Hauler64
A downloadable tiny space sim for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Cozy Space Trucking
Welcome back to the Zeta Sector! Make a living by hauling goods, mining asteroids or delivering food in this PICOTRON remake of my cozy space trucking PICO-8 game Hauler. There are no enemies, no time limits and no survival mechanics. Just you and your cargo. And maybe a co-pawlet. Now in a stunning 16:9 ratio!
Just like its predecessor, you can finish this game, but it's optional. The main focus of the game is the joy of space trucking.
What you can do
- Docking at stations to accept jobs.
- Fuel scoop at stars.
- Collect salvage or mine resources to sell.
- Scan planets to document the sector.
- Use your friendship drive to jump to other systems.
- Collect trading cards.
- Discover curiosities.
- Pick up hitchhikers (upgrades needed).
- Pet the cat.
- Fishing with dice!
More stuff to come in future updates.
What you get
- 24 star systems with a total of 50 planets to scan.
- Four pilots plus one hidden.
- Basic fetch quests.
- A few stellar phenomena to gawk at.
- 24 pop culture-inspired space curiosities to discover.
- 24 trading cards to collect.
- Peaceful, nonviolent gameplay. It turns out that eliminating capitalism also eliminates the need for piracy. Who could have known?
- Still totally random planetary rotation every time you enter a system.
- NPCs you can't yet interact with
- Bite-sized pieces of lore to learn about the story of the Zeta Sector.
- A progression system with modifications and torphies based on your karma.
- An orange cat (if you can find it).
- A Shiba inu in a space suit.
- Original ambient space music.
C.R.E.A.M.?!
Nope. There is no money in this world. Everything you do is paid for in Peps. A karma-like currency first introduced by Becky Chambers in the second book of her Monk & Robot series. You should read it.
You can't buy anything with Peps. You don't need to buy anything in this game. Its sole purpose in Hauler64 is to be an indicator of your progress.
However, Peps are essential to unlock modifications in Hauler64.
Read the effing manual
Refer to the manual (hauler64-manual.txt) for instructions on how to play Hauler64.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Added manual.txt to downloads18 days ago
- Update 1.1: Minor fixes20 days ago
- Hauler64 is verified for the Steam Deck (by me)29 days ago
- New cover art40 days ago
Comments
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Question: how does one dock with civilian/industrial outposts?
At one time, I played the original Elite as well as the indie/fan-made Oolite... it's been a while since I played, but as I play H64, I'm catching all of the references to the Elite universe. Haven't gotten around to Elite Dangerous though.
Also playing Hutton minimal and I like the random events with pirates and traders. I'm wondering that if you are thinking about adding game types, meaning, game choice #1 being the game as it is currently, and game choices 2 and 3 having random events with pirates and such using dice-roll mechanics to determine escape or battle.
Just a thought. Regardless, the game is awesome as it is!
You can’t dock at those outposts yet. But I plan to add that in future updates.
And yes, I also thought about adding Hutton Minimal like random events to Hauler64 😃 If I do, you will be able to switch in on and off in the modifications menu.
OK... Played the game for awhile and came back to pay. Totally fun game! I love the simplicity of the game manual overlay.
Question: how do I gather enough batteries to jump to a new star? I've tried the friendship drive several times but seems I never have the power for the drive.
You need to load the drive using the batteries (click on them or select them and press the spacebar). I’ll add that to the manual. Alternatively, you can charge the drive at any sun in the center of a system by hovering over the yellow dot on your nav ring. Thanks for playing! 🙏
Nice implementation of a classic theme:-)