating the core elements that robot would need for washing, vacuuming, generating trash cubes and interacting with the world. I incorporated the tools into the two arms/hands of the robot, which I was then able to animate between washing, vacuuming or graspers.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The final design included all the core functionality I set out to achieve while still being visually interesting. While in first person you only see the robots hands, it was important to build the whole model for both multiplayer and promotional content.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you all for the amazing support. Be sure to wishlist and follow on Steam, if you haven’t already. Stay tuned for more development logs.[/p][p][/p][h3]Follow & Support[/h3][p] Wishlist | Discord | Patreon[/p][p][/p]

[p]Howdy Folks![/p][p] [/p][p]First and foremost I want to thank everyone for the support and wishlists. It’s great to see the interest in my game quickly growing. I wanted to update you all on what I've been working on as well as what you can expect next.[/p][p]
[/p][h3]Recycler Machine[/h3][p]The recycler in the available demo has been completely reworked and now included new animations and audio effects.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]
[/p][h3]Echo Spheres[/h3][p]In each of the current levels there are small data sticks that can be read that provide some story/lore. These are quite small and easy to miss. They also don’t make sense to be left behind just to be read.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]To fix both problems they’ve been replaced by echo spheres. These are easier to spot glowing spheres that can be read by the robot. They are echoes of the past that have been imprinted at those locations.[/p][p][/p][h3]Multiplayer Demo[/h3][p]I’m currently working to finalize an updated demo that will include the above content as well as multiplayer support. The new demo will be a great way to check out PACK with your friends. The new demo is expected to be available next month so keep an eye out.[/p][p][/p][h3]Release Date[/h3][p]The release date into early access is still to be determined, but I lot of progress has been made on additional levels for the final release. Stay tuned![/p][p]
[/p][p]Thanks again for all the support and feedback and be sure to wishlist PACK if you haven’t already. Join the discord and let give me your feedback, suggestions or just say howdy.[/p][p][/p][p]Follow & Support[/p][p] Wishlist | Discord | Patreon[/p][p]
[/p]

Howdy Folks!

Thank you all for playing my demo! It's great to hear so many of you enjoying the game and providing suggestions and feedback. Here is a small patch with some tweaks and fixes.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3714880/PACK__Post_Apocalyptic_Cleaning_Kit_Demo/

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

• Added next button to level completion window so that you can now go directly to the second level without having to return to the main menu
  
• Your last loaded level is now saved so that when you enter solo game it is automatically selected
  
• Fixed: Reset Level Progress and Change Map button mapped on new game window set to the same gamepad button
  
• Fixed: Missing description for Offices level
  

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Howdy Folks!

A huge thank you if you checked out the demo on Itch.IO and for the great feedback. Since the release of the demo, I’ve been hard at work implementing new features, fixing up issues and working on new content. The current goal is to release a brand new demo on Steam, but I wanted to go over what it is that I’ve been working on.

[h2]Throwable Objects[/h2]
Objects that can be picked up have already had the ability to be tossed a bit by swinging the camera view, but now they can be thrown with a separate button press.



[h2]Creating Trash Cubes[/h2]
Originally players would automatically generate a trash cube when the vacuum tool is full. This will no longer be the case in future versions and the player will be required to press a button to stamp out a trash cube when the vacuum tool is full.

This also means some tweaks to the existing UI to better show the player when the vacuum is full as well as some visual and audio additions to make it more clear why you’ve suddenly stopped vacuuming.



You’ll be able to empty the vacuum any time it has anything in it, not only when it’s full. The created trash cubes are scaled relative to how full the vacuum was at the time it was created.

[h2]Repairable Objects [/h2]
My original vision of PACK included the ability to repair or restore objects in the environment. The alpha demo did not include this feature, but I’ve been working hard on a new system that will allow the player to acquire resources while cleaning that can be used to repair broken objects.



Vacuumable objects in the environment will now contain resources. When these resources are packaged into a trash cube and deposited into the recycler the resources can then be used to repair objects.

Repairable objects have a repair cost and if you have enough available resources you’ll be able to repair the object by interacting with it.


[h2]Steam Demo[/h2]
Keep an eye out for a demo here on Steam that will include additional content and showcase the new features covered above.

Be sure to Wishlist PACK today!

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