Added compression to large mods and mod packs to prevent crashing and aid loading.

Hello all,

We are excited to launch a major update for Flashing Lights today, which introduces official modding support! For a long time mods have been a key part of the community, so we're excited to now make browsing and installing mods much more accessible. For now, supported mods are textures and sounds only, but we are looking into expanding the types of mods supported in the future.



We have over 150 community-created mods already up and running available to browse and install right now in-game, including custom uniforms, vehicle skins and sirens, so take a look once you've updated! (And if you're interested in creating and uploading mods yourself please visit our https://mod.io/g/flashing-lights/r!) Take a look at https://mod.io/g/flashing-lights to see the full selection of mods so far!



To install mods, simply hit the 'Mods' button in the main menu, click 'open mod.io browser', browse available mods, click 'subscribe' on the desired mods in order to download them, and then (back in the mods section of the main menu) click on the 'assign mods' button.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/605740

The update also includes a world update, with the City Marina and City East areas updated, a refreshed diner, and a number of new interiors all added throughout the open world. We've also done some additional background work to optimise loading for this update. As previously announced, we did a lot of optimisation work earlier in the year, and we will also continue working on optimisation next year.

We want to give a big shout out to the existing Flashing Lights modding community who have been making and sharing mods long before today's update, especially our modding support team on the Discord, the team behind FLMods.com and everyone who has created mods over the years.



Please note: Unfortunately, we have run into issues regarding modding support on Mac OS. We are doing our best to get these addressed as soon as possible. However, this may take some time and we hope to have further updates on this soon. You can still open the modding area and browse the mods, but these will fail to install.


New
- Modding support through Mod.io in-game browser. Currently supports all emergency player vehicles and character textures and siren sound effects
- Browse mods via the web page or ingame browser (Main Menu > Mods), click 'subscribe' on the mods you wish to install and they will be downloaded, then use Assign Mods Menu to enable mods for in-game use
- World update (City Marina updated; refreshed Diner returns to the city; more buildings optimized and updated with interiors; City East area updated)



Fixes
- First time map loading improvement after role and character selections
- Invisible buildings fixed near city police station
- Various decal fixes on roads

Happy Holidays!
- Added optional Christmas hat for players
- Christmas tree added at City Central Park
- Introduced a chance of dropping a present when placing cones or road flares
- You can now toggle on/off a snow camera effect with the chat command /snow



We hope you'll join us as we move into an exciting 2023 for Flashing Lights! Take a look at the roadmap above for an idea of where we're heading, including v1.0 launch and beyond.

A big happy holidays to everyone who celebrates, and a happy new year!

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello all,

We have a new update for you today, which adds a new option to the sandbox menu: the ability to play as a civilian.




We've added a new option to the sandbox menu, which we think those of you who are into role-play will especially enjoy: the ability to play as a civilian!

When playing in single player, you can play as a civilian via the sandbox menu. In multiplayer, the host can play as a civilian via the sandbox menu too, but if you're a client in another player's game, you will need to be invited to play as a civilian. To do this, the host will need to access the sandbox menu.



When playing as a civilian you can select your character model, drive your own civilian car and be equipped with a gun.

We've also added a selection of outfit variants for NPCs, ensuring the same NPcs aren't always wearing the same colour clothes!


New
- Additional outfit variants for pedestrians
- Play as a civilian option added to sandbox menu
- Host can now invite players to play as a civilian character through the Sandbox Menu. When starting a server, the host has to set Sandbox Menu to "ON" if they wish to enable the civilian option
- Civilian players have a gun and can attack other players or AI
- Civilian players can reload ammo by interacting with their vehicle trunk
- Police players can use weapons and a taser against civilian players

Fixes
- Animation fixes for Vehicle Search, Drunk Run and Sit in Vehicles
- Sound effects added when player gets hit by a weapon or a taser
- UI added above minimap to indicate sandbox menu key
- Boxed ambulance steering adjustment
- Ambulance van steered slightly to the right
- Players changing roles could duplicate name tags in players list UI
- Switching to/from freecam in Cod Town could break environment props spawner
- Updated CCTV images with the new pedestrian variety for Shoplifting call [ID 1000]




Our focus now shifts to the December update, and we're especially excited about the modding support! Please note that we've moved the tutorial from December to Q1 - Q2 2023 on the roadmap to give the feature more time.

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello all,

We have just launched a major new update for Flashing Lights, which includes the EMS revamp and new content we've been working on, optimisation and some substantial additions to the sandbox menu. Thank you to everyone who has jumped onto the recent unstable versions and helped us to refine and improve the EMS content and optimisation.

