Multiple Choice Update is Released! (Build 0.4.46)
Hello scholars, This update is called Multiple Choice, as it lets you choose the settings and tweak your zones as you see fit!
Activity Hall Zone
But first, a new zone! The Activity Hall allows you to schedule 1 of 3 activities per day. A Bake Sale increases profits, a Leadership workshop increases discipline, and the Career Day increases motivation!
Independent Kitchen Ingredients Choices
You can now set the ingredient choice for each kitchen. To quickly check what kinds of ingredients each kitchen uses, you can check the reports panel.
Toilets Options
Choose the quality of toilet paper you want to spend on. Better toilet paper means less poop stains...obviously.
Coffee Options
Instant coffee or espressos? Improving the quality of the coffee in lounges will give your teachers a teacher bonus, and your staff a speed boost.
Dirt Balance Changes
We adjusted the hygiene damage of dirty tiles and the amount of health recovered once school is clean to solve the issue of students taking too long to recover from unhappiness due to school being dirty.
Miscellaneous UI changes
We were inspired by one of our players’ comments on reddit about being happy that her favorite student went to Hardvard. But turns out we don’t actually show you where individual students go! So we added a little something to the end of year animation for senior students to tell you where they went after high school. This also inspired us to make future changes to student interactions that you will see in future updates!
We also added a daily transition between days just to make the day to day transition a tiny bit smoother.
Known Issues
There is a possible issue where sometimes the number of sick students shown in the HUD and reports is inaccurate. If you notice that this is happening (for example HUD says you have 10 sick students when in fact you have 1) reloading the save file should fix it. We're looking into this and will upload a fix soon.
Bugs and other Design Updates
- Fixed wrong delinquents count in Reports - Fixed counseling bugs - Added random chance to student labor - Showed student counseling backlog/queue in Reports - Fixed scenarios completed bug - Fixed bushes disappearing when loading save files - Updated electricity and water crisis - Updated scenarios - Fixed demolish not working - Fixed bugged To-do list when playing a scenario - Fixed sound and animation in scenario completed panel - Implemented scenario goal for funds earned from recycling - Implemented Dirt amount scenario goal - Implemented Delinquent amount scenario goal - Implemented angry speech balloons - Added Fun Satisfaction gain during free time - Added insufficient refrigerators in other tasks -Fixed bug where students go to School Park more frequently than Common Area.
Ruinarch has been Launched!
The long way is over! Ruinarch is now out and available on Early Access! Find out more how you can rain down destruction on people here:
Thanks for all the support everyone, and we hope you enjoy the game!
School Shutdown Update is Released! (Build 0.4.32)
Hello scholars, This update is called school shutdown, and it’s all about upping the challenge for masters of the game!
Game Over, Man
This is for the folks looking for a challenge. If you play on hard or custom mode, you will now get a game over if half your student population is sick or are delinquents, and if you get below -500 prestige. Play at your own risk!
Note: You will have to start a new game to see these features.
Ambulance
In line with the game over risks, we’ve added a way for you to call an ambulance in case your clinic is starting to get overrun and you need those students cured quickly!
Updated Routing UI
Micromanagers rejoice! We give you a more advanced routing mechanic, so you know what a good route is and what a bad route is (hint : longer routes need more staff). We hope you enjoy endlessly calibrating your routes.
Change Names
Something a lot of you have been asking for! You can now change the names of students and staff. Place your favorite teacher in the game or name the students after your high school buddies and crushes.
More Scenarios
We made 5 more scenarios to challenge you, including an entire school full of delinquents and sick children!
Students Complain Animation
Just a neat little animation that shows you your students are unhappy. It’s kind of cool how they break the fourth wall and literally signal at you to say something is wrong with your school.
New Music
We got some new music created by the inimitable Tyler Cline! Music will now change at different hours of the (in-game) day, at the custom school screen, at the end of year panel, and more! For more about Tyler, check out his site: https://tylerclinework.wixsite.com/music
Bugs and other Design Update
- Fixed wrong delinquents count in Reports - Fixed counseling bugs - Added random chance to student labor - Showed student counseling backlog/queue in Reports - Fixed scenarios completed bug - Fixed bushes disappearing when loading save files - Updated electricity and water crisis - Updated scenarios - Fixed demolish not working - Fixed bugged To-do list when playing a scenario - Fixed sound and animation in scenario completed panel - Implemented scenario goal for funds earned from recycling - Implemented Dirt amount scenario goal - Implemented Delinquent amount scenario goal - Implemented angry speech balloons - Added Fun Satisfaction gain during free time - Added insufficient refrigerators in other tasks -Fixed bug where students go to School Park more frequently than Common Area.
