Hey, gang! Been a super-quiet year with a ton of things going on in the background and a lot of radio silence on our end. However, this fancy end-of-year post should give you an idea of what was happening and what is coming. Feast your eyes...
Most of the time was taken up by life things and non-game projects with a lot of planning and setup for the final updates for each of the current games. Reviving our old Tenth&Hess Games studio to handle these last updates and start work on a new project too. Since we're here for the games (right?) let's get on with it!

One Way To Die

Almost ten years old now! This game has had a ton of updates and will see the final one very soon. As we saw in the Fall Update, the game's main loop was totally rebuilt to make it somewhat less reading and more like an actual game.
The story chunks have been condensed and re-written but are still as ridiculous as before. Conversion is about 90% finished at this point and will be out sometime after the new year. Probably January. Seriously!

Haulin' Oats

I personally loved this game but it totally bombed. That said we are about to release the game's 1.0 version on its anniversary in March. Most of the additional stuff was scraped but this last update will bring it out of Early Access and provide all the best, core things we wanted to do with it.
Like what, you ask? Local co-op, all the bug fixes, some re-worked rules, and more polish. There is a controller support and Steam Deck patch slated for after the release patch so fear not!

The Dope Game

Speaking of fear, the list of cool things that got axed from this final update gives it to me.. but the list of bug fixes restores hope.
The Fatal Dose update will come in May for the nine year anniversary! Holy shit, nine years of slanging dope and broken updates?! Yes. Mostly just fixes and minor feature additions like controller support finally and Steam Deck support. Some of the more ambitious things like multiplayer were dropped so this update will actually ship! Also, the sequel has been canceled to work on new projects like one we can't talk about just yet. At least not until all these updates get out the door!

Into Oblivion

This game was basically finished with The Last Drop update but we are scheming on putting in a controller support and Steam Deck update out sometime near the end of 2025. But don't hold your alcohol-laced breath on that.

Raise Your Own Clone

And a game I think we all hated will finally get an update we all deserved initially. Plagued by so many issues, this game was a nightmare to work on and completely missed the mark on what it was supposed to be. Bunch of assholes, I say.
However, it is being completely rebuilt from scratch into what a later design meant to do with and with more competent people now. It will be re-released in August to commemorate our favorite clone... The Flash himself. Yeah, he was the model.

What's Next?

We are doing some collaborations this coming year on some new projects but focusing on putting these old ones to their graves first. Announcements on new stuff will come in the summer of 2025 so don't worry. We'll talk soon. Thank you all so much for all the support over the years. Miss and love you, bitch!

[ 2024-12-08 17:24:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there! The new year has come and we have an update for where things are and what is going on! Since some of them are still a little ways off, we'll try to keep this short. These final updates will be listed in the order they will be released.
The Dope Game We kind of blew the Xmas window, obviously. But that is OK because there was a lot more getting packed into this final update than expected; which is also being broken into two updates. The first one is coming this month, most likely. It will contain a ton of fixes, new features, a new area, new character, and the framework for multiplayer. The second half will contain, probably, bug fixes for the first patch but, more importantly, the multiplayer version of the game. More of a competition really than player-vs-player in Starkham. The original plan failed terribly but would have been cool; so this is a good test and compromise on that. Hopefully you folks will enjoy it. Haulin' Oats Finally bringing this baby out of Early Access after a very long delay. Most of the future plans for the game have been scrapped but couch co-op, controller support, and some rules changes will be included with version 1.0. The game will also appear on GameNite sometime after April too! One Way To Die The overhaul is almost upon us! This free and over ten-year-old game will finally get a last update. It is a somewhat nod to the masses who never read text and those who want multiplayer to be less of a pain. Raise Your Own Clone A game we can all hate is getting a complete rebuild from the ground up. Instead of creating a whole new game ID for it, I figured it was best to reward those who had purchased the game with some much better. The old version can obviously still be played but, let's be real, no one is doing that. Into Oblivion Last but not least by any means, Into Oblivion already got its final update. However, there will be one more patch to provide controller support and Steam Deck support. Developer Change All games listed will be moving to the old but new again Tenth&Hess Games for their final releases; not that you'd really notice. The original studio that actually started these projects long before they ever came to Steam will be taking back over. Granted there is no real personnel change, it just seemed fitting that everything ends where it began.. The Future? Most of this year will be spent designing some new, possible projects. Two of which will need character models but we'll deal with that when and if the time comes! Stay tuned!

[ 2024-02-03 00:01:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, gang! Long time, no see! We have been tracking issues in our user forums, working on assets, busy with non-game projects, and prepping a slew of updates in the space of time since the last post. Now we will get into what to expect in the near future!
Haulin' Oats There were no expectations for Haulin' Oats but it still underperformed. That being said, there will be one large patch to bring it out of Early Access and then smaller QoL update after that. The plans to expand the game with some additional features have been scrapped, sadly. However, all the updates we had planned like Steam Deck support, controller support, score mode, extra animations, etc. are all in this massive, upcoming patch which is almost done. I really loved how this game looked and played but it was pretty niche and drowned in the tidal wave of indie games. The Dope Game The beloved Dope Game will be getting a final patch soon. It contains all the fixes from bugs we've received since the remaster update. It will also put the nail in the coffin for some features we planned like multiplayer and character customization. Multiplayer... just didn't work and that's OK. Resources will be moved to a new game project instead but we'll give this beast the ending it deserves. Into Oblivion Well, this game received its last patch with The Last Drop update and has been laid to rest. I do miss those characters and hope to bring them back at some point somewhere else. Some vague representation of the ideas for the canceled Brewmaster expansion were worked into a recent game jam game called TasteMaker. Good times! One Way To Die The final update for One Way To Die is almost, almost ready. We've talked about it before so I won't go into lots of details here. However, for a free game that wasn't super popular, it has received a lot of love over the years. I'm really looking forward to this final update, I think it's neat. Raise Your Own Clone For a game I hated worked on and it seems other people hated to, it is getting a full revamp with something I wanted to try. It will be the last to get updated but it is a really big overhaul. More on that when it gets closer but maybe the people of Turkey will stop buying so many copies. The Great Beyond! For the future, CoaguCo will probably release two more games then call it quits. Game development can be fun but making commercial games sucks: both time and money. It has been fun seeing folks enjoying these games and hilarious seeing people hate them. We will keep you posted as we go but at least there is light at the end of this tunnel! Have a safe and, hopefully, not too hot rest of your summer!