Before we dive in, we want to mention that Flashing Lights is now available at a 50% discount, for one week only!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/605740



We've added tons of fun new options to the sandbox menu, designed to allow you to make as much chaos as you could ask for. These new options include low/high gravity, fast player run speed, increased vehicle bounciness, amplified vehicle physics, a pedestrian spawner, and an item spawner.



Don't worry if this isn't your thing! When starting a multiplayer game you're able to decide whether or not to allow the sandbox menu, and when browsing for multiplayer games to join, you're able to see whether or not the server has the sandbox menu enabled.

To access the sandbox menu in-game, F6 is default key. If F6 does not bring up the menu, you may need to manually assign the key or reset all inputs to defaults.


We heard you loud and clear, and so we decided to bring forward some of our planned optimisation work. Game performance should now be notably better for some of you, depending on your specs. Let us know how you get on!



We're excited to have revamped and expanded on Flashing Lights' EMS content! You can now play numerous new callouts including Diabetic Emergency, Respiratory Failure, Allergic Reaction, Nausea and Chest Pain incidents. We've also added new medications, an oxygen mask, the ability to perform a blood glucose test, and an ambulance van - as well as updating textures for stretchers, fracture kits and defib models.




New
- Ambulance Van for EMS
- Stretcher now holds Medic Bag, Defibrillator and Fracture Kit that can be picked up by players
- Reorganized Med Bag
- EMS treatment UI
- New medications
- Oxygen Mask
- Blood Glucose Test
- Player spawn points at rural towns
- New departments at Cod Town and Beach Town
- Radio chatter background audio for police vehicles (default toggle F4, might need to manually map it in settings)
- New EMS missions:
Diabetic Emergency [ID 3004]
Respiratory Failure [ID 3005]
Allergic Reaction [ID 3006]
Nausea [ID 3007]
Chest Pain [ID 3008]
- New Sandbox menu options:
Pedestrian move speed
Traffic speed
World physics (gravity, bounce factor)
Player move speed
Player vehicle physics



Fixes
- Runtime and first time map loading optimizations
- Pedestrian spawning at suburbs
- Sometimes player could not move after respawn
- EMS treatment multiplayer sync improvements
- Stretcher model and texture updated
- Fracture Kit model and texture updated
- Defib model and texture updated
- EMS trunk reorganized
- Added toggle clothes in Defibrillator menu
- Fixed an issue with returning to Med Bag menu after applying neck collar and bandages
- Using "Move to stretcher" command broke the treatment if patient was not ready to be moved in some cases
- Possible neck injury was showing on all patients
- Patients didn't despawn when calling EMS AI transport outside of waypoint areas
- Traffic AI could respawn stopped and with driver outside after being part of Officer Needs Assistance mission
- Adjusted traffic advisor lights on SUV1 cars
- Adjusted mirror lights on sedan cars
- Visual update for buildings (Commercial signs)
- Additional map decal/props updates and fixes
- Ground phasing through highway roads

We have plenty of new content and enhancements coming your way! Please note that due to moving forward the all important optimisation work, we have had to move back the rest of the October update. More sandbox mode options, animation fixes and AI pedestrian outfit variety will no longer launch this month - but they're still on the way. Keep an eye out for more news!

We can't wait for you to jump in and play today's new update. Let us know what you think!

Thanks,
The Flashing Lights Team

The unstable branch has been updated to include the IV procedures on some of the following missions: hit and run, gun shot wound and unconscious person.

Thank you to all who tested the update yesterday and reported some issues!

To access the unstable branch you can do the following:
- Load up Steam and head to your library
- Right click on Flashing Lights and then select "Properties"
- Head to the Beta tab and in the drop down select "unstable_test_branch" (no password needed)
- This will then download the new update for you

Patch notes:

Build 211022-1

New
- IV treatments added to some unconscious, hit and run and gun shot wound missions

Fixes
- EMS patient in sit pose had random rotations
- Using "Move to stretcher" command may break the treatment if patient was not ready to be moved
- Neck collar didn't spawn
- Missions 3005, 3006, 3007 and 3008 didn't come up on random dispatch messages
- Air tank on stretcher was hanging in air
- Another traffic spawner optimization

Have a lovely weekend!

We have an unstable build today, featuring a bunch of new EMS missions! More details below!

IV procedures are in progress and will be updated soon.

