Published by Loren , Fluffy , Josh / Proddy , Sparrow
The second development update blog post covering what we've been up to for Donut Mod discussing a new team member, Q&A answers and more about the next update.
Introduction
Hello everyone, this is Loren from Donut Team and welcome to the second Donut Mod development update blog post.
Today, we're going to talk about a new member of our team working on Donut Mod, give answers to the Q&A questions we took recently and discuss what all the next update will entail.
If you'd prefer to watch, this development update is also available as a video on YouTube:
Welcoming Jay_mate to Our Team
We're excited to announce that Jay_mate has joined our team to help out with Donut Mod. You may know him as one of the creators of the long awaited Futurama: Hit & Run mod.
Jay was quite enthusiastic about joining and his work so far on the mod has proven to be of excellent quality. We're not ready to show any of his work here today but we're all very excited for you to see it in the future!
July 2024 Q&A
We recently took some questions on our forum and our various social media accounts about Donut Mod and we're going to cover those today!
@alfredoandfriends: Will [the mod] have new traffic cars and ped models?
- Loren : There is at least a few new traffic cars, a couple of which are exclusive to areas in Level 3. And for pedestrians, assuming you mean the generic characters that wander the streets, there are no new ones at this time.
As an example: a modified version of the Duff Truck with a traffic driver.
@HarveyKilgarri1: Are you planning on having different levels 4, 5, 6 and 7?
- Loren : Donut Mod will eventually be a mod that spans all 7 levels of the game. If you're asking about the maps specifically, we don't have any concrete plans for those beyond Level 4 yet.
@Pyrohelix_: How is the progress on the mod? Also how is the development team doing?
- Josh / Proddy : I'm doing fine, thanks for asking.
- Sparrow : Going super well. The team has made amazing progress with multiple levels in the game. Personally, I'm good. :)
- Loren : Progress has been fantastic. We've spent a good amount of time getting more organized and I've learned a lot about managing a project recently that has really helped get the ball rolling and keep it rolling at a good pace. Also, I am doing well!
@D3kryption and @DavidHender198: What's next?
- Loren : Once we get our best Levels 1, 2 and 3 we've ever made squared away, we're moving on to the long awaited Level 4 with it's brand new Industrial Zone map.
@carsforspeed6684: How are levels 3 and 4 doing?
- Loren : Level 3 is great and Level 4 is not being worked on at this time.
@Duffhause: I get it's a reimagining of the game, how much are you trying to stick to authentic SHAR?
- Sparrow : Authentic SHAR for the most part I reckon. Personally, for my projects, I've tried to make adjustments and take feedback to make sure it feels like SHAR but new.
- Loren : Yeah, I'd say we value it feeling like a natural extension of the game pretty highly. I try to look at what we're doing as stuff Radical could have potentially done if they had more time.
@JrBurger95: Will [the mod] add new grass textures?
- Loren : Technically? In the sense that there are several new transitional textures going from grass to other kinds of terrain in various new areas.
- Fluffy : This is one of those questions where I can't tell if its a joke or if people are seriously this into grass.
@AGuyNamedSteve: What parts of Level 3 are being expanded? Any any new details about Level 4?
- Loren : I'd say there are currently 5 areas which have seen some dramatic changes, plus some other small changes elsewhere. One of these areas, the Bowlarama, we have shown off before and, of course, there's also the recent teaser image which is just a small part of that wooded area. I'd say the rest pertain to existing landmarks being heavily expanded upon or outright moved to new locations. That is all I am willing to say at this time though.
Last shown in TT74, the Bowlarama interior has seen some more love.
You've been here before... but something is different...
@daryllcorbett9668: What happened to that huge map that had Marge as the character?
- Loren : As stated in some of my previous answers, it's still planned but is not what we're working on right now.
- Fluffy : As Agent S. once said, these things...they take time...
The Next Update
Alrighty, next up I'd like to give a breakdown of what the next update will entail. The Q&A covered some of what I am about to say but to reiterate some of it:
- Several New & Expanded Areas in All 3 Levels with:
- Several new interiors.
- Even more Wasp Cameras.
- Many new Cola crates and vending machines.
- Several new gags.
- New collector cards (Improved art for L1 and L2, all new cards for L3).
- A few new traffic cars, here and there.
- Improved Structure and Balancing for Some Existing Missions:
- We felt some of the existing missions could use some more love and polish so we're going back and improving some things.
- Brand New Lisa Missions:
- Of course, there will be a revamped and expanded version of Lisa's story to play through.
- Complete with another Taxi Mission taking you all across the seaside.
- Improved Rewards:
- Several new vehicles.
- All new Lisa skins.
- Adjusted pricing to strike a better balance.
- Base game skins are now available alongside the new skins, instead of being removed.
- New Settings to Customise the Experience:
- Similar to Project Donut: Anniversary Edition, the next version of Donut Mod will have various new settings to tailor the experience to your liking.
And, before we go, one more screenshot of an area that has been touched up since you last saw it:
Last shown in TT73, it remains a mystery where this stream leads...
Conclusion
The next update is by far the most ambitious and well-crafted version of Donut Mod we have made to date and we can't wait to get it in your hands. For now, though, we're going to get back to work.
Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you again sometime with more Donut Mod news!
- Loren from Donut Team