A new update is out for the beta branch, you can now buy a new working station, and you can see now new cool visual indicators that represent the amount of ingredients left, similar to how food works. The update also has some bug fixes including a crash that sometimes happened while completing the last objective of Lake Celeste.
I'm working on the remaining tasks and I'm targeting to complete the update and make it available on the official branch by the end of the month. Meanwhile I hope you are enjoying the beta and I will keep adding new content as soon as I finish it.
Finally, I have an open question and I would like your feedback: Should you need to pay a ‘Research Cost’ when finishing a Custom Drink? This is to add balance and avoid gaming the system.
CEO beta version update (v0.4.0.1.beta) is out
New breaking update for the beta is out, as mentioned on the previous announcement, this new update changes the way save files are stored to get over some space limitations with the previous method I was using to store the game, this change was also needed to support steam cloud saves in the future. It also changes the way custom drinks are stored, therefore any custom drink created until now will be lost, the good news is that this error was found during the beta so you won’t lose any custom drink from now on. I also removed some debug information in the drinks menu, you might have seen some words saying “false”, “true”.
This is all for now, I’ll keep working on the remaining list of tasks to release the full update.
Thanks for playing.
Breaking change in CEO Beta
I will be releasing a breaking change later today for the Beta. This affects the way custom drinks are created. Your save will still work but you will lose your Custom Drinks, this change is needed to fix some saving issues and it also changes the names of the Custom drinks preview files to link them with your Save Slot id to prevent overwriting when having several saves with the same Custom Drink names.
CEO Open Beta available now for PC and Mac!
Hello!
I'm glad to be writing these words as I pick up my Latte and ant take a quick sip, it has been a fun and challenging road but I finally have a beta of the CEO update ready for everyone to try! Why a beta? Well almost all the functionality is there, I still have to finish some minor visual assets but everything else is already there.
How can I play the beta?
To play the beta you just have to opt in to the beta branch called 'openbeta', here is a quick article that shows you how to do that:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=380122528
So, what can I expect from the Beta?
Well, there are many changes in this update from improvements to old systems to new exciting features, I'll give you a quick summary of the new features with some awesome screenshots.
New Rating System
The new rating system now depends on your decoration rating, and your reputation, there are also three new top-rated ranks (Bronze Bean, Silver Bean, Golden Bean) that provide additional benefits like increased idle income from your shop.
New customization options for furniture
Several items have a new customization option to change their color when buying them, providing you with more options and a better looking shop.
New Items
New items like high tables and bar stools are now available from the store.
New resource
New resource "Ingredients" becomes available for higher levels, your demand will depend on the active drinks and their ingredients.
Custom Drinks
Have you ever dreamt of creating your own drinks? Well now is the time, with Custom drinks you are able to create and sell your own creations, just make sure people actually like them.
Flavor profiles and Ratings
With the addition of Custom drinks now customers have different flavor preferences which will make some drinks more popular than others, this also adds three different types of customers "Teens, Casuals, and Experts". Depending on their type they will prefer different types of drinks, keep an eye on the new rating indicators.
Featured Drinks
Do you want to boost the popularity of your awesome new creation? You can feature it on your menu! Just be aware of the current trends and market.
Headquarters
No better place to manage your coffee emporium than from a fancy office. You can now unlock the HQ and manage your stores, you will be able to create custom Drinks from there, transfer employees, manage advances marketing campaigns, or check your store's idle income and stats.
Franchise management
Check your stores stats and idle income.
Loans
Short on money? Ask the bank for help.
New employee options
Got a Barista Rockstar that you would like to transfer to a new shop? You can now from your HQ.
Bug Fixes and other minor improvements
The update also includes fixes for several bugs and other improvements.
What is missing?
Sweet the new features look great! What is missing from the beta? Well, I’m still finishing some visual assets for the beta and I will also add things like a new Working Station, new avatars, and customization to other tables/chairs. Below is a full list of the thigs I’m still working on to release the full update.
Increase level cap with new unlocks
Add Market balancing campaigns
UI adjustments and animations
Finish drink mixer assets
Finish drink mixer functionality (Syrup adorners and extras, option to delete Custom Drinks)
Shop based Decor Rating
Create a new working station
Add alternative style to every table/chair
Add unlockable ingredient groups
Add ingredient order specialization for employees
Add trending ingredients and boosts
Add seasonality to ingredients
Add 6 new avatars
Improve current working stations aesthetics with Syrups
Make seasonality bonus show against menu being modified
Add tutorials for new features
Add paintings/posters to Office
Add music/sound to office
During the beta
I will be working on the remaining features while you play the beta, I will also open a new discussion to provide feedback and ideas and another for bug reports. Given that this is a beta, problems might arise and you might experience crashes, I have extensively played the beta to make sure there are no major breaking bugs but s##t happens so I’ll be looking at the crash reports and updating the beta with fixes ASAP. Thanks for playing and I hope you enjoy the beta.
CEO update work in progress
Hello everyone, I wanted to give you an update on the current progress for the "CEO update" and talk about new mechanics that will be coming to the game.
Drink Creation and types of customer
With the next update, my objective is to add more content and increase the depth of the simulation/customization so I'm adding "Drink Creation". Starting with your third shop you will be able to research ingredients and create new drinks, the ingredients have different properties that will determine the flavor and traits of the drink depending how you mix it. On the following screenshot, you can see an example of the flavor profile on a new created drink (Bitter/Sour/Sweet). All the other numbers in the screenshot are just for testing purposes and I will explain the magic behind them.
