But before getting more into this, here is what's new in this update:
Winter map update
The Winter Map was revamped with new challenges. I redid most of the rock placement, which was necessary because of the new map-making standard. This allowed for the introduction of rocks with physics. This makes for more fluid gameplay, not getting stuck on small rocks which was a big issue with the Winter map. Few graphical changes were made, mainly in materials and rock blending to match the aesthetics of the rest of the maps.
New map menu
I redesigned the map selection menu to improve clarity and implement the new scoring system. The revamped menu now shows map progress which is a part of the new scoring system and provides additional information. I have also improved the UI movement and gamepad focus for smoother navigation.
Score system - track progress
Now you can track your progress on every map. This new UI is accessible from challenge boards and replaces the old system. Every challenge has its details listed, from type of cone to terrain elevation. Alongside these changes, I added several new challenges across all of the maps.
Pricing and rewards update
To further balance the gameplay, pricing of items has been adjusted. Pure Rock Crawling prioritizes a relaxed, simulation-focused gameplay and is more focused on realistic physics simulation and deformable tires. Yet, a little challenge won't spoil the fun. By carefully balancing these elements, the game creates a truly enjoyable and immersive rock crawling experience.
New achievements
I redesigned existing achievements icons and added completely new achievements as well. Now, besides the number of passed gates and tripped cones, you can unlock additional achievements for using the trailer, earning credits and others. Have fun completing them all !
Miscellaneous
There were a few minor bugs, primarily in the customization UI. That's taken care of now. The mini map is now more readable and has the same, consistent style across all maps. I have also made a few subtle tweaks to the simulation here and there.
Thank you !
Pure Rock Crawling is more than a game for me. For more than 6 years it has been my whole life. Back in 2018, with no prior game development experience, I embarked on what I thought would be a year-long journey at best. As I mentioned in the early access release form: “Pure Rock Crawling should come out of Early Access in roughly 6-10 months.” Well, here we are, 78 months later. But every moment has been worthwhile and no time was wasted. During early access, I made 67 updates to the game, and together with all your support, it allowed Pure Rock Crawling to evolve far beyond my imagination, my initial vision and finally beyond what I’d thought I could make.
For instance, the first version of Pure Rock Crawling didn't even have customization. Not because it wasn’t ready but because I simply didn't know how to make such a system and implement it. Though I didn’t plan it in the first version. Not to mention features like difflock 4WD engagement/disengagement which were also absent.
Now that Pure Rock Crawling is officially out of Early Access, I would like to say:
Thanks to all of you, the whole community, for supporting me and Pure Rock Crawling. Thanks for seeing the potential in this game and more than there was at a time. From finding simple bugs to suggesting core mechanics that were implemented in the final game, your input shared on the forums was an invaluable asset during the game’s development.
Thanks to my family and friends, for being there for me, for listening about game development, and showing your interest and support.
Biggest thank you to my wife. You believed in me from the day I said “How about I make a video game”. Thank you for every time we discussed math problems and what a vector dot product is.
- Why no heads up ? I opted to leave myself room for delays rather than disappointing anybody with a delayed launch. Think of it as a nice surprise.
- Why full release ? Why now ? With this update Pure Rock Crawling became core feature complete. There is no need to be in Early Access anymore. However, this doesn't mean it won’t receive future content updates and general bug fixes.
- What changes for current players Nothing, it just means that Pure Rock Crawling is out of Early Access. Old saved games should work. If you are having any problems or just want to start from scratch you can delete save files in this directory: %LOCALAPPDATA% \PureRockCrawling\Saved\SaveGames
- Are you really just one developer ? Yes
Q&A
Cheers and take care !
