Hello Jordan,

I found your itch.io via the r/SoloDevelopment. I actually had a similar idea for a game that am prototyping. ;)

First, good idea on having this feedback and bug posts. 

Second, one bit of feedback about the game is the cursor doesn't always remained locked to main screen. For instance, I use ALT+TAB a lot to switch windows. Once I do this, the cursor is visible in game and goes onto other screens. Then, I can't interact with anything because the OS thinks the cursor is outside the game and I am trying to click something on another screen/monitor when in reality I am trying to use the in-game crosshair to select the cell phone or people's papers. Solution: I see that you are using Unity, so try implementing Cursor.lockState's here. Hope this helps!

Regards,

Aaron

It's a very good idea, but very janky currently. As far as I see, there aren't any penalties for crashing, which is a bummer, the document checking doesn't always work, a map with the route (but definitely not a minimap! maybe something accessible like the phone?) is desperately needed, too.

Love the crazy traffic and how it drives. The artstyle of the cars is great. Would like the marshrutka to also behave more erratically, maybe a jumpier suspension? Currently it's too easy to drive max speed and avoid traffic imo.

I really like the setting, the semi-surrealness gives genuine vibes, if perfected, I think this could be one of the better implemented post-ussr driving oriented maps, as it doesn't feel empty like many other post-soviet driving games. (City car driving comes to mind, it's really hard to design a lively post soviet city for driving) You could achieve similar day effects with heavy rain or snow and a lot of greyness.

Some thoughts about a period-correct Russian irl experience: The multitasking while driving thing with a phone is a necessity for any real marshrutka driver,  but checking documents stationary while people enter? No way, that has to be done while driving, in addition to collecting payment and giving out change to the correct passenger, just like in a real marshrutka. You have to be fast enough to outcompete the other drivers on the same line, so they won't nag the passengers before you, you can't be wasting time like that. Speaking of passengers, they can demand a stop pretty much anywhere and, usually, too late to stop safely. Also, depending on the marshrutka model, the passenger door (operated by passengers on a classic Gazelle Marshrutka) can jam or break, so the driver either has to scream so the passengers will close it carefully, or, forgetting to do so, get out and fix it. The shouted phrase "don't slam the door" was an integral part of the marshrutka experience and became a big meme, given the absurdity. There was also a meme about payments, as there were often passengers refusing to pay, leading to confrontations with the driver. Most marshrutkas had "funny" non-payment caution, or even threat, signs. Also there has to be a "boss" on the end of the line that collects payment and fines you if you are too slow or something (but that's more of a game economy question) and other marshrutkas with drivers you have beef with.

Here's an old photo that sums the marshrutka multitasking pretty well: 

About the door closing: (the text reads: don't slam the door; someone, likely the driver, seems to be fixing it)

A couple of typical warning signs in a marshrutka: (Translated from left to right:

A stop somewhere here will be somewhere there; Please ask the driver to stop, not your neighboring passenger; The driver isn't an octopus, he won't give change to everyone; Scream loader, there's a chance we'll stop; Lost my temper, will be back in 5 minutes; amusement ride: 20 minutes of fear and you're home; The more people, the softer the ride (Marshrutkas had leaf spring suspensions, and were often overcrowded); Complaints can be filed in the next car; Please ask for stops early and loudly

Typical marshrutka:

There also often were extended joke pricelists posted, would be interesting to see some of the more common features gamified:

Translated: Driver answers a question 10r; Correctly answers question 20r; Answers stupid question 50r; Stop here 50r; Real talk with driver 500r; Drive the marshrutka yourself 1000r; Change course 1000r; Give a thoughtful look - free; For people wit no humor 1r = 1$

Listed is who has the right for a free fare, squared red is Tom Cruise, after that there's a joke pricelist

Anyway, there are a lot of quirks and details that could make a marshrutka game experience genuine, and if you need any more input of how they worked irl I'd be happy to share more.

I think you're going for an "experience" simulator and not for just another bus simulator, which I think could turn out very interesting.

Really looking for further development, I've always dreamt about a 90s marshrutka simulator!