Hello truckers!

There are less than three weeks to go until we launch on Steam. Three weeks! We can barely believe it. We are so excited to be able to release our game into the wild and have you all play it - we hope you’re as excited as we are.

Last week we talked about how Alaskan Road Truckers fits into the field of trucking games, this week we’re going to look at how it compares to simulation games. We’re going to answer the question - is Alaskan Road Truckers a simulation game?



It’s surprisingly hard to pin down what makes a simulation game a simulation game. It’s an incredibly broad category of gaming, containing games as diverse as Gas Station Simulator, The Sims, and Stardew Valley. Despite allowing players to experience things in a huge variety of ways, there is one thing that unites all simulation games - they simulate an experience.

That experience can be as large as designing, building, and managing your own city or as small as living the moment-to-moment experience of a singular person doing a job. Simulation games are all about putting you into a role and giving you the tools to experience it, most often with a degree of fidelity to real life.



So the question is: where does Alaskan Road Truckers fit into the simulation genre?

Do we simulate an experience? Yes. Alaskan Road Truckers is all about putting you in the shoes (and skin) of an Alaskan trucker. You’ll live, eat, drive, and exist as a trucker, and as a result, many things are simulated. Weather, driving conditions, hunger, energy, health - they’re all in the game, and they make the game step into the simulation space. So on the surface, Alaskan Road Truckers is a simulation game.

That said, we would hesitate to brand Alaskan Road Truckers as pure simulation. We’re focusing more on recreating the feel of being an Alaskan trucker rather than recreating every minute aspect of owning a truck or running a trucking business. We want you to feel like a rugged trucker, working through storms and against the odds to deliver your cargo, we don’t want you to feel like you have a never-ending spreadsheet of tasks to complete before you get to the fun stuff. This is a game inspired by real life, it isn’t a recreation of real life.

We spoke last week about how we’re not aiming to take the crown of trucking sims, and that’s still true. We are an indie team making an indie game and our ambitions are big but still modest. We’re making the best Alaskan trucker experience ever, we aren’t making the most high-fidelity simulation game ever made.

Every aspect of our game has been designed to put you in those trucking boots, and we think you’ll be pleased with the look, sound, feel, and level of simulation we’ve put into the game.


We’ve been running limited closed playtests with parts of our community, and we’ve got more planned! If you’d like to take part, the first step is to join our Discord, where you’ll find info on how to sign up:
http://”https://discord.gg/7nzKkAVgN4”

With less than three weeks to go until we launch on Steam, stay up to date with everything Alaskan Road Truckers by wishlisting us. We’ve also got a ton of social channels where you can stay in touch with us - come join us!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/849100/Alaskan_Road_Truckers/

Join our Discord: http://”https://discord.gg/7nzKkAVgN4”
Like us on Facebook: http://”https://www.facebook.com/alaskanroadtruckers”
Follow us on Twitter: http://”https://twitter.com/alaskantrucksim”
Follow us on Instagram: http://”https://www.instagram.com/alaskanroadtruckers/”
Follow us on TikTok: http://”https://www.tiktok.com/@alaskan.road.truckers”

Hi guys,

It is our pleasure to announce a second DLC called "Underrail: Heavy Duty."



This DLC focuses primarily on three new weapon types - light machine gun and minigun, both of which fall under a new skill called Heavy Guns, and grenade launcher which is a part of the existing Guns skill. These weapons will add a number of new interesting play styles.

In addition to this, the DLC will feature a high-level side-mission that is designed to provide a challenge to Underrail veterans. You'll be pitted against one of the most formidable fighting force in Underrail. On higher difficulties, especially, this mission will serve as an ultimate test of your particular build.

That's it. The DLC is out November 1st, but you can wishlist it now.

Cheers.

Last September patch :

Hi everyone, we've had an extremely busy couple of weeks, and unfortunately the big reveal isn't ready just quite yet, but we're working hard on making it come to you as soon as possible. During this time - we'll be taking a look at the issues currently plaguing EIR and attempt to address them.

