Hello all,

We're pleased to reveal that a brand new update is now live for Flashing Lights! If you haven't already joined the official Flashing Lights Discord, make sure to do so!




This update brings pedestrian NPCs to multiplayer, meaning that you can now frisk, stop and ask NPCs for ID while playing online.




In the previous update we introduced variety to the 'Officer Needs Assistance' callout by randomising its spawn location in the world. This update sees the system also applied to the 'Aggressive Driver' callout, meaning that it will spawn in various locations across the map. We are looking to expand this system to other missions too.

There's also plenty of bug fixes in this update, so read on for all the details!




New Content

- NPC pedestrians added to multiplayer
- 'Aggressive Driver' police callout now spawns anywhere on the map, increasing mission diversity
- An automated player name check as been implemented, to prevent identical names on the same multiplayer server.

Fixes

- NPCs no longer fall through the ground
- NPC pedestrians no longer spawn on top of each other
- Force quitting during naming your character no longer causes your character to have a blank name
- Master volume option now impacts suspect car sound effects.
- Lowered number of drunk drivers spawning.
- NPCs now spawn closer to the player, improving performance.
- Padlock symbol shown in the server browser for locked sessions is now more visible
- Suspect now despawns when player role changes and if there are no nearby players.
- Can no longer tase NPCs while they have been grabbed by other players.

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello everyone,

As we revealed last week, today's update focuses on new character and player models in game.

Flashing Lights now features six playable characters for each department, with an equal number of male and female options. There are also six new NPC models, we've introduced changes to a police mission, and added a player list available to view during online games. On top of that, there are tons of important bug fixes, so make sure to read the full patch notes towards the end of this announcement. Read on for all of the details!


We've replaced all departments' characters with new models and textures using Adobe Fuse - a lovely character creator tool which allows us to quickly introduce new characters into the game. There are now six player character options per department.







The software also comes with a selection of new animations... one of which was given to a player model accidentally but did make him much more fabulous!



This was a random idle pose that we had imported into the game. It doesn't really reflect the rest of the presentation, so we have not included it in this build. The pose made holding fire extinguishers while idle look incredibly odd.

Since launch, players have arrested and rescued thousands of bald men in white vests. Our first wave of diverse NPCs are now live, meaning that the days of bald, white vest guy-only are over.



We have had to disable the hats and glasses temporarily, but be assure that they will return alongside more customisation options.

Additionally, we have made some changes to the police callouts. The 'Officer Needs Assistance' callout can now take place in one of over 10,000 locations on the map. Once we iron out many of the issues with this system, we do plan to introduce this to other callouts, increasing gameplay variety.

We will definitely need help from the community to spot any issues where the callout spawns in an odd place! Make sure to let us know if the callout spawns underground or such by posting on the forums.

We've added a new player list for those of you playing online. Simply hold the Tab key during an online game and a list of all the players currently in the server will appear, alongside information on further details at the very top of the screen.



Additionally, we have added a few text commands allowing the host of the server to control who they want in their games. The following commands can be used while in the chat box to kick (remove a player from the current lobby) or ban (disable a player's ability to rejoin the current session) a player.

/kick_PlayerID
/ban_PlayerID

The text 'PlayerID' simply needs to be replaced by the player's ID - the four number code listed by the player's name in the player list. For example, the player IDs of the players in the screenshot above are '1006', '2001' and '3001'.

That's it for this week's update! We are still hard at work on addressing bugs and adding more content to the game. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last five weeks and a big welcome to those of you who are joining us now.

As a reminder, the Flashing Lights Discord community is still growing, with tons of community discussion and input from ourselves. Make sure to join in for access to new update testing opportunities.

discord.gg/flashinglights

The full change log can be found below:



- 18 new player character models (hats and glasses temporary disabled) replace the existing ones. various female player characters now available across all departments.
- 6 NPC civilian models introduced.
- Player list added to multiplayer. Mapped by default to the Tab key. You need to hold Tab to access the player list.
- Multiplayer host can now kick and ban players, using the chat commands /kick_PlayerID and /ban_PlayerID
- Audio settings added
- Police mission “Officer needs assistance” now appears in random locations on the map. Previous manually set locations removed.
- Ability to centre the camera while in first person driving mode introduced. Mapped by default to the R key.


