Thank you, Flashing Lights community, we couldn’t do it without you!

So many of you have supported us since the very beginning and trusted us to create the game you wanted. We could not have got this far without you. We are not done yet, but today represents an important step in the journey.

In many ways todays update is no different from the other 61 updates we have made since launch, because we know there are still so many features you want to see, so many improvements yet to make.

Nils has some big plans ahead. But going to 1.0 gives us the opportunity to look at how far we have come, take stock, and plan what we want to do next.

Since launch we have:
• Added countless new missions, and mission system. Making traffic stops and callouts more interesting and varied.
• New NPC’s and NPC traffic so the game world feels more alive.
• Many New Vehicles including SUVs, Fire Trucks and Ambulances and the Tow Truck.
• The Computer Database System, so you can investigate drivers in traffic stops.
• Customisable Lights and Sirens.
• A complete redesign and expansion of the city.
• Fire Spreading to add complexity to fire fighting.
• Redesigned Triage/Patient systems.
• Mod Support
• Playable Civilians and other features for the Role Playing community.
• Plus Weapons and Battering rams.
Nils has been very busy.


We have completely updated all of the menus to improve usability and introduced mouse navigation. This has been a highly requested update.



We are implementing some tutorials to help new players get started.



You’ll also find visual upgrades to Beach Town, adding new props, buildings, piers, and lifeguard lookout posts! This adds more life to areas of the world for players to explore.





We know this is something you are all excited about. We will be adding K9 Units to Police and Fire departments, aiding you in rescue missions and a variety of police actions and callouts. We’ll also be adding additional vehicles so your 4-legged friend can ride along.


A day/night cycle and weather systems are in progress. These systems will add depth and reality to the Flashing Lights universe.

For all you lone rangers who need some support, we’ve got your back. AI backup is under development.


Additional Fixes, Callouts and Optimisation.

As mentioned, this is Nils dream, and he still has big plans ahead. Yes there will bug fixes, optimisations, and more callouts added. But we also have some exciting community lead features coming your way.

If you want to be part of the community that helps shape the development, then join us on Discord.
Thank you for all your continued feedback and support.

As exciting as this next step is, remember 1.0 is just the beginning. For new players, now is a great time to join our community, for everyone else, thanks again for your support. You make this possible, and we look forward to sharing the future updates with you all.




New
- Main Menu visual update and cursor navigation added
- Ingame Role, Character and Escape menus updated
- Multiplayer Commands menu updated (Mute, Kick, Ban, Unban)
- Beach Town updated
- Added player spawn points to City East departments
- Added NPCs at police and fire departments and EMS clinics
- Added more destructable props at Cod Town and Beach Town (Box Piles and Outdoor Furniture)
- Parked cars added to Beach Town and Cod Town (with violations: Blocking Hydrants and No Parking)
- When creating server now has option to set it Continuous or not, if set OFF server shuts down after host leaves the game
- Bad word and weblink filter added to text chat and server/player names

Tutorials
- Button prompts on screen, toggle on/off with F8
- Tutorials added for Police, Fire and EMS. It pops up when selected role has less than 250 Reputation Points or can be found at Esc menu under Tutorials

Missions
- Shoplifting [id 1000] and Armed Robbery [id 1001] moved to buildings with interiors across the map
- Diner locations added to call "Structure Fire with Possible Entrapment [id 2003]"
- Spread callouts across the map, affected calls:
Person with Gun [id 1002],
Suspicious Activity [id 1005],
Reported intoxicated persons [id 1006],
Arsonist [id 1013],
Vehicle blocking driveway or access [id 1015],
Dumpster Fire [id 2001],
Vehicle Fire [id 2002],
Motor Vehicle Collision [id 3000],
Hit and Run [id 3002]

Changes
- MDT now can be open/closed with Left Shift, Cursor on/off with Left Alt
- Updated MDT on-screen visual look
- Changed the input for ladder control's mouse on/off to the new default Left Alt

Fixes
- Speed zone registration updated for traffic NPCs
- Speeding tickets didn't show area speed for multiplayer clients
- Texture mods loading fixed for rescue trucks
- NPC traffic still reacting to lights and sirens when player had them turned off
- EMS player falling through floor when pushing stretcher in city police station
- Fixed some floating buildings in City and City Marina
- Some environment objects optimized (electricity poles, fences)
- Updated crown vic type car's speeds and engine sound
- Loud engine noises when open Vehicle Menu
- Leaving multiplayer game could show broken lobby texts
- After trying to join banned game, the menu could get stuck

Launching in June 2018 Flashing Lights represented the dream of one developer to create their perfect emergency services game. It turns out lots of other players shared that dream, and 5 years on we are still overwhelmed by the love and support our growing community has for Flashing Lights.

The current version of the game is unrecognisable from the version launched into early access, but we know we still have a lot of work left to do. You have so much feedback and so many features you want to see, and Nils shares your passion.

However, 5 years is a long time to be in early access, so we have decided to make the next update 1.0.


We have completely updated all of the menus to improve usability and introduced mouse navigation. This has been a highly requested update.



We are implementing some tutorials to help new players get started.



