Honcho Game
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What are we working on? (07/05/2024)
🕑 Added 2024-05-07 12:30:54 +0000 UTCHi all, just a quick thank you and update on our announcement. I'll probably make this a regular segment.
Current Wishlist's : 2504
4 days from announcement and we're sitting on 2504 Steam Wishlist's. We're pretty happy with this number so far considering the caveats.
Launch announcement was delayed.
I forgot the Steam page needs to be approved before it goes public, meaning we ended up announcing on a bank holiday Saturday rather than the planned Friday.
No trailer.
We're let to settle on a composer for the game (more on that later). So we announced without a trailer which is usually a big no-no. We did this because we want to have somewhere to point people to when talking about the game.
Twitter & Discord announcement only
As content for the game grows, we'll start pushing it on other platforms such as YouTube, Reddit and traditional press.
We're happy with the initial Wishlist numbers. For context, Landlord's Super launched with 10k Wishlist's and did well enough for us to make Honcho. If you haven't Wishlisted Honcho yet, you can do so here.
Component Repair
This week, I want to get the vehicle damage system into the game.
In Jalopy, engine components could be found on the side of the road, and repaired with a magical repair kit. In Honcho, we want to make this process a lot more involved, and make it much harder to achieve the perfect setup.
In Honcho, players cannot order fully working engine parts. Instead they'll be expected to buy them from scrapyards, find them in abandoned vehicles (草ヒロ(Kusahiro) - thicket hero), or receive them as delivery rewards.
Vehicle components obtained in this way will rarely be perfect. Instead, they'll contain issue that need addressing.
Rust
Rust lowers the total condition of a component, meaning it degrades faster. It also makes the component look unsightly.
Rust can be fixed by obtaining a grinder and using grinder discs. Keep in mind using this on components such as doors will mean the panelling needs to be painted again.
Conditional degradation
This is the overall condition of the component, lower conditions reduces the performance of the component
Some components will leak fluids at lower conditions (e.g. oil leaks)
each 20% interval results in a new part failing. The lower the condition of the component, the rarer the part that needs replacing. (e.g. at 80%, the engine may simply need lubrication applying, but at 20% it may require a new camshaft.
The lower the condition, the higher the price / rarer the component is needed for repair. Once a new fault has appeared. The previous fault cannot be repaired until the new fault has been fixed. An example of these faults are shown below.
Issues are broken down as follows: Assembly (80% condition), Core (60% condition), Function (40% condition), Operation (20% condition).
Generally, Assembly issues are easy to address and can be done while out on the road. Operation issues will require a work bench.
Mechanics can be paid to solve these issues for the player.
Tape
Tape is a cheap, common and light item that can be used to repair a component up to 20%. Great for an emergency way to keep you on the road.
Tape also stop all leaks.
Hopefully this makes vehicles feel much more like the player's construction, and a great sense of pride can be achieved for players with perfect setups.
Music
We're also talking with a Japanese artist who grew up during the Showa era and hoping to bring them on-board to give the game a city-pop soundtrack. More on that as it develops.
Thanks again to everyone who has signed up for the journey. Especially a huge thank you to our paying subscribers. Please do comment and let us know what you'd like to know about Honcho in the next update.
Greg
Comments
Greg Pryjmachuk
Hey, thanks for commenting. 1. Rust will effect all components, even the water tank right now... Currently, the only way to deal with rust is to grind it off. There's no system in place that manipulates the mesh of the car (holes and such). 2. There's currently 1 wheel compound in the game as I implement flat tyres and grip changes. This will change and wheel sizes as well as tracks are planned. 3. Vehicles currently have oil, fuel, water for the windscreen and fluids for the coolant. All of which can leak. Brake fluid isn't implemented yet but I may add it when I come to dealing with them as all the systems are there for it to be added simply enough.
Greg Pryjmachuk
Hey Daniel, thanks for commenting! So towns are also generated, and can be invested in by the player to improve things like the road quality and consumer footfall, but once they are generated they are permanent to your world. Players can freely drive between towns once each one is unlocked. Routes differ in that, when a player accepts a job, they see the breakdown of the route, including things like weather, road quality, distance and any unique features it has. Once a job is selected, the player can travel to that route, and it'll be a new, generated route which will be gone once it's completed. Travelling between towns works in a similar way, in that the route between them will be randomly generated each time. Routes each contain a distance value which is shown in kilometres. These currently go up to 50km. Once a delivery is completed, players can select to complete another delivery, and drive straight into another route, or return home.
2ndOFtheWWY
Thank you for the updates on the game. I am pleased to know that the vehicle maintenance system will be so in-depth! I have a few questions: 1. Will rust also affect the chassis (holes in the floor, etc.). And if so, will we be able to weld a piece of sheet metal from the junkyard in its place? 2. Will we have different wheel sizes and types? 3. And finally; will the vehicles have more fluids, such as brake fluid or coolant? Looking forward to playing the game!!!
Daniel V.
Sounds great! I can’t wait to see first video from the actual game. One question though, how will the map work? I saw it will have predefined city(ies?) and the rest around will be procedurally generated. Once generated, will I have to re-load this piece of map or once it’s generated I can freely travel around like in the open world? What will be the size of these generated segments? In Jalopy it was possible to finish one map segment in just couple of minutes, do you have any plans to introduce larger zones? So player will have to really prepare if you see really long trip ahead?
