Frequently asked questions
Everything people have asked so far: about the game, the tech, the project and how to get involved.
17 questions
Game
What is engine8?
A firefighting game in which you're both: the dispatcher in the control centre and the incident commander on scene. The emergency call comes in at a real address, you alert the right vehicles from real stations, and when they arrive you take over yourself: dismount the crew, fetch the equipment, lay the hoses, set up the turntable ladder.
Fire and water are simulated. A fire grows when too little water reaches it, and you build the water supply yourself. You can play solo or in co-op with friends.
Is my district or my station in the game?
It starts with the district of Freising: all 83 fire stations, every mapped hydrant and the brigades' vehicles, built from OpenStreetMap and the Bavarian terrain model. The technology behind it is built for the whole of Germany and beyond, and more districts will follow.
If you'd like to see your station in the game, tell us about it in the forum. Photos and vehicle lists help enormously.
Which vehicles are in the game?
The HLF 20, the DLK 23-12, the LF 8 and the TSF already drive with their own models. The MLF, TLF 3000, RW, ELW 1 and GW-L2 are in too, some of them still using a similar vehicle's model until their own is finished.
The stations get their real brigade's vehicles, as far as they fit into the game.
How realistic is the game?
As real as possible where it matters: real alarm keywords (B 1–4, THL 1–3), the vehicles' FMS radio status, real stations and vehicles, and nothing happens on scene by itself. I'm a trained industrial firefighter myself and check every detail against reality.
To be honest, the game simplifies too: crews are smaller than in real life, so an incident stays manageable. If something looks wrong to you, say so in the forum.
Can I play with friends?
Yes. You play solo, over LAN or online in co-op: one shared world, one shared district. Everyone takes charge of their own vehicles, and the game only pauses when everyone agrees.
Later there will also be a persistent world that keeps running around the clock.
Will there be rescue service, police and THW?
Not yet. Right now everything revolves around the fire brigade, because it should feel right from the alarm to the last rolled-up hose.
Rescue service, police and THW are firmly planned and will follow after that.
Tech
Does the game run in the browser?
No. engine8 is a desktop game for macOS, Windows and Linux, built with Rust and Bevy. That's what it takes to run a whole district in 3D with fire, water and co-op multiplayer smoothly.
The earlier browser version was an important step along the way. What became of it is in the post Coming full circle.
What hardware do I need?
The goal is for engine8 to run smoothly even on a 2020 laptop with integrated graphics, such as an M1 MacBook Air. The exact requirements will be settled once there are playtests.
What language is the game in?
The interface is in German for now, with the fire service's real terms, from HLF to tanker shuttle (Pendelverkehr). This site is available in German and English.
Project
When will the game be finished?
How much will the game cost?
Who is making engine8?
Me, André. I'm a trained industrial firefighter and I'm building engine8 on my own. The idea has been with me since 2015, and you can read the whole journey in the devlog.
What happened to the browser version?
The earlier browser version was an important step: the research, the call logic and many ideas come from it. The game itself now runs on the desktop, though. The whole story is in the post Coming full circle.
Who or what is Summi?
Summi is a little drone with big eyes. You use it to report bugs right inside the game, without leaving it. It hovers at the bottom of every page here too.