Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 29: New Year's Resolutions... And Revolutions

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 29: New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year to all the Automationeers out there! This post is where I will summarize some of my new year's resolutions as a Steam user. 

First and foremost, my aim is to be a better Automationeer overall. Given that I was running out of ideas in the UE4 version, I realized that the only way to do this was to opt into the recently released open beta for the latest UE4 build. I've only been using it for two weeks, but already this one is well on track to being kept: the addition of hints and warnings is proving useful whenever I design a new car. And in response to criticism from other users in the past, I have been making concerted efforts to improve the exterior design for each of my cars.

Another part of my new year's resolution is to revise the lore for my first all-UE4 Automation car company, Morton. Since the recent UE4 update renders all previous designs non-canon, it serves as the perfect opportunity to redesign every model they have made, along with all their engines. So far, this plan is off to a decent start. For example, the Morton Kestrel, the flagship sports car of the range, has not only been redesigned with a more aggressive front end, but according to the new lore, is also introduced two years sooner compared to previously. Moreover, its engine will be shared with other Mortons, as was the case in the previous timeline.

Finally, I will also commit to more all-UE4 competitions, or, for recurring competitions such as CSR, enter more rounds which require the use of UE4. With increasing amounts of realism being built in to this release, it is no wonder that participating in these challenges ought to be a much better experience than it once was, especially as more and more of the bugs are fixed over time. That said, UE4 in its current state is still a long way from being polished (and missing scenarios and a Lite Campaign - I can't wait to try those after they've been reintroduced). On the other hand, the earlier Kee version is a long way from being replaced altogether by UE4, especially since other challenges use it out of necessity.

In short, the recent changes to UE4 are so comprehensive, and the extensive rewrite of Morton's backstory resulting from them, effectively ensure that my new year's resolution is effectively a revolution rather than evolution. So sit tight and buckle up - 2018 is going to be an exciting year for sure.