So, every time you create a new drink it will be judged by three types of customers just to give you an idea of what to expect when releasing it to the public. The three types are Casuals (Enjoy balanced drinks and are not super picky about them), Teens (Prefer mostly sweet drinks), Experts (The more robust and intense coffee flavor the better). These types of customers will start showing up in your store, new shops might have different demographics between them (still deciding), but the interesting part is that you will have to balance your menu to better serve these customers. Speaking of which a new indicator (“Flavor”) will be added to the customer Needs after unlocking the third shop so you will need to keep an eye on it. With this change, I’m also including the ability to alter the market with special campaigns, so if you see that most of your creations are full of sugar and rainbows then you might want to consider marketing your shop differently to attract more teens. Also, menus will have now a drink limit to ensure balancing your menu doesn’t become just adding everything into it, because let’s be honest have you ever seen a menu with 100 drinks? :P
New store
A new store is coming, I will be revealing more when I’m done but it is coming and you will get also to enjoy new challenges.
Franchise and Reputation Boosts
The road to become a Coffee Shop Tycoon is hard but you are getting there and you need to grow, for that you will be getting a new flaming office space that will allow you to do new things like asking for Loans, watching your Shops current value and the income they provide while you are playing on another store (oh yes, every store you have built will help you earn more money and become a glorious tycoon), transferring employees between stores, demographics campaigns, and drink creation. This new space will also provide an easier way to switch between stores rather than going back to the screen menu.
Tired of having to start over on new shops, well a new mechanic called Global Reputation Boost will decrease the time you take from getting an empty store with one employee to a decent store, basically depending on the global reputation that you have earned new stores will have a reputation boost, this will help you gather more customers faster.
Featured drinks and Favorite drinks
Last but not least I’m modifying the way Favorite drinks work and adding something called “Featured Drinks” this will basically allow you to add featured drinks to the menu, these drinks will be showcased for a short time and depending on the flavor/store customers it will help you boost your shop or it might affect you so be wise when adding featured drinks. This is also a great way to showcase your amazing Green Goo Latte or whatever you decide to call it :D
This is it for now, I hope you find these new additions exciting and keep enjoying your hot coffee.
Random fun fact: For some reason I became caffeine intolerant while working in this game haha, anyways I keep drinking decafs…
Coffee Shop Tycoon NOW ON MAC!
Prepare your favorite drink and get ready to enjoy Coffee Shop Tycoon on your mac, if you have any problem or suggestion please let me know throught the forums :) Grind some beans and keep on brewing.
MAC version COMING SOON! And other updates.
Hello everyone, first I want to thank everyone for the great suggestions I've read and all the bug reports that have been going on, I'm working hard on improving the experience, from reducing the number of bugs/crashes to adding new content for the game and planning the future of Coffee Shop Tycoon.
The first big news I have is that the game is finally coming out to Mac, I'm working on the porting and I expect this to be ready during this week. I've also been working on addressing bugs and fixing common crashes, the surge of new players has really helped to find the most common issues and fix them.
Last but not least I'm still working on the CEO update which I consider the biggest update yet to the game, this update will include some features like Loans, Drink Creation, Idle Income from all your shops, a new Coffee Shop, an Office Space, and new customization items for your shop. Here is a sneak peek of the drink creator:
I hope you keep enjoying the game and feel free to reach me through the blogs to help you fix any problem. As always have fun and enjoy your coffee.
Update v0.3.2 is out
Hey I just published an update that fixes a crash when storing a working station after the specialization update. This is the only bug report I have from this update so far. If you find other problems please let me know as I will be very reactive with the bug reports.
June Update 0.3.0 is Live
Hello everyone I just pushed update 0.3.0. It includes the new specialization classes for your employees along with a new system "Salary and happiness".
It also has several bug fixes that have been reported including a bug where client reviews always show "Coffee is fresh" instead of giving real feedback for important indicators like the lack of services active in your shop. The update also makes the assignment of food automatic so no need to click "Use this food" after ordering it. You can check the last announcement for more details on the new systems.
This update is a foundation for the "CEO update" which I'm still working on, I'll let you know when I have more details.
Keep playing, and enjoy your coffee.
June Update
Hello, I wanted to give you an update on the next updates. I’ve been working on implementing the new mechanics for the “CEO update” not every mechanic is complete yet but I’m releasing a set of the new mechanics on the next update, this includes the following changes:
Employee Salary/Happiness
I improved the employee system to provide a more realistic experience, in the next update employees will have a happiness meter, this will be affected by their compensation and training, giving you the option to adjust their salary. Based on their level, employees will request a higher salary, if their expectations are met they will be happy, if not they will gradually become angry until quitting if you don’t improve their salary. Employees are also able to gain a performance boost based on their salary. Training is now also a way to increase your employee’s happiness.
Specializations
I’ve heard several times comments about how the game gets repetitive after a while, that is why I’m introducing employee specializations. When you employee reaches certain level he will be able to develop a specialization, currently he can become a “Top Barista” or a “Supply Manager”.
Top Barista -- This employee will be able to automatically brew coffee based on their orders.
Supply Manager -- This employee can restock beans and food and drop old beans/food based on their orders.
With these two new specializations, you can automate the process of running your shop, giving you more room to think about more impactful decisions for your business.
You can expect this update to roll out within one week.
The “CEO update” is still under development as it is a big update for the game and there are systems that need to be released at the same time in order to make sense. This update will feature a new shop, an office space, new items, missions, and mechanics like custom drink creation, loans, and advanced marketing.
This is all for now, keep playing and enjoy your coffee.
