After a long period of silence, the team behind BeamNG.Drive has outlined what to expect in the next major update for the open-world sandbox driving game, dubbed as “one of the most ambitious updates in BeamNG’s history.”
Slated for later this year, the V0.39 update will be headlined by a major graphics overhaul. Detailed in a developer blog, this will include the addition of volumetric clouds with shadows, new rendering tech, HDR support, improved texture detail and enhanced night-time rendering.
Additionally, the graphics quality presets will be reworked to achieve a better balance between visual fidelity and performance.
Even on a high-spec PC, BeamNG.Drive is notoriously difficult to run at a smooth frame rate due to its complex physics engine and soft-body damage modelling. To address this, RAM and VRAM usage will be reduced in the next update to improve memory efficiency. However, the developer points out that this will depend on the content and mods running.
A mystery new vehicle will join the roster too, while the aerodynamics simulation will expand to incorporate effects such as slipstreaming, side drafting and bump drafting, making racing more involving.
Furthermore, a new dynamic damping system will also reduce force feedback oscillations for a “cleaner feel at the wheel.”
Beyond the next update, online multiplayer is also in the works, but the developer stresses it’s in an early stage of development.
Of course, the biggest news drop today was the bombshell that the sandbox driving simulator is heading to PS5 and PS5 Pro later this year. The timing of the announcement suggests that we may learn more details in Sony’s State of Play stream next week on 2 June.
BeamNG. Drive v0.39 graphics improvements
- Atmosphere and sky: volumetric clouds with shadows, multi-scattering sky, improved atmospheric fog, and a new altitude-based fog
- Rendering tech: a new Direct3D 12 renderer, support for HDR (for compatible modern displays), and a new natural tonemapper that improves both SDR and HDR
- Lighting and shadows: global and local exposure to simulate eye adaptation, improved dynamic reflections, fast screen-space shadows, improved shadow quality and stability
- Surfaces and textures: subsurface scattering and an extended texture detail mapping system
- Night-time rendering: vehicle lights with realistically calibrated intensity, temperature, and light cookies – textures that shape projected light, allowing for realistic patterns and beam effects (based on technology and market region).