Hey, storm chasers! Tornadoes can now pick up vehicles and people and throw them, tear trees apart, and knock the power out in a shower of sparks. The radar you chase them with reads velocity as well as reflectivity. Here's what's new.
The Short Version
- Tornadoes: new shaders, a proper touchdown animation, and they throw vehicles and people now
- Destruction: tree damage, plus power flashes with sparks
- Vehicles: a working steering wheel, an in-cab laptop with radar, hazard lights and lightbars
- Radar: velocity and reflectivity, tornado vortex signatures, sirens tied to warnings
- Map: the Early Access map is roughly 25% built
Tornado System Improvements
We've made significant strides in enhancing the tornado experience:
- Updated tornado shaders for more realistic visuals
- Improved the dropping down animation for a more dramatic effect
- Implemented a system for tornadoes to throw vehicles and people
- Added power flashes with sparks for increased realism
- Introduced tree destruction for more environmental interaction
Power Outage Feature
Vehicle and Gameplay Enhancements
Our vehicle system has seen major upgrades:
- Implemented a functional steering wheel for immersive driving
- Added an in-vehicle laptop with radar display
- Introduced hazard lights and emergency lightbars
Radar and Weather Systems
The radar system has received a significant overhaul:
- Updated radar now displays velocity and reflectivity
- Implemented TVS (Tornado Vortex Signature) icons and warnings
- Integrated tornado sirens with the radar system
- Added hail to our weather system
- Improved our cloud system for more realistic storm formations
Map and Environment
Progress on our environment continues:
- The EA (Early Access) map is now 25%-ish complete
- Implemented a power outage system for added realism
- Experimenting with AI traffic to populate our world
What's Next?
More of the map, more vehicles, and continued work on the tornado and destruction systems. This is primarily a solo project with some occasional help, so your patience means a lot.
Wishlist Tornado Emergency on Steam if you haven't yet, and follow the page so the next update lands in your feed. Wishlists are a big part of how far Steam pushes a game at launch.
Stay safe out there.