Game FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
We get asked dozens of the same questions every day, so here is a list of all the answers to the most common ones.

1. Can you drive your cars?

2. Diesels, Wankels, Hybrids and Electrics?

3. Which engine configurations?

4. Linux/Mac/Android/IOS/PS3/XBone/MsDOS/Commodore 64?

5. Release and how to buy?

6. Just about building cars?

7. Superchargers and more turbos?

8. System requirements?

9. Real-life companies or cars?

10. Can I help?

11. 12k+ RPM Rev limit and more Octane?

12. Why don't I have Turbos/V8s/I6s?

13. What if we run out of money/get hit by a bus?

14. If buy now, do I get the finished game?

15. When will X be released?

16. Design car interiors?

17. How can I become Beta Tester?

18. Difference between forum ranks?

19. Upgrade my game version?

20. Can I help translate?

Frequently Given Answers
1. Will you be able to drive your cars?

As a 3-man team this is already quite an ambitious and complex project as is, and we're dedicated to making it high quality, realistic and fun. To do a realistic driving simulator would take a lot of money and many many years of work on our part and there is very strong competition in that market already. We may consider providing tools to export cars to a dedicated race sim though, but that isn't a key feature of the game and may not make the final cut. '

Now you can export your cars to BeamNG.drive (assuming you have owned the game), and you can drive your own creations there!

2. Are Diesels, Wankels, Hybrids and Electrics coming?

They will definitely not be part of the core game because they would add massive amounts of development time. The most popular seem to be diesel engines and Wankel rotaries. Those would be considered for DLC assuming we're successful enough to keep working on Automation after its release. For a more in depth answer, check out this video: youtu.be/P4S6L-kMev0

3. Which engine configurations will be in the game?

In the core game: I3, I4, I5, I6, V6, V8XP, V8FP, V10, V12, V16 (preorder bonus / DLC), Boxer-4, Boxer-6. Considered for a first engine pack DLC after the game is done: I2, Boxer-2 (Flat Twins), V4. In case the sales for those are high enough we'd consider making: I8, Flat-8, Flat-12. V16 engines were part of some earlier preorder packages, that is why they will be available as DLC when the game is released.

4. Will there be a Linux/Mac/Android/IOS/PS3/XBone version?

Windows PC Only for now, but we are switching the game engine to Unreal Engine 4, which would make porting the game to other platforms easier. At that stage we will reconsider what platforms to put the game on, Mac and Linux are the main candidates.

5. When will Automation be released and how can I get it?

The Early Access version of the game is sold via Steam and you can find our store page here. New content and features are released to the public version about every 3 months. We're always prioritizing quality over rushing the game out unfinished. There is a demo available from our website that features both car and engine design with limited content. The full game is still quite some time away, we're working hard on the tycoon elements of the game. We estimate the game will mostly be complete by mid 2017.

'''6. So you've built a car, what do you do now? Is the game just about building cars?'''

Its not just about building cars, its about running an entire car company, you'll be designing cars and engines, researching new technology, building new factories, setting prices, exporting cars to new markets, managing your company's finances, your engineering team, etc. If you've ever played "Detroit", "Car Tycoon" or "Motor City", we're basically building a more technical, in-depth and more fun version of those.

7. I don't see any superchargers or modern turbo options, will you be able to have those?

We plan on revamping the forced induction options available in Automation after we're mostly done with the tycoon part of the game. That could include the addition of Quad-, Sequential- and Twin-Scroll Turbos, as well as Roots-, Centrifugal- and Screw Superchargers. A single turbo option for V-configurations will most likely also be included. The full extent of this has not been decided yet though.

8. What are the system requirements?

Automation is still in development so these are subject to change. The switch to the Unreal 4 Engine will not make minimum requirements go up, probably the opposite will be true due to better game engine optimization.

Minimum Requirements

Operating System: Vista/7/8

Processor: Dual Core (Intel Core2 DUO E4500 or equivalent)

Ram: 2gb

Graphics Card: NVidia 8600GT/ATI Radeon X1650 (Must support Pixel Shader 3.0)

Internet Access (Offline play possible)

Recommended Requirements

Operating System: Vista/7/8

Processor: Quad Core

Ram: 4gb

Graphics Card: NVidia 260GTX/ATI Radeon 4870 (Must support Pixel Shader 3.0)

Internet Access (Offline play possible)

If you are unsure about your computer you can ask here in the support forums or just try out the demo.

