For Caspa 0.13 we've added various quality of life improvements to the race and customization systems, as well as environmental improvements to the sky and select areas.
There has also been a long list of bug-fixes to reported issues over the past couple of months.
Improved Sky and Day Cycle
As part of this update we've overhauled the Sky considerably with several new features and additions. Firstly there are now 3D volumetric clouds that are fully dynamic with server synced density changes, which make the sky much nicer to look at. These are controlled via the Effects quality option, with them only being enabled in medium to ultra, with various quality/density changes as level increases. For most users low amounts to give a good background ambience should have little performance impact. In the photo mode the density can be adjusted in real time to get even better screenshots.
At sunset you'll find a more orange and vivid sky that reacts great with these new clouds but this is not where the new features stop. After sunset we come to the considerable improvements to the night sky which now includes real time, accurate, 3D stars based on a database of information. This will allow you to see the night sky as you would be seeing it at that very moment if you were to be on the loosely based on french polynesian island in the south pacific. Capsa's stars also move based on your position and this is a feature we will be using later on as the world expands, but for now in the real world you can pretty much use the Latitude and Longitude of -16.499701, -151.770538 if you want to compare to online star mapping tools.
In addition to stars you'll also be able to see planets you would normally be able to see with the naked eye so something to look out for! Because not everyone knows the night sky off-by-heart and even less so for a distant south pacific island; we've added the ability to highlight in real-time the constellations in the night sky. By default this is achieved through holding the N key, but can be changed in options too. Upon holding this key all 88 constellations including all stars that comprise them will be highlighted. But do bare in mind this is a South Pacific island so you'll only see the stars as from that perspective and not all will be above the horizon.
Improved Customization Behaviour
One of things we've added is making it easier to apply paint jobs to vehicles across all parts. Going-forward you will now be able to set the pattern on the 'Body' of a vehicle and it will be automatically matched up and carried over to other parts such as different hoods, spoilers and side skirts.
Another change we've made is that when you switch through parts and items, not just for vehicles is that the customization system will now try and match up the current pattern and variant with the next item you pick. For instance, if you wanted a painted version of a vehicle rim, and switch through the list you will see a painted version until you switch the variant.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1246740/Capsa__Fire__Lightning_Patterns_Pack/
We've also released a new paint job pack which works for all vehicles. These are the Fire and Lightning patterns that were for some vehicles and previously sold separately or as part of the Vehicle Novelty Patterns pack for a while, if you owned either of those then you'll get every one of these new paints as a free update to those. For the Fire pattern specifically we've developed a version that allows you to color tint in addition to the natural look.
Over time we hope to look at other previously individual patterns and update more of them to work across all vehicles.
Home additions
For homes we've added the ability to have a pair of arm-chairs instead of a sofa with most sofas having a matching themed chair equivalent. Each of these chairs, like sofas, can optionally have a cushion added that can make use of various patterns including the novelty or flag ones (if you've bought either of these DLC packs for character then most of these work as a free update on cushions).
Also for homes we've added optional Coffee Tables in a range of matching styles to existing furniture which can support at least 6 small items on them. The above picture is from the Retro home items pack which has been expanded as part of this update, items such as flowers, books and candles are included by default with more to be added over time.
On some tables as well as some existing side tables you can now choose to place some books or a selection of vinyl on the lower shelf as well.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1249250/Capsa__Retro_Home_Items_Pack
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1249251/Capsa__Contemporary_Home_Items_Pack/
Lots of additional furniture has been included in this update both free and as part of DLC. We are re-releasing two prior home item packs the Retro, and Contemporary (previously just named Modern). These re-releases are free updates to anyone who owns these packs from some point before separately or from the Home Essentials pack that was sold for a while so you do not need to purchase them if that is the case. Additional home items have been added to the Starter Packs as well as a free update.
Engine Sounds & Additional Optional Vehicle Controls
We have fresh engine sounds to fit with the different engine types for most boats, with the current outboard type remaining the same. These sounds will also bring unique start-up and shutdown sounds as-well. This update introduces sounds for the Outboard types (Mako / Moray) and the old engine types such as the Junker. The barrelback has yet to be completed and will come as part of a future update.
In addition to these sounds we've added the ability to manually shut-down and start-up the engine on all vehicles. For users who wish for their engines to start automatically, as before then they simply have to hold accelerate for a second and it will automatically start. For races and first spawns the engines will auto-start.
Another change is to make headlights more useful by increasing the range and brightness levels of default, this should make it easier to see in night races or driving around in general at night.
There is also a way to manually control your headlights, which can be enabled in the game options (otherwise behaviour remains automatic). This allows you to turn your headlights on or off at any time, with them automatically being turned off when the engine is off.
Improved Roads and Area Updates
Something we've been working on is overhauling the roads and overall road-side detail, starting with the main island of Mataara. This includes markings, signage as well as things like the occasional pot-hole or roadworks detailing.
Some areas like Kataara, Mataara and Moka have been targeted this update for quality of life improvements to bring them up to par with more recent areas. Mataara in particular you will find things like a functioning door on the gas station shop, moving windmill with ambient sounds, as well as additional ambient sound volumes for things like the gas station air-con unit. Mostly little things but helps improve the ambience as a whole when visiting these locations.
