Just scrolled through the last page of progress updates, literally threw my hands in the air and yelled "HOW??" at least 4 times. Genuinely my favorite mod in development right now, can't wait for the next update to release.
How's the map coming along? I can't wait to see the next version. This is the only mod where I'm actively following the development progress. Thank you for your efforts with this map, it's great!
Hi! Thanks for asking and for your patience . I've worked intensively on many areas.There is almost no region where I have not pushed forward everything and/or redesigned many things and created new roads and many scenery for exploration. To tell you a little bit more: The avatar can now do a lot of things (if you like), too: There are now a large number of different fire pits and BBQs scattered throughout the map, all of which can be lit (if you find or can reach them). So, don't forget to buy some matches or other utensils beforehand. You can now quench your thirst at all the wells. If you prefer to buy Tasti cans you can drink them at any time even while driving to deal with the desert heat. You'll receive a wealth of information about interesting or hidden places or mysterious connections for a deeper experience level of the map, that only if you drive slow or examine places more closely. However, these aren't linear tasks that you have to solve, like in missions, for example. It's more of a parallel world of playing and experience. Map related options can be made directly with the avatar on the map instead of using some UI-App. (By the way, this isn't a mod for the avatar, it's the map that monitors what you do.) But haven't gotten around to taking more screenshots of the most important new features yet. Nevertheless, here are a few unsorted foggy snapshots (not the latest) from random places:
Amazing map, but i do feel like it's missing some variety, compared to something like american road. Even when the map does look alot better.
Here's variety imo, You have desert here, offroad trails, tracks, small towns, mountain with snow. It's fun map to drive, You even have here highway and unexpected turns. There's so much to do in there. And it's also great for just roaming and exploring. And also the map WIP so there's much more waiting for us here.
Varie... what? Well, the map has very different climatic zones and types of roads. But it is not american road or the world or something. Essentially, it's a region, roughly like around the Mediterranean Sea, and thematically covers only this part of the world. You won't find Greenland or the Mariana Trench here . It is intentional because the transitions betweent the zones also take some space and even on this map space is limited. However, I think your statement lacks seriousness, because the idea that one map can cover everything with high detail is simply illusory. The size alone makes it impossible. Do you have too much RAM or do you think I have too much time?
Can't wait to see the next update, loved the previous iteration. Spent plenty of time racing around the track in the Carbonworks F4 with mates. On a sidenote do you have a discord where you showcase your progress? or is it all here on the forums.
Nope. I'm showing all news only here in the forum. Please be patient, I will show many new things when the time is right. I really work every day many hours on the map. I simply have no time to show all progress frequently, but that also means, that the next update will include very much new content. As you can see in the current published version, there was and is also very much to do to make all areas tidy and consistently detailed. Just to give you an idea of the scale: The new Pt. Andreas overseas harbour, with its new logistic areas and road connections, took me at least 2-3 weeks, and not everything is finished yet. Furthermore, there are always so many different aspects to consider, not just the design. Lighting, road layout, bridges/tunnels, road markings, new assets, new materials, AI guidance, LUA functions, story telling aaaand backups of all that. Creating a new gantry crane for the port with Blender takes a full (enjoyable) day. In terms of area, the port is just 1% of the map. If everything goes smoothly. If errors occur or BeamNG crashes and corrupts data, that's another game. So, more progress impressions coming soon .
Diving is not just about holding your breath. It’s about finding inner peace and stillness in the middle of a uninhabitable lethal environment ... There are now special zones where I've even designed the underwater world because it is now possible to dive on Homerange with your avatar. For this purpose, I've programmed special trigger boxes that I can link to any body of water. If you enter such a diving zone you'll receive a message, so it is most likely, that it is worth diving here... Within these invisible trigger cuboids, the avatar's behavior is monitored by LUA. You can jump directly into the water and dive down, or swim out a bit. Standing still then is interpreted as a desire to dive and a deep breath, and you immediately sink. Once you reach the bottom of the water, you can move slowly or push off upwards to resurface. To stay at the surface just keep swimming. During the dive, the oxygen level in your blood and the diving depth is continuously monitored and displayed, and an emergency ascent is triggered if necessary. This is static diving, similar to using a weight belt, and uses only BeamNG's own physics engine. This way, you can, for example, find a sunken airplane wreck or explore a reef and discover a mysterious treasure. The fish are realized as simple 2D animations projected onto curved bands, creating the impression of fish swimming freely or in groups, or of sharks patrolling the cliffs. The performance requirement is once again negligible. Aaaaand at the same time, the work above water is also progressing on a large scale with many more details. More impressions coming soon.
As I wrote, the performance requirements are very low. For the fish, for example, it's lower than the vanilla church in the East Coast map. And since diving uses the BeamNG physics engine, everything is calculated anyway. So you don't need to worry; I don't have a powerful computer myself, so I take great care to ensure that ideas like this are performance-balanced.
not sure if this has been answered already, but will your map be compatible with the 'CK dynamic skybox' mod?