The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.
November
Month 18 of Landlord's Super Early Access.
A short one this month, as we've entered another gear in order to get the update completed.
We're looking at getting a test build of the Free Build update into the InDev branch before Christmas. Let's look at how that will look.
Free Build? When?
Work on the construction elements is finally drawing to a close. However, development still needs to complete on two more areas of the game before the update can hit the public branch.
First is making sure that the new construction gameplay is presented correctly. This means revisiting how the start of the game plays out. Answering questions such as "how do you complete tasks in the notebook with free build?". Enhancing areas of the game such as the loan system, reworking how the tool shed is unlocked and of course, tutorials for the new mechanics.
Second is bug fixing. Once we enter this phase we'll share the game on the InDev branch where players can try the new features early and help us out with bug tracking.
Also of note; we'll start releasing builds on InDev with debug tools. So you'll be able to spawn money, refill energy, fly around, etc. This is to ensure playthroughs are faster and bug tracking is easier.
New Shingles, New Bricks
A variety of new Shingles and Bricks are making their way into the Free Build update. Each with their own price and style, allowing our players even more creative freedom.
Panelling
The ability to build wooden housing has been a popular request, so we’re adding in the ability to panel your homes in plasterboard and wood panelling. Both the insides and outsides of your homes can be fully panelled and painted.
We look forward to seeing how creative players get with this once Free Build is released!
All the best, Greg
October Dev Log
The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.
October
Month 17 of Landlord's Super Early Access.
The Free Build update sure is taking a long time, huh? We appreciate players are probably starting to lose patience with it, so this month, we'll be looking into why exactly this update is taking longer than previous ones, but it's important to know that the guts of the game are really being torn out and refitted. We're confident, however, that this work will give the game the longevity it deserves.
We've also done a bunch of work on Roofing, Newspapers and Curtains. We've even took on an extra pair of paws to help us speed along development.
Our Biggest Update Yet
The Free Build Update is by far our biggest update to the game thus far. Due to this, save data from previous versions of the game will not be compatible with The Free Build Update (oof). All players will need to start a fresh save when the update comes out.
There's a justification for this. Big changes to how construction gameplay works have also meant reworking how the save and load system works. We understand that losing save data isn't any fun, so we're making sure to add as much new content to the game as possible. Starting a new save in The Free Build Update should feel like playing a whole new experience.
We've spoken over the last few months of the changes incoming. Interior Wall Placement, Exterior Wall Placement, Ceiling Generation, Staircases, Hot Bar, and a raft of quality of life improvements and bug fixes. But there's still even more to come. Let's take a look.
Save data from previous versions will not be compatible with the Free Build update.
Newspaper Changes
Greg managed find time to sneak in a long-planned feature with the in-game newspapers.
With how hidden some features are in Landlord's Super, we've always worried that a lot of the depth of the game gets over-looked. Our Discord channel can usually help mitigate this, with users pointing out unknown features to new players, but we really wanted an in-game way to address this.
Newspapers are our chosen solution for this. They are now generated on a daily basis, come with a period appropriate headline - which have been drawn from an array of real-world press articles - and a "tool tip" headline hinting at some of the mechanical depth and hidden features of the game. It's really neat!
Newspapers change on a daily basis, and can be viewed anytime a player used a toilet (We've adjusted the UI a bit so you can read without skipping time).
Roofing Changes
After adding the ability for players to determine placement of both interior and exterior walls, we found that a solution for roof placement was also needed. Both the ceiling and base of the roof are generated automatically upon an exterior wall loop completing. Players can also place gable and square roof frames to build various slanted and flat roof styles.
We've also taken a look at addressing how fiddly roofing was. Roof planks can now be resized during placement. They also snap into place. Shingles also snap to grid, allowing quick and easy placement.
Roofing is still a work in progress, with more on this coming next month. You can see this new feature in action here.
New Windows & Doors
Finally, players will be able to fit new colours, sizes and styles of windows and doors!
We've added 6 new sizes of window and 3 different style types (Functional, Traditional, Post-Modern). Each of these can be customized in a variety of colours or materials. Doors have also been given the same treatment, with a variety of new styles and colours to choose from.
Curtains
Extra time this month meant we managed to sneak curtains into the game too. Finally, some privacy!
UI Changes
Another thing we spent doing this month was tightening up the UI for the HUD and various catalogues. UI should no longer overlay elements. Phone dialogue should no longer obscure player view. Additionally, players can read the newspaper without skipping time now. The HUD has also been moved closer to the screen edge, with visual issues being fixed, allowing much more screen space to be dedicated to the game world.
Discord Level Up
the Official MinskWorks Discord server has now been boosted to level 2! A huge thank you to discord users Tea, ShipMasterCaine, BLKWave , Rūta and 87isaiah8718 for server boosting us to level 2.
Level 2 means we are now eligible for server discovery, have a fancy new banner and most importantly, can share up to 50mb of in-development footage. Thank you all!
Meet Our Newest Hire
Welcome Bija, the newest member to the MinskWorks team!