9. Will my Ford, Volvo, Lada, My Favorite Company be in the game?

Due to copyright issues, we can't have real car companies or cars in the game. However in cosmetic terms, there will be a big range of styling parts from different era's and styles, so you could build something similar to a real model, also the mechanical parts available should mean you can get the specs close too. And of course, part of the fun could be replicating an existing car maker, building the same models, using the same tactics, and see if you can do better than the real company!

10. What can I do to help?

The biggest hurdle for an indie with a good product is visibility. We don't have a publisher that does the marketing, so to large degree we rely on you guys to get the word out. Spread the word, the more interest we can drum up the better! Contact Youtubers you think would enjoy the game and tell them about it, etc.

11. When will you raise the 12krpm Rev limit, Give access to 130 octane Avgas etc.

As Automation is a game focused on running a car company that builds road cars, and maybe a few touring car style race cars, those kind of technologies don't make sense to include. We chose the 12krpm rev limit as it covers any production car ever made and then some, and because the way we get engine sounds produced starts to run into a lot of issues above 12,000rpm.

12. I Downloaded the demo, why don't I seem to have Turbos/V8s/I6s?

You need to buy the Early Access version of the game to get this content.

'''13. What if you run out of money/get hit by a bus? What happens to my preorder?'''

We've already committed a lot of our own money and 5 years of our lives to this project, so we'll do everything in our power to make sure this game gets finished. But in the end, if you're not comfortable spending ~$30 to unlock all the currently available content, or don't like the Early Access model, don't buy the game yet.

14. If I preorder / buy the Early Access version, do I still need to buy the game when its done?

Nope! If you buy at any point during development you will get access to all the versions released after your buy including the finished version of the game once it is released. What it does not include unless you have an early preorder package including them are V16 engines.

15. When is (BIT OF GAME) being released?

The best way to keep up with the development of the game is to follow our YouTube channel and the Little Dev Update series. youtube.com/user/AutomationGame If we haven't announced a release date for something, its because we don't know ourselves. We develop the game in well defined smaller projects which you are informed about regarding scope, content and progress on our YouTube channel.

16. Will you be able to design car interiors?

While you can choose what type of interior and entertainment system your cars have you can't visually design or see them. Getting custom interiors to fit each car would add a really long time to development and not be relevant to the core gameplay.

17. How can I become Beta Tester?

If we need a Beta Tester, we will ask for them from time to time in a special forum thread made by Killrob. In very few cases we pick people for beta testers, if they stand out of the normal Forum, but thats quite rare, so don't hope that you will be tester if you make 8x more posts then everyone else. :wink: The closed beta is not for FAAAN (Fool-Around-And-Accomplish-Nothing) players though, you are expected to do actual work which isn't fun all the time, but pretty rewarding in the end when seeing things come together.

18. What's the difference between the forum ranks?

The earliest ranks were the silver/gold/platinum ranks. These are treated as "Turbocharged" ranks when it comes to content. These ranks were made back when the devs set up a Rockethub campaign. After this, the N/A (Naturally Aspirated) rank came online. This was just a way of saying you've pre-ordered the game. It'll come with the full content of the game and you won't have to pay any more for the final version.

The next rank was the Turbocharged rank. Along with the N/A perks, this gives access to the V16's and other perks (Some not released yet). They also include the Automation OST as a free download. The latest rank is the Supercharged rank. This rank is the same as the Turbocharged, except without the Automation OST.

Nowadays you can only buy the game via Steam, so there are no special ranks given for that. Other ranks are the special beta tester ranks that show how involved beta testers are in helping the game. Even getting one star requires a significant amount of effort.

19. Can I upgrade my Naturally Aspirated Edition of the game to Supercharged/Turbocharged?

Unfortunately this is not possible as there are too many logistical complications and transaction fees involved which make this bad business for us. Once the game including V16s are done, people who didn't catch the early preorders packaged with V16s will be able to buy V16s as DLC though.

20. Can I help translate the game form English to X?

X probably is a language on our "translations we need" list, so your help would be appreciated. The translation itself is hundreds or even thousands of hours of work though, and hardly doable with a single person. Also, we will not add /get started on further translations before we are in the final beta phase of the game, which still is ways off. Also, we're looking to provide a reasonable platform for these translations first. So yeah, once we get started with the final beta phase, we'll assemble an X-Translation Team to work on that project, and you are welcome to join!