A lot has happened since the early days of the game and it's website. Cars Incorporated has been growing slowly but steadily in the time since the earliest alpha release almost 2 years ago.
The History
From the earliest release of v0.01, which was just a very basic game it added many new features and improved existing ones, step by step. For instance version 0.10 added the second body generation, giving you more creative possibilities and making it possible to create everything from small hatchback cars to pick-up trucks. Version 0.20 added simulated races to the game, piting your cars against those of the competition. The latest update from July, 30th updated the general look of the office screen and brought in a quick access to the factory screen which has been overlooked by many players before.
A total of 14 versions have been released so far.
The Future
Sometime between the end of August and the end of September 2013 the release of the next big update v0.30 will happen, introducing the third body generation (the one used in the original tech demo, featuring the cars still present on the game's splashscreen). It will also bring the addition of small parts like mirrors, headlights and turbo chargers and a major overhaul of many of the game's internal mechanics based on all the things I learned along the way. It is shaping up to be the biggest update to the game yet.
Further down the road many more details will be improved and many more exciting features will be introduced. v0.40 is planned to introduce more multiplayer modes, community features like Online-High Scores and achievements. More updates after that will replace the placeholder graphics, add sounds and music and bring in more generations of cars to bring the game all the way up to 2020.
This Game Needs YOUR Help
But right now Cars Incorporated needs YOUR help. Developing a game like this requires A LOT of time and effort. And although I am doing it for the love of doing it, I would very much like to spend more of my time doing it. Unfortunately the financial reality does not permit me to do that just yet. With an average hourly wage of about 0.27 Euro (that's 0.36 USD) it is hardly worth spending any time on doing it - still I have spent more than 1,100 hours working on the game and supporting it and the website. Translated to a full time job of 40 hours a week that would equal more than half a year of work. Would you work half a year for 0.27 Euro/0.36 USD per hour?
If you believe that my work on this game is worth more than that then please consider supporting me.
The easiest way to do that right now is by directly contributing to the current Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the game. This will directly increase my income for the game and will make it possible for me to actually work full time on the game, bringing updates faster to you and with more attention to details. How long depends on the total amount raised but so far it has already secured 1-2 working days for me, saving 1-2 weeks of waiting time towards v0.30.
This can also have great benefits for you. Aside from getting to the next update much faster you can also get an entry in the credits, T-Shirts, access to development builds BETWEEN updates and even deals to get ALL games I EVER make. Oh and you can get copies of the game of course. Both digital and boxed, with Alpha or Beta access. If you have already registered the game you can of course upgrade to any of the perks on the campaign which include an Alpha key by contributing the amount still missing from your 10 Euro purchase towards the desired perk. Take a look.
You can also help this game and the campaign a lot by spreading the word. If you promote the Indiegogo campaign directly by using the tools provided there (while logged into Indiegogo of course) you can even earn great prices in the referral contest.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have or any support you might be able to give me to allow me to develop the game quicker.
Thank you. Yours sincerely,
David Klande
