Help

■ Added missing help text for item "mold01"

■ Added help panel while in vehicle

Level Design

■ Fixed a lot of reported map issues

Multiplayer

■ Fixed client sync error for vehicles at vehicle store

Activated

■ Activated worldmap (press m)

Functionality

■ Added function to check if vehicle blocked by another vehicle at the vehicle store

Changed

■ Changed collision for item "goldbar01"

■ Reduced range for interactions
■ Reduced worker speed for item "highbanker01"
■ Reduced worker speed for item "washingplant01"
■ Reduced worker speed for item "smeltingfurnace01"
■ Reduced worker speed for item "smeltingfurnace02"

Animation

■ Added button animation for item "goldtable01"
■ Added button animation for item "washingplant01"

Audio

■ Added sound "footstep" for object "bridges"

Troubleshooting

■ Fixed error with not spawning on map as character
■ Fixed error with teleport to random location while exit vehicle (not final fix, but it works)

■ Fixed wrong claim name in teleport list
■ Fixed door "trunk" for vehicle "buggy01"

■ Fixed error with attach vehicle on loadingbay
■ Fixed error with attach items for vehicle "buggy01"
■ Fixed error with attach items for vehicle "pickup04"
■ Fixed error with vehicle teleport and unattached trailer still count as attached
■ Fixed error with detect items for workshop (not all items can customise, we will add more soon)

■ Fixed error with show wrong fill value for item "minersmoss"
■ Fixed error with refresh vehicle location in minimap

■ Fixed collision for legs for item "table01"
■ Fixed collision for legs for item "table02"

Improvements

■ Improved wheel physic for all vehicles
■ Improved hitch limits for vehicle "pickup01"
■ Improved hitch limits for vehicle "pickup02"

Savegame

■ Fixed error with load data for claims

Removed

■ Removed visible boxes for teleport areas
■ Removed object "store controller" not visible anymore
■ Removed driver function for passengers in vehicle

Version 0.64 Alpha has been released on the Experimental Branch.

The most important change is the switch from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.
Everyone must start a new savegame and please note that this is an experimental version.

So that you don't have to wait any longer, we'll let you be part of it.

You can switch to the "Experimental" beta in Steam as follows.







Please note, if you have played Gold Hunter before, to deactivate the Steam Cloud for Gold Hunter once and delete all savegames locally.

Here is the path to the savegames, simply enter it in the browser line of your desktop.

%userprofile%\AppData\Local\GoldHunter\Saved\SaveGames

Please note that many things are still deactivated or unfinished.
These will be added bit by bit with regular updates.

Otherwise we look forward to your bug reports, you can create them directly in the game with "F8".

The team wishes you all a nice weekend and happy holidays.

Today I am contacting you with a competition. For the next update, 3 claims will already be activated, comprising a total of 35 plots.
That's enough space to start with, compared to the old map, where fewer than 10 claims were active, and one parcel on the new map is as big as an old claim.
However, we would like to give these claims a name and we thought we would leave that up to the community and make a competition out of it.

Everyone can only vote once and each participant must adhere to the following rules.

- no double participation (if we find out, the participant will be excluded)
- the names should be user-friendly and not protected

The competition will run for 14 days and ends on 22.03.2024 at 6 pm german time.
The team will then select the top 10 from all valid entries.
After that, the community will have 7 days to vote for their favorite.
The closing date will be 29.03.2024 at 6 pm german time. The top 3 will then enter the game.

You can submit your suggestion for a claim name in the form below.

https://forms.gle/sphdWXw3pDgDrZqx7 (Already closed)

Vote Now for your favorite claim name: https://forms.gle/XxbdrMu4jUt4RkDF6


We look forward to a large number of participants and wish all players a great weekend.

Now it's time for the next dev blog. In the last announcement, I was already able to give you a date for the upcoming update. It's only a few weeks away. During this time, the last things for the update will be made available.

