June 2021 development update (Patreon)

Hello all!

This has been a busy month for us.  We've been stunned by the amount of support you've given us, and we're putting it to use immediately.  Thank you!  

There are several large tasks we're undertaking right now in order to bring GHPC to the next level:

- Upgrading the game engine to Unity 2020 LTS

- Terrain visuals overhaul

- Mission system overhaul (and adding dynamic mission support)

- AI improvements

- Key binding/remap overhaul

- Updated main menu and theme music

- Onboarding new contributors to increase development pace

That's a lot of stuff for a small team to take on at once!  Still, it's going well.  The internal build of the game is already on the new game engine and running great (the image on this post was captured during a recent test run), and the rest of the changes are well under way with promising results.  Unfortunately this work doesn't lend itself well to flashy teaser shots, so nothing juicy in this post, but the work we're doing now will pay off big later on.  

We're particularly excited for the next phase, which is to overhaul gameplay.  Right now, GHPC plays more like a tech demo than a full game - you try out the pre-made missions for a while, look at the detailed systems, and that's about it.  This has gone on long enough, and it's time to advance to the next level.  We're getting started on implementing a real game loop, better replayability, and the beginnings of a campaign mode.  The mission system overhaul this month is the first step on that journey.  

As a side effect of the shift toward maturing the game aspect of GHPC, we are cutting back on the number of WIP 3D model teasers.  We're still making them - including some incredibly awesome vehicles we're dying to show off - but it feels wrong to keep focusing on that stuff when it won't be added for a while yet.  Once the gameplay is making progress, we'll get back to adding in vehicles, and you can enjoy them even more in the new missions.  

Thanks again for making this possible, and see you soon with more news!  As always, if you want to stay up to date or ask us questions, the easiest way is on the official Discord server, which you can find via the link in the game's main menu or on the https://gunnerheatpc.com front page.  

- ActionScripter