How many updates until BeamNG leaves Early Access?

G'day All. Given that BeamNG is as of now in 20.2. How many updates do you all feel there will be left until BeamNG leaves Early Access? (From what I have read, there are about 4 updates a year or thereabouts)

 

BeamNG.drive is already in the Alpha state.

Edit: Nvm. Steam still says Early Access

 

Oh god years at best. There’s so much to do until it’s actually ready.

 

Thanks for answering, Mate. I understand that it will take many years. How many years do you feel it will take to be fully done and ready?

 

given the amount of updates we get when compared to other games i'd say maybe 8-10 years is reasonable, because there is always more to do in a game like this to get to the most realistic simulator there is. To be honest, i reckon beam will never be finished, although perfectly playable and stable in current state, its like a rolling restoration, its just never truly finished

 

Thanks for answering.

 

I’d say maybe 5-6. At that point we would need a new graphics engine, (or maybe not a new engine nessicarily but some sort of graphics overhaul) Probably 10 more cars by then, So many new maps, new features like career mode, etc. Who even knows if BeamNG will be a thing by then. Maybe they will have started new with a different game.

 

rigs of rods was in support 2005 to 2012, so 7 years, the same as beamng so far (2013-20) kind of crazy when you think about it like that. though beamng's on a much better GE to begin with, and they actually have a sustainable business operating to continue developing it this time, unlike the days of pricorde and tdev running it as a hobby.

i don't see why it couldn't stay in development for another 10 years, though i'd imagine they probably have plans to intoduce primarily the new UI and at least the bones of career mode before then, at which point it might be considered " official release" but it continues to get tweaks and new content added.

 

At that point that’s a game that’s been in development for 17 years.

if you had a child when the game was born by then he would already be almost done high school and driving a car

 

This must be something the devs are thinking about. Who knows where game technology will be in even the next 5 years.

As much as Beam is their child that they love, I'm sure they would also love the freedom to achieve other things. The further down the Beam path they go, the less chance of major changes to the game, like a new graphics engine (although that is already almost impossible).

I can imagine career mode being released will at least slow the development cycle and possibly push the team to new projects.

 

Yeah graphics like this 5 years in the future literally aren’t going to be acceptable. Since they can’t switch engines idk what they will do

 

We already have a PostFX system, so they could probably change the default settings a bit. Or they could make reshade standard which I highly doubt they will.

 

PostFX is still only the plaster on top of the base layer of the engine.

For me the detail over distance and the direct transitions between LODs of models is one area where this game really doesn't look good.

However for me the joy of Beam has never been the graphics so this doesn't stop me playing. But that doesn't stop the idea of Beam with the Witcher 3's scale and detail over distance being incredible.

 

For me the nature foliage and trees have always looked kinda crap. The textures on everything besides nature are amazing, and honestly the only thing that’s holding the graphics of this game back is the engine.

 

I don't think it ever will.

 

Since this kind of turned into a graphics engine thread, can someone explain to me why they cannot re-tool the thing to work off unreal engine for example?

 

Thats what im saying but everyone says it would be a ton of work.

 

It would be better to continue developing the current engine.

 

I don't mean to be rude or "in your face", but can someone explain to me the technicalities of why?

 

https://www.beamng.com/threads/can-beamng-be-ported-to-ue4.20496/page-3#post-311971