Announcement Regarding Updated Build Not Loading
Hey everyone we are receiving reports that the latest build of the game is not loading for some of you.
We are currently trying to figure out the issue, but if you are experiencing this, you can change your build to the outdated branch, which will load up our previous "safe" build for you. This comes with the drawback of not having the latest additions to the game.
To access the different branches, please follow these instructions:
1) Go to your game library and right click on Academia School Simulator 2) In the pop up window, find and click on Properties. 3) In the properties window, click on the Betas Tab 4) Under Enter beta access code to unlock private betas type :
Outdated : academiaoutdated
5) Click on "check code" 6) Under "Select the beta you would like to opt into" click on the dropdown menu and click on the branch you unlocked 7) You should now have access to the branch
Sorry about the trouble, but we will try to come out with a hotfix soon!
Anyone who is experiencing this, please send us a bug report here: http://bugs.academiagame.com/
This will help us immensely with figuring out what the problem is!
Update:
We have added a possible fix to the candidate branch. If you have experience this issue, please move to the candidate branch and let us know if this fixed the problem.
To access the candidate branch follow the instructions above but use the private beta code: academiacandidate
Update 2:
A hotfix has been updated, thanks for everyone who submitted a bug report!
Parks and Recycling Update is Released! (Build 0.4.14)
Hello Scholars,
Our latest update is here, called Parks and Recycling! We've added a couple new zones for your school some more UI improvements, and most importantly, a scenario mode to challenge veteran players!
Scenarios
If you feel like you've already mastered the game and want something more to challenge your school management skills, we got you! The scenario mode offers 5 scenarios for you to try to test your skills! We will be adding more scenarios soon, and if there is enough interest from you guys, we'll think about adding scenarios as a workshop feature. So let us know what you think!
Recycling Facility
Starting with this update garbage will become more of a problem you need to manage, and on that note you will be charged for your trash pickups from this point on! But fear not, if you recycle your trash you can subsidize that cost and help clean up the Earth!
School Park
Mental health and emotional labor are things that are being more and more recognized in this day and age. Make your school a pioneer by offering a school park for your students and staff to relax in! School parks improve energy faster than a regular chair or bench, so if you find you have students that often get tired, make them a park!
Updated UI
We continue to add new UI tweaks to hopefully make your game experience more pleasurable. This month we added completion animations for when you complete the zone, some improvements to the colors in zone linking, and a neat little blueprint pattern when you lay down zones, objects, etc. We also added a new report card panel to show you more information from your results in the prior year.
New Illustrations
We hope that you liked the illustration loading screens we added to the game last time because we also added illustrations for the game over, exams, and government loans screens.
Delinquency Report Updates
Similar to the Counselor reports, you can now track the delinquency "healing" of any delinquent students assigned to cleanup duty or detention.
Known Issues
When old save files are loaded, zones will appear as not completed but they will be checked and completed shortly.
Bugs and other Design Update
-Fixed staff doors being ignored after some days - Fixed bug where workers don't fix broken objects in sandbox mode - Fixed bug where workers get stuck outside of the map - Removed money option in sandbox custom logo panel - Lowered probability of eating cafeteria food to give chance to eat from vending machine - Added feedback to settings panel - Only resolve events if school has started - Removed scenario button in main menu - Temporarily removed video in title screen - Added new orientation arrows when placing objects - Changed look of highlighter when selecting tiles to be similar with blueprint - Added blueprint look when placing zones and objects - Improved shadows - Optimized and Compressed Save Files before uploading in bug reports - Fix UI issues (wrong button sizes, wrong object sprites, overlapping scrollbars, etc.) - Fixed continuous dropout notifications bug - Fixed wrong upload progress when submitting bug report - Fixed janitor prioritization bug - Fixed research bug - Fixed incomplete required items for school park - Fixed mismatched subject icons in Year End Evaluation - Fixed students failing despite passing subjects - Played animation and sound on zone completion - Changed characters' behaviors towards the drinking fountain - Fixed recycling zone flow and improved Janitor AI - Fixed Recently Completed Achievements bug in Year End Evaluation - Added new walls and floors - Added new scenarios and updated old ones - Implemented new Report Card when pressing the school logo in the top HUD - Implemented new background for Bankrupt Grant, Game Over screen, and Year-end Exams - Implemented crossing out scenario goals - Changed labels for electricity and water cost in utility objects - Changed water fountain behavior and benefits. They now recover energy - Changed Zone Linking UI - Fixed Reports Panel bug - Fixed scenario bugs - Fixed Recycling Zone bug - Fixed Fish Pond not animating bug - Updated scenarios - Improved loading of background image - Fixed Teachers bug after selling school - Fixed wrong text color in Report Card - Changed floor costs from $100 to $20 - Changed Graduate Pedigree computation from number of graduate students / 4th year students, to number of students who admit to universities and the community college - Fixed wrong day segment shown
Let's face it, 2020 has been a pretty terrible year, so we're excited to give you a chance to let off some steam with the Ruinarch demo! You have 5 in-game days to try to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting village. Can you do it without rousing the divine wrath of angels? See if you can find the evil easter egg we've hidden in the game!
