Hello Pioneros! We have been cooking behind the scenes, here is what is coming to the demo in the new major update 0.3.0. This update includes everything from graphical updates to enhanced vehicle physics and automation improvements. like employees with skills to smaller tweaks and bug fixes. So, without further delay, here is the new content:
You can now play offline with local saves. You can still play with your friends as usual by inviting them to your party via Steam. Once in-game, simply open the pause menu and invite them using the party menu in the top-right corner, or the usual steam invites. Any existing games started on online regions will be automatically migrated to a local save file when you launch the game, so you won't lose any progress!
Employees have received a major rework! To hire new staff, access the new PioLink app from the computer at either Cargo Garage or Rusty's, where job candidates will apply. From there, you can negotiate their salary and inspect their base skills.
Employees can have up to two skills out of four possible types: Driving, Crafting, Customer Service, and Recruiting. Skill levels range from 0% to 100%, the higher their skill, the better they will perform their job. Low skill levels carry negative penalties, such as worse customer reviews, slower work speeds, and a higher frequency of vehicle crashes.
Skills can be leveled up at any company-owned computer. Simply open the browser, navigate to the employee management section of the website, and you'll be able to assign training or fire staff as needed.
Added the crafting skill that allows to automate building of stickers, packaging and so on.
Also, employees now carry visually the items they're holding.
Vehicles have received a brand-new speedometer layout displaying RPM, fuel levels, and key vehicle status indicators, including a check engine light that alerts you when it’s time to visit the mechanic. We’ve also added turn signals (bound to Q & E by default).
Engine audio for all vehicles has been completely replaced with enhanced, high-quality sounds for a more realistic driving experience. In addition, handling across the entire vehicle roster has been retuned for smoother, more responsive control.
Finally, the engine damage mechanics have been completely reworked. Instead of instantly shutting down when damaged, an aging or damaged engine will now experience a progressive top-speed penalty as wear worsens. Higher wear levels will also cause gears to slip or misshift, keeping your RPMs high.
We’ve upgraded the game’s overall look and feel with a round of fresh visual enhancements. You’ll notice new corona lens flares and emissive lighting for vehicles and streetlights that remain sharp and visible from a distance. Textures, roads, and environmental props across the map have also been refined.
Additionally, both indoor and outdoor lighting along with post-processing effects have been reworked, giving the entire game a much cleaner, richer, and more immersive atmosphere.
We’ve upgraded the character animation system! You’ll find brand-new idle and 'look around' animations, as well as improved foot placement (IK) and smoother animations when walking or jogging on slopes and hills.
We’ve also introduced active ragdoll physics! If you get hit by a vehicle, or if you press R manually, your character will now enter ragdoll mode. Additionally, vehicles can now hit and ragdoll pedestrians.
Local Savegames Implementation: Players no longer need to connect to a region to play; they can create local worlds with no latency and no internet connection.
Steam Cloud Sync: Local worlds function identically to remote worlds, saving directly to your PC and syncing via Steam Cloud.
COOP In Local Worlds & Friend Invites: You can invite friends to join your local world to play together normally.
Lobby & UI Updates: Friend profile pictures now appear in the lobby, along with a "+" invite button in the top right of the main menu, pause menu, and map.
Rich Presence: Steam and Discord (if enabled) now display a status showing your rank, company name, and level.
Server Account Migration: Server accounts are now automatically migrated upon game startup and saved directly into a savegame slot.
Tutorial Revamp: Updated the tutorial with brand-new objectives and missions.
Increased Job Payouts: Doubled the payouts for all trucker and lumberjack jobs.
Crafting Limits (Level 1): Level 1 Packing Workbench and Level 1 Printer are now limited to 6 craftable items simultaneously.
Packing Workbench Upgrades: Added Level 2 (12 craftable items) and Level 3 (24 craftable items) Packing Workbenchs.
Printer Upgrades: Added Level 2 (12 craftable items) and Level 3 (24 craftable items) Printers.
Generator Power Increase: Generators now produce an increased amount of power.
Smoking System: Implemented a smoking mechanic allowing players to purchase cigarettes and a lighter to smoke.
Crafting Interaction & Minigames: Enhanced crafting interactions; minigames are now persistent and synchronized online.
New Food Items: Removed unused food objects and introduced original Pionero branded items, such as Schlong beer.
Coffee Animation: Improved the drinking coffee animation.
Business Rank Permissions: Business members now join as Managers by default to allow most actions without needing permission requests.
Vehicle Retrieval: You can now command employees to locate company vehicles and return them to the garage.
Employee Crafting: You can now make certain employees craft a specific item.
Staff Management Menu: Added a "Staff" tab to the company Website where you can view employee status, fire, transfer property, or train them.
Employee Skills: Introduced skills such as Driving, Customer Service, Recruiter, Crafting, and more.
Employee Training: Employees can now be trained to acquire or level up skills by sitting and studying at an available computer for a set time.
Skill Progression: Employees can hold up to 3 skills ranging from 0% to 100%, with higher percentages improving performance.
Hiring App: Added a new hiring app on the computer with randomized candidate skills and initial salary negotiations.
Employee Idle Behavior: Improved idle behavior for all employees.
Complete Interface Rebrand: Replaced UI styling across notifications, fonts, menus, loading screens, labels, buttons, colors, and more to fit the world's lore.
Diegetic Website Redesign: Improved the "Website" app for business management accessible from phones or computers. Improved many other views alongside.
Computer App Redesigns: Updated in-game computer application interfaces to match world lore.
NPC Dialogue Sound System: Replaced NPC voices with a text system paired with audio sound effects.
