Fixing more important campaign issues in today's patch, some which where making it such that some cars would never come out of engineering.

The new company alert system is also seeing some useful additions, along with a new game mechanic that now in more detail evaluates if your car is deemed fast enough for the intended market - depending on road quality. Good stuff!

• Added company alert for upcoming minimum safety regulations
  
• Implemented Top Speed based desirability penalties for different stats per region
  
• Added 70sCoupeLargeSize coupe and sedan

• Fixed changing model body after making a trim breaking all kinds of things
  
• Fixed issue that could cause cars to not sign off correctly, staying in engineering forever
  
• Fixed issue (potentially) with log file flooding with FMOD errors in rare cases
  
• Fixed issue where pressing ESC would kill the UI in sandbox
  
• Fixed countries being selectable even when greyed out in marketing hub
  
• Fixed (roughly) alignment of factory manager UI
  
• Fixed grille materials incorrectly displaying on some scoops

There will most likely be another patch on Friday as we're getting ready to merge the current open beta branch into the default branch - and with it get rid of all those "corrupt data", plugins, and database issues.

Cheers!

A quick update to address a critical campaign issue that caused timeline freezes due to a missing file. Along with that fix come a few updates as well, check out the changelog below:

• Implemented first basic message/news system (WIP)
  
• Added tire cost penalty for low (for their time) tire profiles
  
• Improved tire cost progression when going over 300 & 350 km/h
  
• Fixed critical campaign issue caused by missing file (time freezes)
  
• Fixed Longitudinal FWD being selectable when using front live axle

Hope that resolves the issue!
Cheers

In today's patch there is a bit of polish and optimization, but also some much needed attention to the BeamNG Exporter. Engine designer scenarios are back (and car designer scenarios to follow next week) as we are preparing to merge everything into the default branch of Automation.

We are still looking for some cars that break the exporter, BeamNG, or cause simulation issues in BeamNG. Now would be a great time to send us the .car files to such cases (support@camshaftsoftware.com) so that we can look into them further to fix some of the remaining exporter issues that have been following us around. One specific testcase we need is a car that is breaking in "exporting sounds" phase. If you have one of those lying around, please send it to us! :)

• Engine designer scenarios are now back, car scenarios will come back soon
  
• Big optimization for model designer performance
  
• Made top bar's time controls work on demographics and market UI
  
• Added rough difficulty presets for the lite campaign
  
• Added factory requirements tooltips to chassis, engine block, bottom end, interior
  
• Added warning to torsion beam rear suspension to show it can't be driven
  
• Removed back button in designers where it was not applicable
  
• Improved world map plaque text and its scaling, improved country selection info UI
  
• Fixed issue with car paint
  
• Fixed camera issue with world map view
  
• Fixed countries not being greyed out when you can't sell to them in marketing screen
  
• Fixed issue with engine not reloading properly in car after engine change

• Fixed several instances where exported cars would cause simulation instability
  
• Fixed issue with shift points for automatic transmissions
  
• Fixed issue where exported car's rear suspension would break
  
• Fixed issue with viscous diffs don't seem to do much locking at all

More improvements and fixes are coming next week!
Cheers

Just a small update today, more or less hotfixing the issues with the BeamNG exporter producing cars that "explode" or shake themselves to destruction or simulation instability.

• Fixed BeamNG Cars exploding, exhausts wobbling. Exhausts have been simplified.
  Now not breakable. The smoke chain of nodes has been simplified.
  
• Fixed issue where cloning a trim would invalidate other trims
  
• Fixed some logic around Drive Type / Engine Placement selection
  
• Fixed some logic (and silent erroring) around Brake Disc Options

There are more fixes and additions in the work for later this week, of course! :)
Cheers!

Lots of patches, and this one fixes another critical issue that was stopping the campaign from progressing at seemingly random times. Here's hoping we've now got all those types of bugs squashed.