Here are the quick patchnotes, addressing some of the more obvious issues in the meta currently :

ZB26 cost has been increased from 35/55 to 55/80. This should, in theory, force players to either focus on bringing zb's or fausts/nades, instead of being able to build a company with 30+ 6 man zb volks with fausts

Tetrarch has received 0.85 received accuracy modifier. Long live the tetrarch

Nebelwerfer set-up time - from 0.8 increased to 2
Nebelwerfer speed_horizontal and speed_vertical decreased from 35 to 18, this will make the gun feel more sluggish.
Nebelwerfers have been an issue lately - as many people have noticed, WM players are using them as a reactionary tool against infantry pushes, just like MG's. We do enjoy their use, but it has become a no-brainer. As such, instead of nerfing it's capabilities - we're making it more of a proactive unit. It will still remain powerful, but hopefully will be more counterrable if caught in the open and should allow for flanks to actually happen. Proper use of them should still be rewarded.

Begleitgrenadiers - HP increased from 80 to 90. Armor switched from heroic to infantry

Multiple AI changes. I'll let @Jstek comment :

"Starting to implement AI archtype behavior layers and AI Player Macro posturing.
Allied units have the first AI unit behavior archtype implemented for the following assets :
Jeep, M20, Staghound, Quad, Halftrack, Greyhound, Greyhound Spahis, M10, and mortars.

AI players will earn vet faster and have additional pop bonuses.
Human Player vet scale based on total number of AI players in a game and will yield less vet effectiveness for the Human players.
AI will respect deployment timers and deployment positioning is more evenly distributed."

We're hoping to fully launch AI for ALL players during the next month!

Don't let minesweepers get to vet 5. You don't want them to get to vet 5.

Two map remakes : Tilburg and Amfreville, by @ivsh84

Some good news.

Everything will be cleared for the launch a week sooner than expected.



Hopefully an earlier release is a pleasant surprise.

See you on Friday the 13th!

This week we’re celebrating our third month on Steam!!! And with celebrating we mean, well… we ate Falafel at the Spree yesterday. Isn’t that some sort of celebration??? Anyways:

- that's the far more important question to ask! Soo weee...

Just like we added Potion Node Crafting to our game last month as a secondary mechanic we added Herbies to Golembert as a tertiary mechanic this month! Herbies are small garden creatures that live in cracks and nooks of your island. If you are friends with them you can send them out on resource gathering missions to other islands of your archipelago. Cuuute!

Because we changed up the order of appearance of our NPCs, Susu and her crew as well as the Trade Co. are now the first ones you’ll meet! Susu is captain of a sturdy junk (meaning the east-asian ship type) while Trade Co. visits you with their fancy merchant airship. Are you excited to meet them soon???

We ideated what accent each NPC will have in English and German. Susu for example will have a Scottish accent and feather-bed you with sentences like: “AYYE you'r a Golem! I thought all of yar were dead HA” Weirdly likeable, isn’t she ?


Much like our island design (which is still work in progress!) our dialogues are adapting to the feedback we get from our indie colleagues. Currently we try to make them more cheeky, more fun and more spot-on!

For more guidance we ideated hints that intuitively react to what you are doing. So if you’re hovering over a crop for the 30th time in panic the game will ask you if everything is okay, if it should call 911 and that you need to press CTRL to see the crop’s neighborhood if that was your intention there.

We were asked if we could speak in front of 50 young game talents about our indie dev journey so far which is REALLY exciting!!! We hope to light some fires in these Padawans --- wish us luck!

Are you still feeling excited about Golembert? Yes, yeah, mostly, sometimes?? Well, maybe you’ll get all pumped up again if you watch our last devlog on YouTube about the Potion Crafting System we reworked last month! Hope you’ll enjoy it!

Until then:
Wash your hands,
Water your plants,
XOXO Alicia-san and Lion-man

• Fixed: Some browser pages slight changes and fixes for: duplicated scrollbars, resizability (not all pages yet)
  
• Changed: Finder is a home page now for normal browser
  
• Changed: metaexploits accepts both "purchase" and "buy" commands
  
• Changed: metaexploits different color for exploits already purchased and owned

* re added the option to play with power vector (original controls intended for mouse and keyboard)

* bug fix: range guide will now also dissappear when hit by poiton

Patch 1.5.5
Gameplay Changes
- Casual Alchemy unlocks most crafting recipes and has been renamed Casual Crafting.
- Adds a tell for ‘hollow’ trees and rocks that spawn creatures when you reach inside.
- Critters appear from ‘hollow’ trees and rocks one by one.
- The Wayfarer automatically equips a light source when they enter a completely dark level, they are not sneaking, and have one available they can carry without unequipping everything else.
- If you are new to the game and start without playing the tutorial there is a message to make sure you really want to skip it.
- The Wild Cape is used before water skins to counter heat and dry.

