City Game Studio cover
City Game Studio screenshot
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Genre: Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie

City Game Studio

The banker update
Hello folks!

I'm excited to announce the release of City Game Studio v1.20.0, a significant update that enhances the game development simulation experience. This update brings numerous improvements and new features that will redefine your virtual game studio management journey.

UI Overhaul: Streamlined for Success



The user interface has been reimagined to make your journey as a game studio magnate more intuitive and engaging. The studio management panel has been streamlined, and the bottom menu has been reworked for enhanced accessibility. Now, with a single click, you can access a popup menu that guides you efficiently to your desired destination.

The staff and hiring panels now include studio-specific filters, allowing for more precise management of your growing empire. The convention and marketing campaign interfaces have been simplified, focusing on what truly matters - your strategic decisions.

Pagination: A New Chapter in Released games


Your studio's released games are now easier to browse. I've introduced pagination to the released game panel, including self-published games, trade-published titles, publishing deals, remakes, game ports, and Game of the Year winners. This view reduces the CPU usage and improve the performances overall.

Strategic Acquisitions: The Art of the Deal



The process of buying out competitors has been revamped. Now, you have the power to decide the fate of acquired studios, video game catalogs, and staff. This adds a new layer of strategy to your expansion plans.

Quality of Life Improvements: Work Smarter, Not Harder


Several quality-of-life improvements have been introduced to streamline your workflow. You can now withdraw staff from studios or your entire company with a single button press, rename convention centers and universities on the fly, and edit your company details directly from the financial tab.

The Banker: Your Financial Guardian... or Nemesis



The stakes have been raised. Game over is now solely in the hands of the banker. However, in times of financial distress, you'll have options. You can sell your game engine, part with your latest custom platform, or even offload a studio to avoid bankruptcy. For those who make it to 1990, prepare to face a new banker inspired by a famous CEO.

Competitor Dynamics: A More Realistic Challenge


The competitor acquisition algorithm has been revamped to provide a more balanced and challenging experience. The difficulty of acquiring a competitor is now based on your company's score and the game's difficulty setting. You'll see your fan base grow with each acquisition, and admire your conquered rival's logo as a trophy of your success.

Performance Boost: Faster, Leaner, Meaner


City Game Studio now launches faster and uses less RAM, ensuring a smoother experience across all systems. The main menu now uses ~1.3G of RAM instead of ~2.5G, while in-game performance has been optimized to use ~1.9G instead of ~2.7G.

New Content: Fresh Faces and Logos



Prepare to face 13 new competitors in your quest for gaming dominance. I've also added 10 new logos for your company, along with a reworked company logo drawer to make your brand stand out. For those curious about the future, you can check out the upcoming games from Binogure Studio in the main menu.

Bugfixes and Polishing: A Smoother Ride


Numerous bugs have been squashed and existing features polished to ensure your game development journey is as smooth as possible. From improved Steam integration to fixed camera controls, every aspect of the game has been scrutinized and enhanced.

The Road Ahead


This update marks a significant milestone in the evolution of City Game Studio. I'm constantly working to improve and expand the game, driven by my passion for game development simulation and your invaluable feedback.

To the loyal players who have been with City Game Studio since the early days, thank you for your unwavering support. To those just joining, welcome to the exciting world of virtual game development! Whether you're crafting your first indie hit or building a gaming empire to rival the industry giants, City Game Studio v1.20.0 provides the tools and challenges you need to bring your vision to life.

The game development landscape is ever-changing, and with this update, City Game Studio is better equipped to help you navigate its complex terrain. From managing multiple studios to making critical financial decisions, every aspect of game development is at your fingertips.

So, gather your virtual team, and prepare to write the next chapter in your studio's history. The world of gaming awaits your creativity, strategy, and leadership.

Get City Game Studio now and start your journey to the top of the gaming world. Happy gaming, and may your virtual studios thrive!

Thank you for reading,
Take care,
Xavier aka Binogure

Exciting Updates: City Game Studio 1.20.0 Launches Soon!
Hello everyone!

I hope you're all doing well. Over here, I'm feeling pretty under the weather, but that hasn't stopped me from being productive!
This week, I fixed a few bugs—nothing major, but they were definitely affecting the gameplay experience.

The first issue was with studio furniture. All furniture was showing a 110% happiness boost, which was, of course, just a visual bug. I've already fixed it in the unstable branch on Steam. The second bug was related to conventions, which weren't refreshing properly and kept showing only one small stand.

That covers the bug fixes, but I've also added a few new features! I’ve updated the main game interface, and now you’ll find submenus within the main menu. For instance, the button to create games now opens a submenu displaying all actions available in the game creation panel. This means you can go directly to the game port panel from the pop-up. I tested it out—it's a bit unfamiliar at first, but it works well, and you get used to it quickly!

Thanks to this new panel, I was also able to remove a button from the bottom menu, making navigation in City Game Studio even smoother.

And now, I have a surprise for you! Version 1.20.0 will be live on September 25, 2024!
As with every update, there will be a discount. And this time, it’s the biggest one yet—50% off!

So if you’re still on the fence, hang tight and get your wallets ready for September 25, 2024!