Bija is a Cockapoo who is very sociable and loves stealing team members slippers. She is currently 13 weeks old and enjoys morning and evening visits to the bark park. She is also looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the coming update!
All the best, Greg
September Dev Log
The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.
September
Month 16 of Landlord's Super Early Access.
Apologies from us for missing a month. We were away visiting family in Lithuania for much of July, so there really wasn’t a lot for us to report on.
Now we’re back and have been making good progress on the much anticipated Free-Build update.
Let’s take a look at what’s coming.
EXTERIOR WALL PLACEMENT
Something we teased back in July’s newsletter was the Interior and Exterior wall placement. Continued work on this has meant walls can now be placed on roofs – allowing for the addition of multiple floors to your property.
Greg has also spent sometime reworking and polishing how wall placement works. It now utilises a much more intuitive “drag & drop” system, which you can see in action linked below (twitter link in image).
CEILING GENERATION
Ceilings are generated whenever the game recognises a closed loop between exterior wall segments. Greg got bogged down with making sure this generation worked as expected and without issues, it took a while but the system is now solid and means the game can support the construction of multiple floors! Access to multiple floors will require the use of something that’s been anticipated for a long time…
STAIRCASES
Planning on adding multiple storeys to your property? You’re going to want to order some staircases. Staircases allow access to the upper floors of your property. Place them on the ground and secure them with your spanner and you or your tenants now have access to a whole new area of the house!
With three different styles of staircase – each with multiple step designs and colours – you’ll also be able to match staircases with any of the furnishing styles you’ve decorated your property with.
Video example linked in the image below.
CATALOGUE UPDATES
“Staircases” and “Walls” pages have been added to the Q&Q catalogue. The Save & Load system now also supports both these features. Roofing is still to come but work on that will begin soon. More on that next month.
QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS
For the Free Build update, we’re also looking at improving how comfortable the game is to play. For example, windows will now snap to the correct height, making them much easier to place. We’re also setting aside time to speed up roof construction, and implement grid-snapping for tile placement. We’d also like to add a better way to place items on the ground (one that doesn’t destroy the property!).
Other considerations we’d like to see make their way into the update are more involving ways to earn money, and more convenient ways to recover energy. If you have any suggestions for us, we’d love to hear them!
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Mar (@midmodmar, commissions open) created an amazing rendition of the player character H. Abiff and local landlady Tamsin. Człowiek Elementu provides the meme magic with not one, but two original memes. Finally, ASkeleton sets the game record for highest wheel barrow stack. Bravo all!
All the best, Greg
July Dev Log
The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.
Purchase now to receive 17 tracks, including the full in-game mix tapes and theme song, and support a talented and hardworking musician.
Free Build Progress Report
Development was slowed this month due to a house (and with it home office) move, but progress is now getting back to full steam. Here's an overview of what we've worked on.
Interior Wall Placement
Players will soon be able to remove & place interior walls. Create an open-plan living space, or finally make that bathroom smaller.
Each Plaster Frame can also be resized using our new "Hot Bar" functionality (details further on).
Hot Bar
Relying on clicking the right mouse button to change the shape or selection for things such as the Trowel was proving to be annoying. We'd long planned to replace this solution with a hot bar system and finally, with the introduction of Interior Wall Placement, the Hot Bar is making it's way in.
Holding down the right mouse button for a short time will now open the Hot Bar (restricted to applicable items). From the Hot Bar, selections can be made to change the type or style or placement for the object the player is currently holding.
Objects that make use of the Hot Bar include the Trowel (for mortar placement), Plaster Frames (interior walls), No-fines Frames (exterior walls) and Plaster Board.
Exterior Wall Placement & Roof Generation
Along with Interior Wall Placement, we've now started work on Exterior Wall Placement. The aim of this feature is to allow players to remove and place exterior (No-Fines Frames) walls. Essentially, this will allow players to design the layout and size of their property. Making them both builder and architect!
Whilst in theory the execution of this feature should be the same as Interior Wall Placement, there's a couple considerations needed. One thing to consider is how we handle roofing? Do you have players build the roof themselves? Do you generate the whole thing? How does the game decide then, what should be a flat roof or a gable roof?
The current solution is a mixture of both generated an placement. Once a full loop of the exterior wall is completed, a flat roof mesh will be generated (pictured). Placement of gable frames will then be allowed on this roof, so players can design what parts of their roof will be gabled and flat.
There's still a lot of work left to be done on this feature, but it's looking promising that customising the layout and size of the house will be possible soon.
Farewell Simba
Tragically, this month saw the passing of our dear friend and companion Simba. Simba was a Chihuahua who loved sleeping under the covers and watching Daniel Day Lewis films. He was a funny dog, wearing himself out with excitement before a walk to then take himself home for an early bed. Rest in peace dear friend, you will not be forgotten.
Simba you were a huge part of Jalopy and Landlord's, thank you for all your support.
All the best, Greg
Landlord's Super Soundtrack Now Available
The Landlord's Super Original Soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Warmsley, is now Available on Steam.
The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.
June
Month 13 of Landlord's Super Early Access.
