Hydro Demo Play-testing / New Developments!
Hey folks! I'm delighted to announce that play-testing for Hydro's Demo build is well-underway and has been ongoing for the past two weeks!
This is a big milestone and it brings us ONE STEP CLOSER to public Demo release!
So far I have been receiving some great feedback from play-testers and I've already been implementing not only bug fixes and optimizations, but also new features and game play mechanics!
A super-quick teaser of the latest additions include:
- A Generator RPM and river flow speed variation mechanic; you will need to adjust the governor speed control during game play, to keep your Generator RPMs in-check so that power output is not interrupted; you'll get visual and aural indications of how fast the river is flowing, along with 'cinematic' crashing of waves audio effects to signify when the river is up to no-good...
- An updated Generator Temperature model; now, the temps will 'plateau' when they get to a certain point if you've reduced the power output setting of the Generator (or synced to the Power Grid at lower frequencies).
- Addition of a brand new 'Local Power Fusebox' which houses a number of different fuses (e.g. for interior lighting, marker light(s), accumulator charging) that will wear-out and 'blow' when you least expect them to... (you can repair these using the newly-added Fuse Repair Workbench).
- Addition of a 'Reputation' rating for the player. This starts off at 100 (percent). Based on your actions in the Hydro world, (e.g. if you generate too many noise complaints from running the power station poorly, or if you fail to meet the Township's demands for power), your Reputation will gradually deteriorate and if you let it deplete too low, you'll find that the Township will stop sending you some of the 'high-prestige' Township Demands, meaning that you'll end-up working harder to generate less overall funding. Thankfully, it is possible to restore your Reputation rating gradually, by operating the power station correctly!
- Get that sponge bucket! Addition of a 'cleaning' mechanic for the power station; I plan to add more 'maintenance' and 'upkeep' mechanics as time goes on as well.
- A heap of performance optimizations and bug fixes!
All combined, these changes should go a long way to adding to the realism and engagement you feel whilst playing Hydro and needless to say, they will all be included in the public Demo build.
To learn more about these latest developments and see them in action, view my brand-new video (linked below) on my YouTube channel.
My laser-focused goal right now is to complete the finishing touches to the Demo build over the coming weeks and get it released publicly for you all! (inside scoop: I may try and squeeze a few more new mechanics/features into the Demo before its release, if I get the chance...)
Watch this space as things continue to develop and thank you so much for your ongoing support!
https://youtu.be/Q7NTooG3p7A
This is a big milestone and it brings us ONE STEP CLOSER to public Demo release!
So far I have been receiving some great feedback from play-testers and I've already been implementing not only bug fixes and optimizations, but also new features and game play mechanics!
A super-quick teaser of the latest additions include:
- A Generator RPM and river flow speed variation mechanic; you will need to adjust the governor speed control during game play, to keep your Generator RPMs in-check so that power output is not interrupted; you'll get visual and aural indications of how fast the river is flowing, along with 'cinematic' crashing of waves audio effects to signify when the river is up to no-good...
- An updated Generator Temperature model; now, the temps will 'plateau' when they get to a certain point if you've reduced the power output setting of the Generator (or synced to the Power Grid at lower frequencies).
- Addition of a brand new 'Local Power Fusebox' which houses a number of different fuses (e.g. for interior lighting, marker light(s), accumulator charging) that will wear-out and 'blow' when you least expect them to... (you can repair these using the newly-added Fuse Repair Workbench).
- Addition of a 'Reputation' rating for the player. This starts off at 100 (percent). Based on your actions in the Hydro world, (e.g. if you generate too many noise complaints from running the power station poorly, or if you fail to meet the Township's demands for power), your Reputation will gradually deteriorate and if you let it deplete too low, you'll find that the Township will stop sending you some of the 'high-prestige' Township Demands, meaning that you'll end-up working harder to generate less overall funding. Thankfully, it is possible to restore your Reputation rating gradually, by operating the power station correctly!
- Get that sponge bucket! Addition of a 'cleaning' mechanic for the power station; I plan to add more 'maintenance' and 'upkeep' mechanics as time goes on as well.
- A heap of performance optimizations and bug fixes!
All combined, these changes should go a long way to adding to the realism and engagement you feel whilst playing Hydro and needless to say, they will all be included in the public Demo build.
To learn more about these latest developments and see them in action, view my brand-new video (linked below) on my YouTube channel.
My laser-focused goal right now is to complete the finishing touches to the Demo build over the coming weeks and get it released publicly for you all! (inside scoop: I may try and squeeze a few more new mechanics/features into the Demo before its release, if I get the chance...)
Watch this space as things continue to develop and thank you so much for your ongoing support!
https://youtu.be/Q7NTooG3p7A