Repair Bench
As explained last week, I've been working on the repair system for vehicle components. I've implemented the first iteration of this system and wanted to share it with you.
During playthroughs, players will either acquire new components with issues that need to be fixed, or simply sustain issues on their vehicles. In this example, the player's radiator needs a new pipe fitted and some nuts and bolts replaced.
The challenge for players then, is acquiring the parts needed for the repair. Rather than implement a hands on system of replacing the piping and nuts and bolts by hand, I've opted for a UI system in the Repair Bench. The reason for this is to focus the game on getting the player out in the world exploring rather than doing repetitive menial tasks in the garage.
I feel the design of building an engine in something like My Summer Car is more akin to a puzzle game. Figuring out how the engine is put together is part of the charm. With Honcho, we're leaning more into ARP design. Replacing a pipe isn't going to be a one and done task, it's something players will do multiple times per playthrough. So reducing the repetition is a must here.
Let me give you an example of what I'm after. A player finds a new radiator, but it has a piping issue. To get this component up to full performance (100% condition), they'll need to get their hands on a piping part. They can do this by exploring routes and hoping to get that dopamine of finding that specific part they were looking for. Knowing they are one step closer to making a legendary vehicle when they return to the garage.
Part Acquisition
So with that implemented as a first iteration (there will be improvements to it, please do share suggestions). The next step is to get these parts acquirable in the world. There's several ways I'm looking at making parts acquirable in Honcho:
Finding parts in abandoned cars (Kusahiro) along generated routes.
Parts rewards for completing delivery jobs.
Parts purchasable from Daizo Mechanics shops that can spawn along routes.
This is what I'll be working on now. If you have any other suggestions or questions feel free to drop them in the comments below.
P.S. The pedals on the truck are missing because they're still in development.
Current Steam Wishlists : 3436
Comments (8)
What is wrong with there wrists, Also it looks like her body would be inside the front end but as you said it's an early iteration
Just a rough first implementation. Improved hand shown on the discord here : https://discord.com/channels/462907081255550986/1235608386314178610/1242807684424798323
Hey, looks good. From the video it looks like you have to aim at a very small bolt to interact with it. I might be difficult for some people to do this. Maybe some type of auto aim or increase the size of the bolt's hit box for aiming?
Hey Lewis, glad you've mentioned this as I've been toying with the idea of adding the ability for the spanner to snap to bolts by simply looking and clicking on the component - rather than the individual nut. It's easy to add but I'd not added it yet if it wasn't needed. Pixel hunting in these types of games is a big issue that I'd like to try best to avoid.
Looks great! Do you plan to add steering wheel support (maybe even force feedback)?
Hey, thanks. For sure. I have a G29 on hand that I will use to test.
I like the system you show. Do you plan to have game settings for how rare random encounters like abandoned cars are? And are structures on the routes planned like scrapyard, old barns, or so?
Yes, you'll be able to influence the quality of a route to enhance how rare the finds are on it, though it'll increase the difficulty of the drive in some ways. And yeah, so far I've only got generic buildings, delivery locations (warehouses) and petrol stations in route generation, but I'll be adding locations to scavenge or purchase parts and components. One of these I'm working on now is abandoned cars (Kusahiro). We had a similar system in Jalopy with cars broken down on the side of the road.