Xmas Devlog: the roads behind and ahead in a big, B I G world

[p]Hi there, Merry Xmas, and a Happy New Year!
[/p][p]What a year that's been. As a team, we've brought Road Truckers from a very early alpha to quite near beta. We now have the full main story mode, all trucks and customization parts we wanted, tons of locations that look, dare I say, quite well. Also: wheel support, controller support...
[/p][p]Still, there are a couple of things to finish up. We need to add mouse steering, window leaning and mirrors, and finish up the remaining parts of the world. There's also some sound work and optimization passes, but all in all, we're closer and closer to tying everything up, so far on schedule.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Meanwhile, we've been supporting – as widely as we possibly can – our first game, Alaskan Road Truckers, which became our learning experience that made Road Truckers: New Beginning possible.
[/p][p]Recently, when asked by players, we measured and compared the maps, and it seems that Road Truckers: New Beginning's map area is around 3x larger than Alaskan's. You might wonder how that's possible if Alaskan was technically demanding with its current size. The answer is: it was possible because the map size and general topology were literally the first things we took care of. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]When making our first game, we started by making one area and then kept adding and adding – frankly, without being sure how big the map should be or how much the engine can handle. That's why it's now a challenge to optimize it, and that's why we want Road Truckers to be the result of our learning experience.
[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, in Road Truckers: New Beginning, we split the map into 2 parts: the hub area and the main exploration map, which is 4x larger. It's because we wanted to be able to add new and varied regions without the need to seamlessly connect them to the existing world of the hub area. [/p][p][/p][p]So yes, in theory, we can add the entire Alaska later, as a region you visit after a longer travel (represented as a loading screen). The game can potentially become the platform to explore all kinds of places, of course, if it's successful enough for this endeavor (I hope it will be!).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Also, in Road Truckers: New Beginning, the hub area will be the demo area, and it's roughly 2/3 of the size of the Alaskan map. This makes the distances feel much more natural, and there is no need for scaling a mile (or a kilometer, if that's the unit of your choice) so drastically as in Alaskan. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]wOf course, this comes with a challenge of making these large areas interesting and varied enough, but that's why the fact we set the game in a fictional country comes into play. We'll have a lot of interesting locations inspired by many, many, many different places. Not being tied to a real place lets us make "the best of" mixtape of locations. At least that's the idea![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Right now, we're preparing for a beta, which you will be able to test. Later, there will be a demo version. And finally, the full game. It's very exciting to see this project come together so fast, and without too many hurdles. At the same time, we're planning the next updates for Alaskan Road Truckers – hopefully some pleasant surprises.
[/p][p]Thank you for being with us. Have a wonderful New Year, and see you soon – in your very own truck, on the many roads of Vale Rico.[/p]