New Version Release and some other stuff
Hi Folks, Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been a bit busy planning weddings and stuff. (I'm getting married in less than 10 weeks, eek!)
Anyway, I've just uploaded a new version of SCO, we're now on V4.4, (version 4.3 for the observant was extremely short lived as I noticed a bug) - Here's the low down:
BUG FIXED: EEK! - the game wasn't recording your best lap times, All because I renamed my LoginSystem to "Login System", yep, that space broke lots of things. I won't do THAT again. Anyway, suffice to say, I've fixed this bug, (I think) and now it should download and upload your laptimes properly. Please please please let me know if it doesn't.
FEATURE: Glowy brake disks! - woot!, you can't really see these unless you use the external camera (keyboard key = 3) - and pan round to the left or right of the car, and then do a bit of extreme braking. Cool isn't it? (or hot) - anyway, just a little effect, FINALLY got rid of those stationary brake disks...
FEATURE: Because of the large amount of spam on the forum, I've really upgraded my security, firstly you have to verify your account now, (which can easily be spam-botted around I've found) and now it creates your username and stuff so you can play the game, BUT, you can't post on the forums until you PLAY the game. I suspect this will defeat most of the spambots out there as they surely aren't sophisticated enough to log in to a unity project and play a lap of a racing game. (but hey, you never know) - it's worth pointing out that you have to register and approve it via e-mail before you can log in to the game
OTHER STUFF:
There is now a DONATE button on the main page. (and there is a specific "DONATE" page now for a bit more 'info') which will accept PayPal donations. It always feels akin to begging to me, but hey, here goes... Basically, I'm skint, the aforementioned wedding has wiped me out, and I can't afford to buy a Unity Pro license. I would like a Unity Pro license because it gives me lots of things that I can use to make Stunt Car Online better... I promise, not a single penny donated would go on anything but the development of StuntCarOnline.
What's in it for me? I hear you ask
A Gold supporter is a person who donates cold hard cash to the cause. I aim to use this cash to buy a unity pro license (currently valued at $1000) - with Unity Pro I can use various new tricks to make StuntCarOnline better, real time shadows, projected textures (mirrors, etc) - and most importantly a profiler so I can monitor performance and improve it constantly.
It doesn't matter how much you donate, a penny or a thousand pounds, just your support would be welcome - and in return, I'll make you a gold supporter, which entitles you to......
New versions first: Once I get a few gold supporters, I'll be uploading new versions purely for them, which will only let "gold supporters" log in, it'll also rank you on a different leaderboard, (and mark you on the global leaderboard as a supporter!) - bare in mind that new versions will contain new tracks and cars first.
If I can get enough money together, I'll source a sound effects studio to record some audio for me to implement in the game, and then you'll get that first too. I'm also planning a downloadable version of the game, again, which only allows supporters to play it.
But most of all, you'll be showing support for a one-man-development game, and I could really use that!
A silver supporter is someone (and there are already a couple of these) who doesn't necessarily want to part with cold hard cash, but does want to help out the game's development, and by golly, I need this too. A silver supporter is someone who goes out into the big bad internet and puts a link to this game, or maybe tweets about it, posts it on facebook, puts it on their forum, links to it on their website. Anything that promotes the game. I'd prefer not to just randomly spam the world, but proper, targeted "Hey guys, this game is cool!" support would be fantastic, and muchly appreciated.
What would you get for being a silver supporter? - Well, you'll get the game updates at the same time as the gold supporters, and heck, it'll mostly be the same experience, but you won't be on the gold supporters league table... And maybe you won't get the exclusive stuff first, (i.e. the tracks, maybe you'll have to wait for them)
I'd still love you, but just not as much.
You can register your support here:
Silver Support Submission Page
The Future
So what if this all back fires and no one helps me out? Well, I'll keep plugging away at the game, implementing stuff when I feel like it, so basically nothing much would change, and in reality you have NO real reason to help me out. Then I'll probably slow down with updates, and maybe start looking at other stuff to pursue, and then maybe Stunt Car Online will become Stunt Car Not Online because I can't afford the hosting any more, and maybe this game will just disappear into the oblivion of the internet... A shadowy bitter memory,
But I can promise right now, if a single person donates a penny, that won't happen. Cheers.
Very nice update. I hope some people will donate and see Stuntcaronline become a commercial release.
I hope so too Booman, just so I can get a Unity Pro license and continue the graphics tweaks!, (And I'd quite like to buy some other tools that would speed up track creation too)
You have come a long way. I like the premise and the detailed graphics. I even like that you can start exactly where you fell off the track.
do you plan on adding loops and jumps with gaps... etc?
Hi, Thanks for the comment,
Yeah, I'm hoping one day soon to add a whole load of new tracks (I want, like, 8 for the initial "download" release) - and although loops might be a bit of a push, a few 'gap jumps' are definitely on the cards...