[quote][b][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset_flip]Warning: Asset Flip![/url][/b]
Dust On Wheels is an asset flip, or what Valve calls a "Fake Game". The "developer" paid for/pirated someone else's example/template/tutorial game, changed the name/reskinned a couple of things, and submitted it to Valve as if it was their own game.[/quote]
Dust On Wheels is an unusual case of DailyIndieGame getting high off their own supply... instead of acting as a clearing house for Russian asset flips, they've "made" and published their very own asset flip, and it's a stinker.
This looks like an all terrain offroad driving and racing game, and I guess it is in the same way library paste is a kind of food. All you do is drive a few stolen/borrowed/plagiarised vehicle assets (there are only three to choose from, a plagiarised SUV, a plagiarised dune buggy, and a plagiarised ATV asset).
Like all asset flips this is a true bare minimum viable product... there's nothing a racing game must have here, no minimap/track map, no independent camera control, no alternative viewpoints... the camera just (badly) follows behind you (with some lag). This is both pointless and thoroughly unpleasant to play, but remember, as with all malicious asset flips, this was never made to be a game for gamers. It was made to abuse the Steam Store for bulk Steam key generation so the developer can get a few roubles in his pocket.
This is bad for gamers, bad for developers, and bad for Steam.
Taking this shovelware seriously as if it was a genuine attempt to make a game, it doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard.
The game assets are fairly mediocre/low quality which fits with the idea they weren't developed by the game creator... they look like they're "just reasonable enough" to go on sale as part of an asset pack. The issue of asset flipping aside, ultimately the quality of these assets is low and low quality always makes for a less than optimal gaming experience.
Beyond the standard Unity pre-launch settings dialogue, there's no in-game menu at all for settings. That's a fail. PC gamers need to be able to customise their experience... no two gaming rigs are alike.
Those technical flaws drag this game well below the minimum quality standards expected of a modern PC game.
The poor quality of this game is reflected by how many people spent time with it. At the time of this review, SteamDB shows the all-time peak player number was [b]only 2 players[/b]. This is a remarkably low number, and now, the only player activity occurs once or twice a month, presumably someone loading it up to see what it is then quickly uninstalling it. Considering there's over 130 million gamers on Steam and well over 140,000 games for gamers to choose from, the overwhelming lack of interest in this low quality game is to be expected.
This kind of asset flipping isn't harmless. It makes it harder for gamers to find genuinely made games from ethical developers. It makes it harder for genuine indie developers, who put hard work into trying to make real games, to find an audience for their products. It gives indie developers a bad name.
So, should you buy this asset flip? Is this better than any of the 140,000+ genuinely made games on Steam? Of course not!
Dust On Wheels is relatively cheap at $3 USD, but it's not worth it. There's enough defects and quality problems with this game that it's not worth recommending to gamers, but the unethical nature of the developer/their associates makes it completely impossible. Remember that if you buy a game from an unethical developer, you're putting your money at risk.
[quote][b][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/profile]Profile Features Limited![/url][/b]
Valve have marked this game as "Profile Features Limited" at the time of this review. This is usually caused by poor sales figures and low community acceptance for the game (to date). Until this status changes, this game will not give you +1 to your Game Collector badge count, appear in profile achievements or any other Steam meta-accomplishments, nor can it be displayed in some profile showcases. If these factors are important to you, it may be worth holding off before buying this game.[/quote]
