BEWARE v013 (Patreon)

v013 is out! This update introduces a new detection system for the enemies that simulates what they actually see. While there is still room for improvement on its broader implementation, the visual analysis part offers some pretty neat gameplay possibilities: not only do headlights on/off make a difference for the odds of detection. All other aspects, like car color, fog thickness, time of day, braking lights, or whether the background helps camouflage the player car or not have an impact on detection probability:

Another addition in v013 is that if the player is visible to one enemy car but not to the other(s), the latter will drive to the intersection the player is heading toward instead of driving toward the players position. This makes more sense and allows to catch up faster.

I also did some more work on the driving AI, like better u-turns,  and the enemy's car-stopping behavior. Now the side-ramming is more effective, as well as the PIT maneuver, which may be overly desperate sometimes and may miss the player car. This will be used in the future to gradually intensify the progression of the car chases and convey a sense of over- aggressiveness and desperation over time.

And last but not least, I started work on the start/title screen :)

Finally, Edy, the VPP (Vehicle Physics Pro plugin I'm using) developer, is working on a new tire simulation model and new input system. This should solve some issues like the steering sensitivity at high speeds, support for different brand combinations of input hardware (wheel, pedals, shifter) and other driving-related aspects.

Looking forward to read your comments and suggestions!

Best wishes to you all,

Ondrej

[Edit 30.06.2023]
Added VR version of v013 :) - among other optimization tweaks, this version uses a custom VR compatible screen space reflections solution, which is also better performance-wise.