This includes the map, some missing functions and various bug fixes.
Thanks to the daily livestreams, you can see the progress at any time and also see exactly what is being added to the game. So that this time can be used as productively as possible, the team has decided that the developer livestreams will be canceled until the update.

On the one hand, this has the advantage that intensive tests can be carried out regularly and agreements can be made directly. It also gives us the opportunity to prepare some surprises for you.
The landscapes on the map in particular are still being designed and players will be presented with a completely new environment for the update.

But there will still be a livestream every Friday evening where we can just chat and maybe show some spoilers. Well, that's all for today. The team wishes everyone a great weekend.

You can always check the current status in the roadmap for Unreal Engine 5.

Link to the UE5 roadmap: https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5


If you have any further questions or feedback, please write in the comments or contact us on Discord.

https://discord.gg/goldhunter

Now I'm getting back to you with an announcement that many have been waiting for and now the time has finally come. The wait is over, well not quite yet, you still have to be patient, but today I can give you a date for the upcoming update.

As already mentioned in previous posts, the update will first be released on the experimental version, so everyone can already get access to the update. A few weeks later it will be released on the stable version so that the last bugs can be found.

The big change in this update is the change of the engine, from 4 to Unreal Engine 5.
In this update, the focus is on the basic functions, the multiplayer and the new map.
Further functions and items will be added bit by bit.

The next few months will be actively used to design the levels, fix bugs and implement the final functions.
The new map will only have the base for the time being. Other locations, points of interest and other details will be added in future updates.

And now the most important thing, the date for the update.

Update Release 0.6 Alpha Experimental: 3/29 2024 at 8pm.

You can view the current status in the roadmap for Unreal Engine 5 at any time.

Link to roadmap UE5: https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5


If you would like to be part of the further development, I recommend the live stream on Twitch.
The streams take place regularly from Monday to Friday and the language is generally German.
However, you can also ask questions in English, which I will be happy to answer.

Link to Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp


If you have any further questions or feedback, please write in the comments or join us on Discord.

Link to Discord: https://discord.gg/goldhunter

The year is almost over and I'll get back to you again.
I hope everyone got through the holidays well.

A long year is behind us and a lot has been achieved this year.
Even if you as a player cannot see the progress directly, as the last update was in the first quarter, a lot has been achieved.

The switch to Unreal Engine started in May and the switch has already been completed in just a few months. This is a great success and the changeover went largely without any problems.

The next livestream will take place again from January 1st, 2024, as there will simply be a break between Christmas and New Year.

All basic functions have already been integrated into the engine and we are in the final phase of extensive testing of all functions.

We are currently still working on troubleshooting, and some functions are also being changed and improved. Of course, all tests are also tested in multiplayer, so they require more time because these tests are significantly more extensive.

This will take some time, but we are making very good progress.
Once the final phase is complete, there will be a further announcement in the next few weeks. In this announcement we can finally give you a date for the update to Unreal Engine 5.

You can view the current status in the roadmap for Unreal Engine 5 at any time.

Link to roadmap UE5: https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5


If you would like to be part of the further development, I recommend the live stream on Twitch.
The streams take place regularly from Monday to Friday and the language is generally German.
However, you can also ask questions in English, which I will be happy to answer.

Link to Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp


If you have any further questions or feedback, please write in the comments or join us on Discord.

Link to Discord: https://discord.gg/goldhunter


Well, that should be it for today.
The whole team wishes everyone a happy new year in 2024.

Now it's time for another dev blog. Some time has passed since the last dev blog.

A few more functions and systems have been implemented since then.

These include the transfer of gold, a completely new camera system that requires significantly less power and much more.

You can view the current status at any time in the roadmap for Unreal Engine 5.

Link to the UE5 roadmap: https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5


There you can also see that we only have a few open tasks.

We are currently working on the vehicle system, which is the last major feature in the game that still needs to be completed. Once the vehicle system is finished, we can start testing it.

Parallel to the tests, the level design of the new map will continue. This will save additional time.