Bug Fixes
- When you release a sprite from a ‘hollow’ rock or tree, the message indicates the type of sprite.
- NPC factions tag other NPCs as enemies when they are attacked by them.
- Adds a better fallback option when a specific book cannot be created.
- The generator is no longer allowed to use a timed lever for multiple gates that might be too far away.
- You cannot use stairs from the wrong side of a wall.
- When you are ‘cold hearted’, biting cold doesn’t cause damage.
- Storytellers cannot offer the same story twice.
- A gamepad can be used to leave notes on the map again.
- D-pad right is correctly bound to the use of the item in the quick potion slot.
- Prevents the ‘entered the first valley’ world event from freezing the game.
- Potential fix for unclaimable nodes because ‘node stories’ wouldn’t always be set correctly.
- Addresses a couple of minor text issues.

Ludus Mortis is available right now in Early Access!

You can play through the first 10 dungeons (+ infinite randomly generated levels): more content will be added in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, I need your feedback: join my discord server here https://discord.gg/RfUNc8w or use the community hub on Steam. Tell me what you think about the game, especially about user interface, characters development and difficulty balance.

Offsprings of the first men, once again, welcome back to another #FeatureFriday! ːthetreeoflifeː

As we reflect upon TFM's evolving saga, our hearts swell with gratitude and anticipation. It's your relentless support and invaluable feedback that has redefined TFM, nurturing it from its early access vision into a rich, vibrant experience. Today, we're thrilled to unveil updates to our current roadmap, showcasing our commitment to evolving alongside your expectations. ːreexcitedː



Let's journey through some of our updated roadmap's highlights:

Our World Map continues to be a focus, evolving into a tantalizing portal to TFM's diverse realms. Each territory, each hidden corner, promises new discoveries, and perhaps, game-changing secrets waiting to be unearthed. ːmapː

The introduction of the Tags and Aura Systems marks a transformative moment for our gameplay. These interconnected systems are set to introduce unparalleled depth, redefining interactions across the vast landscape of TFM. ːtreasuremarkː

The Breed Panel stands as a testament to life and lineage in TFM. More than population growth, it’s about the birth of tales, the nurturing of relationships, and the emergence of new generations ready to confront TFM's challenges. ːtemhugː

To further enrich character development, the Reroll and Inspire features are our assurance that every character's destiny remains malleable. They provide the tools to remold and refine trajectories, aligning them with your vision and strategy. ːtinydiceː



With the culmination of the features discussed earlier, TFM will stand as a fully realized single-player experience, richer and deeper than ever before. Yet, our vision doesn't halt there. We are eager to push the boundaries of TFM's universe even further, and that means embracing the creative prowess of our community. Modding and Workshop Support will not just be about tinkering with the game; it's about bestowing upon you the very soul of TFM. Your ingenuity in crafting tales, pioneering gameplay concepts, or even reshaping the core dynamics of TFM will be the driving force behind its evolution. ːFistpumpː



Building on the immersive experience, our refined Combat Mechanics, together with the Combat Rating system, ensure that battles aren't solely about overpowering the adversary. Instead, they'll demand a mix of sharp strategy, foresight, and occasionally, the wisdom of a strategic retreat. Additionally, we will do the finishing touches to deepen our lore with a story of Adam and Eve. ːkrheroesː



While our current roadmap charts the course for TFM’s near future, the journey is far from over. Post these milestones, we look towards a Grand Full Release in 2024!!! ːreexcitedː Yet, the horizon beckons with more: Day and Night cycles, Skirmish maps, and the tantalizing concept of Multiplayer. Although they may not top the community’s current wish list, we believe in their transformative potential. Our aspiration is to explore these realms further, contingent on the continued success and vibrant support for TFM. ːSmallRedHeartː

A quick note to our dedicated players: We're skipping this week's update build as we transition to the new Breed feature. For the sake of the forthcoming newborns in TFM, we've chosen to prioritize the seamless implementation of this feature. While this means no new build for this week, we're working diligently to have it ready by next Friday. Your patience and understanding mean the world to us. ːkrstarː

In wrapping up, TFM's journey is as much about you as it is about us. We're animated with excitement, brimming with hope, and above all, profoundly thankful for your continued partnership. Here's to countless adventures, narratives, and updates ahead! ːreimpressedː

Have a wonderful weekend, and see you next Friday! ːgearthumbsupː