We've worked on the race track area to bring it up to par with added detailing such as tirewalls, track graffiti and improved landscaping. This track now features as a circuit race as part of the event system.
The races as a whole have had various improvements, notably circuit races will now track per-lap timings and show you your best lap time. This time is what is stored on leaderboards.
Other Changes and Bug-Fixes
In addition to all these changes are a long list of bug-fixes and quality of life improvements which can be found in the full patch notes below. If you encounter any problems do let us know so these can be targeted with a fix for a future update.
One change we've made as part of this update is implement the bare-bones of a progression system which handles the unlocking of vehicle parts (and eventually other things). This can really only be found by looking under the statistics menu right now, but as it gets developed there will be a lot more to this.
The way it works in principle is essentially earning points for progress towards specific things such as say completing races, locating hidden items or driving distance in a specific vehicle, this all accumulates and determines your overall level. Currently there is only 10 levels, and not all of these grant a reward so is still bare bones and will be going more into this over future updates as it progresses.
You can join the Official Capsa Discord here:
https://discord.gg/6F8z83g
Plus can follow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/vetron
Patch Notes:
Customization
- Added improvements to the way ‘Variants’ are handled, now Metal and Painted versions of items can now be variants with dynamic hiding of not-needed color options with the intent of making the lists tidier.
- Added improvements to the way items are switched in the list, it will now try to match the current variant, pattern category, pattern and color preset with the next item if that variant is available and unlocked.
- Added additional versions of the Large and Small Globe to homes. Requires owning the Starter Pack.
- Added armchair pairs as additional seating option instead of sofas, with versions of existing sofa’s where they exist in real life.
- Added additional home items to complete furniture sets. Some items have been replaced or tweaked to maintain consistent styling of a set.
- Added popcorn and cherry bowls to go in some inside and outside slots.
- Added new Hi-Fi system with multiple variations to go in home media slot.
- Fixed incorrect materials for some home floor options.
- Fixed an instance where engine customization wouldn’t apply correctly.
Environment
- Added start of roads overhaul with markings and various added detail.
- Added improvements to Katara, with emphasis being around home areas.
- Added improvements to Moka area including path detail and rework.
- Added transitions between day and night for some ambient sounds.
- Added improvements to tunnel transitions near Mataara so will continue to see light at end of the tunnel in most cases.
- Added improvements to the road between Mataara and Katara adding additional detail such as fences, trees and buildings along the route.
- Added improvements to bird emitters so only visible at suitable times of day.
- Added three-dimensional volumetric clouds including density variation to the dynamic night/day cycle. This will be visible on high through ultra effects scalability levels.
- Added accurate stars (and planets) for night sky including realistic positioning based on in-game location. Each star is represented based on extensive data including spectral type data.
(An improved Aurora Australis has been added however this will be visible in locations during a future update.) - Added shooting stars to look out for in the night sky.
- Fixed LOD’s on some rocks and other various environment pieces that were a little close.
- Fixed footsteps not triggering on some foundation wall pieces.
General
- Added improvements to vehicle headlights, notably to make them brighter and illuminate over longer distance. Removed the previous toggle headlight brightness function as lights are now closer to that my default. Headlights will also turn off when the vehicle engine is off.
- Added a game option to toggle whether headlights are turned on automatically as previously, or manually. For manual turn on of headlights the key is L. Automatic will be the default.
- Added key to shut the vehicle engine off manually, vehicles will spawn with their engines automatically turned on still. When you get out a vehicle its engine will turn off automatically, you can press I to restart it or simply hold down the accelerator.
- Added switch sound for toggling headlights.
- Added tire rolling sound which will vary on different surfaces and speeds.
- Added new engine sounds for different types of boats, such as outboard, jet or diesel.
- Added improvements to circuit races so per lap times are tracked and are what get submitted to the leaderboards.
- Added improvements to character gait switching, specifically going from running to walking to ensure it happens more consistently.
- Added indicator on screen of characters gait (e.g. running or sprinting). This is primarily for when in toggle mode so you can visibly see the current state without having to move and see.
- Added additional option for clouds in photo mode to set the amount. Like time of day this can be changed in real time and with results instantly.
- Fixed achievements for Speed Traps not triggering correctly.
- Fixed instances where Speed Traps would not re-trigger during a session.
- Fixed an instance where a 0 score could be posted to leaderboards during not finishing a race.
- Fixed instances where ground particles could appear visible on vehicle tires while vehicle is not on the ground.
- Fixed an issue with placement of outside chairs with Fresno home.
- Fixed ladder animations not playing correctly near top of ladder.
- Fixed animation behavior issue when sitting in a chair while previously crouching.
- Fixed boats not rocking from the perspective of another player when it has no driver.
- Fixed an issue where switching region would on occasion leave media screens not visible.
- Fixed a climbing hold in Toka not working correctly.
Item Store / Downloadable Content
- Added new ‘Fire & Lightning Pattern Pack’ DLC which includes patterns for all vehicles.
- Added Retro Home Items Pack' and 'Contemporary Home Items Pack' DLC which includes various items and decor for homes.
- Added Houten and Morris Sofa as part of Starter Pack granted content.