If you like the demo, do us a favor and wishlist the game and tell a friend about it! Then leave us some comments in the discussion boards or head on over to our discord server to tell us what you think!
Academia Alpha 4 is Out!
Hello scholars,
We’re excited to announce that after almost a year since Alpha 3, we are releasing Academia : School Simulator Alpha 4! This marks a ton of development since Alpha 3, but first let’s go over what’s new since our last update.
Teacher Traits
Teachers now have specific traits that affect their classes. Will you choose a knowledgeable but super strict teacher or one that is not as smart but knows how to make their class fun? This provides even more challenge when selecting the best teacher!
More School Customization
You can now customize the school even more to create a specific challenge for yourself! Will you start a school for rich kids or low income kids? Are you up to the challenge of starting a school with a neighborhood with lots of goons? Will you choose advanced students over those that have struggled with their classes? It’s all up to you!
Edit Zone Names and Updated Zone Detail Panels
We changed how the edit zone panel details work for a better user experience, and also added a way for you to personalize the name of each zone. You can even name a toilet after your best frienemy!
Improved UI
Each Alpha update aims to make the game more user friendly and polish up the UI. We have made numerous changes to improve the play experience for you and simply make the game look a little nicer. Some of the UI changes include:
Updated School Creation Panel Updated End of Year School Evaluation Panel Updated HUD provides easy access to important information Updated Todo List shows problems you need to address in your school like broken objects
Clouds!
Yes it’s a little ridiculous to announce clouds, but they just look so cool I could zoom in and out all day!
For those that have been waiting to try the game since Alpha 3, here’ everything we’ve added to the game since last year!
Events
Events will appear randomly throughout the game to give you moral dilemmas, opportunities, or just happy events where your students tell you that you did a great job!
Sell School
When you feel like you have run your course with your current school, why not sell it and start fresh with a new principal, a harder difficulty, and a different school pet? Selling your school gives you a larger amount of money to start with, based on your school valuation.
Food Fight and Food Quality
You can now adjust the quality of your food if you want to save money, or feed the students better food for better learning. And keep an eye out for your delinquents, because they may start a food fight!
Special Principals
Are you a Drill Sergeant, a Reverend, a Capitalist, or just a plain old hardworking principal? Choose a principal based on your personality and play style.
Buy Land
Hire an accountant and a lawyer to draw up the paperwork and buy new plots of land to expand your educational institution!
Water and Electricity Generation
Utility costs getting you down? Become self sufficient by drawing water from the ground or harvesting energy from the sun! But be careful, these objects are very expensive and have a higher rate of breaking down.
Zone Linking
You can now link certain zones to each other, to maximize efficiency! With Zone Linking you can now specify which classrooms will go to specific cafeterias and common rooms, as well as principals’ offices. We’ve also added links from kitchen to cafeteria, so you can more efficiently control your kitchen staff.
Goons
Adding to the challenge in the game, the goons are a bunch of tough guys who hang around your school and turn your kids into delinquents! Chase them off on your own, or empower your monitor to do the dirty work for you.
New Lawyer and Vice Principal Staff
We added the lawyer and vice principal staff to expand the options available to you. The lawyer staff allows you to expel students and mass fire the other staff, and opens up different research trees. The vice principal helps your principal manage the sheer number of delinquents in your school!
School Bus
It’s tiring to walk all the way to school. Sign up your students for the schoolbus so they get to school well rested and ready to learn!
That’s only the major stuff, there’s a lot more other things that we’ve added since last year! Thanks so much to all of our players for continuously giving us feedback and support throughout this Early Access process. We are slowly inching our way to the full release of the game, and we hope you look forward to the coming updates!
