What are we working on? (07/05/2024)

Hi 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