We recently announced a Q&A as the last one was from almost five years ago, even though it held up nicely and is still relevant today. Here are 41 interesting questions answered:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFN1q3Ydclo

• Fixed critical issue with the campaign stopping at seemingly random times
  
• Fixed things exploding when you delete an engine facelift
  
• Fixed the awareness change in the markets tab not working with more than one region
  
• Fixed brake piston count not being set to 1 when switching between drums and discs
  
• Fixed issue with the emission tooltip going in wrong direction for head/valvetrain choice
  
• Added a flat engineering time of 6 months to aerodynamics section before quality effects

If you find any new issues, please let us know!
Cheers

Quick turn-around on the patches, today with a fix to a critical bug that unfortunately slipped through with yesterday's patch, killing time progression in the campaign! Hence why we didn't want to wait eith patching till tomorrow as originally planned.

There are a good few changes for a day's work in this one too though. Have a look at the full changelist:

• Factories built from hub now assume car / engine weight for more accurate tooling costs
  
• Further tweaked tow hitch attachment point behavior for BeamNG exports
  
• Disabled addons that do not function in factory UI.
  
• Added more information to 2nd panel of factory UI.
  
• Added system to better replace outdated entertainment and safety packages in facelifts
  
• Tweaks to Team Funding slider progression
  
• Tweaks to Tooling slider progression in engineering
  
• Added 5% service cost to V engines, 10% to Boxer engines

• Fixed critical bug in campaign time progression (was an issue since yesterday's patch!)
  
• Fixed exhausts falling off in BeamNG exports, unfortunately had to turn off their destructability
  
• Fixed rounding on car tooltip for wheelbase
  
• Fixed VVL disappearing when you unlocked it via tech pool
  
• Fixed demographics data for market overview having bad values on first game month
  
• Fixed engine techpool locked to the techpool you had when first designing the engine family

We may get another patch out tomorrow if there are significant enough changes.
Cheers!

We got a mid-week patch for you here as we're continuing to dig through our big list of reported and known issues. There are quite a few issues that keep getting mentioned that we are looking into for the end of the week, like the exhaust systems falling off for exported cars and such.

With more and more issues being sorted out, we're getting to the point where we're not just putting out fires but can start polishing and adding much needed data to the UI, as well as making it play and flow better.

Here is the changelog for today's patch!

• Added support for importing cars from previous version of Automation
  
• Added exporting cars from the campaign, available only from trim designer (so far)
  
• Implemented tight engine fitting penalties: adds ET, PU, and Service Costs
  
• More tweaks and fixes to engine bays and engine size calculations
  
• Added the ability to enter a car project from the model and trims in the production calendar
  
• Factories now rebate 80% instead of 100% of value when upgraded to higher size class
  
• Realigned fixtures by making "back" button the same size as fixture thumbnails

• Fixed sales algorithm slowly reducing sales to a single trim over time
  
• Fixed not being able to select engine factories when they are paused
  
• Fixed engines not pausing production correctly when produced in multiple factories
  
• Fixed not being able to save a loaded campaign game manually
  
• Fixed black / not loading photo scenes
  
• Fixed cloning-deleting a trim/variant slot leaving phantom engineering project
  
• Fixed driveshaft spawning issue for Longditudinal AWD mid engine
  
• Fixed company reputation and prestige being the same for all regions
  
• Fixed debug text being shown instead of full descriptions on engine project factory screen
  
• Fixed factory location UI appearing to have previous factory plot size pre-selected
  
• Fixed not being able to add variants or trims back to factories once removed
  
• Fixed the costs not updating when changing factory sub-size class
  
• Fixed factory plot costs % showning wrong in the country info panel

• Fixed issues with coupling tow hitch in BeamNG sometimes smashing car and trailer

Most likely there will be another ptach coming this week (Friday).
Sorry for the delay with the Q&A that was announced, I haven't gotten around to producing it yet apart from the rewriting of the FAQ recently.

Please continue to report the various issues you find. Thank you!
Cheers!