[ 2023-08-16 15:44:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers! Today we are pushing out a patch that makes some prep work for controller / Steam Deck support but also finally brings OSX into the fold!
First up, welcome OSX users! You can now play the game on your chosen platform. Please let us know if you have any issues. While Ventura was not tested it may play well on that too. Second, there has been some groundwork laid for controllers and Steam Deck. You may notice that the menu stuff is now controller friendly but the actual game is not. These are merely tests for the upcoming v0.4 patch that will bring the game full controller support as well as local couch co-op. There were also a few small fixes and changes tossed in; mostly because they were present when this patch was created. Here is the small change-log for those curious:

• Added: OSX platform
• Added: more rich presence stuff
• Added: some extra small animations
• Changed: text on Financial Burden achievement
• Changed: layout of stats, leaderboards, options, play section
• Changed: prep for controller / Steam Deck functionality
• Changed: prep for couch / local play
• Fixed: achievements not syncing from Steam

More coming soon!

[ 2023-03-28 23:31:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers! A day or two later than expected but we're wheeling out a big patch for version 0.3.2 that fixes a bunch of bugs and adds in a few new features too. A big thanks to everyone submitting bug reports through the various channels and also a big thanks to those of you submitting improvement ideas. Our issues list is shrinking pretty rapidly as is our to-do list; chugging right along towards release v1.0. In case you were a wee bit curious, here is the change-log:

• Added: in-game chat system for multiplayer
• Added: text overlay for each space as player moves
• Added: new sound effects (sorry)
• Added: credit section for SFX
• Changed: traffic jam clear is now a D8 to prevent player from getting permanently stuck
• Changed: modified display settings to work better on Steam Deck
• Changed: keep_width to stretch to display on non-fullscreen
• Changed: various colors and fonts of menu subsections
• Changed: moved location of song bubble to above radio
• Changed: piece speed and bot turn timer text to be more clear
• Changed: code for move roll button to prevent weird glitches
• Fixed: soft-lock during Truck Stop when activity is skipped
• Fixed: piece speed in pause menu not working right
• Fixed: winning second place on ranked mode loops game-over
• Fixed: issue where oats weren't delivered if there was a trap, hitchhiker, etc. on Delivery square
• Fixed: soft-lock during Stopped after getting ass kicked at Truck Stop
• Fixed: turn icon under pieces are bugged on client, everyone has one after three turns
• Fixed: check ramming not showing the dice when it is the local player
• Fixed: condition where multiplayer clients would see wrong button during game over interface
• Fixed: glitch where missing "waiting" button would crash game during Ramming event
• Fixed: HUD not showing correctly during game-over summary
• Fixed: (probably) move roll button appearing randomly or not hiding after clicking
• Fixed: Tip interface target choice not hiding correctly
• Fixed: chat timer not triggering correctly
• Fixed: marker shows wrong co-pilot to pick up
• Fixed: missing text for Sober Up interface's contraband drop-off

More coming soon!

[ 2023-03-15 20:47:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Howdy, long-haul truckers! So today we are issuing a quick hot-fix for soft-locks in the way of the Roster/Kill-switch. Powerful and dangerous, the kill-switch will let you bypass any player's turn if they get stuck. Well, even if they don't. While this does not actually fix any soft-locks, which we strongly urge you to still report, it will prevent your game from completely locking and stopping any progress. The kill-switch will be removed once we hit release v1.0, by the way. We are also pushing out some other small fixes and a few tiny additions. For those curious, here is the change-log:

• Added: roster / kill-switch to bypass bot soft-locks or...
• Added: clarification to move speed slider in options and pause menu
• Changed: players HUD space icon now updates as they move
• Changed: Y-sort-ed markers and traps
• Fixed: some minor spelling / grammar mistakes in localization file
• Fixed: soft-lock on target selection in multiplayer
• Fixed: some music tracks loop
• Fixed: possible crash when player tries to ram themself
• Fixed: pause menu's bot decision making stuff
• Fixed: graphical glitch in pause menu
• Fixed: issue where game thought pause menu was open already
• Fixed: bot turn in singleplayer set up not resetting default correctly

More to come!

[ 2023-03-10 17:31:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers! The time has finally come and we cautiously are releasing Haulin' Oats into Early Access on Steam. So far we've had great feedback and bug reports from the community; thank you so much to all who have chipped in thus far. Hopefully the wider net of the general public will go the same way. If you are curious about purchasing the game in the Early Access state, we highly suggest you check out our Known Issues thread before hitting that buy button. This game is still a work-in-progress and it has some quirks yet.
That being said, most of everything is in the game now: singleplayer, multiplayer, horn honking, all cards, all the music, and more. We have a healthy list of features to add yet and those will be rapidly built then shipped along with bug patches. We hope folks new to the game will make some more great suggestions to improve the game! For those with the hunger and curiosity, here is the change-log:

• Added: camera shake on ramming, wrecks, and other related things
• Added: piece movement to options so players can set it
• Added: Gameplay section to Options to toggle various game features
• Added: pressing player's HUD space icon moves camera to their current position
• Added: delivered icon to status after delivering oats, removed when back at warehouse
• Added: player hands on board rearranged based on local player's position
• Added: full player's hand is shown when clicking board cards or avatar icons
• Added: game saves stats when quitting from pause menu
• Added: confirmation for save delete and achievement reset
• Added: more gameplay options to pause menu
• Added: each player has their own honk, for later customization
• Fixed: bug with player position swap in Incident card 30
• Fixed: horn honking not showing for right player who honked
• Fixed: incorrect save message during game summary in single-player
• Fixed: issue where game crashes when no player is assigned camera focus
• Fixed: API not saving data for leaderboards
• Fixed: target selection still sometimes shows a player twice
• Fixed: weird bug where dice stayed in cup

More bug fixes and new features coming very soon! Please report any bugs you find or suggestions you have here!

