Developer's Diary #3: Exams, jet skis and the underwater world 🌊🚤

Welcome to the third entry in the developer’s diary! The last few weeks have been incredibly busy. We’ve focused on two key areas: refining movement on the water (jet skis!) and creating a comprehensive Lifeguard Exam system to introduce you to the game world.

🚤 Jet Ski – Speed and Adrenaline

We’ve added a fully functional jet ski to the game. It’s not just any old model – we’ve implemented dedicated ‘Arcade’-style physics to ensure the controls are responsive and a real blast to use.

🔹 New animations: Boarding in shallow and deep water, starting the engine, and dynamically jumping straight into a dive.

🔹 Visual effects: A new particle system (Water Splash) and a ‘splashed camera’ effect that enhances immersion during sharp turns.

🤿 What lies beneath the surface of the water?

We’ve significantly expanded the swimming and diving system. You can now explore the ocean floor, which we’ve filled with rocks, coral and schools of fish.

🔹 Oxygen system: You need to keep an eye on your air supply. If you go too far, the auto-surface system will save you at the last minute (but it’s best not to let it come to that!).

🔹 Underwater rescue: We’ve added a mechanic for pulling unconscious NPCs from the seabed to the surface.

🎓 Lifeguard Exam (New Quest System)

Before you rush to the rescue, you’ll have to prove your worth to the Examiner. This is a comprehensive stage that will test your knowledge and skills.

🔹 Theory: A written test using an interactive notebook and clipboards. We’ve prepared a set of questions (some funny, some deadly serious) that will test your knowledge of first aid.

🔹 Beach training: We’ve set up an obstacle course! You’ll have to do pull-ups on the bars, climb the wall bars and run against the clock.

🔹 Vehicle challenges: Checkpoints to complete on a quad bike and a jet ski.

🛠️ Other improvements (Bug fixes & Polishing)

🔹 New Main Menu: We have designed a dedicated interface for the rescuer module.

🔹 Water Shader: We have added a wave system to which objects on the water now physically adapt, as well as a global foam effect.

🔹 Sounds: Dozens of new effects – from quad bike sounds, through an audio mixer for dialogue, to the sound of the ocean.

🔹 Localisation: All new dialogue and exam questions have been translated into multiple languages.

Thank you for being with us! Your support allows us to fine-tune every detail – from tweaking the quad’s physics so it doesn’t fall off the edge of the map, to making sure NPCs’ shorts no longer disappear at the most inopportune moments. ;) See you in the next devlog!

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Add LifeGuard Simulator to your Steam wishlist! Go to main site:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1320170/Lifeguard_Simulator/

And just click 'follow' and 'add to your wishlist'.

Thank you!