Northminster has been in development for years now, and hopefully in this post I can clear up where we’re at, what’s currently being done to get the game out, and what we have in mind for the future.

Before I can say more about the project’s current status it’s important you understand the NM Rewrite.

The Rewrite

On October 19^th, 2024 both project managers left, and our programming team had dwindled. At this point I became responsible for the Northminster project and it was up to me to get an overview of where we were at and come up with a plan to get the game out.

I found that the codebase was overcomplicated, unreadable, buggy and in some places completely unuseable. Our team were demotivated and didn’t want to continue working on the game in the state it was in. The decision was made to “rewrite” the foundation of Northminster, removing the overly complex tools that dictated a very convoluted development process.

Since then we’ve spent time either refactoring and transferring existing game code, as well as writing completely new and more efficient code to get us back to where we were.

Where We Are Now

Since beginning the rewrite we’ve made quick and consistent progress. The whole programming team are now comfortably able to deliver the features we need. After recently taking on new testers, there is a constant loop of creating, testing, polishing and then moving onto the next feature.

At the moment we’ve got all of the following working how we want them (bar a few bugs here and there):

• Vehicle purchasing, spawning and customisation – we’ve also completely overhauled the vehicle chassis and the cars handle in a much more fun and realistic manner
• Property purchasing, with interiors integrated into the map instead of being made under the map or far away
• Core UI elements like the phone (with apps like SMS messaging and a web browser), location indicators, world interactions and more
• The most immersive and realistic lighting the UK has seen so far

We’re also close to having these features release-ready:

• A new avatar system and wardrobe
• Emergency services tablet, with full PNC functions for the police and callout/incident details for all services to get all the details they need
• Police arrest, custody and detention flows which are feature rich and smooth
• A new radio – hopefully this one is self-explanatory
• Overhauled weapons, both ranged and melee
• Civilian jobs like package/parcel/food delivery, utility companies and others
• And loads more little bits that contribute to the overall user-experience

You might notice there are some big things missing from the points above. That’s because we’ve still got a lot of work to do. Progress is faster than it’s been in a long time, and right now these are our key priorities before letting you all play Northminster:

• A custom inventory and storage system, with the ability to store items in vehicles and properties
• Automated callouts for the police, fire and ambulance services
• More in-depth medical simulation for the ambulance service, other medical responders and civilians
• Simulated water, hose, hydrant and pump mechanics for the fire service
• More complex crime, with the ability to create your own organisations and earn both a name and money for yourself through detailed missions, or quick robberies around the map
• Specific implementation for major companies in the private sector
• Added functionality for TfL, with fleshed out user experience around buses and trains
• ANPR, CCTV, speed cameras and red light cameras around the map in key areas

The release of Northminster is in sight, and we’re really excited to bring this game to the community. We’ll update you as much as we can on what’s happening and how things are progressing.

For now, make sure to get your NM Updates Role to get alerts when we post the latest information on the project, and keep an eye out for our second round of tester applications which will open when most features are implemented and need rigorous testing.

I just want to close this with a note to say that the features listed above are not an exhaustive list of what the game will include on release. It’s also worth noting that there are a load more features planned for after release.