[ 2023-03-10 00:01:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Howdy, long-haul truckers! So after a few delays and much gnashing of teeth, we are finally releasing Haulin' Oats into Early Access on Itch.io in the form of version 0.2.3!
Itch.io purchasers will get access to the full game but are limited to singleplayer as all the multiplayer features rely on Steamworks. However, Itch.io folks also get Steam keys which can be activated but won't unlock the game on Steam until March 9th. Speaking of, the game will finally release into Early Access on Steam on March 9th. If that wasn't clear already. Users on each platform can keep up to date on what we are fixing and adding as we go. We are also taking lots of user submissions for ideas on improvement through this Early Access period. You can see a list of all the cool stuff that will be added in through our community forums. The change-log for those of you curious enough:

• Added: non-Steam platforms for singleplayer
• Added: Steam stats for achievements on Steam platform
• Added: trips meter now has tooltip
• Changed: most runs leaderboard changed to most unnecessary waits
• Changed: pieces move faster they longer they are moving
• Changed: some animations
• Fixed: issue where save/load file may crash game
• Fixed: minor problems with API
• Fixed: various issues with target selection during card draws
• Fixed: incorrect text file ID for Incident card 18
• Fixed: graphical mistake on Encounter card 47
• Fixed: cost on Encounter card 40
• Fixed: weird sub-title placement on Incident cards
• Fixed: player getting double-charged if they roll a 7 on Motel outcome
• Fixed: various small issues with Hitchhiker system
• Fixed: weird double-roll issue on Motel adn Curse squares
• Fixed: missing Tow bot logic on Road Killed square
• Fixed: player not discarding Incident card 41 when delivery blocked
• Fixed: dice result card alignment and spacing for all card draw squares
• Fixed: some minor text in localization file / game
• Fixed: text on Incident card 20 is missing
• Fixed: possible soft-lock during Encounter result card
• Fixed: stats associated with wins / game-over
• Removed: sync data option, using Steam Cloud instead

More coming very soon!

[ 2023-03-03 00:15:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers! So originally we had planned to release the game into Early Access today but it seems Valve is pretty behind on approving the build or giving us instructions on what needs fixed to approve the build. Partially our fault for turning that in on the 16th! Nonetheless, we are pushing the Early Access release on Steam back until March 9th which will hopefully give enough time to get through this process. However, for folks who love Itch.io, we will be releasing the Early Access version over there on March 2nd instead. You will still get a Steam key along with a non-Steam version, naturally. Though the Itch version will be missing some key features due to Steamworks integration; most importantly, no multiplayer. We are also updating the game to version 0.2.2 today. This will being our updates to the default/release branch on Steam with the beta branch being used for bleeding edge tests. Here are a list of the changes made for this version:

• Added: four new tracks by Joseph Couden aka Scary Ghost
• Added: current player's HUD element scales up a bit, with animation, during their turn
• Added: better checks for player's visual position
• Added: gameplay options to pause menu
• Added: radio text bubble to show song and artist currently playing
• Added: summary of player buffs/debuffs in HUD element drop-down
• Added: square/space icon in player HUD element to show the space they are on, and color
• Added: animated marker under current player's piece
• Changed: complete overhaul of piece movement system, should fix various cosmetic bugs
• Changed: movement speed increases when player moves backwards over long distances
• Changed: minor layout for HUD element items
• Changed: updated all dice graphics, dice rolling layout, and code
• Changed: dice stay on the table until the related roll stuff is done
• Fixed: possible bug where game may confuse one player's space for another
• Fixed: player skipping companions selection in singleplayer locking game
• Fixed: double-render of choices during setup which causes odd button responsiveness
• Fixed: issue where a rammed player could be repeatedly rammed
• Fixed: issue where bot would repeatedly roll dice over and over unless paused
• Fixed: issue with remote players not having turn graphics synced
• Fixed: bots sometimes rolling twice (sneaky bastards)
• Fixed: various issue with the hitchhiker system
• Fixed: issue where having incident card 40 on an active hobo nest used the card
• Removed: pistol item and code reference as Encounter card 20 is the only way to acquire one

More coming soon! As tradition dictates.

[ 2023-02-23 20:48:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Howdy, long-haul truckers! Today we will be moving the game into Early Access ahead of the upcoming public release. We are still fixing bugs and adding things in preparation for release, but a lot of our core features still need more time in the oven. Multiplayer being a big one as well as the racing / betting. So instead of pushing the release date back another few months, we'd rather get the game out to more players so we can get more feedback and community direction. Speaking of community direction, other than the ton of super helpful bug reports, folks have been providing lots of cool features to add as well as some UI tweaks and usability ideas. Since the players are the ones playing the game, your input is really important to getting this all right. There are also a fair amount of extras we had planned like accessibility features, OSX, controller / Steam Deck support, and a few others. These take time and some may be after the version 1.0 release too. What changes, you say? Here is the change-log for the current beta branch version:

• Added: "waiting" button when it is not the local player's turn in multiplayer
• Added: new post-game summary scene that goes over winners and losers
• Added: icon for current leader (by space and deliveries)
• Added: new animation for dice roll
• Added: players can honk horn in multiplayer while waiting
• Changed: icon for score in HUD
• Changed: player mini-HUDs rearrange based on turn order
• Changed: 'nah' and 'yeah' buttons during character select
• Fixed: Just The Tip showing incorrect fine or turn loss
• Fixed: interface and turn icon sync for clients
• Fixed: possible condition where passing warehouse may count twice
• Fixed: issue where games with more than one lap may prevent player from delivering oats a second time
• Fixed: issue where Resource cards didn't let you use buttons or didn't show buttons
• Fixed: ESC button not unpausing game if paused
• Fixed: total number of deliviers doesn't show right in multiplayer HUD
• Fixed: skipping companion pick soft-locking game
• Fixed: curse or disease not affecting move roll
• Fixed: curse or move bonus decreasing on first turn after obtaining one
• Fixed: duplicate song in playlist