On my end, I’ll keep testing the game to fix as many bugs as possible.
Catch you next week! In the meantime, take care of yourselves!
Xavier aka Binogure

Patch v1.20.0-rc10

Default version of the game, we want to make sure to have a chance to discover bugs and adjust the balancing, to give you the best game experience possible.

Access the Unstable branch on Steam by right clicking City Game Studio in your Steam library, and then select ‘Properties’. In the new window, select ‘Betas’. The Unstable branch should now be available for you to choose from.

Please leave any feedback you may have in the appropriate channel in our Discord, or in the subforum on Steam.

As always, remember to be considerate towards players not partaking in the Unstable, in case they want to avoid spoilers.

Please make sure to make backups of your save files before playing.



Changelog


Bugfix

  • Items informations are not updated correctly on the shop menu
  • Attended conventions aren't well initialized

UI

  • Rework the bottom menu so when you click on any button it opens a popup menu that helps you find your stuff
  • Remove the "Build a studio button" and merge it with the "Buy a studio"

Fixing bugs
Hello everyone!

Well, it’s been a crazy busy week. I’m currently preparing the marketing side of v1.20, and it’s taking quite a bit of my time—time that I’m not spending on actual game development. But, we’re getting closer to the update release, so most of my time is now dedicated to testing and reviewing bug reports.

And you’ve found a lot of different bugs for me, though they all seem to stem from the same issue. When I introduced pagination for published games, I also introduced a bunch of bugs that prevented updates from being published or even sales from being organized. Fortunately, those bugs are now fixed, and I also took the opportunity to address a small but very visual bug—those bouncing dice that just fly off the screen.

Another fun addition is a new competitor: "Running with a Fork" has been added to the game. The logo is a bit more polished compared to other competitors, but it’s a little nod to the studio behind the excellent Postal 2! I should warn you though, Postal 2 is a great game, but a little violent and quite over the top.

In the last devlog, I mentioned City Game Studio 2, and I have to admit that now that I’ve talked about it, I’m really eager to start working on it. But before that, there are a couple of things I still need to wrap up in City Game Studio 1.

This week, I’ll be focusing on adding sub-menus when you click on the buttons at the bottom of the screen. So, instead of opening big pop-ups that take time to load when you’re searching for something, you’ll get a smaller menu offering different tabs via icons. It doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, it should make your life easier.

To close this devlog, I want to give you a peek at the next big update—v1.21.0. I want to make things easier by introducing a new employee role: the Studio Director. This person will have a unique role, automating certain tasks. The Studio Director will need to be assigned to a studio, and only that director can manage the studio. When you release a game, you can instruct the director to automatically put the game out as soon as possible, so you won’t have to worry about it. The idea isn’t mine, once again, it came from you, and it’s a brilliant suggestion that should be coming with v1.21.0.

Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next week for the final devlog of v1.20.0.

Take care,
Xavier aka Binogure

Patch v1.20.0-rc9

Default version of the game, we want to make sure to have a chance to discover bugs and adjust the balancing, to give you the best game experience possible.

Access the Unstable branch on Steam by right clicking City Game Studio in your Steam library, and then select ‘Properties’. In the new window, select ‘Betas’. The Unstable branch should now be available for you to choose from.

Please leave any feedback you may have in the appropriate channel in our Discord, or in the subforum on Steam.

As always, remember to be considerate towards players not partaking in the Unstable, in case they want to avoid spoilers.

Please make sure to make backups of your save files before playing.



Changelog


Bugfix

  • Fix bug with the new release panel
  • Fix the bouncing button (the dice that bounce when you click on it)

Competitor

  • Add "Running With a Fork" company

New banker
Hello folks!

As always, welcome to my weekly devlog here on Steam!
Every devlog I share with you the progress of the project, but this time I'm going one step further.

Moving on to the banker, from now on a new banker appears from the 90s onwards. Although she's a banker, I wanted to add a little more diversity to the City Game Studio characters. However, it's only a visual difference, since the offers you receive remain the same. Just like the change in the look of the magazines that rate your games, this change underlines the progression over time.

Another thing I've reworked is the part about buying out competitors. As the dialog box was a bit dull, I added your logos to brighten things up. I also changed the number of fans you get when you buy a competitor. Previously, the number of fans depended solely on the difficulty of the game, with a bit of randomness.
I've changed all that to a new calculation that's no longer random. Instead, your company's rating serves as a ratio of the number of fans you're going to collect. This number is now included when you buy out a competitor. I guess it's time to close this part of the game and move on to the next part.

So, as I said at the very beginning of this devlog, I'm also going to tell you what's going to happen to City Game Studio.
First of all, I plan to continue developing City Game Studio, i.e. adding competitors, events, fixing bugs and reviewing certain aspects of the game.
However, I feel that the game is now in a state that I really like and it has become; the game I had in mind when I started working on it in 2016! For this reason, City Game Studio won't be seeing any major new additions. I'm going to add new consoles, new conferences, new events, but I'm not going to completely overhaul game creation, for example. Doing so would significantly change the spirit of the game.

