As the Mobile App work continues, I wanted to do a release to thank the community for your patience. As my time is limited, I had to be pretty ruthless about what I could spend my time on and I've tried to deliver something that hopefully most people will get some enjoyment from!
There's quite a lot to get through, so let's get started...
As per popular request, I have increased the amount of vehicle storage that members can have. There is still more work I'd like to do on this when time allows, but the parking capacities have changed as follows:
The price of the rentals has remained the same so as not to spoil your cash flow!
To add a distinctly more down-to-earth hall of fame, a highest mileage Hall of Fame has been added. This brings some glory to the high-mileage heroes that do the hard graft in-game!
A long-standing issue with this has now been corrected. Cash is now counted towards your net worth as in real-life. As "public" net worth in real-life is typically estimated, I have made this change in-game too. Therefore, the net worth figures in-game are also approximations, with cash value also typically counting slightly less than equivalent vehicle values to represent a degree of uncertainty.
There are other benefits to this change, which I outlined in the previous Members Update.
This will have an effect on the Hall of Fame standings, so apologies for any disappointment and I am happy to hear any feedback.
Four new drag racing events have been added to fill in the missing vehicle class gaps that there were previously.
I have also made some changes to existing events:
This will not affect limited production vehicles, but means that newly added vehicles to the game are now slightly more likely to spawn in the classifieds. As it has been a while since the last vehicles, this is likely to first affect the next Members Choice Pack.
There is now a five time multiplier, up from the previous three time multiplier. This means that for "one of one" vehicles in real-life, there may now be up to five in-game to help meet player demand, whilst keeping a degree of exclusivity and rarity.
I also fixed a potential bug where limited production vehicles could be double counted when checking availability.
This took considerable work but should help in a number of situations that can cause issues within the community, for example:
It also further opens the door for several other things, like "scrapped" (as they are affectionately known!) player vehicles making a reappearance.
The changes roughly comprise of:
The classifieds are now more resilient to people buying vehicles from NPCs and then later quick-selling them. In short, if a player decides they no longer want a vehicle bought from an NPC then it is now more likely to reappear in the classifieds for someone else to buy it.
Sold NPC vehicles in the classifieds no longer prevents a new vehicle from appearing until after a "short ownership" cooldown.
Re-listed NPC vehicles are now logged to a queue and will re-appear when capacity allows.
A massive thank you to those that have contributed towards getting these in-game!
New correct photos for:
New photos for:
Vehicle statistic updates for:
I apologise that it has taken me so long to get around to these. I would love to say that I have more time to make them now, but that isn't the case. What I do plan to do, however, is to make these changes periodically so that they at least don't sit as long before I get around to them! I would also love to get the infrastructure in place to facilitate this better in the long term, mobile work permitting.
If your own corrections haven't been implemented yet, then please bear with me. If you previously provided some links on the forum as Discord attachments, unfortunately Discord made changes in 2023 which seem to have broken a lot of them. If that is the case, and you still have the materials, then please feel free to repost them.
Thank you!
Tying into the above, the vehicle list found under the help section now shows how many photos there are for each vehicle in-game. For now, this is just a number, but in the future I would also like to have all photos viewable.
There is now a link to the public site game news (like this one) from the "News" page in-game!
Also corrected the previous "Game News" tab so that it now reads "Your News" to match the heading.
Now shows the player's cash balance. Note that the values here are exact and are private to the player unless they share them.
Slight layout and performance improvements.
Since the news post, there have been the following events on the community Discord:
18th June: Caffeine and Machine: Bring along your favourite car!
6th June: Le Mans: Bring along a car for a virtual road-trip to Le Mans!
2nd June: Member in a reasonably priced car!
26th May: Japanese Car Challenge!
Many thanks to those that organised these, they are fantastic to see!
If this is something that tickles your interest, then please check out the #events channel on the community discord server! https://discord.com/channels/885205134165020692/1090272722464018553
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Welcome to the 27th Members Choice Pack!
1989 Lead Roamer Discus 3.5 V8 :
Designed to fill a void in their off-roader range, which was being filled by Japanese manufacturers, this mid-range family lifestyle vehicle finally joined the party in 1989, offering a mix of off-road capability and everyday practicality.