Ruinarch Launch Moved to August
Hello Overlords,
While we initially promised a release date of May 2020, we’re sad to announce that we will be pushing back release by a few months, to August 2020. Even though we’re pretty evil, it felt a little bit tone deaf to be releasing a game about ruining people’s lives while the world seemingly falls apart on us because of the covid-19 pandemic.
You won’t have to wait too long though, because we’re only moving the launch to August, by which point hopefully the world will be on the road to recovery (so we can wreck virtual worlds guilt-free). We’ll take that extra time to add more polish and content to the game so that you’ll get a much better game upon release.
In the meantime to whet your appetite, check out this new and improved trailer we made! We hope it gets you as pumped up for Early Access release as we are!
[previewyoutube="7I_ByK6h1Ak;full"]
That’s all from us for now, stay safe, stay indoors, and wash your hands!
Eventful Days Update is Released! (Build 0.3.97)
Hello Scholars,
Our latest update is here, called Eventful Days! The biggest difference here is now you will experience random events! Read more below to find out what’s in store for you.
Events
Every few days a random event will occur where you will have to make a decision. You can ignore the event at the cost of prestige. You can see a hint of what some of the events will be in the illustration we made, but we don’t wanna spoil too much! We hope you guys like the events we’ve made so far, but feel free to suggest some events that you think might be fun/interesting!
Sell School
This is a longtime request, you can now sell your school to start over with much more money. The amount of money depends on your school valuation, which you can see in the reports screen. Restarting lets you pick your difficulty, school principal, school logo etc.
Automatically Kick Out Goons
For those that can’t be bothered to find the and kick out the goons, we added a research that takes care of it for you!
UI Updates
As we build up to Alpha 4 release in April we are improving the UI bit by bit for a better experience. Some of the stuff we’ve been doing include:
Updated Cashflow Panel (now shows number of objects, added icons for easier navigation)
Decluttered settings menu and move some icons to the HUD for easier access
Update the save and load panels (autosaves now show more useful info)
Graphics settings in Settings Panel
Those and a lot more small tweaks have been added to the UI.
A note on character skin mods
In this release, we changed how the character images are managed. They are now separate images such that they can be added to main atlas (a big image that collects the smaller images) that the rest of the game uses. We did it this way so that future character skin mods would no longer break whenever we have character related updates.
However, this means that all the current character skin mods like uniforms would be broken until the mod developer fixes them. We're truly sorry for this. The game will not break when you've installed these mods. They just won't get applied since the images that needs to be replaced are now different.
One major thing we did with this build is that we temporarily removed the "Sell to the Grid" Research. We know some of you have been using it as a "unlimited money" workaround, but that was never the intent. We will be thinking about how we can add it again in a more sensible fashion in the next update.
- Fixed pet labels - Updated evaluation panel and year end congratulatory panel - Fixed missing text name for principal - Implemented food fight - Updated health, dirt, and food crate variables - Improved UI - Improved school timeline graphs - Fixed staff context panel auto closing - Fixed wrong locked reports button colors - Fixed weird behavior of the clinic zone details panel - Fixed events bugs - Implemented camera shake for the earthquake event - Reduced goon visit chance as event cost - Removed concrete tiles from default map - Prepare pending event during loading - Added tooltips for the student population rollover icons - Improved UI panels (Save/Load panel, User Reports, Top right HUD, Settings, and Custom Logo panels) - Changed earthquake camera shake duration - Fixed bug where next day transition happens in game over screen - Fixed slow/laggy feedback panel opening - Removed unnecessary divider in save and load panels - Redesigned mods installation panel at the start of the game - Fixed bugs in display settings - Updated object costs - Fixed load game error due to missing carried object - Implemented sound effect for earthquake event - Fixed custom school logo black and white colors seems broken - Fixed students not going to the school bus at the end of the day - Fixed worker not fixing toilet cubicle
Ruinarch is coming to Early Access in May 2020!
Hi all, just wanted to share with you that Squeaky Wheel's first published game, Ruinarch, will be coming to Early Access in May 2020!
Ruinarch is a devilishly fun simulation/sandbox game where you are an evil demon overlord creating havoc and invading fantasy worlds. A rich and fertile land lies before you, ripe for the picking. Take over regions one by one, spreading your influence inexorably towards the heart of the kingdom. Turn heroic defenders into pitiful wretches by unleashing an array of demonic spells upon them, creating a hellish chronicle for the ages.
If that sounds like fun to you, please do wishlist the game now!
