Freejam, the UK development house behind Robocraft, has just announced its next game Techblox. And you can hop on over to Freejam's website right now and download what they are calling a "pre-pre-pre-alpha" to try the game out for yourself.
In Techblox, players are given access to an impressive library of vehicular components, which they can then slap together willy-nilly into whatever vaguely vehicular-shaped contraption their minds can conceive. After putting together whatever circus act they come up with, they are immediately able to take their new creature/car out onto a track to try it out, either in single player or against other racers.
I took a quick swipe at Techblox this morning, constructing a mildly wild car that absolutely refused to turn right correctly. The surface-level construction tools are pretty simple to figure out, but there is a lot of complexity hiding under the hood of this game that tinkerers will enjoy digging into. According to a recent press release, "those who want to take on a challenge will be able to use versatile logic blocks in combination with joints to program an assortment of complex features." Examples Freejam provides include pop up headlights, working forklift trucks, and custom suspension systems. I took one look at the logic tools and scurried away in fear.
As the game develops further, more competitive modes will be added, including fun stuff like battle arenas, team deathmatch, and king of the hill. Freejam seems to have a lot of big plans for Techblox, so even if you don't hop in right now, keep an eye out for this one. There is some integration with Epic Games Store to retain saves, so I expect we might see the full game pop up on that storefront when it nears completion.
But for those that don't want to wait, you can download Techblox right now and start making your own weird vehicles. Let me know if you figure out how to make them turn right!