To access the unstable branch you can do the following:
- Load up Steam and head to your library
- Right click on Flashing Lights and then select "Properties"
- Head to the Beta tab and in the drop down select "unstable_test_branch" (no password needed)
- This will then download the new update for you

Patch notes:

Build 201022-2

New
- Reorganized Med Bag
- New medications
- Oxygen Mask
- Blood Glucose Test

New EMS missions:
- Diabetic Emergency (ID 3004)
- Respiratory Failure (ID 3005)
- Allergic Reaction (ID 3006)
- Nausea (ID 3007)
- Chest Pain (ID 3008)

Fixes
- Added toggle clothes in Defibrillator menu
- Return to Med Bag menu after apllying neck collar and bandages
- EMS next procedures steps hidden until one is done
- Possible neck injury was showing on all patients
- Treatment steps now showing up on non-mission patients (hit/shot)
- Ground sticking through highway roads

Hi everyone,
Today we are updating the unstable branch with the new EMS user interface.
This vastly improves the UI and helps players navigate EMS tasks with ease.

We are looking at adding new missions next week.

New
- EMS treatment UI

Fixes
- EMS treatment multiplayer sync improvements
- Patients didn't despawn when calling EMS AI transport outside of waypoints areas
- Traffic AI could respawn stopped and with driver outside after being part of Officer Needs Assistance mission

Hello everyone,

Optimisation improvements and an EMS update preview is now available on the unstable branch!
We decided to bring forward much of the optimisation work which was scheduled later in the year. We felt this was a very important area of the game we needed to work on as soon as possible.

Due to this, we have a short delay to the public version of the EMS update. However, we are making parts of the EMS update and the optimisation fixes available on the Unstable Branch today. We would love to hear your feedback on the optimisation work while we are still working on the final areas of the EMS update.



By downloading the Unstable Branch build you can experience:

• A new ambulance
  
• The stretcher now holds med bag, defib and fracture kit
  
• New department buildings in rural towns, including spawn points
  
• Optimisation of chunk loading and props

We are of course still hard at work, completing the final elements of the EMS update.
You can expect the following in the coming weeks.

• New missions
  
• New tools
  
• Improved UI for mission management

To access the unstable branch you can do the following:

• Load up Steam and head to your library
  
• Right click on Flashing Lights and then select "Properties"
  
• Head to the Beta tab and in the drop down select "unstable_test_branch" (no password needed)
  
• This will then download the new update for you

New

• Ambulance Van for EMS
  
• Stretcher now holds Medic Bag, Defibrillator and Fracture Kit that can be picked up by players
  
• Player spawn points at rural towns
  
• New departments at Cod Town and Beach Town
  
• Radio chatter background audio for police vehicles (default toggle F4, might need to manually map it in settings)
  
• Added pedestrian waypoints in both towns and City Marina (this adds more locations for calls)

Fixes

• Runtime and first-time map loading optimizations
  
• Pedestrian spawning at suburbs
  
• Sometimes not being able to move after respawning as been addressed
  
• Stretcher model and texture updated
  
• Fracture Kit model and texture updated
  
• Defib model and texture updated
  
• EMS trunk reorganized
  
• Adjusted traffic advisor lights on SUV1 cars
  
• Adjusted mirror lights on sedan cars
  
• Visual update for buildings (Commercial signs)
  
• Additional map decal/props updates and fixes
  
• If setting sandbox menu as Host Only in multiplayer, the game now correctly shows in server lists
  
• Optimized AI spawning area calculations around players
  
• Improved pedestrian spawn rate (Peds now go towards player +/- 20 meters at their first spawn, then continue on random waypoints)
  
• Added more props to city hospital parking lot

Hello all,

Welcome to a very exciting Flashing Lights news update! We're delighted to unveil our next roadmap, taking you all the way up to v1.0 and beyond.



Please note that in the background, alongside this roadmap, we will be investigating AI improvements!

September:

• EMS enhancements
  
• New ambulance van
  
• New EMS treatments

We kick off this roadmap with a much requested update to the EMS department! We've heard your requests, and will be improving upon current EMS gameplay mechanics, and adding a new ambulance van with its own unique interior. Finally, we will be adding a number of new EMS treatments.

October:

• Sandbox menu update
  
• AI pedestrian outfit variety
  
• Animation fixes

We have loved seeing what you have all been getting up to with the new sandbox menu (F6 is the default key - check it out if you haven't already!). That was just the beginning - we will be updating the sandbox menu with fun new options in October! One of these new options, the ability to switch to a civilian character model, will open up some new role play opportunities!

Let us know what sort of options you'd like to see added to the sandbox menu.

