With the first part of the Supercharger Update now done and dusted, we are hard at work on the second part; the Al-Rilma Update! This is the update that everyone has been eagerly awaiting for many years, adding superchargers to Automation! But that's not all we've got planned for you...
The Al-Rilma Update, summarising all of the main points we're hitting.
Before we get going, a bit of a disclaimer; all of the in-game art and content we are showing in this post is work-in-progress, and does not necessarily reflect what the final product will look like!
Superchargers
After a long wait, they're almost here!
Yes, finally! We are adding superchargers to Automation. It's been a long time coming, but now they're now just around the corner. All engine configurations will have access to superchargers in three different forms; centrifugal, roots and screw-type superchargers. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages, which will make for some very interesting design choices!
More Forced Induction Options
Very big turbochargers with a small inline-3 engine attached to them.
As mentioned in the roadmap for the Supercharger Update, we promised Automation players that we would be adding sequential turbochargers, as well as twincharging (turbochargers combined with superchargers) as part of the Al-Rilma Update. But, due to a happy set of circumstances - namely, the fact that they are feasible for us to model at the same time - we will also be adding two different styles of compound turbocharging!
What is compound turbocharging, you ask? That's where you have two turbochargers acting on one another - in sequential compound turbochargers, you one turbo spooling to not only build boost, but also help another, larger turbocharger spool up faster, and in pure compound turbocharging, you have one turbocharger directly feeding its output into a second turbocharger, to add even more boost! These setups will be perfect for those wild, ultra-high-performance builds.
Engine Throttle Simulation & Volumetric Efficiency Revamp
We're working to make engine volumetric and combustion efficiencies realistic.
With the re-worked engine simulation from LCV4.2 and the Ellisbury Update, we felt - as well as the community - that something didn't quite feel correct. That something happened to be how engines behaved at part throttle settings. With the Al-Rilma Update, we are creating a much more detailed and accurate simulation of engine volumetric efficiency - basically, how efficient is the engine at moving air through it - and revisit combustion efficiency along with it. This now produces more believable engine behavior and results!
The Return of Multiplayer
Multiplayer will be returning to Automation!
Multiplayer will be returning after a long absence! For those of us who weren't here during the late Kee Engine days of 2014 and 2015, Automation used to have a scenario-based multiplayer mode, where players would compete in time-limited scenarios to see who could build the most suitable car/engine for the randomly generated challenge put before you. It's a very fast-paced and hectic experience, but it's immensely fun and it will make you a better Automation player in a hurry! Both engine-only and full car scenarios will be available for that.
Multiplayer scenarios are balanced around the competitor car database and thus automatically rebalances itself when game balance changes. Normal curated singleplayer scenarios will return to the game as soon as it no longer is as heavily in flux as it is now, which will be with the third Supercharger Update - Terso. The much needed return of a whole series of proper tutorial scenarios is scheduled for then too.
Test Track Simulation Revamp, Phase 2
New simulation, the Standalone Track Editor and a new track!
An image of the new standalone track editor, still under construction.
The first phase of our test track revamp in the Ellisbury Update saw new visuals and a heavily-revised UI, but the old simulation calculations remained. While they are functional, they are not particularly realistic. In this upcoming phase of the test track revision, we will be putting in an entirely new set of calculations to more accurately model how a car goes around a track. Along with that we are making a powerful and very user friendly standalone track editor for Automation, so that you can create your own tracks quickly and easily; anyone who has done track modding in the past knows just how cumbersome the old custom track system was!
Also coming in the Al-Rilma Update is the new Narnilla track. This is a very old-school, European-style racing circuit, with lots of elevation changes, narrow rights of way and pavement of (occasionally) dubious quality. It's also the track where we did our art test some months ago, where you the community chose the art style that you liked the best. Here's a snip of the winning entry:
George made the winning art test entry and now is working on the full track.
Eventually, we will be re-doing all of our track art in this style, both for the tracks we currently have, as well as the new tracks we have planned that will be coming out as part of future updates.
Art Revamp
New Design Rooms, Factory Environments & More!
We will be adding three new design rooms for you to use and enjoy, and for Campaign players, we will be adding new environments for your factories to be part of; no longer will your factory be just in an empty field of green grass, with nothing else surrounding it, they will be part of a more "lived-in" feeling world now. Have a look for yourselves:
New 40s design room.
New factory environments.
3D-scanning some carburetor models, and the (untouched) results from which we will be giving the existing carburetor models a much-needed clean-up!
That about covers the Al-Rilma Update as it is right now, we encourage you to watch the Dev Update video above, and let us know in the comments here what you think. Also, be sure to follow Automation on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok for fun and informative content every day!
Cheers!