We will continue to push out beta updates to the multiplayer beta branch and porting stable features, additions, etc. to the default release branch as we go. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1254770/Haulin_Oats/

[ 2023-02-19 16:55:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Howdy, long-haul truckers! Today we are updating the game to beta v0.2.0 which also serves as the release candidate for the game. Folks with access to the game can try out the release candidate build in the normal, default branch. You can also try out our multiplayer tests in the beta branch which will be added in later. All that being said, we are feverishly squashing bugs and applying polish for release. There will probably be one more update pushed prior to release for testers to check out; more if needed. Curious as to what was changed? We got ya covered:

• Added: multiplayer enabled (for beta)
• Added: messages to markers and trap icons
• Added: right-click on certain card highlights to discard
• Added: local player's held cards show up at bottom of screen
• Changed: reduced tooltip graphic size
• Changed: cleaned up lots of things under-the-hood
• Fixed: missing CIA package in HUD causing crash
• Fixed: music changing when exiting match through pause screen
• Fixed: pause interface not showing up during set-up phase
• Fixed: wonky dialog button clicking
• Fixed: certain status effects not reducing correctly
• Fixed: Dennis card text
• Fixed: Tip interface during skip choice
• Fixed: Incident cards 9 and 11 had graphics reversed
• Fixed: markers and trap icons not respecting parental shaders
• Fixed: bandit cards not moving player forward
• Fixed: player piece not visually updating on rammed, destroyed, or damaged status
• Fixed: broken translation text
• Fixed: start not disabling when new player joins lobby
• Fixed: passing by delivery square doesn't update player properly

More updates coming soon and launch even sooner. Feel free to wishlist the game now and see you out on the road on the 23rd! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1254770/Haulin_Oats/

[ 2023-02-16 20:32:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers! We are pushing an update to both the Steam Next Fest demo and the beta tester version. It contains a bunch of fixes from bug reports by you terrific folks. Curious as to what? Here's the change-log:

• Changed: updated Steam API files
• Fixed: soft-lock issue with post-turn move
• Fixed: missing dice roll text on Incident card 4
• Fixed: crash on Delivery square due to misnamed node
• Fixed: issue where empty radio cut list crashes game
• Fixed: traps and hitcher interfaces not loading correctly
• Fixed: issue with losing companion not dropping market or updating correctly in HUD
• Fixed: instance where lack of target object caused crash
• Fixed: Incident title text and color being incorrect when using Resource card 28
• Fixed: game not removing some cards from players hand correctly
• Fixed: missing CIA carry icon due to misnaming

More coming very soon.

[ 2023-02-10 08:40:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey long-haul truckers! Just ahead of Steam Next Fest, we will be rolling out a beta update for the game which will include a ton of new stuff to play with, if you are one of the people with beta access that is.
Folks without beta access will be able to play a shorter version by way of a Steam Next Fest demo, which runs from February 6th to 13th. It will definitely be buggy since we are still working out the kinks in single-player. The card decks were a bit more complicated than expected. That being said, expect the next update to have multiplayer and the final release candidate for singleplayer. This specific beta update will be available tomorrow for the start of Next Fest! Change-log for the curious at heart:

• Added: confirmation to quit
• Added: last remaining cards
• Added: CoaguCo API fully functional
• Added: leaderboards are now active
• Added: assets for a Mac port
• Added: new pause menu with options
• Added: radio to change music in-game
• Added: all cards are hooked into the game now
• Added: achievements are linked in
• Added: other win conditions are active
• Changed: pre- and post-loading animations are now pseudo-3D
• Changed: fonts and minor design elements on art assets
• Changed: text on various encounter, resource, and incident cards
• Changed: option title sizes
• Changed: moved back buttons
• Changed: guest characters are now unlockable
• Changed: rebuilt the main menu
• Changed: all-new splash sequence
• Changed: restructured Stats sub-menu
• Changed: cast, crew layout in credits
• Changed: moved Dennis into frame during setup phase
• Fixed: incorrect achievement text
• Fixed: application icon for Windows and Mac
• Fixed: normalized music tracks
• Fixed: bug where next button would overlap choices in dialog
• Fixed: scaling on audio sliders
• Removed: tutorial option from singleplayer in favor of hints
• Removed: avatar portraits from dialog panel

[ 2023-02-05 22:40:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

In exactly one month, Haulin' Oats will finally be released on Steam!
In exactly one month, Haulin' Oats will finally be released on Steam! This weekend we will be updating the screenshots and trailers with the final versions of the graphics. We will also be rolling out a limited beta for folks to test too! If you're keen, hit us up at betas@coaguco.com for more information. You can also check the game out during this upcoming Steam Next Fest in early February with a demo for all to try. Lots more coming very, very soon! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1254770/Haulin_Oats/

[ 2023-01-24 00:48:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there! So last year around this time we did a Fall Update to give news on every project we are working on and where everything currently is. This year we're gonna do the same. Instead, however, we will talk about each project in alphabetical order. TL:DR; Been doing real-life stuff and other non-game projects, but things are still moving along! Just slower. Wanting to provide higher-quality updates. [hr][/hr]

The Dope Game

So the game has five different content updates (still) coming. Most of them have missed their original assumed deadlines but so it goes in the world of game development. Since most of these updates require a lot of art, that takes a bit more time than programming sometimes.
The first update, which adds more customization to characters, is being overhauled. While you will be able to modify colors and such for the outfits, they will be put together in sets to reduce the complication of the mix-and-match; which is really where things get hung up. We are also going to mix update 1 and 2 together by putting out the DLC updates in with the customization patch. Just to speed things up a bit. [hr][/hr]

Haulin' Oats

Release dates have been speculated on a lot and right now we are targeting Q1 2023 with a nice buffer after Steam Winter Sale and a buffer before Steam Spring Sale. Other than the grueling grind that is multiplayer, the game has been getting a graphical overhaul.
Various fonts, lines, and images are being redesigned and cleaned up. As you can see from the images above and below. Card faces are being reworked too; most of this for clarity and to match the physical assets for the (hopeful) physical version. Some higher resolutions are also being used for larger displays. Also doing a round of checking for any missing assets like missing card graphics.
A few other things:

• More animations are being done, like game pieces, icons on the board, etc.
• A new radio is being added to change tracks in-game if you want to skip some.
• More music is being added too.
• Actual hands and arms of in-game "players" being tested.
• UI overhaul to fit information better.