1990 Crystal Urban & Rural 3.3 V6 :
After the initial success of mini vans during the 1980s, this luxury orientated alternative was introduced, offering comforts seem in larger sedans and mock wood panelling often found on station wagons!
1974 Matsurza Rotary 1.3 :
This US only, Japanese rotary engined oddity was only offered for a relatively short period. The highly unusual wankel engine powering its compact pickup body provided smoother power than one might usually expect for such a vehicle.
2000 VoltPogen Beavil 2.0 :
(Bonus) The millennium was a period of reflection, and for every design looking to the future, there was a design looking to the past. This was one such modern spin on a classic. Despite sharing very little in common with the original, it still looked the part.
2000 Fawn Milano 1.8 LX :
(MotorNation's Choice) Representing a portion of the voting public in the eyes of politicians (as well as those in sales!), this most humdrum of family cars was overhauled for the millennium. Learning from its German rivals, it offered an improved interior, up-to-date styling and kept what made the previous generation so good.
1997 Lead Roamer Discus 2.5 300TDI :
(Bonus Gold Member Car!) This second generation car offered a refinement of the original, helping cement its position in the market for decades to come. Unlike the V8 above, this has the more affordable diesel option to help ensure that your wallet doesn’t get drained so quickly...
The following vehicles were also updated:
The first two vehicles can now enter the Group 4 Reunion Rally.
As usual, the above vehicles may be available new or secondhand in the classifieds, as appropriate, from time to time!
All players can access these vehicles.
And with these new vehicles, there are now over 500 within the game! Check out the vehicle list within the Help section whilst in-game to see them all!
A massive thank you to those that have contributed towards getting these in-game!
As covered in the latest member update, I have delayed the release of the initial basic mobile app, as I wasn’t satisfied with the experience that it would offer. Instead, I am going to focus on the ultimate goal, which will deliver a better app but will take more time. It will also save some duplicated effort, which is something I cannot afford.
As part of this work, I also merged in some outstanding changes ahead of the mobile app release. I also removed some elements as, because of a shift in direction, they won’t be required in the base game as it is.
If you don’t want to miss out on the full run-down, then I’d recommend checking out the latest Member Update!
To make things easier for new players, the following tweaks have been made:
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Further to the news post on the 26th February, I have now confirmed that Google Chrome v133 - specifically 133.0.6943.49 - seems to have bugs which caused a variety of issues in the game when people tried to navigate between pages quickly. The subsequent v133 patch releases, and v134 do not seem to have these issues.
Therefore, I am:
In summary, if you are having any issues with pages loading slowly or getting stuck and are using Google Chrome v133, then please update or use another browser. Thank you!
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Thank you for your patience, the server move and accompanying upgrade has now been completed.
Whilst the internet DNS records update, you may need to use a temporary URL to access the game, however this shouldn't be necessary after 24 hours.
This work is important in maintaining the game going forwards, helps provide a better foundation for the mobile app and should ultimately mean snappier performance and improved capability for more players.
I'll be monitoring for any oddities, but otherwise please see the Bug Reporting feature available in-game. This can be found from within the Support section.
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As touched on in the last member update, the games server is due an upgrade.
Whilst preparation is underway, the game is planned to move onto the new server on:
I’m not sure when on that date it will be just yet, but probably around 10:00 GMT. I will post a message on the game shortly before the downtime as is usual.
During this move, the game will need to be taken down for an extended period, possibly lasting up to a couple of hours. I am taking steps to avoid any unnecessary gaps in gameplay.
As the game will move servers, there may be a temporary need to facilitate access whilst the different parts of the internet update. However, I don’t believe that people should have to manage for long without! More details will be provided later, as relevant if this is needed for some people.
This work is important in maintaining the game going forwards, helps provide a better foundation for the mobile app and should ultimately mean snappier performance and improved capability for more players.
Thank you in anticipation for your patience and understanding!
Andrew
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Whilst my focus is on the mobile app and associated work, I almost caught up on Members Choice packs* and Gold Members Packs. I did also want to give a sprinkling of other content to say thank you for your support whilst I make this happen. So say hello to two more road-rally events and a new job too!
* Well I would've done had it not been for a problematic Google Chrome web browser update...