- Multiplayer suspects no longer disappear.
- The player character can no longer fall through the ground when spawning.
- Player characters no longer de-sync when a client joins. Previously there was a chance that player characters would sit in the wrong vehicle seat when this happened.
- Suspect can no longer be stopped while in an on-foot chase by the player clicking to talk to them. Suspects now only stop when tasered.
- Speed gun MPH bug fixed. Previously the speed displayed in km/h.
- Player characters' feet no longer stick out of vehicles or morph through seats.
- Character tool/weapon IK adjustments. This should improve the stance of the characters hands when holding a weapon.
- Vehicle seat position adjustments implemented.
- vehicle sound is no longer affected by movement of the mouse.
- Alcohol test max value adjusted to 0.3.
- Fixed an issue where after using the Jaws of Life to open the door, you would need to use it again before you could interact with the patient with the med bag
- Only vehicles can now displace road signs, not characters.
- Fixed an issue where the player character would jitter when sat in another player's vehicle.
- Player minimap tag now appears on spawn, rather than shown when loading into the game.
- If all involved players in a call change role or leave the session, the mission will now cancel.
- Drunk drivers now swerve left/right.
- Interaction menus and trunk - left click now acts as accept, right click as back.
- The player now receives negative reputation points when arresting an innocent NPC.
- Taking out a suspect from another player’s vehicle now works as intended.
- Hitting signs will no longer stop the vehicle completely.
- Drunk driver callout description text altered.

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello everybody,

We cannot wait to release next week's Flashing Lights update! Today, we are announcing the update and its content, which is focused on new character models.

We understand that this is an area which is front and centre for the game and so it's vital to not only improve the character models but to offer more player character options. We are also striving to improve the game technically as well as adding to gameplay, but next week's update focuses on this visual upgrade. Thank you all once again for all of your support.



So, onto our plans! We are using a piece of software titled Adobe Fuse to create a diverse set of characters.This is just the first step in improving the quality of the character models.



The new models are still technically in development, as we've disabled some of the customization options such as hats and head wear. We anticipate these customisation options to return soon with the ability to choose your own hair-style too.



We're hoping to launch these new models next week alongside several major bug fixes - plus some added variety to one of the police callouts.


We are currently working on a new system that will randomise the location of one of the police callouts. Technically under the new system, this callout can spawn in one of over 10,000 places on the map. Once we iron out many of the issues with this system, we do plan to introduce this to other callouts, increasing gameplay variety.

We will definitely need help from the community to spot any issues where the callout spawns in an odd place! Look out for that next week!



As we mentioned earlier in this post, we are using Adobe Fuse to create several characters. We have access to new clothing textures for all three departments, and also will have access to a database of new animations. We are investigating the system fully over the next several months.

Creating a character in this software is incredibly simple, as you are able to click and drag characters' features, altering the the face and body. It is an incredibly versatile system and anyone, regardless of modelling experience, can create a model.

We're looking into creating a competition for you all to create your own characters, some of which could end up in the game for everyone to see!

We shared just a few of the characters we have made in this post, but we have a total of 18 female and male player character models waiting to go for next week's update. We'll show more of them over the coming week!



That's it for this week's announcement! Thank you for being patient as we continue development of the game. We anticipate the next update to release next week, with an unstable beta test happening in the middle of next week.

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hi all,

We know you are eagerly awaiting the next Flashing Lights update! While there will be no update this week, we are working hard on plenty of bug fixes, as well as improving a key component of the game, visually speaking.

The image above is just a teaser of what's to come in the next Flashing Lights update...

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hi all,

A new Flashing Lights update has arrived! This week we are focusing entirely on bug-fixing, with new content planned for the weeks ahead.