Hopefully our first multiplayer build will be out this XMas for you guys to test out. [hr][/hr]

Into Oblivion

The game is currently awaiting its Midnight update. Most of the time has been spent combating how the interface is laid out with so many other players. In the end, the maximum number of players for Midnight is being reduced to 6 from 8.
Almost all of it is done. The intro animations are ready to go and most of the assets are in place. At this point it is finalizing the UI and finishing up the code. There will also be a small update to some of the rules of the main game. Status effects will be added as cards to the deck as well as created by drink combinations. This will be included as a new game mode in the Midnight update. Also some new skins coming but I think that was in the last roadmap update. [hr][/hr]

One Way To Die

When will multiplayer toggle be here? Soon. It is about the only question asked of our first (joke) game. The game itself is also getting slightly rebuilt with a new mode which is different from the last teased one. Frankly the visual novel aspect wasn't greatly received so it will be getting dumped in favor of this:
A match-style game has been implemented with some new mechanics and there will also be more UI changes. There will be some new death animations and shorter death text, with the option to read longer text if you want. It will also make multiplayer more interesting with the new changes. [hr][/hr]

Raise Your Own Clone

Speaking of games no one really liked, the last and least is the one that sucked internally to make and didn't fare very well despite the weird surge in sales lately. Yes, the game is being completely rebuilt, much like One Way To Die, as the visual novel thing just sucked. Also the writing is not great, but no one said it would be. Sadly there are no images currently of the new style the game is moving towards. As it is lowest on the totem and at this point it is just graphic assets construction. What we can tell you is that it will end up being a muliti-chapter 2D, top-down, RPG-style remake. [hr][/hr] That's it for this fall update. Unlike previous times, there are no hard dates for anything so there is no disappoint on our end or yours. Have a happy fall season and hope to get some new content out to you all soon!

[ 2022-10-03 18:13:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there, happy fall! And with the change of the seasons we are back from a lengthy vacation to update you on where and when various games will see the light of day. For fun, this will be in chronological order. [hr][/hr]

Into Oblivion

So the Brewmaster expansion won't be around until, probably, Q3 2022; however, the game will be getting a large update very soon for the upcoming Steam Tabletop Fest. Yeah, this month... in about two weeks. That soon.
What's in it? The game's version of Godot will be updated to 3.3.4; maybe 3.4 if that comes out before the update. Tons of code has been updated under the hood in preparation for Brewmaster, including the networking which has all be ported over to Steam instead of Godot's internal networking. This will make all the multiplayer stuff much more smooth. In addition to these, there are a few graphical upgrades and animation changes. Menu layouts have been altered too. The old "embiggen" mode was pulled temporarily to be replaced with better accessibility modes in the Brewmaster update. The native resolution is now 1440p, up from 1080p. And, naturally, a bunch more tiny tweaks that will be outlined in the change log when it launches. [hr][/hr]

Haulin' Oats

Our next big release will be out in Q1 2022. Haulin' Oats is currently undergoing networking re-writes and various graphical upgrades for the last beta version. Trust me, all those graphical assets take a long time to draw and implement.
Along with these updates for the beta will be the Haulin' Oats rule book which will be available for download so you can read about each square during, prior, or post game-play. The rule book is also part of the possible physical version of the game that you can play at home with friends... if you have them. More on the possibility of this physical version will be talked about after the official Steam launch. [hr][/hr]

The Dope Game: Remaster

Probably the most asked about, The Dope Game missed its original remaster release window of May 2021. Too many asset changes, code changes, and covid dragged the process out. However, considering we are closer to the end now, the release day can pretty reliably be set at May 30th, 2022.
There have been a bunch of weird, new features added to the game since the last update and the next beta update should be pretty juicy. It may or may not show up as an Xmas present for you all. [hr][/hr]

One Way To Die: Final Cut

The oldest of our games and one that started as a joke a long time ago, is getting one final update which will add a graphical version. This was teased earlier in the year and, well, let's tease it again.
While there is no hard date, the One Way To Die: Final Cut version should be out in Summer 2022. It hasn't been decided yet if the fully text version will be removed or not. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. [hr][/hr]

Raise Your Own Clone

Last and very much least, a game I personally hated working on, is Raise Your Own Clone. Between design and release, much was lost and development felt like a drag. To fix all that, the game is getting a re-imagining and new life in Q4 2022.
None of the actual story content will change; however, the presentation will change greatly. If you remember your way through each story, it'll make playing the new version that much easier. And, finally, we will have a version of the game that we can feel good about. [hr][/hr] That's it for now. More updates will follow as each of these game's updates come out or get closer. Stay tuned!

[ 2021-10-02 20:08:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey long-haul trucks, dope fiends, and death seekers! There has been some silence as things are being worked on so here is a post to address all three games and their update statuses for the summer; including vague release windows. As it is the year of delays in games, films, and what-not, these three are no different. We will start at the top of the list and work our way down. [hr][/hr]

Haulin' Oats

If you've visited the Haulin' Oats Steam store page lately you'd notice the release date has been changed to "Ready When Ready" from the tentative June 2021 date. That being said, in the last update I believe it was mentioned the game as going to be released sometime in the summer and that June was a just a holding date.
Since real-life takes importance over development-life and there is a lot more polish I'd like to put on the game before releasing it, summer might still be a valid target but the game may not see the light of day until fall. The next beta update will be the multiplayer test update and there will be posts about it right before it happens. Nonetheless, various things have been upgraded since the last test update: art, code, shader effects, etc. Things are shaping up and calmly walking towards a final build but not just yet. [hr][/hr]