We'll also be updating AI pedestrian outfit variety, and working on animation fixes - both of which will help make the game feel that bit more natural.

December:

• Mod support (Textures + sounds)
  
• Tutorial (Hints + controls tips)
  
• World Update (Rural towns + new locations)
  
• Performance Optimisation

Mods by player: Elias Auxilibus

Mods have unofficially been a part of the Flashing Lights community for a long time, but we have heard loud and clear that you want in-game mod support. Which is why we're so excited to announce that mod support for textures and sounds, utilising mod.io, will be introduced in the December update.

We'll also be updating the game world, fleshing out rural towns and adding new locations.

Crucial performance optimisations are also coming with this update. We have been working hard on new environment and scenery optimisations which should deliver a smoother experience for players.

Lastly, we'll be delivering a tutorial, including hints and control tips.

2023 Q1 + Q2:

• Bug fixes
  
• Steam achievements and cloud saves
  
• Rep points unlock system
  
• World update
  
• v1.0 launch

In the first half of 2023, we will be focusing on improving game quality by tackling bug fixes - but also updating the game world further, introducing a reputation points unlock system, and adding Steam achievements and cloud save support.

This will mark the point at which we leave Early Access and hit v1.0 - crucially though, this will NOT be the end of the game's development. In fact, we have a number of new features already planned for the second half of 2023...

2023 Q3 + Q4:

• K9 for police and fire departments
  
• Day/night cycle and weather
  
• AI backup
  
• Continued community-led enhancements

We're excited to announce that we will be adding AI backup in the second half of 2023! This will come in handy for when you're protecting the city alone (playing single player) - for instance, if you're playing as a police officer and come across a fire, you'll be able to call an AI backup firefighter to take on the blaze.

Just as exciting is the planned day/night cycle and weather effects, and the K9 for police and fire departments.

Aaaaand, breath out... that's all we have to share for now, but we hope you are as excited as we are for the future of Flashing Lights!

Keep an eye out for the September update, and keep on sharing your thoughts, feedback and suggestions!

Thanks for all the support,
The Flashing Lights Team

Hello all,

We have a small update for you today, which includes a number of bug fixes.

We've also added sound effects for NPC vehicles and footsteps, fleshed out some environmental details for Cod Town and increased NPC traffic variety. Some vehicles are now dirty, and some now have visible cargo inside of them.

We've also added the Sandbox Menu, which is reasonably bare-bones for the time being, but we will be adding to it in the future. Use F6 to take a look. We look forward to seeing what fun you all get up to with this ;)




New
- NPC vehicles now have engine sound effects
- Pedestrian footstep sounds added
- Cod Town updated with more environmental details
- Added variety in NPC traffic: dirty textures and cargo props
- Added the Sandbox Menu: Available for single player and multiplayer host only (default key: F6)

Fixes
- Player characters on fire will now extinguish after a period of time
- Traffic getting stuck at random locations
- Traffic no longer spawns inside each other, making cars blast into the air
- Police mission "Officer Needs Assistance" missing AI police car fixed
- Wider traffic spawn radius introduced
- Suspect now correctly identified on map for Escaped convict call (id 1012)
- AI EMS/Tow/police transport route fixes to not spawn on top of player
- Fixed an issue with AI not fleeing as intended from some traffic stops
- Fixed an issue with traffic count not adjusting after requesting an AI tow truck
- AI drivers no longer do donuts on spawn if previously asked to get out of vehicle
- Map optimizations introduced including low poly objects for suburbs, roads and highways when viewed from a long distanced
- Jumping on a vehicle no longer breaks the player character's footstep sound effects
- Traffic stop icon on dashboard now only displays for police vehicles
- Terrain fix at area 73-39
- Police database image for sedan car updated
- Fixes to shadow rendering for player vehicles
- Player vehicle motion wind sound removed
- Added warning in multiplayer menu about some players pretending to be members of the development and admin teams


Today we want to give you your first look at the next update, which will launch in September. We've heard loud and clear that you want enhancements for the EMS department, and so this update is entirely focused on EMS!



September - EMS Update:
- EMS enhancements (enhancements to the current EMS mechanics)
- New ambulance van (including a unique interior)
- New EMS treatments

We have big plans for Flashing Lights, and we can't wait to let you all know what we have in store! We've made the decision that the next roadmap will cover not just the next few updates, but will reveal our plans for the rest of 2022 and for 2023. So it's taking a little longer than expected - but it will be worth the wait!

Check back on 16 August, when we'll be revealing the next roadmap!