Taxi Simulator – Devlog: AI and Environment Systems
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In recent weeks, we’ve mainly focused on developing our AI systems, improving NPC interactions, and further optimization.
The pedestrian system is now fully integrated with collision detection. Hitting a pedestrian results in a fine, and the pedestrian always gets back up—unless the player stops the car directly on them, in which case they get up only after the vehicle drives away. We’ve taken care of proper animations and environment reactions—after an incident, nearby NPCs respond appropriately and avoid the area for a while.
NPC AI is already working across most of the city. Pedestrians and vehicles can avoid each other and interact with simple objects (like phone booths). The system has been tested with 1,000 active NPCs near the player, consistently delivering around 50 FPS.
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We’ve added support for destructible objects—vehicles can ram into and deform them. Placing these objects on the map only requires specifying how they should react to collisions.
The weather system is now dynamic, and atmospheric conditions affect the environment (for example, puddles during rain or water drops on car bodies). Plant movement in response to wind is either in the works or partially implemented.
Traffic systems are still being developed—so far, we’ve mostly improved vehicle-player collisions. Work in this area is ongoing.
Apart from that, we’ve improved various mechanics and carried out more optimization. One known issue involves physics: in rare cases, a car can flip over if an NPC lands on the hood. This is related to changes introduced in Unreal Engine 5.5.
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We tested various approaches to procedural map generation (PCG)—the current system is stable, pending final approval. We also reworked the lake environment (ultimately moving away from Nanite assets).
We’ve introduced a new standard for road width and lane count, along with tools for faster road editing. Our detail generation tools (like custom walls) have been improved, buildings have been updated (packed level actor), and new elements have been added to the demo area.
The phone UI has been updated: new graphics, backgrounds, and refreshed designs for the mechanic and taxi apps. An initial version of the HUD with minimap and notifications is also in place.
That’s it for the major updates. More soon.
Regarding our YouTube devlogs, the upcoming ones will most likely be in Polish with subtitles. Posting videos in alternating languages creates some confusion for new viewers.