This means that it won't be too long before we can release the first update on Unreal Engine 5.
This will then be available on the experimental version first.

This probably also means that this will be the last dev blog before the next update, which is a positive thing.

After successful testing on the experimental version, this version will be released on stable a few weeks later. After that, further functions and mechanics will be integrated in every update.

If you want to be part of the further development, I recommend the livestream on Twitch.
The streams take place regularly from Monday to Friday and are always in German.
However, you can also ask questions in English, which I will be happy to answer.

https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp


So, that's it for today. If you have any further questions or feedback, please write in the comments or contact us on Discord.

https://discord.gg/goldhunter

I'll get back to you with the next dev blog. It's been 3 weeks since the last dev blog and a lot has happened since then. This dev blog is not about the functions and programming this time, but about level design.

The last few weeks the map has been worked on at full speed. And today I want to show you the progress. But before I show you any more details, I'll explain very briefly how this came about.

Since we have already switched to Unreal Engine 5, we also considered how this should be implemented with the map. Due to the switch to the new engine, the old map with the content could unfortunately not be taken over. There were 2 options to consider.

Either you would have taken the old map and filled it with new content, or you would have invested a little more time and created a new map. The decision fell on the new map and that's what today's dev blog is about.

Here are a few details and dates to give you a better idea.
The old map had about 16 square kilometers and up to 12 claims were planned. The largest claim was claim 7 and was about 100x100m in size.

Now the data for the new card. The new map will have approximately 68 square kilometers and 14 claims are already planned, but each claim is still divided into parcels. Each plot is 100x100m and there are already over 600 plots in total. Compared to the old map, it would be over 600 claims. I think you can see a clear difference.

The length of the roads that have already been laid is currently over 25 kilometers and the rivers are over 21 kilometers long. There will also be a port, a train station and many more places. This also includes an old gold mining town.

And another info, the whole map is using voxels, means it would be theoretically possible to dig everywhere and do terraforming.

An important part that plays a big role is the issue of performance.
And I can tell you, the performance is just great. On this large 68 square kilometer map, the performance is significantly better compared to a map of 500 x 500 meters in the same engine. Both cards have the same comparison value, relatively empty condition. The landing time on the new large map is less than 10 seconds.

This was also tested in the team, so here is some information. With a "Geforce 1660 Super" graphics card you can achieve an average FPS of 75 FPS on "High" graphics settings and this graphics card is one of the older models from 2019. This means that you can also play comfortably on older graphics cards.

I think pictures say more than any long text, so here are a few pictures.
All images are a preview of what is to come but is still subject to change. The map is a work in progress and not complete.

The image below shows the size of the card. Below the lake is about the size of the old map.



Here you can see the view of the city. The train station and the port will be on the other side of the river.





This picture shows the offshore area, which can also be used later. In this area alone there are over 200 pitches waiting for you.



There are very large rivers, even some with islands.



Of course, the desert area should not be missing, that's where the "desert mining" takes place.



Now the following pictures from different views and maybe you can see a spoiler for an upcoming feature.

















You can always check the current status in the Unreal Engine 5 Roadmap.

Link to UE5 Roadmap: https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5

After a successful test on the experimental version, this version will appear on stable a few weeks later. After that, additional functions and mechanics will be integrated in each update.

If you want to be part of the further development, I recommend the live stream on Twitch. The streams take place regularly from Monday to Friday, the language is basically German. However, you can also ask questions in English, which I will be happy to answer.

https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp

Well, that should have been it for today.
If you have any further questions or feedback, feel free to write in comments or with us on Discord.

https://discord.gg/goldhunter

Herewith I report to you with the next dev blog. A few weeks have passed and you probably want to know what has been accomplished during this time.

The switch to Unreal Engine 5 is progressing well, great progress is being made.
As you probably already know, we have arrived at phase 3, the last and decisive phase in the changeover.

Once this phase is complete, the update will be released on the Experimental Version.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you how long that will take. It's hard to estimate, so far I haven't encountered any major problems, so I'm making faster progress than I thought.

