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.
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