New Speedometer: Removed old digital speedometer for a diegetic one with gauges.
Subtitle & Bubble Adjustments: Text bubbles and subtitles now feature slower text pacing, pauses, and enhanced effects.
Enhanced Vehicle Engine Audio: Engine sounds across all vehicles are now more realistic and better sounding overall.
Traffic Sound Attenuation: Improved distance attenuation for traffic vehicle audio.
Building Catalog View: Improved the preview and layout of the building catalog.
Company Invite Hint: Added a helpful tip on how to invite friends when creating a new company.
Blip & Route Color Change: Updated map blips and route lines from white to amber.
Packaging Visuals: Improved the texture resolution of company logo stickers on boxes and added product photos for easy identification on shelves.
UI Crispness: Enhanced overall UI sharpness and clarity.
Speedometer Rework: Complete rework featuring dual gauges (fuel, speed, and RPM) alongside status indicators (traction control, check engine, ABS, etc.).
Phone Cursor Control: Holding CTRL while pulling out the phone now shows the mouse cursor for direct navigation.
Main Menu UI: Redesigned main menu interface to align with the rest of the game’s UI styling.
Phone App Migration: Moved multiple menu options (Personal Skills, Achievements, etc.) into dedicated phone apps.
Visible Vehicle Stats: Vehicle stats are now displayed on dealership UI and the Garage phone app.
Credits Menu: Added a Credits button to both the main menu and pause menu.
UI & Environment Audio: Replaced UI sound effects and improved the fridge sound.
Non-AI Music Tracks: Replaced AI music with royalty-free tracks composed by human artists, including new Main Menu and Loading Screen audio.
Localization Updates: Added Russian (RU) and Polish (PL) localization, alongside localization improvements for German (DE), Chinese (ZH), Brazilian Portuguese (BR), Latin American Spanish, Portuguese (PT), and Turkish (TR).
Isometric Minimap View: Entering a vehicle shifts the minimap to an isometric perspective.
Vehicle Visuals & Deformation: Improved vehicle crash deformation, scratches, and paint finishes. Cars now look much better when crashing.
Vehicle Collision Physics: Enhanced crash physics for vehicles, giving them more of a "soft physics" feel rather than a "rigid mass" feel.
New Engine Sounds: This is one of the biggest changes. Vehicles now sound much better and more realistic as we've completely rewritten all the engine audio code. There are now many different sounds depending on the car. Muscle cars sound aggressive, high-end sedans have turbocharged engines, trucks sound like diesel engines and so on.
Engine Damage Behavior: Damaged engines now fail progressively (slipping gears and limiting top speed) instead of immediately shutting off.
Improved drifting particles: Car drif particles are now much more realistic. Driving fast over dirt also creates a cloud of dust. Muscle cars now have full rear-wheel traction and spin their wheels when launching at full throttle.
Improved handling: A bit more sim/realistic, less arcade-like feel based on user feedback. Cars steer more progressively.
Turn Signals: Added functional turn signal lights to vehicles.
Trunk Capacity: Adjusted trunk storage capacity across all vehicle models.
Engine Tuning: Rebalanced engine values for all vehicles.
Anti-Stuck System: Improved the vehicle anti-stuck mechanism.
Vehicle Physics: Substantially upgraded overall vehicle physics handling.
Traffic AI: Improved the artificial intelligence behavior for traffic.
Environmental Vehicles: Added new ambient vehicle routes (fighter jets flying in formation, new ships, etc.).
Distance-Based Vehicle Towing: Vehicle towing time now scales based on distance (ranging from a minimum of 10 seconds up to a maximum of 1 minute). Additionally, the system now locates parking spots closer to the player and marks the final location on the map.
Full Visual Rework: Comprehensive visual rework featuring upgraded post-processing and refined color palettes.
Smart One-Way Navigation: The GPS route calculation now accounts for street directions and traffic flow, so it will no longer direct you against one-way traffic.
Distance Lighting: Enhanced light sources to remain visible from extreme distances.
Pionero Billboards: Replaced AI-generated billboard images with artwork created by us.
Military Base: Added a new military base complete with a runway, hangars, and assets for future lore missions.
Airport Upgrade: Substantially upgraded the airport with new props, lighting, vehicles, and ambient interior pedestrians. Runway and taxiway lights are fully visible at night from distance.
PortCity & Road Enhancements: Improved PortCity lighting, country roads, and dirt roads.
Cargo Garage Interiors: Enhanced interior textures and shaders inside the Cargo Garage.
Character Animations & Ragdoll: Upgraded character animations (idles, head tracking, running) and introduced a Ragdoll system (R key, vehicle impacts, and pedestrian collisions).
Frame Limiter: Added a Frame Limiter option to the graphics settings.
UI Scale Slider: Added a setting option to select how much you want to scale the UI.
DLSS: Added DLSS support for NVIDIA graphics cards. Option in settings.
Model Loading Optimization: Improved asset loading to eliminate stuttering during gameplay.
General Optimizations: Performed performance optimizations across vehicles, buildings, traffic, and general environments.
Fixed a minor structural bug with the Cargo Garage.
Fixed a minimap issue that caused game crashes.
Fixed an issue where spamming interactions with an employee caused bugs.
Fixed a bug where interactions stopped responding after talking to the bank teller.
Fixed a bug causing the radio volume to automatically increase on its own.
Fixed a bug causing excessive fuel consumption when joining interiors.
Fixed a bug where utility bills would accumulate infinitely.
Fixed a visual bug that caused character necks to appear contracted when removing clothing.