Yet I do want to change it and have a completely different approach, something much more modular that would give you more freedom, and above all make the game experience much more smooth. These new ideas are the ones you regularly suggest to me, but also the ones that come up when I'm working on City Game Studio. They're all excellent ideas, and deserve to be part of a video game company management game. Actually, I'm not talking about City Game Studio, but rather the sequel, which could be called City Game Studio 2! I'm not developing the sequel yet, but I'm preparing it. In other words, I'm just starting to write a document that will take up the whole game. I'm not about to show you anything, I'm still working on City Game Studio, and there's a huge milestone coming up in the next few weeks!

Later in September 2024, the game will be promoted by Steam, with a huge discount, the biggest yet.
I have high expectations for this event. If you want, you can also help out by sharing your feedback about the game on Steam. Whether it's positive or not, I know that your opinion counts and that other gamers, and I myself, will read it carefully. Recently, Steam has revised its algorithm for highlighting reviews, and the most relevant reviews will have a greater impact on game visibility.

That's it for me.
Thanks for reading!
Take care!
Xavier aka Binogure

Patch v1.20.0-rc8

Default version of the game, we want to make sure to have a chance to discover bugs and adjust the balancing, to give you the best game experience possible.

Access the Unstable branch on Steam by right clicking City Game Studio in your Steam library, and then select ‘Properties’. In the new window, select ‘Betas’. The Unstable branch should now be available for you to choose from.

Please leave any feedback you may have in the appropriate channel in our Discord, or in the subforum on Steam.

As always, remember to be considerate towards players not partaking in the Unstable, in case they want to avoid spoilers.

Please make sure to make backups of your save files before playing.



Changelog


Competitor

  • Rework the algorithm when you acquire a competitor so it's based on the game's difficulty and the player's company score.
  • When acquiring a competitor shows the number of fan gained
  • When acquiring a competitor shows the competitor's logo

Banker

  • Starting in 1990, there's a new banker inspired from a famous CEO. No spoiler, I won't give her name.


Buying out your competitors used to be great
Hello everyone,

It's been a great week, and I've got a few treats up my sleeve for you!

First and foremost, acquiring competitors. So far, clicking on “Buy” gets you everything. Fans, studios, employees, games - in short, everything you can get when you buy a competitor.
Obviously, it's a bit of a mess. Your games are all mixed up, and that can be frustrating.

From now on, when you buy a competitor, you'll be offered what you want to buy. Games, studios or employees. Not exhaustively, but globally. Do you want to buy all the games, or none of them?

Which gives you more control and therefore more freedom!
I also took the time to review the in-game tool that lets you design your company logos!
The old one wasn't very practical, and this new one is just a little bit better.

Well, v1.20.0 is starting to get big and the rest of the to-do list has largely shrunk.
Next week, I plan to continue working on the banker so that it can finally evolve with time. And probably a few more in-game events, to spice up your games a bit.

Well, that's it for me!
Until then, I wish you a lovely week.
Take care.
Xavier aka Binogure

Upcoming game


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810050/Fortune_Avenue/

Patch v1.20.0-rc7

Default version of the game, we want to make sure to have a chance to discover bugs and adjust the balancing, to give you the best game experience possible.

Access the Unstable branch on Steam by right clicking City Game Studio in your Steam library, and then select ‘Properties’. In the new window, select ‘Betas’. The Unstable branch should now be available for you to choose from.

Please leave any feedback you may have in the appropriate channel in our Discord, or in the subforum on Steam.

As always, remember to be considerate towards players not partaking in the Unstable, in case they want to avoid spoilers.

Please make sure to make backups of your save files before playing.



Changelog


Misc

  • Rework the company logo drawer to make it more appealing.
  • Add the upcoming games of Binogure Studio to the main menu.

UI

  • When you buy out a competitor, you can decide whether you want to take over their studios too.
  • When you buy out a competitor, you can decide whether you also want their video games back.
  • When you buy out a competitor, you can decide whether you also want their staff back.

There's competition!
Hello everyone!

City Game Studio's next major update is almost ready.
I can't wait to make it available to everyone! However, before that happens, I've still got a few weeks' work to do.

So this week, I've been working on the competitors. I've added 13 to be exact. Although their names are a bit humorous, their logos should be recognizable!
Anyway, you can try to guess the logos that have been drawn!

As Ayfri pointed out, there aren't many logos to choose from when you're creating your company. So I designed 10 more.
And I think I'll focus on the logo editor to make it a bit prettier. If I remember correctly, this version was made in 2020.
It's a bit dated, and I've got a few ideas to make it a bit nicer.

Lately, you've been suggesting an extra page to be able to filter the games made by the competitors you've bought out. Also, I'm thinking of giving you a choice when you buy a competitor. You can choose to keep the studios, the employees, the games, the game engines or nothing at all. By doing so, it's more in line with reality. For example, you can buy out a competitor, but resell their game to make some money. The same applies to studios and game engines, but not to employees.

Anyway, I'm going to try to work on it, although I don't think I have enough time to do it for next week, I'm going to try though!

Well, that's it for me!
Until then, I wish you a lovely week.
Take care.
Xavier aka Binogure
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