The Dope Game Remaster

Second on our list is The Dope Game Remaster, which was due out on May 30th, 2021; the five-year anniversary. However, it won't be making that date but that is because of all the love this remaster is getting.
Seriously. All of the art has been redone, multiplayer has been added (which goes into test soon), every system and interface has been upgrade and expanded, a new area to deal in, new NPC, armor, organ harvesting, stuff to spend your money on, etc. Most of the new stuff is borrowed from The Dope Game 2 as a test so I know what to work on and what to avoid before that starts full development. While we will miss the May 30th release, the remaster will be out sometime after that and before summer ends. To avoid another delay post, there will not be a hard date set. However, there will be posts when the multiplayer test is ready and the final release should be shortly after that... with the appropriate post shortly beforehand. [hr][/hr]

One Way To Die

Lastly and least-ly, One Way To Die is getting it's final (yes, final) update. The original final update contained some code changes, minor polish, an opt-out for multiplayer, and an engine upgrade. However, since this game is over 12 years old now, I figured I'd give the old girl a better send-off.
The game that started out a joke and has had a lot of revisions and updates over those years will finally make one last pivot into a graphical version. Yes, all you folks who hate reading can finally play it as a graphical adventure. It is something that has been mulled over for a while now and is finally happening. This will also significantly overhaul how the multiplayer / sabotage mode works. Choose and Random modes will finally be retired with Story mode being revamped as the solo text-only mode. There is release date set for this but probably fall, if I had to guess. [hr][/hr] There is a bunch of other stuff happening in the shadows with Into Oblivion and Raise Your Own Clone as well as some unnamed projects but we won't get into that until 2022. And while it is quiet right now, there will be a lot of updates and releases coming soon. Talk to you then!

[ 2021-05-16 16:28:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey long-haul truckers! As the title says, the game is being delayed again. Due to power outages related to the last winter storm a few weeks ago and time needed to deal with the aftermath of that, thanks to Texas' really shitty electric grid, it has been been decided to delay the game again until summer.
As of right now, I am targeting June 1st as the likely release date. However, this is only a tentative date and nothing solid just yet. At this phase I am mostly polishing up system, art assets, and finalizing some minor additions. Multiplayer is still pretty untested, so that needs to be rigorously done. Nothing worse than rushing all this to meet an arbitrary release date. All that being said, I want to thank everyone for their patience and assistance in getting things closer to done. I am planning on a little extra something when the game finally hits release to offset the delays the game has hit. More to come!

[ 2021-03-05 16:15:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there, long-haul truckers! So last time this was discussed, there was a tentative release date of January 21 which (at the time) seemed like a big enough window to get the last few pieces in place and polished. Well, after examining things it seems just a tiny bit more time is needed. Nothing like holidays and pandemics to really through your development schedule off.
That being said, there is now an official release date set of March 19, 2021. The game's OST will also be released on the same day, in case you were curious about that. And while I will say it now, I plan on having at least one more pre-release up before March; definitely one or two multiplayer tests with subsequent patches.

Board Game? Board Game!

For a while now, I have been researching what it would take to make a physical version of the game; mostly the cost. I have found a few companies that could print the individual components and one-offs would be pretty expensive. Despite that, I will be creating at least one or two physical versions for the office because why not? To make costs reasonable, I think there would have be some kind of Kickstarter and that would requires folks to be interested in playing it. So sometime after the game's release in March I'll be reaching out to the community and see if there is any interest. If so, then I'll calculate how many copies would need to be made to make them cheap enough per. But enough of that, back to serious business!

[ 2021-01-04 15:47:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers! Today is the day that version 0.0.3 of the game finally rolls out. There was a lot of stuff that changed since the last alpha update like fonts, graphics, layouts, etc.

Change-log

Here is a handy list of changes:

• Added: encryption for save files
• Added: networking framework
• Added: saving of game statistics
• Added: more music from the soundtrack
• Added: radio station-style swap through music tracks
• Added: final font designs thanks to cultivated minds
• Added: rich presence text for Steam friends list
• Changed: bot wait button text to be more clear
• Changed: various art assets with new fonts
• Changed: various chunks of code for better performance
• Changed: menu layout now moves around the table
• Changed: swapped object order in menu to prevent button blocking
• Fixed: issue with randomizer

Steam Autumn Game Festival

For those of you without alpha access to the game, the version 0.0.2 demo is still available for the duration of the festival and will be updated to the alpha version 0.0.3 demo this weekend. As with the previous one, it is limited to one lap and a limited number of Encounter, Resource, and Incident cards. Once the festival is over, the demo is go away again. However, when the game is released in January, the demo will resurface as the official "final build" demo and will get subsequent updates when the main game gets updated. Yes, that means a day-one demo.

Next Up

Now that most of the core changes are in place it is time to crank out the rest of the missing assets and final missing feature: racing. So far everything still seems to be on target for the January release. The biggest thing to test in the next and (hopefully) final alpha is networked games. We will talk more about that leading up to the next alpha release which should be sometime in late November. See you then!

[ 2020-10-09 20:49:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers! As of yesterday, I decided to pull Hauiln' Oats out of the Steam Autumn Game Festival since the time would be better used getting alpha v0.3 finished up. That being said, the demo that was available during the Summer Game Festival is now live again. And despite pulling the game from the festival last night, it appears it is still active in Steam's system! If you see the little button for the planned live-stream, clicking it will just bring up this post. I did indeed plan a live-stream but my working dev build is not show-ready currently.
However, I'm in the home-stretch of getting alpha v0.3 ready. All of the new features and designs are in place, with the exception of the tons of card assets that need updated. Hopefully the alpha will be pushed to Steam next week. Cheers and good luck to all the devs showing their games for the festival!

[ 2020-10-07 18:02:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there! Welcome back to this week's development diary for Haulin' Oats. The last one was a solo-update about The Dope Game Remaster and this one, obviously, all about Haulin' Oats over the last few weeks.