Sorry for the long wait for this patch, some of these rabbit holes turned out to be deeper than anticipated! With this patch we're fixing the biggest reoccurring issues that have been pointed out and should make the campaign as well as sandbox more playable in this open beta. Have a read of the full changelog here:

• Added support for UTF-8 unicode in car naming
  
• Improved factory selection flow, removing unnecessary UI layer
  
• Improved launcher, showing number of mods and how many have been processed
  
• Improved engine size / fit UI
  
• Updated mod package to 4.12.2

• Fixed cloning of engines not being possible in sandbox
  
• Fixed campaign time bug that caused markets to show zero results
  
• Fixed car import not working for new version cars (2018 cars don't import yet)
  
• Fixed issue where car wouldn't calculate with certain engine warnings
  
• Fixed wheelspin warning not taking into account traction control
  
• Fixed validating of variants and trims during facelifting
  
• Fixed tutorial video continuing to play once closed
  
• Fixed icons and tooltips in hub finances
  
• Fixed issue with cars having a strange lighting issue on one side

• Added oil cooler and higher possible turbo temperature to BeamNG exports
  
• Fixed exporter issue with twin side exhausts
  
• Fixed issues with turn signals and other lights in BeamNG exports

On a side note, we also updated the FAQ after a long time, so it should better cover the various most-requested things and most-brought-up discussion topics. Have a read here.

The list of things to do still is very long and continuous patching and improving will continue until the LCV3 is deemed fully playable (we still consider it "somewhat playable" by experienced players).

More fixes and polish coming next week! Thanks for all your reports on a whole lot of issues. :)
Cheers!

• Fixed issue with campaign not saving
  
• Fixed issue with sandbox UI throwing you back to model selection after engine
  
• Fixed weight distirubtion issues
  
• Corrupt data issue on launch now notes required manual fix (delete old plugins)

On a first run it might look like all your cars are gone from sandbox, that is not the case, just a one-time quirk of the database being updated. After going back out to the main menu and in again, or restarting Automation, it should be back to normal.

With today’s bigger update to the ongoing Lite Campaign V3 (LCV3) beta we are reintroducing Sandbox mode as well as the BeamNG Exporter - upgraded with new features:

New BeamNG Exporter Features / Fixes in B190118:

• Tow hitches (misc fixture in automation)
  
• Driveshafts and updated suspension models
  
• Engine thermals
  
• Exhaust piping and particles
  
• Fixed grille texture sizing issue

Note that these have not been thoroughly tested, as is the case with most other new-ish features in this LCV3 version. Polishing up the LCV3 in the coming weeks, we will also address some of the long standing problems and inconsistencies with the exporter and improve it where we can.



Today’s beta milestone update is now available on the much more subscribed “openbeta” branch of the game. If you are subscribed to that or the “lcv3_test” branch, you will get this update automatically. Else you can opt into it via your Steam Library: R-Click the game, Properties, Betas, select the “openbeta” branch.

Note that the LCV3 is NOT considered properly playable by anyone but experienced Automation campaign players that have watched the campaign tutorial video. It is now way less broken than it was when first launching before Christmas though. A lot of UI required to put everything into context is still missing. That will slowly change over the coming weeks of development during which we will add a lot much needed detail.

This version comes with an updated launcher that much better handles mods and won’t break for those of you who have old UE4.17.2 mods installed. You can now directly manage your mods from the launcher window, including not loading specific ones on launch or unsubscribing, but also visiting a mod’s workshop page directly.



Existing mods will have to be updated to the new engine version Automation is running, UE4.21.1, using the new modding tools we made available with this update. Modders will be pleased to hear that there now is an official example photo-scene mod available in the workshop, i.e. you can now make your own photo scenes! The modding wiki does have some basic information for you to get going with that.

We have removed the Kee Engine version from this build of the game, it is still available via the default branch of Automation and once the beta of the LCV3 concludes - merging with the default branch - the Kee Engine version will be available through a specific opt-in standalone branch only giving you the Kee Engine version. That way you can still access it but don’t have to have a significantly bigger download and install with the normal UE4 version which at that point will have more or less the same (and more) campaign features.



With today’s patch we’re fixing a wide variety of issues, including factory related issues you were running into during the opt-in beta. Again this should make the campaign more solid, but there are of course many more issues that need to be resolved. Your reports and sharing of savegames and game logs has been very helpful in hunting down bugs so far. Thank you!

Here are today’s patch notes for the changes since B190109.

