Automation (video game)
{{Short description|Automotive business simulation video game}}
{{notability|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Automation: The Car Company Tycoon Game
| image = Automation(VideoGame)Img.jpg
| image_size = 275px
| caption =
| developer = Camshaft Software
| publisher = Camshaft Software
| designer = Robert Hoischen
| programmer = Caswal Parker, Jayelinda Suridge, Isaac Blomfield
| artist = Andrew Lamb, Hannah Grace, Casey Frost, Mathew Child
| writer =
| composer = Michael Trott
| engine = Unreal Engine 4 (originally Kee Engine)
| platforms = Microsoft Windows
| released = {{Video game release|WW|12 March 2015 {{small|(Early access)}}}}
| genre = Simulation
}}
Automation: The Car Company Tycoon Game, commonly known simply as Automation, is a simulation video game developed by New Zealand-based developer Camshaft Software for Microsoft Windows that allows the player to create and run a virtual car company and design vehicles to sell.{{cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gearing-up-automation-demo|title=Gearing Up: Automation Demo|last=Smee|first=Andrew|work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|date=16 April 2012|access-date=19 June 2024}} It is currently available via Steam.{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/a-cool-new-start-for-camshaft-game-crew/story-e6frgakx-1227302409622|title=A cool new start for Camshaft game crew|last=Foo|first=Fran|date=14 April 2015|work=The Australian|access-date=19 June 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150414163619/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/a-cool-new-start-for-camshaft-game-crew/story-e6frgakx-1227302409622|archive-date=14 April 2015|url-status=dead}}
Gameplay
The game, currently still in early access, allows for the design, creation, testing, and sale of various vehicle platforms and drivetrains. More features will become available closer to the official release date.
There are three components to the game: engine design, car design, and a tycoon simulator. The engine design component was released first in order to drive demand for pre-orders and fund the development of the rest of the game. By April 2014, it had sold 10,000 pre-orders. In April 2015, pre-orders reached 25,000.{{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/9987493/Game-developers-like-the-cool-capital|title=Game developers like the 'cool' capital|last=McNicol|first=Hamish|date=29 April 2014|work=Stuff.co.nz|access-date=14 April 2015}}
Car design consists of a system involving a bare, featureless car body on which fixtures such as lights and grilles can be placed. Upon placement, most fixtures will conform to the shape of the body. There is also a "3D" placement mode which allows the user to place fixtures anywhere in three-dimensional space, with the trade-off that these fixtures will not conform to the body.
Development
On 25 May 2017, the first version of Automation within Unreal Engine 4 was released as an open beta.{{Cite web|last=Hoischen|first=Robert|date=26 May 2017|title=Automation UE4 Open Beta (R1) Release Info|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIAPTYu_l8U|access-date=13 April 2021|website=YouTube}} It included a host of new content and features, including a more robust paint system, more engine configurations, and most importantly, a significant graphical update. The previous version of the game, built-in Camshaft Software's own Kee Engine, is deprecated.
On 13 July 2018, an option became available to export vehicles made in Automation to BeamNG.drive as drivable vehicles.{{Cite web|date=13 July 2019|title=The Automation Collaboration – Version 0.13 Released|url=https://www.beamng.com/game/news/patch/the-automation-collaboration-version-0-13-released/|access-date=19 December 2019|website=beamng.com}}
As of 9 November 2020, more options became available in terms of customization. The "Light Campaign v4.1" update added "3D" fixture placement (wherein parts can be placed independently of the car body surface), as well as transparent windows, interior design and lighting controls.{{Cite web|last=Hoischen|first=Robert|date=17 June 2020|title=Automation LCV4.1: The Next Big Update Overview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs2PX7ea2N0|website=YouTube|access-date=2 July 2024}}
For the "Light Campaign v4.2" update, Camshaft aimed to further rework both the business simulation aspect of the game and the way vehicles and engines are engineered.{{Cite web|last=Hoischen|first=Robert|date=18 February 2021|title=Automation LCV4.2: The Next Big Update Overview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orTXb-QM2Ko|access-date=13 April 2021|website=YouTube}} Additions included balance shafts and harmonic dampers,{{Cite web|last=Hoischen|first=Robert|date=20 March 2021|title=Little Dev Update: 20. March 2021 (LCV4.2)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDH0Nap9iYc|access-date=13 April 2021|website=YouTube}} more turbocharger configurations, and the ability to engineer a better weight distribution into one's cars. On 22 December 2021, this update was released in an opt-in alpha form, with further work being done by Camshaft for a more stable release.{{Cite web|date=21 December 2021|title=LCV4.2 First Opt-In Alpha |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/293760/view/5071614219309813535|access-date=1 January 2022|website=store.steampowered.com|language=en}} The stable release occurred almost a year later on 8 December 2022, with additional features such as the "Advanced Trim Settings", which allow players to adjust the dimensions of the chassis, wheels, and engine to their liking, as well as hide certain components should they interfere with players' designs.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-08 |title=LCV4.2 Public Launch! |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/293760/view/3653012583948671280 |access-date=2022-12-10 |website=store.steampowered.com |language=en}}
As of 2024, Automation is still in early access, and is also still receiving updates.
References
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.automationgame.com/}}
Category:Factory simulation games
Category:Early access video games
Category:Video games set in New Zealand
Category:Video games set in fictional countries