Welcome to the 26th Members Choice Pack! If you are familiar with the previous packs, then this one is a bit different, with it being the first to include a "MotorNation's Choice". This is basically a vehicle that I will choose, which typically will be something that I feel fits well into the game or fulfils a particular "need". Here it is a new vehicle that ties in with a previous one, to provide something that I've been meaning to add for quite some time! Black Cab jobs! A.K.A. Hackney Carriages.
So, where to luv?
1991 GDM Whirlwind 4.3 :
What can only be described as a sports truck! Sacrifice a load of off-road capability with its low ride, maintain the 4WD system and add a good dose of Turbo-excess to create the fastest production truck of 1991!
1997 Verdhent Tigris 1.6 :
Based on a popular supermini, this small coupe offers a splash of style with sensible running costs.
1967 VoltPogen Nr.2 1.5 Panel Van :
The first generation of a cultural icon, a blank canvas utilised across the world for both the ordinary and the extra-ordinary.
1991 Nesson Foglia 1.0 :
(Bonus) Based on reliable Japanese supermini underpinnings, the cutesy styling found plenty of admirers across the world, despite being exclusive to the Japanese market.
1997 MWH CamelCab 2.5 Series II :
(MotorNation's Choice) Pitched to replace the classic London "Black Cab" it never quite made it. Despite being arguably better on paper, a lack of visual flair and character meant it never quite captured the soul of the original.
This pack features four vehicles belonging to, or have been previously owned by, members of the community.
1991 Portsmouth Lidar 2.0 RS :
The most performance orientated model from this brand since the muscle car era, this 2+2 sports coupe was a joint effort between US & Japanese manufacturers.
1993 Dash Devotee 5.2 LE :
This mid-size pickup could be specified with a V8 engine under the hood, as is the case here. More bizarrely, an earlier version could also be specified as a convertible...
2000 Verdhent Astrum 2.2 16v RSi :
Whilst it doesn’t have a turbo, they say there is no replacement for displacement. Despite its compact size, it unusually had a 2.2 litre engine under the bonnet, ensuring it had plenty of poke.
1986 Nesson TX-20 1.8 Turbo:
Whilst this generation is lesser known in pop-culture, it features everything desirable from the later models, plus is the second car in this pack to feature pop-up headlights. The most important aspect, obviously.
As usual, the above vehicles may be available new or secondhand in the classifieds, as appropriate, from time to time!
All players can access these vehicles.
A massive thank you to those that have contributed towards getting these in-game!
These work similarly to the "Private Hire" taxi jobs, but whilst they don't pay mileage - they pay a little more. These are the sort of the taxis that you get from a taxi rank rather than making a booking for. The older car that has been in the game for some time are, of course, also the famous "London Cab" that are only second to the famous big red Routemaster double-decker buses from a similar era!
As mentioned, I wanted to add this as soon as the traditional Black Cab was added to the game, so it's nice that the job is finally here - along with it's more modern sibling.
A couple of long-requested lower vehicle class rally events:
Group 4 Reunion Rally
Featuring a B class limit, this rally event is inspired by 1970s rally legends.
Amateur Rally
This C class limited event is otherwise open to pretty much anything. Slap a number on the side of your car, and do your best!
As mentioned above, when I’m not doing business-as-usual activities, my primary focus is now on the mobile app. As part of this, there have been several significant platform changes made behind the scenes to build the foundations not only for this, but for the game going forwards.
Unfortunately, one thing that significantly delayed this release (& took up a lot of my time & energy) was seemingly a bug within version 133 of the Google Chrome browser which meant that some of the game's styles (text & box shadows, gradients and especially with overlaid elements) could cause CPU spikes on devices using this browser version when pages were loaded in rapid and repeated succession.
Workarounds for this are presently in place, but as the previous version of Chrome and the subsequent patch release hinting at fixes relating to the issues I identified, I’m hoping that some of these less desirable workarounds can be reversed. I’ll advise as relevant in due course, which if that is the case, then I’ll drop the support for this version of Google Chrome.
This is the worst browser related issue I've seen since the days of Internet Explorer 6...
Want to know more about the game and its development? Members get the inside track with exclusive member updates! Every contribution matters, with membership starting at just £2.50 a month! (when paid yearly)
Don't miss out on the full experience!
