DRIVR Part 7: On your marks

Alright, so it's a been a while. But don't worry, although we may be publishing at George R. R. Martin speeds, we actually know where we're headed with all of this. So what have we been up to these past six months? Surely we've got something to show for all our efforts. Well, that depends. Do you like tricycles? Because we bought a tricycle (for obvious reasons).

Before we get to all the latest developments, how about we recap where we left off. If you'll recall from the first (and only) demo video, we had a working prototype (covertly known internally as Version 3) with the following awesome features:

• A go-kart that was barely bigger than a Yeti (and somehow also more expensive)

• No suspension, because electronics prefer a high-vibration environment

• A "bonus" cable attached to the driver's headset that made it way easier to get trapped in the go-kart forever

• Oh, and we meant a Yeti cooler, not a Yeti creature. The latter would be much more spacious.

• The game required a laptop, which had to be *checks notes* strapped to the go-kart?

• The laptop required AC power, i.e., a giant power bank. Was this also strapped to the go-kart? OF COURSE IT WAS STRAPPED TO THE GO-KART.

• Oh, jeez, did we not yet mention the giant poles clumsily holding up the entire INS and accompanying GPS antennas?

• Absolutely no purpose or objective to the game (it's like you're driving a Kierkecaar)

• No vehicle overrides. If you drive off the fake track, you might hit a real tree.

Clearly there was some room for improvement before we started letting other people hop behind the wheel. To address these deficiencies we brought in some industry experts to help get things rolling. Just kidding, it's me doing most of the work, and I'm still as clueless as ever. But wait, there's hope! Did I mention we bought a tricycle?

The biggest change from V3 to V4 is that the game now runs as a standalone application on the headset. This means no more cables, no more laptop, and no more giant power bank. The other noticeable difference is the vehicle itself. We've acquired an off-road go-kart (meant for full-size people) and are converting it to drive-by-wire. So not only will you not be able to hit a tree, you'll be more comfortable while not doing it. The development of V4 has yielded plenty of technical goodies to talk about, and we'll save that for later posts. We just wanted to remind you that we exist, and that your call is important to us. So please stay on the line.

-Greg

The story continues with Part 8: Unlocke your potential