Hey guys,

Good news - I've integrated Voice/VOIP directly into the game. I know this was something people wanted/requested. I just coded it and tested it "Yooooo!", "Yo!", "Yoooooo!", lol. Was not quite Marconi, but I'll take it! This feature will be included with the next update, "Update #2".

This means you can chat via voice in-game, I will code the following features in the next few days:
1) Filter out voice for 'only people in your gang'.
2) Obviously a mute button, for squeekers, $%^#'s, etc.
3) Disable all voice button.
4) Add a "VOIP Settings" menu to the option, to make sure the game recognizes your voice.

So, should voice be location based ? Integrate a cell phone ?? Lots of ideas… let me know your thoughts.

"Update #2" will include mostly gameplay, and options menu enhancements, super exciting stuff. Well the voice is, but .. yea, options menus rock. Anyways. Most of these additional items I'm working on, all apply to the "Online / Open City" mode. I want as many of these in the "Update #2" as possible.

1) Gang / Team selection. Initially there will be a number of gangs that can be created on the online servers, but the first Workshop integration will be custom Gang / Team artwork.

2) Adding more persistent aspects to the game servers - such as storing the SteamID of the player who last captured a piece of territory/turf online, and display their avatar/name even if they've left the server? Then I could have persistent values such as cash accrue even when you're not in the server? I'm just sort of wrestling with how much of this to make persistent - but I will start with small things like this.

3) The concept of each player having a persistent per-server “stash”, each gang has a per-server “stash” as well. A stash is just a collection of guns and drugs. Money can also be shared in gang persistently. Also what if player’s cant see other gang members' stash? They would only be displayed an approximate value of it, backstabbing, etc.

4) An order creation system, which would be persistent, where players can create bounties on other players or gangs. We may be off in the weeds here, but I'm just putting ideas out there - I think this would give incentive and allow players with more cash to naturally rise to a position of power in a gang or persistent city.

5) When the drug market place is integrated into the game, I'll first start by simply randomizing the values players get for purchasing the drugs, widening the spread as volume increases, and then in a second phase of integration - code a true market/economy simulation based on the numbers of drugs being sold to civilians in an area, etc.

Those are a few ideas I'm kicking around, we'll see what ends up getting integrated in the next update. I'm also working on fixing bugs, improving the camera/aiming system, and re-reading all the feedback I've received so far - a week after the game's first Early Access release :-o

Thanks for the support to people who've picked up the project! Any positive/helpful feedback on the above stuff would be appreciated, thanks!

- Dan