Last month we finally released the Furniture Update into the main branch of Steam! Combined with the positive support of our fans, a couple of sales and some really great streamers picking up the game, the update really got the attention it deserves.
With that milestone complete, we're sure you'll be interested in what's next. Well, for us, we'll be spending a little bit of time moving home, but once that's out of the way it's back into the next update for the game. Read on to find out what the plans are there.
Furniture Update Now Available
The Furniture Update is now fully available on Steam. If you missed the announcement, or patch notes, you can view them here. The Furniture Update not only adds in 100s of new pieces of furniture but also includes new music, jobs, and mechanics further enhancing the Landlord's Super game experience. It is the biggest content update the game has had since starting Early Access, making it a perfect time to jump back in.
Moddable Features
As the core of the game becomes more fleshed out, we've started to add in a few moddable elements to the game. This is a trend we'll likely continue if it's something the community likes. For now, the moddable elements in the game are as follows.
Blank Tape Audio Files
Fill the blank tape with up to 20 .wav audio files of your choice, listen to a podcast, or load up the first album you ever purchased!
Blank Tape Texture
With the audio loaded, change the appearance of the tape so you can show off what you're listening to.
Paintings
There's currently 5 paintings featuring Ruta's beautiful art with more to come. Each one can be swapped out for any .png image through the StreamingAssets folder.
What's Next?
Those of you who have seen the current roadmap will noticed that the next planned step is shown as the Supper & Tea update. This won't actually be the focus for the next update. Instead, we'll be moving straight onto the Free Build update. The reason for this change is partly that the Furniture update took us longer than expected, but mainly because we're uncomfortable being a year on from starting Early Access and still missing an end game. The plan then, is to start work on this update as soon as we're done moving. Bug fixes will be at a break for now, as the work required for Free Build will require rebuilding fundamental aspects of the game. If you're not comfortable waiting for an extended period of time for the content update - and are prepared for buggy content - we'll be opening up the In-Dev branch again as soon as it's available to do so, releasing content in phases. The first phase of this update will likely focus on the removal and placement of interior walls. With us finding a workable solution for this that still allows tenants to rent the property. Then moving onto foundation and outer wall placement (the struggle here currently is figuring out how roof generation will work, but we'll figure that out as we understand the problems better). Regardless, this is likely be the hardest and most demanding change the game has had since starting EA last year, so we please ask for patience and understanding while we're working away at it. We never originally planned for this, but we really don't want to let the community down so we think it's worth the effort. Other than interior and exterior wall and foundation placements (Finally! Bigger properties!), we'll be using this update to add an end game loop and game ending state, more jobs, pad support and hopefully open up the way to start localising the game. Though this last point is dependent on whether script files are complete.
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
In this month's highlight we look at the exceptional interior design skills of Kallecarlund's from over in the Discord, and also from the Discord, Horn shows us a unique perspective of Ronnies Supply Store. Nice!
All the best, Greg
Patch 0.04.10 - small fixes
- Fixed load issue if player placed door-less door frame as the front door of the property - Fixed toilet seat rotation issue - Removed dialogue references to supplies being available at the location of Tamsin’s Wall job & Kashmiran’s Foundation job
Patch 0.04.09
- Fixed issue with Cement Mixers returning "NaN" values - Added Trabant Painting to the furniture catalogue - Adjusted painting delivery position to prevent it falling off truck on arrival
Patch 0.04.08
- Fixed issue where turning speeds of pushables would take mouse sensitivity into account - Flipped the blank Tape UV Map to make it easier to edit
(Basically, I've fixed wheel barrow turning speed for some users).
Patch 0.04.07 (Paintings & Fixes)
- Can now customise the artwork of the Blank Tape through the Streaming Assets folder - Allowing you to design the cover of your mix tape! - Added 4 sizes of picture frames with 28 styles - Added 4 types of artwork for the picture frames, each can be edited through the Streaming Assets folder - Allowing you to hang your own pictures and artwork in your homes! - Fixed issue where if player ordered the green sofa without selecting a colour, it would charge them an additional £10 and order a 3-seater sofa - Smoke now clears out of the pub - Fixed Shingle value from £0.4, to £0.04 - Adjusted Church ladder to make climbing easier - Fixed a long standing issue where placing wood planks on roof frames would cause them to clip into the roof frame - Fixed some misplaced planks at the church roof - Some optimisation changes for the Storage area that should improve framerate there - Tried my best to fix some occlusion culling issues around the church - Fixed some dialogue logic issues that would mean Totter would give the player the cassette player even if they’d unlocked it - Kashmiran's patio has a chance to degrade over time, meaning players have an opportunity to redo the work for bonus pay - The church roof has a chance to degrade over time, meaning players have an opportunity to redo the work for bonus pay - Tamsin wall has a chance to degrade over time, meaning players have an opportunity to redo the work for bonus pay - Winston will now arrive at location ahead of player when using the bus - Can now rotate furniture by degrees of 15 rather than 90 - Fixed issue where damaging No-Fines while tenant was out of property would cause the tenant to come back in anger - Fixed issue where No-Fines could dry even if it wasn’t full - Fixed Sip’s issue