You’ll also find visual upgrades to Beach Town, adding new props, buildings, piers, and lifeguard lookout posts! This adds more life to areas of the world for players to explore.




Can’t wait for us to make 1.0 live? You can get the latest version early by signing up to the unstable branch by doing 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

That said, we know there are many more fixes and features that you all want to see. We know we are not done so think of 1.0 as just the beginning. We thank you for your continued support and can’t wait to share our future updates with you all.



We know this is something you are all excited about. We will be adding K9 Units to Police and Fire departments, aiding you in rescue missions and a variety of police actions and callouts. We’ll also be adding additional vehicles so your 4-legged friend can ride along.


A day/night cycle and weather systems are in progress. These systems will add depth and reality to the Flashing Lights universe.

For all you lone rangers who need some support, we’ve got your back. AI backup is under development.


Additional Fixes, Callouts and Optimisation.

If you want to be part of the community that helps shape the development, then join us on Discord.
Thank you for all your continued feedback and support.

We couldn’t do it without you!

Remember 1.0 is just the beginning.


New
- Main Menu visual update and cursor navigation added
- Ingame Role, Character and Escape menus updated
- Multiplayer Commands menu updated (Mute, Kick, Ban, Unban)
- Beach Town updated
- Added player spawn points to City East departments
- Added NPCs at police and fire departments and EMS clinics
- Added more destructable props at Cod Town and Beach Town (Box Piles and Outdoor Furniture)
- Parked cars added to Beach Town and Cod Town (with violations: Blocking Hydrants and No Parking)
- When creating server now has option to set it Continuous or not, if set OFF server shuts down after host leaves the game
- Bad word and weblink filter added to text chat and server/player names

Tutorials
- Button prompts on screen, toggle on/off with F8
- Tutorials added for Police, Fire and EMS. It pops up when selected role has less than 250 Reputation Points or can be found at Esc menu under Tutorials

Missions
- Shoplifting [id 1000] and Armed Robbery [id 1001] moved to buildings with interiors across the map
- Diner locations added to call "Structure Fire with Possible Entrapment [id 2003]"
- Spread callouts across the map, affected calls:
Person with Gun [id 1002],
Suspicious Activity [id 1005],
Reported intoxicated persons [id 1006],
Arsonist [id 1013],
Vehicle blocking driveway or access [id 1015],
Dumpster Fire [id 2001],
Vehicle Fire [id 2002],
Motor Vehicle Collision [id 3000],
Hit and Run [id 3002]

Changes
- MDT now can be open/closed with Left Shift, Cursor on/off with Left Alt
- Updated MDT on-screen visual look
- Changed the input for ladder control's mouse on/off to the new default Left Alt

Fixes
- Speed zone registration updated for traffic NPCs
- Speeding tickets didn't show area speed for multiplayer clients
- Texture mods loading fixed for rescue trucks
- NPC traffic still reacting to lights and sirens when player had them turned off
- EMS player falling through floor when pushing stretcher in city police station
- Fixed some floating buildings in City and City Marina
- Some environment objects optimized (electricity poles, fences)
- Updated crown vic type car's speeds and engine sound
- Loud engine noises when open Vehicle Menu
- Leaving multiplayer game could show broken lobby texts
- After trying to join banned game, the menu could get stuck

A small hotfix which addresses some issues which were introduced in the most recent update

Fixes
- Bringing suspects to police station made them appear under ground
- Mission "Road blocked" [ID:2004] fixed
- AI request EMS pickup fixed for EMS missions
- Increased AI chase car's speed
- Mod.io browser update, fixing UI bugs

Small hotfix release for MacOs version of Flashing Lights
Fixing Port area missing materials and terrain adjustments

Hello all,

Thank you for your patience over the last couple of months whilst we addressed optimisation and crashing issues. We have worked hard on improving the overall stability of the game and fixed a number of issues while we're at it.

We have also updated a variety of areas around the map. Starting with the Eastern parts of the City,


and the Port Area.


We have also added traffic to more rural areas of the map, and updated lighting effects.



New
- Traffic added to Cod Town, Beach Town, City Marina, City East and rural asphalted roads
- City East updated
- City East departments, can use them, but not set as spawn points yet
- Port area updated
- Lighting effects improved
- Minimap and full map UI updated with new areas
- Dust particles added when driving on dirt roads

Optimizations
- Memory improvements
- Map loading speeds improved
- Traffic and pedestrian waypoint finder improved
- Traffic spawner logic with further distance
- Environment/road objects mesh cleaned up
- Reduced game size on disk

Fixes
- Character no longer freezes when spawning at Cod Town
- Vehicle texture mods should load now correctly
- Vegetation adjusted across the map, also added to Cod Town, City Marina and City East
- Road/highway mesh fixe
- Terrain fixes
- Reflection probes added around map
- Mod.io updated
- Christmas Holiday props removed


We are now hard at work developing a tutorial for the game and fixing more bugs leading up to our V1.0 launch. Don't worry though, there will be more exciting content and updates following version 1.0 as well.

This hotfix addresses the issue with mods being unable to be installed on Mac

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