September 21, 2025
After fifteen updates consisting of new features, content, and bug fixes, the demo of Trucker 2056 is now feature-complete. This means all the features of the main game are included in the demo, though many are content-gated and will only be available in Early Access.
The final feature added was crafting. In Trucker, each piece of equipment adds a unique set of combat cards to your deck, determined by your character's abilities. With crafting, instead of spending money, you can construct items using scrap metal alone. This feature becomes available once you gain access to the garage in Resistance HQ. Crafting also allows you to select which of an item’s cards you add to your combat deck, limited by your machinery ability, adding a further neat deck-building mechanic to the game.
As a general rule, you’ll usually have fewer scraps than money, so you need to choose what to craft carefully. Since scraps are also used for repairing items after combat, you’ll have to be extra cautious to keep enough for future repairs. This is especially important because the difficulty curve ramps up significantly after the demo content, which essentially just serves as the tutorial.
Another feature I thought long and hard about was having an inventory in the point-and-click sections. In the end, I decided against it, as there are no real inventory puzzles in the game. The point-and-click sections are designed to build characters, drive the plot forward, give access to missions, and add immersion. Instead of a classic adventure-game inventory where you’d select items to use, items are either automatically used when you interact with the world via the Use verb, or they unlock dialogue options.
A counterpoint would be that, even without puzzles, having players manually select and use items could add a layer of immersion. For example, instead of fixing the broken RoadRunner BBS with a debugging console by simply Using the BBS while carrying the console, you’d select the console from your inventory and then use it on the BBS. But this opens up the can of worms that is negative prompts: having to write messages like “You cannot do that” or “That makes no sense” for every possible item–hotspot combination would be tedious.
I could, of course, use a few default responses or a compromise where only certain hotspots accept inventory items. Still, this would add needless complexity, confusion, and tedium, so I decided against it. That said, I may still add a popup of inventory items to point-and-click scenes, since it could get difficult to remember what you’re carrying, and checking the Geoscape/Character view every time is also tedious.
In other news, Trucker 2056 will be showcased at a couple of festivals later this year, namely Steam NextFest and the Finnish Games Week Steam Event, and possibly a few others. I’ll be streaming the game at these events and will post confirmed details later. Also, Trucker’s Shop is now open, featuring official first-edition Trucker 2056 merchandise, including a slick pixelated coffee mug and more. The items currently available will be limited-time exclusives. Get yours while they last!
If you haven’t tried the Trucker 2056 demo yet, now’s a great time! While you’re at it, please wishlist the game. If you’ve already played, I’d love your feedback — either by emailing trucker2056.com@gmail.com or by joining the RoadRunner BBS Discord. Everyone who sends thoughtful, detailed feedback will be credited as a playtester in the game!
I’ll be publishing devlogs at a leisurely pace leading up to Early Access. If you're into narrative retro games, Godot development, or game design in general, please consider subscribing to Trucker’s Log 2056 to get updates straight to your inbox. You can also follow Trucker 2056 on Bluesky for more updates.
See you soon. Until then, keep on truckin’, and remember: we got ourselves a convoy.
Cheers,
Lasse Rintakumpu
Trucker 2056 designer and developer