Introduction
Hello everyone, this is Loren from Donut Team and today we are releasing the first update to Lucas' Simpsons Hit & Run Mod Launcher in just a little under five years: Version 1.27!
Alongside this update, we're also releasing Version 1.0 of the Simpsons Hit & Run Multiplayer Server software and a couple of small mods to demonstrate new 1.27 features.
If you want to just jump right in, you can find everything we're releasing today at the following links:
- Lucas' Simpsons Hit & Run Mod Launcher: Version 1.27
- Simpsons Hit & Run Multiplayer Server: Version 1.0.1
- Enhanced Rewards: Version 1.0
- In World Collector Card Art: Version 1.0
- Game.lua: Version 4.1
Now, let's get into the nitty gritty!
Lucas' Simpsons Hit & Run Mod Launcher 1.27
Preface
Before we get into the details of what has become the single largest update ever to the program, we'd like to note a few things.
Firstly, this update has been in development for about 10 months now. Originally, we were mostly intending on addressing outstanding issues in Version 1.26.1 but, as time went on and we learned more about how the program works internally and our confidence grew significantly, it morphed into the extremely large update we are releasing today.
While this update incorporates many features initially created by the program's original titular creator, Lucas Cardellini , we have built significantly on top of these and added many entirely new features. That said, we ask that you please excuse any bugs you encounter and, of course, report them to us so we can address them in a future update.
On that note, we expect our release cadence going forward to return to being semi-regular. More specifically, we've discussed alternating between feature updates (like Version 1.27) and QoL updates to address community wants in the aftermath of said feature updates (what we expect Version 1.28 to be, once modders get their hands on the new features and have additional ideas related to them).
Now then, lets get in to what all this update entails!
Trailer
First things first, we have prepared a trailer to commemorate this major release.
Highlights
As stated above, this is the largest update to the Mod Launcher ever. Naturally, that also means there are many big features to highlight:
- An Improved User Interface: Find things where you'd expect in the new menu bar!
- Customizable Keybinds for All Hacks with Keybinds!
- 25 New Hacks including:
- Analogue Speedometer: The one you know and love from SHAR MP, now as a standalone hack!
- Custom Collector Card Support: Customise card drawables and quotes per card!
- Custom Mod Save Data: Allows mods to store and retrieve custom save data!
- Currently, just via new Custom Files Lua functions. We do, however, intend to add additional ways to interact with custom save data in the future.
- Custom Reward Quest Support: Many new reward quest types for cars and skins, with improvements and fixes to base game quest types as well!
- Debug Custom Files Output: See exactly what your mod output with Custom Files Path Handlers, insanely useful for debugging!
- Developer Keys: Reload map regions, skip stages, toggle text names on the fly, and more!
- Free Camera and No Clip: What it says on the tin!
- Multiplayer (Beta): The death of SHAR MP was greatly exaggerated!
- Trainer: Fiddle with various parameters, teleport around, and more!
- And 16 other new hacks of various levels of significance!
- 31 Updated Hacks including:
- Additional Script Functionality: Many new conditional and stage commands!
- Cheat Keys: Several new cheat keys to mess about with!
- Custom Audio Support: CUSTOMISABLE BIRD SOUNDS!!!
- Custom Bonus Mission Support: Customise start and end bitmaps per character/mission without weird hacky nonsense!
- Custom Files: Functions to query the game state in various ways, read and write custom save data, and more!
- Custom Stats Totals: Many new properties to customize your mod's stats!
- Discord Rich Presence: Completely overhauled with many new customization options, including the ability to set a custom app ID for your main mod!
- Increased Reward Limits: Increased the limit on Maximum Car Health Values in Save Data from 60 to 2,147,483,647! Hopefully that's enough!
- And 23 other updated hacks of various levels of significance!
Known Issues
There are a few issues in 1.27 we're aware of and plan to address. We did not consider these deal breakers for finally making this release, but we want to mention them here just so you know:
Links
You can find the download link, full changelog, and extensive documentation for Lucas' Simpsons Hit & Run Mod Launcher Version 1.27 below:
Simpsons Hit & Run Multiplayer Server
Of course, alongside Multiplayer being heavily reworked and now included with the Mod Launcher, we are also releasing the standalone, self-hostable Simpsons Hit & Run Multiplayer Server software.
This new version of the server can run on Windows and Linux systems and contains a plethora of new features, including server-side mods with (somewhat limited, at the moment) real time Lua scripting capabilities. This is truly the start of a new era for SHAR MP, and we're so glad to finally be bringing it back to you all.
You can find the download link as well as extensive documentation for the Simpsons Hit & Run Multiplayer Server Version 1.0.1 at the links below:
Public Multiplayer Servers
In addition to the ability to host your own servers, we're hosting two servers to let the community jump into the action right away. These servers will exist for the time being. Once we have a proper server browser, we will reconsider if they're necessary. Ideally, we want SHAR MP to be your platform, with your play styles and for you to decide how you want to play.
- North America:
na.donut.team - Europe:
eu.donut.team
Please note that the server will separate you based on which mods you have enabled, so make sure to coordinate with your friends (or enemies).
Enhanced Rewards
To demonstrate some of the new features brought to you by the new Custom Reward Quest Support hack, we've prepared a new mod we've dubbed Enhanced Rewards!
This is a vanilla friendly mod that, well, enhances and adds rewards!
- Not sure how to unlock a particular car? Now the phonebooth will give you a hint!
- Big fan of the Speed Rocket or another secret car? Now you can unlock these special vehicles just by finding them and getting in!
- Angry that Grampa didn't give you that "sweet ride" after he tragically died in Alien "Auto"topsy Part III? Now we've rewritten his will to make sure you get it afterwards!
You can find the download link below: Download Enhanced Rewards: Version 1.0
In World Collector Card Art
We also have another mod to share today that demonstrates some of the capabilities of the new Custom Collector Card Support hack!
This mod gives every collector card from the original game a unique drawable in the world, showing off the art before you even pick them up!
You can find the download link below: Download In World Collector Card Art: Version 1.0
Game.lua
And finally, we are also releasing a small update to our Game.lua resource pack that adds the Additional Script Functionality commands added in Version 1.27.
You can find the download link below: Download Game.lua: Version 4.1
Fun Statistics
Given this is our largest update ever, we also thought it'd be fun to share some statistics about the development of today's releases:
- We spent around 10 months developing the Mod Launcher update
- 940 non-merge commits were made to the Mod Launcher
- 197 pull requests were merged to the Mod Launcher's main branch
- 217 non-merge commits were made to the Multiplayer server
- These commits include rewriting the Multiplayer server about 3 separate times!
Conclusion
I am extremely proud of what the team has accomplished and I believe we are only just getting started. I think today's releases may very well be the start of a golden age for SHAR modding. We could not be happier to finally be giving all this to the community.
If you'd like to help support on-going costs related to the web services we run, such as Mod Bakery, that help support both the work we do and community efforts, please consider donating on our Ko-fi page.
Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you soon with more cool stuff!
- Loren from Donut Team