All The New Things

While I don't quite remember what I talked about last time, and I'm clearly being too lazy to look back at the last post, we'll just start with what has been going on since the last dev diary about the game. Code. Lots of code. A ton of code got re-written. The server API got upgraded and how it talks back to the game. Since I was balls-deep in the networking stuff, a lot of that had to change as it no longer worked as expected. A fair amount of The Dope Game's new networking stuff was pulled over too, as I had gotten farther along with that and the code was pretty recycle-able. The final font designs are now integrated into the game; thanks to Cindy at Cultivated Minds. This, naturally, led to redo a ton of graphics and assets for Steam. In turn, that led to replacing some text graphics with just text labels in the engine which will allow for easier localization (if and when) and accessibility. The main menu also got an upgrade. Originally I was trying to cram all the sub-menus into the yellow box at the top but was having a hard time really getting the networking stuff to fit correctly. This eventually led to the sub-menus spilling out onto the table around the game box. Like so...
This also lets the whole "table top board game" theme branch out with each sub-menu getting it's own design. The camera even pulls back up and out then settles on whatever sub-menu the player has opened. I think it looks a lot better than the old version. Any while they're not all set up yet, you can see the sub-menus for play, options, leaderboards, and credits in the screenshot above.

Release Delay

As tradition dictates, the game is being pushed back from October to a January release. Tentatively January 21st, 2021. There is a lot more polish and small things that I want to add so I figured I would need a more time. Plus it is good to avoid releasing during the holiday shit-storm that is Thanksgiving to X-Mas in the US.
That being said, I will probably push smaller yet more frequent updates much like how The Dope Game Remaster is being handled currently. At least after this large main menu overhaul is finished.

Steam Game Festival

The game's demo will be available again during the Steam Game Festival in October. Originally I had assumed this demo would be the final one for release but, due to the game being pushed back to January, I think that's no longer the case. While there isn't really a new trailer for the game, the October SGF trailer is the last game festival trailer but with the game's final font design and updated release window. Well, that's it for now. There will be another update in two weeks time for both games and yet another closer to the Steam Game Festival in October! See you then!

[ 2020-09-18 20:35:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey! Hey. Hey? That's right, time for another development diary for Haulin' Oats and The Dope Game remaster. I must say I am enjoying this bi-monthly update more than the weekly one; and I'll enjoy it more once I stop writing these altogether! Anyhow, let's get down to it, folks.

Haulin' Oats

I've mostly been polishing and added content since last we spoke, as well as tinkering with the multiplayer stuff; like this hideous interface.
There really isn't a whole lot to talk about as it has been code tweaking and most people are pretty disinterested in such things. Especially when there are no shiny pictures to show. However... The Steam Game Festival is coming back in October, before the launch of Haulin' Oats. So I think the demo for that festival will be the official demo for the game; minus any subsequent bug-fixes and such. And speaking of, the game is now slated for the end of October. Any later than that and it would have to be delayed until January 2021 because you never want to launch a small, relatively unknown indie game during the holiday seasons.

The Dope Game Remaster

This last chunk of time was getting more stuff ready for the first test build which will be released next Friday (August, 28th). The build will obviously be missing some assets and have a lot of bugs but will give you the chance to see all the changes in action. Speaking of...
You can see here an early version of the character customization screen. I can't remember if I talked about this already but you can change how your character looks and server icons for games. There will be unlockable bonuses for playing other CoaguCo games as well as the ability to purchase new outfits and icons. Purchasing will use an in-game currency which you can exchange your hard-earned drug money for... because fuck real-money micro-transactions for cosmetics, or anything really. Speaking of hard-earned money, as mentioned a long while ago, once the remaster update is out the game's price will increase slightly. After talking to a bunch of folks about it, it was decided to raise the price instead of making this all a completely new version or a DLC package. Plus, I'm pretty sure everyone who wants the game already has it. I mean, it was two dollars, fam. If you don't, I would get that shit sooner than later. See you next week for the first test build! There will not be a new dev diary that day but there will be a post talking about what to expect. Til then!

[ 2020-08-21 19:46:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Oh, hello there, stranger! The time-off has come to and end and here we are... time for another development diary for Haulin Oats and The Dope Game Remaster. As I mentioned in the previous post, these diaries are being cut down to every other week. And, of course, never again once each project launches. That being said...

Haulin Oats

A fair amount of the time after my time-off was spend on The Dope Games networking system. However, what work Haulin Oats got was divided between setting up music and polish for the next alpha which should be out sometime this month.
To prevent music from getting horribly repetitive throughout a game session, the music will be set up like a radio. One song will play then the radio will scan the channels looking for the next song; like driving in a big rig. Some tracks have been assembled so far and more are coming. The current ones will be added into the next alpha version so folks can hear them. The polish phase is almost done and (I hope) most of the bugs have been squashed. Im going to try to jam in the racing feature before releasing it to the folks who have alpha access but well see how that goes. Also some accessibility features will be added prior to launch. I have to get in touch with some folks to go over what all needs to be added and then create a plan to add it!

The Dope Game Remaster

Most of the work done around my time-off has been networking. This is actually a drawn-out process; especially when testing it against yourself on a LAN. Nonetheless, the Steamworks integration is going pretty well.
All the lobby stuff, after multiple iterations, is now done. So far all the testing works, thanks to pulling some stuff from other CoaguCo games. Currently I am implementing the multiplayer P2P framework in the game itself so folks can run around and slang together. Well, more against each other. You will be able to play against six other friends or foes though currently there is no option to join an in-progress game. While it was considered, I think it might be too hard to catch up once a match starts. However, maybe down the road that will get added. Next update I will talk more about the character and server customization. There will be a decent amount at launch with some add-ons over time. More on that next time, folks!

[ 2020-08-07 19:59:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Why hello, sweetlings. It is time for another week of development diary entries for Haulin Oats and The Dope Game. Also I will be taking the following week off of development to do some real-life stuff instead and will be changing the dev diary schedule to twice a month (every other week). Yes, the applause is deafening but please remain calm here are this weeks updates.