• You can no longer switch weapons while you have grabbed an NPC
  
• Fixed an issue where the game could get stuck loading when changing roles in multiplayer
  
• Players now reset correctly when they make contact with water in multiplayer
  
• Suspects in your car now despawn if the player vehicle is reset because of contact with water
  
• Car interaction UI no longer visible for vehicles which have been removed from a multiplayer server
  
• Chat now appears on loading screen
  
• Players are now forced out of other players' vehicles if the vehicle is removed from the server
  
• New message appears when you are disconnected from a server
  
• Can no longer join a password locked server using the 'Join random server' function
  
• An option to return to the previous menu added to the create password screen in multiplayer
  
• You can now return to the server browser from the server password entry screen
  
• EMS call ID 20's missing interaction fixed
  
• Ammo correctly reloads from your vehicle trunk again
  
• Suspects should no longer phase through the ground in multiplayer

Tomorrow, you'll have your first ever chance to play with the developer of Flashing Lights himself - Nils Jakrins. At 3PM BST/7AM PDT on Friday 29th June, Nils we be online and boot up a server called 'Play With The Dev Official' - the first nine players to jump in will be lucky enough to play!



Nils will be switching lobbies every 40 minutes, booting up another server and giving nine others a chance to play.

Game 1: 3PM BST/7AM PDT
Game 2: 3:40PM BST/7:40AM PDT
Game 3: 4:20PM BST/8:20AM PDT

This means that up to 27 of you will be able to play with the developer, Nils!

Make sure to join the Flashing Lights Discord too, as we will be hosting a voice chat channel so that you can chat with Nils and the other players if you manage to get into a game with them!




If you fancy some Flashing Lights merch, you are in luck! We're selling packs of four flashing logo badges, along with two Flashing Lights posters - exclusively from the Excalibur Games store.

Purchase here!




Nils and James from the Flashing Lights team will be appearing on Simulator Radio, talking all things Flashing Lights at 2pm BST on Wed 4th July. Tune in online at Simulator Radio then!

And that's all for now!

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello everyone,

We hope that you have all been enjoying Flashing Lights! We have had a phenomenal first couple of weeks and we're really pleased that many players have supported us by purchasing the game, sharing their thoughts and even helping other players in the forums. There have also been a ton of videos on YouTube and many of you have been playing online with friends. We’ve even seen a few role-playing groups pop up and we are looking forward to pushing the game further, to become even more enjoyable to those who want to role-play.



Previously we had scheduled a 'Play With the Developer' session towards the end of this week. However, we have decided to delay this event until the next Flashing Lights update is out. The next update, due for release next week, will not add any new content but is instead focused entirely on bug fixing.

Early next week, we aim to open an unstable development branch that players will be able to opt into. This will be a version of the game which is currently in testing, shortly before that version gets made live to everyone. We have a few amazing members on the Discord server who will be testing the build with us. Anyone would be welcome to join and a new bug forum will be launched specifically for this type of testing.



Once we’ve addressed the first wave of bugs, we’re going to focus on adding more new content!

Stay tuned for news early next week about the unstable testing branch, for your chance to help out with Flashing Lights' development!

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello all,

Today we are releasing a small hotfix to address some issues with callouts on multiplayer.

• Tazer equipped automatically for police, press 3 to use it.
  
• Officer assistance callout NPC vehicle traffic stop interaction tag removed.
  
• Disabled the ability taze static NPCs in callouts.
  
• Foot chase suspect will not despawn until arrested.
  
• Multiplayer callouts limited to one call per department at the same time (temporary).
  
• Disabled ability to put arrested in other player vehicles which made bug getting them out.

Thanks
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello all,

We have just launched another content update! This week, we've focused on new police callouts (11 of them!), and also increased the number of players that can play on one server from six to ten.

• Ten player multiplayer introduced. The maximum amount of players on a single server has been increased from six to ten.
  
  
• Six police suspicious activity callouts [Call ID 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006] These involve searching around the area for suspicious activity and making arrests if necessary.
  
