The thirteenth Trucker 2056 demo update is now live on Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/3482200/... This final update brings a wave of UI & QoL tweaks, plus implements the new crafting mechanic, which will be unlocked in Early Access. With this update, the game is now officially feature-complete! 🎉

Was out last night doing some location scouting and photography for Trucker 2056. This scene didn’t quite make the cut for sci-fi dystopia, so I reworked it as fan art. Introducing: Gabriel Knight in The Coven of Tavastia. #pixelart #retrogames

Works That Inspired Trucker 2056, #6: Games by Warren Spector. While Sid Meier is the more direct influence, I’ve tried to channel some of the magic from my favourite Spector titles too. Highlighting Ultima VII here—its writing and world-building are still pretty much unsurpassed to this day.

😍 I did the initial sketching in OmniGraffle, then moved on to testing and optimization directly in-engine (Godot). That said, there’s still a lot to do to make the economy truly dynamic and balanced, and I might return to the drawing board now that the rest of the game’s in decent shape.

Trucker 2056 demo is finally in the Steam review queue!
It’ll be downloadable soon—keep an eye on the store. The feature-complete demo offers approximately an hour of gameplay if you explore all its content, and will be available for both Windows and macOS.

Works That Inspired Trucker 2056, #4: Gabriel Knight by Jane Jensen. One of the first games to show video games as serious narrative art. Beware the remake, though—it kills the atmosphere with awful graphics and voice-acting and ruins immersion by removing the open-ended gameplay of the first act.

Today marks the second anniversary of developing Trucker 2056! Huge thanks to everyone contributing to @godotengine.org for making this possible. Steam page coming soon, with a playable demo in just a few months!

Works That Inspired Trucker 2056, #3: Taistelurekka, a Finnish board game from 1988 by Pasi Janhunen (boardgamegeek.com/image/421805...). The first version of Trucker I created, back in 1995, was based on this game. Written in Turbo Basic, it was called Trucker 2020. I might still have it somewhere.

Works That Inspired Trucker 2056, #2: UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-Com). Spent an entire summer playing this with a friend back in '94. For Trucker, I wanted to include action point-based combat as well and ended up with a mechanic where the AP cost is determined by the number of cards you have to discard.

"The Trucker's Lounge is a haven for weary truckers seeking refuge from the harsh and dangerous world outside. Located in every major city, these dimly lit establishments offer a place to rest, refuel, and connect with other drivers."

Works that inspired Trucker 2056, #1: When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger (www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...). Read this at 11—far too young for its themes of alienation, sex, and drugs. The game's faction Al-Wasal and its exploration of LGBTQIA+ themes draw heavily from this book.

Facing off against an Institute patrol. The Institute emblem, seen on the back of the enemy cards, was originally designed by leading Finnish ebidemiologist @ekalmanen.bsky.social. You might even meet a version of him in the game, too.