Where are we going?

Steam Workshop? Emm... no. There are reasons why it will never happen, because Beam actually provides helpful support for mods unlike Steam where it is a total free-fo-all and people could be posting inappropriate mods whenever they want.

 

For some reason mine is different. There are 0 automation mods on the default mod page for me and I don't seem to have the ability to use "last Resources" but instead latest update is my default. (using Goggle Chrome browser.)

Edit: Im a idiot oof.

 

yes I get that, I am talking about this..

when you open the forums home page, the new resources tab is plastered with automation mods

 

This is exactly what I said 2 days ago

The automation mods really should be in their own hosted site or something, away from here, theyre all so bad :/ let Automation host them

 

I just never used it so I guess I learned something new that I'll probably never use.
Addition: Maybe just make it so anything with automation tags don't appear there? Idk seems like a simple solution to a problem.

 

Although, if we didnt see the Automation mods on here every 1 second, how would we survive without having something like the Mikni brand, for example?

MIKNI!

 

Thats a flood I only release a mod occasionally I have 7 up but for the moment I am considering on Number 8 but I am still writing the bio for it

 

Why not split up the resources preview tab like this:

 

I definitely agree to this idea, it would help declutter the "BeamNG Mods" and the "Automation" mods smart thinking there, but is it possible to be implemented without too much hassle, best to leave it to the people who know and see if it can be done

 

If I posted that in August 2017, you weren't even a forum member then? So did they get rid of the sound engineer they had then? Because if I remember correctly, there was a audio update which changed all the sounds significantly around that period.

 

Try and remember about any game development team it grows over time @LukeFHJ thats the thing about game development it grows when you need someone with specialist skills

 

I couldn't say why, or exactly what it is, but yes, the graphics from CryEngine do seem rather nice in the games it's used in, no complaints there from me. Maybe I'm just not convinced by the looks of Substance Designer textures, they're quite plastic-like where I've seen them used in more games than just here (not knocking anyone's talents, but I usually can tell if that program was used). I also know that sometimes that's the only answer when you can't otherwise source an affordable or good-enough-quality or high-enough-resolution texture for the needs, and it can't wait as it's holding up the workflow. A great game engine - even the best one out there - won't ever flex it's legs and show it's strengths if it's not used to it's fullest. I think however that making BeamNG is a constant learning process for everyone involved, hence later maps (Utah, West Coast) look better then the older counterparts - cars too.
It's sure a fun game even if there's no clear cut goals right now - but who can shame that when City Simulators are the same way, lacking any clear goals except 'don't build Detroit or a Nuclear Wasteland'. I do enjoy mapping for it though, provided it's not Beam's "time of the month".
Definitely takes the cake though for most helpful and interactive staff, even in light of some distance in communication with project goals/direction on a regular basis - but there's always room for improvement in even the best AAA games. So who's to throw stones? Certainly not I ! Communication is much better as of recent times, however. So applause for that - actually, standing ovation. I appreciate it so I know how to put my own project goals on the maps I currently have in production.

People compare this to Wreckfest. Well I got news for you, I bought that Wreckfest in January 2015. I've played it 37 minutes. I have 2342 hours of BeamNG.drive on Steam, and well over 1000+ hours not recorded as I haven't been launching it from Steam except to update it over the last two years (screenshots kept capturing notifications if I launched from Steam). There's nothing except that it's about vehicular destruction that compares to BeamNG, and BeamNG is superior in every way except that Wreckfest might 'look' better (on the surface, to a layman) and obviously has more man-hours put into AI and more financial backing (likely). It is missing a crucial feature that breaks it for me. Wreckfest doesn't have a built-in editor! I am also still sore as the developers of Wreckfest made 'Flatout' series games. The Flatout games that, while fun to play, become rage-inducing as you get ahead of the pack, and hit a little pebble in the road or a snail, and it flips you end over end for half a mile - just because you're in the lead. I kicked the tower in 2008~2009 and broke my big toe, leaving an itty-bitty teeny-tiny little dimple in the side of the bottom of the tower, which moved a few inches at most. HINT: IF you learned one thing today, is that, if you have a heavy computer tower case like a full tower, put it on the desk if you can at-all lift it, especially if you ever want to kick it, or you will limp for 3 weeks like I did when you inevitably do so.

On-topic, I love the direction this game is going, but I am 100% for improvements to the game engine and editor interface (that I've heard about in dev blogs and here/other posts). There's a lot of room for improvement with regards to limitations of this game engine (single-threaded draw call limits I hit quite easily in a city or town environment, lack of tiled terrain support that I know of). At the same time, there is so much work done, that compared to 2~3 years ago, the game is better in every regard a multitude of times over.

To that end I must close this already-book-of-a-post with a 'Thank you' to the developers, I eagerly look forward to future posts on the subject of this game's development.

 

So, time to bump this thread with some updates.

First and foremost, the older maps are finally being improved/reworked (although it looks like just new vegetation and textures atm :| ). That was an issue that needed to be addressed for a while, and it's being dealt with.

Secondly, we seem to be back on track with the upcoming 0.15 update. It's the first time since the Miramar and Utah were released that a map and a car have come out at the same time. Although I suspect that some of the younger/more immature members will see the WIP Italy and freak out because it's unfinished. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So things seem to be getting improved/dealt with. I plan to bump the thread in a couple months (probably around 0.16), and write a massive post detailing the changes that have occurred in that time.

It would be nice to see some community feedback at this point due to recent announcements by the staff and such.

 

Yeah, honestly I would almost rather them hold onto the map (and if that means holding onto the car, then so be it) until they get all the assets in place literally just to avoid all the complaining that we all know will be coming. That kinda stuff drives me nuts because people just can't read for some reason. Either that or slap an "UNFINISHED" across the maps picture in the terrain selection menu or something along those lines. Basically all just to keep the complaining and confusion to a minimum.

 

A "WIP" thumbnail might be useful. JRI was released in a WIP form, and it had one, so a WIP thumbnail for Italy might make sense.

 

Just my thoughts on the whole 'good modders leaving the forums' stuff. I know they probably lost all their braincells by the years of questions for BeamNG, but I often find a lot of the really good modders to...kind of be dicks...I bet I'm going to start a flamewar, but that's just my opinion. Even if, I'm mostly talking about the modders that were pushed off of the site, like Inertia and Bakasan for example...only person I can think about. Not saying they deserve to go, but just something I'd like to note.

Then again, I could all be wrong. I find myself the total opposite of how people act on these forums.

 

I think most got annoyed by the younger audience that was and still is flooding the game.

 

You have a good point. I remember that. It seemed to me that before Bakasan was banned, he sort of went elitist. I thought it was sad, considering how long he had been on here. I also thought that a lot of them seemed to forget that they started somewhere too when it came to modding.

The whole VS Dean Wang thing IMO was really a low point on this forum. A lot of the stuff hurtled at him simply went too far.