  
• Four police officer needs assistance callouts [Call ID 1007, 1008, 1009, 1010] These involve assisting fellow police officers who are not quite in control of the situation - and you are needed to chase after a fleeing suspect on-foot.
  
  
• One police drunk driver callout - Drunk driver call (singleplayer only) [Call ID 1011] This involves performing a traffic stop on a drunk driver.
  
  
• Sometimes, a dangerous driver or a drunk driver callout will also result in an on-foot chase
  
  
• Taser is now available as part of the police department's inventory

• Callouts now continue to appear in multiplayer after the host leaves the game
  
  
• Your character no longer constantly moves once any control inputs have been remapped
  
  
• Fixed an issue where your vehicle would not appear after you lost connection to a server and joined another
  
  
• Updated translations for Japanese, Simplified Chinese, German, Russian and Spanish

Note: In an announcement earlier this week we teased this update, and stated that it would include a parking ticket callout for police. This callout did not make it into this build due to an issue. This callout will be added to the game soon.

However, the parking ticket feature is already in the game. If you spot a car illegally parking, blocking a fire hydrant or blocking a drive way, you can walk up to its windshield and issue a ticket. If you issue a parking ticket correctly, to a vehicle that is breaking the law, you will receive reputation points.

• When placing a suspect into another police officer's car, and they are then removed by another player this can cause you to be unable to interact with anything. To fix this, close the game and rejoin the server.
  
  
• Firefighting missions should now fully complete. However if it does not finish you should now be able to use the command /m-cancel in-chat to cancel the mission.

Next Friday, 22nd June, we will be hosting our first ever Play With the Developer Event, which is your chance to play Flashing Lights multiplayer with Nils. Click here for details!



Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello everyone.

We hope you are all having fun with Flashing Lights! We realise that you are all eagerly awaiting the next content update, which will be dropping this week! Do watch out for news on that soon, but for today we wanted to announce something a little different.



Flashing Lights has had a brilliantly successful launch, and a massive part of that is down to your support - whether it has been suggesting new features, reporting bugs or simply just sharing your thoughts on the game. This open conversation between player and developer is something that we wish to continue.

As a way of extending that sentiment, and as a thank you to all of you for your support, we will be hosting our first ever 'Play With the Developer' event next week.

On Friday 22nd June, at 5pm BST/9am PDT, Flashing Lights' developer Nils will be playing the game online - the first players to join his server in-game will be able to play with Nils and speak with him over a Discord voice channel, along with the other players who are lucky enough to join the lobby.

Each 30 minutes, Nils will be swapping servers, meaning that there will be three rounds of gameplay and three opportunities for you to grab a slot in the server and play with the developer!



We realise that not everybody who wishes to play Flashing Lights with the developer will be able to, as slots are limited, but if this event is successful, we may well hold similar events down the line!

Keep an eye out for more details on this event next week.

And, of course, we will be launching our next Early Access content update later THIS WEEK, which focuses on the police department.

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello everyone,

We hope that you all had a great weekend getting stuck into Flashing Lights! We continue to be stunned by your support and love for the game, and cannot thank you enough.

But as we've said before, this is just the beginning. Today, we wanted to give you a quick look at what to expect in the next Flashing Lights update, which focuses on the police department.



The next update, coming soon, features the following:

• 1 parking ticket callout for the police department
  
• 1 drunk driving traffic stop callout for the police department
  
• 2 on-foot chase callouts for the police department
  
• Sometimes, a dangerous driver or a drunk driver callout will also result in an on-foot chase
  
• Taser added to the police department's inventory

• Callouts now continue to appear in multiplayer after the host leaves the game
  
• Your character no longer constantly moves once any control inputs have been remapped
  
• Fixed an issue where your vehicle would not appear after you lost connection to a server and joined another

Plus, we wanted to invite you to join us on the Official Flashing Lights Discord, where you can talk with hundreds of other fans and interact with the Flashing Lights team. Click here to join the Discord!

And that's all for today! Make sure to keep an eye out soon for the release of the next Flashing Lights update!

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team