MGP Manager Dev News November 2019

Since my last update, I have done a vast amount of work to the game. I feel that game completion is a lot nearer now and I hope it won't take very much longer, I thank all the people who have continued to support me during game development, and also their patience waiting, I have a large number of enquiries asking for a completion date, at this point I cannot pick a date, but I be assured I am doing all I can to finish it.

Right, so below are details of new features, game updates and game fixes, this is not an exhaustive list but shows the main things that have been done.

Firstly, I have released a game demo which shows some parts of the game and allows the player to take part in the first pre-season test session at Valencia - this is available here

The machine and rider database has been updated

The number of riders in game has been increased from 96 to 153, along with a country filter.

The look had been changed to a slightly darker theme, with the track maps now a single colour with no track furniture. This gives a more realistic 'pit side' feel to the race view, and secondly I was never really happy with the track graphics, I feel this looks a lot better than before.

The pre-race screen has now been added allowing selection of race tyres and alternate tyres depending on the weather forecast.

The race screen now has a track history widget that displays the last 20 on track events, such as riders leaving & entering the pits.

The weather conditions now change at a more realistic rate.

Riders now gain xp with new machines and lose xp with previous machines at a rate matched to the adaptability stat.

Post race screen now shows updated rider & teams championship after the race.

This is a selection of parts of the game that I have been working on, there are a number of other changes that cannot be visually shown as they aren't things that are displayed but rather run when the game is advanced, such as rider/staff contracts, retirements and training.

I have now completed all track maps, and am in the final stages of my first season run through to test everything and ensure that end of season updates such as rider transfers and machine upgrades based on R&D work properly, once this is done the game will finally be finished.

Next update will be after my season play through.

MGP Manager 2019 Dev news June - July 2019

Firstly I have to say a huge thankyou for all the messages of support from people who want to play my game, it is really encouraging to know that my work is not wasted. I understand that people do want to play it, but game dev takes time and I am working as quickly as I can, I will try to release a game demo so that there will be the chance to at least play some part of the game.

I have turned a corner (pardon the pun), with the race code. It has taken along time to get right, but I only have a bit of fine tuning to do.

Riders now either make a great start to the race or botch the start
Race mentality is such that riders will either push or ease off depending on the time gap to other riders.
Riders will adjust their pace during a race based on tyre wear rates and laps left.
Flag - flag races can now be ran, with riders pitting to change tyres

I have had a bit of a problem with injured riders getting on the race results, this has now been resolved.

The above are just a few things I have been working on.

Other game changes recently are

On any team home screen you can compare that teams riders results.
Further tweaking to rider/machine performance stats
Riders late race pace has been added, this is a hidden stat
Completed the Rio, COTA & LeMans tracks, now a total of 7 circuits finished, have started work on Mugello now.

Next update at the beginning of August.

MGP Manager 2019 Dev news May - June 2019

So, this month has been spent tweaking the machine/rider performance data and I have fixed a strange issue with laptimes always having odd number 10ths/100ths sec.

I have also started work on some new tracks, notably Argentina & COTA, and hope to have some gameplay screenshots of these in the near future along with the ones already complete.

I have taken a closer look at how A.I. tyre selection and tyre wear is calculated, and have made some major changes to the code for this, tyre selection for player and A.I. teams is now more crucial than ever.

As well as this, I have modified the time taken for factory machine R&D to produce upgrades, depending on upgrade selection, and also the time for these upgrades to be applied to satellite teams, this has been altered to be more realistic.

The selection process for a.i. riders to choose setup options during practice sessions has also been altered so their choices are now more relevant to the current setup of their machines.

I have changed the way that the weather conditions change and also there is now a persistent daily forecast that is set until the following day, dynamic weather changes take longer and are now more realistic.

This is just an example of the work that is being done, there are many more things that I won't list here, but the any changes done from now can only enhance gameplay to make the game-world a lot more realistic.

MGP Manager 2019 Dev news April - May 2019

Most of the last month has been spent testing the new race engine, mainly on scripting individual rider mentality and performance during the race.

This has involved a lot of calculations with sector times, laptimes, rider & lead gaps among other things. It is starting to come together now, and should be completed soon.

I have also changed the way that news stories are reported, news is now shown on the players team home screen rather than a separate screen for each event. This saves on switching between screens and is a lot more streamlined than before.

I have also spent some time doing further tweaks to machine/rider performance, as well as circuit data, tyre wear and rider fitness.

Next month I hope to have the race code finished, and have at least 2 other circuits done....

Website mgpmanager.webs.com/

MGP Manager 2019 Dev news March - April 2019

The new race engine is now approx 90% complete, just working now on rider mentality during the race, and how they react to their current race position, gaps to lead rider/next rider etc. I have also done some work on making rider stamina more realistic depending on the chosen mentality, also tyre wear has had an overhaul.

This will make the races a lot more unpredictable, and it will now be more important then ever to sign/train riders who have good racecraft, stamina and experience, as these were never really focused on in the last game.

I am also reworking some machine performance stats, notably engine power and some chassis stats. This game boasts a lot more machine performance stats than before and it is important that I get these as close to perfect as possible. This does mean re-running events which can become tedious, however the end goal and improvements will be there to see.

I have also made a number of small graphical changes.

More updates to follow as development progresses.

MGP Manager 2019 Dev news Feb - March 2019

Work has been progressing on the new race engine as the whole race weekend is now run in real-time. This has been more tricky than anticipated, as it is more complex during practice & qualifying sessions to keep track of all riders laptimes than in the previous game.

This is now done, and is in the testing stage to ensure that the race weekend progresses through all sessions with no issues. I am working with Round 1 at Losail in Qatar and once I am satisfied with this will move on to the next circuit in Argentina.