Haulin Oats

This week was all about getting that multiplayer up and running. As you can see below, something that was visible in the current alpha (I think) is the hosting settings. These are now functional.
All of the lobby set-up functionality as well as server list functionality is now in the next alpha build. In-lobby chat also works. Still tinkering with kicking players from the lobby though. Avatars should show up next to each player too. Now the focus is shifting to making the game playable. Luckily there were hooks already for bots / remote players, so its just all about adding in the client-server functions to talk to these. When the next alpha version hits, this should all be ready to go. Expect that, probably, in August at some point.

The Dope Game Remaster

Combat was the name of the game this week. And a lot of changes were made since the last version, like armor, multiple enemies, better healing, etc.
So yes, armor is now a thing. It will be depleted before health except on criticals. It can be purchased from Pinky or the Shady Merchant. You can also now heal your crew in combat from the heal menu. This will hopefully keep them in better shape during rough fights. And speaking of rough fights, NPCs can now call in allies; there can be up to five different opponents in one fight. There were also some minor tweaks to rewards, how buttons are laid out (no more accidental surrender), and more. Thats it for now. More in two weeks!

[ 2020-07-11 21:38:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, friends! We are gathered here today for yet another development diary for Haulin Oats and The Dope Game remaster. No time to dally, lets get into it.

Haulin Oats

This week not a whole lot of exciting stuff got done for Haulin Oats. Mostly worked on improving things under the hood as well as completing more cards for the game; given there are currently 75 cards per deck planned.
Despite all the art still needed, my goal is to move ahead and get the multiplayer functional for alpha v0.0.3 then backtrack to the issues list and get those ironed out. Oh, and per last post, here is something for the quickest of you who actually reads these things (REJMT-WCYR8-FME4Z). There will be three more popping up in randomly places. Or maybe they are actually in this dev diary entry but different in the other places it is officially posted? Hmm.

The Dope Game Remaster

The Dope Game got a lot of love this week. More restructuring of the underlying code happened to make things more efficient. Basically gutting the whole system. This ended up happening because of a few more features added to the game from The Dope Game 2, as tests.
Like youll notice in this screenshot. You can actually donate a few unneeded organs to make some cash; some with unintended side-effects. You can also now treat conditions, primarily the one you get when the old lady on the bus sticks a syringe into your neck. Additionally you can now heal your crew members at the hospital. There are some other new features that will be covered next week along with related screenshots to really give you a visual of what is new. Lastly the Russian version of the game may be delayed a bit longer due to the new script not being complete and getting those changes in place. However, it shouldnt be delayed too much. Well, thats it for this week. More coming soon!

[ 2020-07-03 22:47:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, my dearest reader. The Steam Game Festival is now over and the Steam summer sale is upon us. With a week off from dev diaries there is a bit to talk about, but itll be short and sweet.

Haulin Oats

A big thanks to all the folks who checked out the demo during the Steam Game Festival. I got some decent feedback and glad people enjoyed it. The demo will reappear closer to the full release this fall.
Armed with new details, the next alpha version should be out in early July. Im aiming to have achievements functional as well as stats and some more glitches ironed out. Maybe, if were lucky, have multiplayer functional too. Also I will be giving out four (4) beta keys to some folks during the Steam Summer Sale starting this coming Monday. Keep an eye out on the CoaguCo Twitter account, the CoaguCo Steam group, and the Haulin Oats community page.

The Dope Game Remaster

Now that the Steam Game Festival is over, work has resumed on The Dope Games remastered version. As you can see below, all the characters are looking pretty for the new version.
More assets are being drawn every day and Im trying not to chuck in any more features from The Dope Game 2. Though the idea is to have a few just to test how they will work for the sequel. Working on the game again at this level has been fun. Hopefully the beta version will be out in July at some point; probably near the end of the month. Ive also been trying to get feedback on how to approach the remaster version; things like:

• Make it a new app?
• Make it a full update for the main game but with a new, higher price?
• Make it a full update for the main game but at the same price?
• Make it a DLC?

Time yet to figure it out. Feel free to throw in your 2 cents! Until next time!

[ 2020-06-26 23:43:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, long-haul truckers. This Friday, at 5 PM (CST), I will be hanging out in chat to talk about Haulin' Oats, oatmeal, truck driving, or other related / unrelated things for the Steam Game Festival. I'll also be drawing art assets for the game and possibly handing out a gift or two along the way. The chat will take place in the game's Steam community chat here: https://s.team/chat/CyVPLSJG If my internet connection is feeling frisky, there may even be a bit of demo streaming / broadcasting. Until then, you can try out a demo of the game (based on the current alpha build) over on the game's Steam store page. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1254770/Haulin_Oats/ See you then!

[ 2020-06-16 17:48:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Why hello. I see you are here for yet another development diary for Haulin Oats and The Dope Game remaster. Well, no reason to waste any time, please sit down.

Haulin Oats

Have we discussed this before? The Steam Game Festival? Surely we did. Either way, it starts next Tuesdays and the demo will be available during that week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMj2xHauVeM As you can see here, the gameplay trailer for the store page is live! Speaking of, the store page is also active currently. You can go over and check out all the details and wishlist if it you so choose. This week was spent polishing up both the demo and alpha v0.0.2 for the masses. Which reminds me, if you are in the cast, crew, a guest, or an early adopter, your Steam keys are now available in Itch.io! While you can redeem them now, you will have to wait until Monday night to get a hold of the new alpha version. If you are none of these people, you can just download the very limited demo on Tuesday!

The Dope Game Remaster

Sidelined yet again, The Dope Game remaster saw very little work this week. However, things will resume to normal after the Steam Game Festival is over.
In the meantime, here is a screenshot of the new bus map. It shows off the new location: the Starkham Docks. It includes a new NPC and sub-location: Jenkins, from One Way To Die and Into Oblivon, and The Bootleg Distillery. Both are a tie-in to Into Oblivions upcoming DLC: The Brewmaster. More on that later this year though. Well, thats it for now. Itll be radio silence next week due to the SGF but Ill be over there doing stuff!

[ 2020-06-13 00:57:07 CET ] [ Original post ]