Just uploaded v014 :) I'll be adding proper info tomorrow.
For now; there's a new camping site, before the coal mine, where you can save by parking the caravan there. If your framerate is struggling in the mine, disable both cars - it will help.
Have fun with the trucks!
So here we go, after v013S, which brought softbody deformation, work on new sounds and AI tweaks, v014's main focus was the surface coal mine region. In the graphics department, the main additions were a complete overhaul of the mine's ground materials, adding big rocks that slow down our car, manually recorded dump truck tire tracks that help visually define where the road is, the trucks themselves with new particles effects and graphical details like water drippings, and a complete re-write of the Truck's AI behavior. Now, most of the time, the trucks are able to avoid each other through a hacked, took some time to figure out, navmesh agent system. A lot of time has been allocated to fine-tune performance issues. In v014, there are 32 trucks roaming around. Half will chase, half will only detect. Now, as most of you will already know, I'm trying to remain honest in the simulation department so the usual way would be to just spawn trucks around the player and increase the tension in that way. Contrary to that, In v014 the trucks have all their routes set up, so it's more about chance/randomness if you'll encounter them. It's actually quite possible you'll be able to traverse the mine undetected. I'd be super happy to read about your experiences encountering the trucks for that matter, as I'm trying to figure out if this naturalistic simulation approach is worth the troubles...
The other big addition is the new campsite. Slightly inspired by an existing place, the Prachov Rocks, the idea was to provide a place where you can get a foretaste of what's waiting in the mines by being able to observe the area from above. Also grandpa hill has been re-worked and is now accessible again.
I still have some unfinished work that will be added to v014. Mainly, billboards along the highway, that will explain, through commercials, what happened in this universe. So some new lore work to be added in the coming days :)
Best wishes to you all!
Ondrej