Balancing Loot

Last week saw significant refactoring in how we handle loot spawning in the game.

In Jalopy, loot consisted of engine parts found in abandoned cars and trade goods that spawned in boxes along the roadside. The system was very basic and relied entirely on random generation. This "full random" approach made balancing the player experience nearly impossible. Since Jalopy was an experimental project at the time, intended as more of a proof of concept and portfolio piece, I didn’t expect it to perform as well as it did.

For Honcho, we're taking a much more refined approach by implementing rarity pools and weighted loot distribution to create a balanced reward loop. Loot now spawns in specific instances, as follows:

• Kusahiro (abandoned kei trucks) – Provides vehicle components

• Abandoned delivery trucks – Provides repair parts

• Roadside goods – Provides trade goods, such as canned drinks

• Vending machines – Provides consumables

• Scrapyard – Sells repair goods and vehicle components

Additionally, towns will feature Daizo Repair Shops, ensuring players always have access to basic components and repair parts.

By using rarity pools and weighting, we can offer a better player experience. Loot remains randomized, but each object now has a base rarity assigned to it. On top of that, players can influence item rarity based on route conditions, such as Increased/Decreased Rarity of Items Found. This means players who take on harder jobs will have a better chance of finding valuable rewards.

Here are some examples of how this system performs in testing.

Above are the results of repair parts found in an abandoned delivery truck. Common repair parts include items such as nuts and bolts, which restore the top end of component durability (~70–100% condition). Very rare parts include items like catalytic converters, which repair the lower end of exhaust durability (~0–25% condition).

Above are the results of repair parts found for sale at a scrapyard along a route.

As you can see, weighting significantly influences loot, but there are still instances where very rare items spawn on low-rarity routes. Route rarity also affects the number and quality of unique attributes on components, as well as the quality of the materials they are made from.

Settings

Another task checked off for the demo is remapping keyboard and mouse controls, along with visual and audio settings. However, wheel and gamepad support are not yet implemented. Would players consider this essential for the closed demo?

Petrol Station Changes

After playtesting last week, I found that petrol stations needed to offer more than just fuel to keep players on the road. They now sell tape for emergency vehicle repairs and oil in case of any leaks.

I know this is a bit granular and maybe even boring, but I hope it gives a clear picture of where we’re at with the closed demo. The focus is now on balance and player experience rather than adding new features and components. There’s still no set date for access, but when I do announce one, I expect the release will follow shortly after.

Cheers,
Greg