WIP Beta released Barbent's Homerange (Alpha) 0.1a

Looking forward to this map! Judging from the screenshots this looks to be a big map with excellent quality. I can tell you have passion for this project and it shows. GG man can't wait to try it out. Best of luck with the release window!

 

I have decided to release the map in January 2025, because unforeseen circumstances mean that I can only work on the map part-time for now . I would be very dissatisfied with the state of the map and I think a good release in January is better than a hasty one before Christmas. I hope you are not too disappointed and understand my decision. It will be a nice January, I promise!

Since the new update 0.34, I have been able to enjoy the loading screen again, which gives me the following information:
279.3 km of Roads

Letting the Nine run in circles while I'm editing some skid marks (lol):

 

well at least its coming out

 

It's up to you when you want to release it, but if you do "rush" out a version before Christmas, I don't think it will go over badly at all. The areas featured in the screenshots and highway drive video combined already have more content than most completed maps, and are more complete than first alpha versions of some other maps. People are going to be excited for what's coming, not disappointed because of how little there is; after all, this is a free BeamNG map, not a $70 video game sold by Bethesda or some other company with a reputation for pushing out half-baked games, banking on people's false hope that major missing features will be patched in later and then not doing so. Once again, I'm not trying to pressure you, just saying that if your reason for delaying the release is poor feedback, I think that fear is unfounded.

Also, if at some point you do lose all motivation to keep working on this project, will you allow somebody else to take over development?

 

Thank you for your thoughts. First of all: the project is in no way in danger. I have put so much time and love into this map that it would be a sin to stop at any point for any reason. The project is still the focus of my life. I can understand you when you say that it already looks so good that it could be released. It could definitely be. But I am not showing the unfinished things here, so only I know where there is still something to be completed. A lot of things will still be unfinished or even almost untouched when it is first released, but I would like to reach a certain state. That will be the case very soon, but the rush to get it done before the BeamNG holidays is not good for the map.
There is no reason to worry. I will continue to work on it every free minute .

 

280 km of roads that´s exactly double the km of Italy map!

 

Liking the Fishing Village with main street / store fronts and lighting created, the Lumber Yard and Buildings look very good as well and look forward to go down to the Boat Mariner for some quite time and just take in the scenery

 

Yeah , "M D Gourley", I learned from your tutorials and "painted with light" a bit. In addition to the normal street lamps I gave the store front some random colored lights and let them fade in and out very slowly over time so the store front becomes alive somehow at night. Also some tunnel lights have different colors. Thanks for your great artworks to bring more color into the scenery by using some lights. On the other hand, I don't use shadows in some cases, the highway lamp poles' material create no shadows at all but the cars do and the tunnel has only very few light souces, because I like to keep it FPS friendly .

 

We have time, no hurry

 

We have nothing to say about the release time, if you have a better feeling to release in januari, so be it, and if it is then a beter version, even more fun for us, take your time, no problem. And have a fun christmas and a happy new year.

 

Yes, the 'Point Light' shadows when activated are hit and miss most of the time for me also, so usual do not have the Shadows on.

Take your time....'Rome wasn't built in a Day'

 

The loading screen comment made me chuckle quite a bit lol. Well I hope everything is alright and a January release isn't too far off anyway. A couple weeks worth of time can definitely make a difference in QA. Cheers man, have a good holiday season!

 

Nice

 

Chisel grinding

Since the game update 0.34+ I encountered some changes in how (my non PBR) ground materials are rendered. There was an ugly color bleeding from one grid to the next. So I decided to overhaul many ground materials to reduce the effect by having higher resolutions and a finer tileing. In some regions I also have changed situations where light materials border on dark and vv. Kinda good, that I havent released the map bevor that but you never know in advance .
The aftermath is a overall enhancement of visual experience in detail and distant coloring. It also gives me more freedom in sculpting because I have to deform less hard to create a good feeling of roughness .


--- Post updated ---

 

Looks great, jahoeeeee.

Have a merry chrismas.

 

Nice opportunities for agricultural tasks.

The long roads are necessary. But I think BeamNG also offers a lot of nice, slow work cars, so decorating the many locations is also important to me. I'm interested in the driving experience and to have the appropriate reasons for driving and different role playing all over the map, even or espacially in rural areas.
Here with the nice Nine Tractor mod .

 

Superb Rural / Farming scenes and the Nine Tractor fits in well.

 

D flat out on gravel ..::

I made a rough video that shows further parts of the gravel/rally roads. The fast journey takes you from "Curchdown" to "Pi Water" garage through parts of the map that are finished and those that are still under construction (and will be at release). I was able to close and connect some big loops, though, so that there are plenty of kilometers ready to be swallowed in dust.

The vehicle used was the D-Series, with the four-wheel drive deactivated, race 6M + sportintake. The way you slide through the curves at full speed reminds me of skiing. I don't need to say how much fun it is . And promptly I got caught speeding in Pi Water. Should have known! %@!#*!!!



Aaaand ... I also have some more nice random pictures for you:

 

This must be one of the best rally stages I have seen.
The way you set up the roads is really thought through. They are obviously designed to be driven fast and it seems like the surroundings are adjusted to the roads and not the other way around. Like in many driving games like Forza Horizon or similar. This will be a blast!

 

Yes, I see myself crreating several rally stages in this map, i love it! Great work Barbent.