B190118 Changes & Additions

• Added Indonesian to language selection
  
• Added new photo scene
  
• Updated to latest translation versions from Crowdin
  
• Tweaked and fixed many engine bays, making them more realistic
  
• Made engine placement in engine bay more realistic in dependency on drive type
  
• Factory summary now shows model / family names, dates, and current state info
  
• Factories now have basic, automatically generated names
  
• Factory default in campaign setup now is M plot, S factory for both car and engine
  
• Locked QA and worker wage sliders for now until build quality is implemented
  
• Hidden all UI on engine sign-off page as it does not show any actual data yet
  
• Changed graphics settings Resolution Scale to be the actual scale percentage

B190118 Fixes & Polish

• Fixed issue with engine factories not being released after canceling project
  
• Fixed some issues connected to deleting an engine facelift
  
• Fixed an issue where factories were selectable despite already having a future state
  
• Fixed the hub factory manager UI not having a top bar with icons and tooltips
  
• Fixed several issues with car building AI and its car body selection, updated competitors
  
• Fixed issue where the campaign would not properly reset starting a new one
  
• Fixed issue with base car cost calculations in forecaster
  
• Fixed issues with front transverse engine placement in many cars
  
• Fixed test track map not changing when setting it to the airfield track
  
• Fixed issue with wheelspin warning and added tiers for the warning
  
• Fixed tire service cost multiplier display value and updated suspension tuning UI
  
• Fixed many cargo boxes and passenger volumes of car bodies
  
• Fixed issue with data display not adhering to what significant figures they ought to show
  
• Fixed various sections of the UI, like the calendar and the R&D panel
  
• Fixed weight stat not showing correctly in final summary tab of the car designer
  
• Fixed wheelbase not displaying on summary screen of car designer.
  
• Fixed the "in engineering" status color in the calendar falsely switching to "in production"
  
• Fixed missing textures in leaf rear suspension
  
• Fixed some formatting of body variant tooltip
  
• Fixed slider for cash on campaign setup screen having wrong number of steps
  
• Fixed distributors on boxers being weirdly offset
  
• Fixed Power to Weight ratio in bottom panel on test track now telling you what it is
  
• Fixed some tyre treads pointing in the wrong direction on one side
  
• Fixed shading issue with normals on car body morphing
  
• Fixed mid engined cars not using their correct cargo box, had zero cargo space

View a full-size version of the development timeline here.

All that being said, in the coming weeks there will be 1-2 patches per week until the LCV3 is where it needs to be for a full public release. The currently missing Challenges will also come back in the near future.

Cheers!

This is the first patch of the new year as we're back in office and polishing up the Lite Campaign V3. Some pretty big fixes in today's update. As a reminder of what the timeline is for this big update with the LCV3, have a look at this:


View a full-size version of the development timeline here.

First we are focusing on fixing game breaking issues and bugs, as well as adding important parts of UI to make the campaign more playable. From there we'll continue to fix bugs and polish it up, adding a LOT of much needed UI feedback to the player, as well as straight up missing UI and UI functionality.

• Updated game engine to UE4.21.1, might fix some stability issues
  
  
• Fixed engine facelifts stopping cars from being produced
  
• Fixed issue with states not being reset between different campaigns
  
• Fixed issue where you'd go bankrupt in a new game right after going bankrupt before
  
• Fixed various issues with and formatting of the R&D calendar tech categories
  
• Fixed the paint to reset to default red when clicking a drivetrain option
  
• Fixed engine families getting broken after deleting a facelift
  
• Fixes to familiarity, wasn't working properly for many items/ categories
  
• Fixed more gear ratios having positive effect on reliability
  
• Fixed and added stats to R&D panel, research costs, lab costs, average tech
  
• Fixed slider control on manual engine testing
  
• Fixed issue with campaign setup screen sliders and difficulty multiplier
  
  
• Made engine facelifting a lot more robust, with more feedback about what is going on
  
• Added "cars per month" stat to engineering tab trim items
  
• Made trim & engine grid items single-click to enter
  
• Moved the Marketing & Dealerships button next to the market overview in hub
  
• Made it impossible to take out any loans when at credit rating F
  
• Added more accurate warnings for underpowered cars
  
• YES, IT NOW SAYS COUNTRIES, NOT COUNTIRES!!1 :P

There will be another one or two patches before January 18th which is our target date for bringing back an updated sandbox and exporter to this version of the game. Please continue to post issues you find and we'll address them as best we can along the way.

Cheers!