I have also been fine tuning staff training which is now in place, as is the new R&D machine upgrade system.

I have also re-done the Valencia circuit so that it is the same size map on screen as the other circuits.

Also, team finances have had an overhaul, as has the general look of the game, there will be more changes as development progresses, as I keep finding different things to change.

I have also done a lot of work with machine performance balancing and rider performance so that it more accurately reflects real world results.

During all this, I am also removing a lot of redundant code and optimising the game so that it runs very smoothly, I expect that that at least 60% of this game will be totally re-written from the previous version.

There is still a lot to do, I will post some new screenshots when ready.

MGP Manager 2019 Gameplay video Valenica test 2019

Here is a short video showcasing some of the changes in gameplay compared to previous MGP Manager versions, more to follow in the near future as dev progresses

MGP Manager 2019 Research & Development

Machine research and development has now been completed, and has changed considerably from before.

Now, as manager of a factory team, the player can now choose the area of ongoing R&D during the season and also the long-term R&D goals for next seasons machine.

If managing a satellite team, that team will receive any upgrades shortly after the respective factory team has received them.

This adds a more tactical aspect to the game, as if the player is managing a factory team, they can now guide R&D any way they like to improve the performance of the bikes.

After each test, pre-season or during the season, there will be a report from the factory teams technical team which will give an insight into the performance of the machines, and highlight any areas that would benefit from improvements. These suggestions do not need to be accepted, and any area of the machine can be researched.

Also, the quality of the factory teams test rider will have an impact on the quality and subsequent improvement to the machines of any new upgrades fitted.

If no option is selected during the season then no mid season development will take place. If no specific r&d area is selected for long term development, then work on next season's machine will still be done by the factory, but this will not be focused on improving a specific issue with the bikes.

MGP Manager 2019 new rider info screen

Below is a screenshot of the new rider info screen.

Note the new stats for communication, aggression, intelligence, race sharpness and wet weather ability. These stats affect the following:

Communication - this determines the rate of machine setup during test/practice sessions, the better a rider is at communicating to his pit crew, the quicker the optimum setup will be achieved.

Aggression - how aggressive a rider is on track and how likely he is to try risky overtakes or push for a fast laptime. A less aggressive rider will be more measured in his approach to overtaking and therefore less likely to fail to finish a race.

Intelligence - this shows how quickly a rider might learn a new circuit or learn how to maximise any new upgraded parts on the machine.

Race sharpness - this will show how ready a rider is to perform at his best in a race, this will decrease over time due to any time off the bike such as an injury.

Wet weather - shows the ability of a rider to ride on a wet track. A rider with high concentration, throttle control and braking will usually have a high rating in this area.

Another difference to the previous game are the options for rider training. Fitness training now has one option rather than 2 (gym & cycling), and there is a new training scheme, Rider Coaching. This training schedule will focus on non riding improvements such as Intelligence, Communication and also helps to improve morale if needed.

More screenshots of the new game will be posted as development continues.

MGP Manager 2018 available HERE while the new game is in development.

MGP MANGER 2019 DEVELOPMENT UNDER WAY

Development started on MGP Manager 2019.

Having listened to feedback from players of the previous version, the new game will be vastly different from before, whilst retaining the ease of play, and will feel instantly familiar to those who have played the game before.

The main changes and additions to the game will be:-

1. Team and rider data updated and accurate as at the start of 2019 winter testing.

2. Real-time test/practice and qualifying sessions. In the previous game, these were instantly calculated based on the players instructions before the session. Now, the player will have control over tyre choice, when to pit, rider focus and how aggressive the rider should be on track. Instead of a test session being run 1 day at a time with only 1 player choice and the results produced instantly as before, in the new game the player can change any rider focus, tyre options etc as often as they like to try to get the best possible bike setup. This will make for much more interesting gameplay, as the player will now feel that they are trackside.

3. Dynamic weather. Previously, weather conditions were set at the start of a session and didn't change for the entire session. In the new game, as each session is in pseudo real-time, air and track temperature and the weather conditions could now change during a session. This may require the player to pit his riders and change tyres for a more suitable type for the track conditions. This adds a whole new element to the game, as timing your riders runs on track could now be critical to getting through qualifying and getting the best position on the starting grid. It is also now more important to monitor tyre wear while on track, as track temperature now has a more realistic effect on tyre wear (as does machine & rider stats).

4. Machine development. Upgrades to the machines are now driven a lot more by the team during the season. As manager, you will have the option to choose the areas that are researched rather than have the factory decide as in the previous game. This means that after a test session, you will receive a report from your riders on the areas of the motorcycle that they feel need improving. In the old game, this was only done once a season to work on next seasons machine, in the new game it will be an ongoing process throughout the season.

5. Test riders. The factory teams will now each have a test rider, and the ability of the test rider will determine the quality of any upgrades received from the factory. Satellite teams will not have a test rider.

6. More detailed machine performance.In the previous game, there were only 4 areas of the machine that could be improved. These were:-
Chassis
Swingarm
Electronics
Engine

These have been expanded upon to increase the options of R&D that will be available, but mainly to improve the realism of machine performance. They are now:-
Chassis - braking & corner entry / front tyre wear / braking stability
Chassis - corner speed / balance
Chassis - corner exit / rear tyre wear
Engine - engine braking
Engine - power delivery
Engine - horsepower BHP
Gearbox
Swingarm - corner exit / tyre wear

Electronics are no longer researched or upgraded during the season, however will remain an important area of machine setup.

There will also be a number of other smaller changes to improve screen navigation, layout etc.

MGP Manager 2018 available HERE while the new game is in development.