You can always check the current status in the Unreal Engine 5 Roadmap.

Link to UE5 Roadmap: https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5


After a successful test on the experimental version, this version will appear on stable a few weeks later. After that, additional functions and mechanics will be integrated in each update.

The main thing that will interest you is the multiplayer, since it still causes some problems in the current version on Steam.

In the meantime I can tell you that the functions already implemented in Unreal Engine 5 work very well. Both single player and multiplayer. This is already a great success.

Many features have been worked on over the last few weeks, including the shop, shopping, the new inventory system and much more.

What you can also look forward to is the new map in the game. It will be bigger and therefore offer many more possibilities. But I don't want to reveal too much yet, let yourself be surprised.

I think screenshots say more than any long text, so here are a few screenshots.
All screenshots are a preview of what is to come, so ongoing.

Here you can see a picture of the shop. In this shop you can buy all the important items that you need for the gold search.



Of course you don't want to do everything on foot, so there is a large selection of different vehicles.



So that you don't run out of fuel on the way and you get stuck, you can do something good for your vehicle at the gas station.



Overview of the inventory system. You can now also remove and swap clothes.




There is also a new feature in the game that many of you have been asking for.
This will be the interaction in third-person mode.



The tablet is already in the works and will later offer various apps. Be it an online order, administration of the company, weather, gold price and much more.



There is also a clothing store to give you more choice.



And finally a picture of the upcoming town hall, where you can register and manage your company.




At this point, a big thank you goes out to our community mods, who always take the time to find bugs and report them directly. So I can fix the reported errors directly and we can then guarantee you a more pleasant gaming experience right from the start.

If you want to be part of the further development, I recommend the live stream on Twitch.
The streams take place regularly from Monday to Friday, the language is basically German.
However, you can also ask questions in English, which I will be happy to answer.

https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp


Well, that should have been it for today.
If you have any further questions or feedback, feel free to write in comments or with us on Discord.

https://discord.gg/goldhunter

So, I'm getting back to you with the next dev blog.

Since about 4 weeks I am busy with the change to the Unreal Engine 5.
There are 3 phases planned before the update will be released as an experimental version.

In the meantime we have already reached phase 3, phase 1 and 2 are already finished.
You can check the current status at any time via the following link.

https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5


Already now you can see the advantages of the change and first successes have been achieved.
All mechanics used in the game are being completely redeveloped.
Some of the new mechanics have already been completed, as can also be seen in the roadmap.

The next update will take place as soon as phase 3 is completed. In this phase, not everything will be implemented as it was before. But at least all important basic techniques, so that every player can already take a look at the new update.

After successful testing on the Experimental version, a few weeks later this version will be released on Stable. After that, more features and mechanics will be integrated in each update.

The change to Unreal Engine 5 is running smoothly so far, but unfortunately I can't give you a date when the next update will be released. But I can recommend you to just keep an eye on the roadmap.

What you can already look forward to is that we will also integrate many improvements or new features.

There are clear differences in the graphics area. But that is only one of the advantages.



The physics just feel a lot better, noticeable especially with the vehicles.

Physic Vehicles Unreal Engine 4

Physic Vehicles Unreal Engine 5

One of the new features include an inventory system, which simplifies general use and makes multiplayer interactions with other players a lot easier. Unfortunately, I can't give you more detailed information about it today, because the system is still in a very early stage. It is only a draft.

On the picture are the slots for clothes on the left and the slots for items on the right.



The main menu has also been completely redesigned. It will be much clearer for the player. Here are a few pictures, but the menu is only a draft, the interface will still change significantly.



If you want to be there for the further developments, I recommend you to watch the livestream on Twitch. The streams take place from Monday to Friday, language is German, but you can also ask questions in English, which will be answered.

https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp


So, that should be it for today. I wish you a nice weekend.
If you have any further questions or feedback, feel free to post them in the comments or join us on Discord.

https://discord.gg/goldhunter