Hey guys, I've been super busy with a house move over the last week but I've still managed to squeeze out a little patch for you!
Changelog
- Added staff priorities to level up messages.
- Added fully grown active swimmer requirement to tooltip.
- Fixed bug where cashflow was misreporting the costs of food, drink and gift shop items.
- Fixed bug where guide book and balloon refills were too cheap.
- Fixed bug where calcium reactor was free.
- Reduced number of horse eye jacks given as gift in Myra level from 5 to 3.
- Fixed bug with deep outcrop tank where staff would go inside temporarily if you dropped it on top of them.
- Fixed bug where Blue Whiting had no ecology point value.
- At end of day we don't auto drop items that are being carried by the player unless they are tanks or animals.
- Scenery no longer produce negative prestige if a guest sees it over and over.
- Clicking cancel task now drops the item making it slightly easier to force staff to do a particular job. (More stuff coming in this area!)
- Fixed bug where staff learned slightly slower on fast mode.
I'm still very busy with the house move but after I've moved I'll be back with more update goodness! ːsteamhappyː
Patch v1.1.4
Hey guys, big update for you today. There really is something for everybody in this one!
Upgraded message log
a) Important message toggle - filters out unimportant messages like autopsy and growth reports after they have been read. Also trades, merchants and missions that have already been completed.
b) Delete message functionality with the option to "delete all" of the same type e.g. autopsy and growth messages.
Staff level ups
Staff level ups are now just messages which sit in your log until you are ready for them. This was a highly requested feature from players who found the constant interruptions annoying.
The good news is that staff continue to accrue skill points even when they are ready to level up. Therefore there is no penalty if you delay levelling up while you are busy with something else!
Staff cap increased
I have added 14 brand new staff to the game. That is a 50% increase on the existing staff cap.
I have made this change in reaction to requests from players whose aquariums were being constrained by the old staff cap, especially in sandbox mode. This boost should help a lot!
If you already have a large sandbox aquarium you should be able to load it up and you'll immediately gain access to new staff!
I am not ruling out additional increases to the staff cap in the future but I want to change things gradually, to avoid breaking the game.
One thing I'm keen on, is staff not feeling like mindless drones like you get in RTS games. I want to keep the total number low enough that the player is familiar with their staff and can manage them effectively.
To that end, the next area I want to focus my attention on is improving the productivity of each staff member via additional control settings, improved zoning, a better staff manage tab and by tweaking certain mechanics.
My hope is that by improving overall staff productivity we can allow for huge aquariums but without resorting to the blunt instrument of hundreds of unmanaged staff, which I believe would reduce the overall fun of the game.
Other changes
- Massively increased performance of the simulation when running on fast speed setting.
- Build menu now remembers its place if you return to the same menu as last time.
- Min and max volume of tanks is now shown in the build menu.
- Fixed bug where hats and hair appear to lift off guest and staff heads on low and medium detail graphical settings.
- Fixed bug where guest animations would stop when too close in first person mode.
- Added two new hair colours for guests and staff!
- Slightly reduced point bonus when giving talks with a very high talking skill.
- Added missing food boxes to Hartcliff, Myra and Carbon City levels.
- Calcium Reactor no longer gives Prestige points (whoops!) and will stop providing coral growth benefit if broken down for too long.
- Corrected coral growth bonus provided by Calcium Reactor. The bonus was being incorrectly inflated before.
- Slightly increased staff salaries.
- Renamed Other Inverts to "Anemones, Clams and Gorgonians". There were two sections named "Other Inverts" before.
- Added missing string to end of level 10.
- Fixed issue where daily sales objectives were blank in French language.
- Sandbox mode always starts with at least one "cleaner"
- Large tunnel and Kreisel tanks are now paintable.
- You can now paint underneath Belfast and Kreisel tanks.
- Fixed various Kreisel tank issues: off-centre task bubbles, could not build across back wall.
- Fixed bug where certain walls on Deep Outcrop and Large Tunnel Tank could not be built across.
- Fixed bug where info box on message would escape its message window when you scroll.
- Tweaked words on level 3 to point player to message log for two of the corals.
Enjoy! ːsteamhappyː
Patch v1.1.3
Hey guys, lots of background performance stuff in this patch, plus a few minor bug fixes.
Changelog
- Increased performance on main thread for better UI responsiveness in large aquariums.
- Slightly reduced memory consumption rate during game (more work needed here! Quite complicated!)
- Increased performance of save and load menu.
- Reduced memory usage of save and load menu.
- Fixed issue where staff in level up window would poke through windows in front of it.
- Fixed issue where closing the rank up window after clicking the rank up button would get the game stuck.
- Fixed minor graphical bug where rank tabs in research window would remain highlighted after everything was unlocked.
- Tweaked a few portrait positions to stop them escaping their boxes.
- Tweaked text in first level a little.
Now there is still plenty of optimisation to be done but I'm going to take a short break from that work to deliver some much needed quality of life and UI improvements, as requested by you, the players!
Top of the list are making the staff level up popups optional and improving the message log to make it easier to find what you are looking for.
Patch v1.1.2
Hey guys, here's what's new in the latest patch.
Changelog
- Completely revamped system for packaging 3d models to decrease load times.
- This seems to have relieved the issue with slow loading times on OSX
- This also seems to fix one issue facing the Linux version of the game but may not resolve all issues.
Next week, I'm hoping to do a bit more work on optimisation and try to reduce the memory footprint of the game.
I have been listening to all your quality of life improvement suggestions and some of these will start to filter through too!
Modders
If you have been modding the game or using mods read here for how the latest update will affect you: https://steamcommunity.com/app/600480/discussions/0/1733213724906948173/
Patch v1.1.1
Hello, another set of minor bug fixes and tweaks for you.
Changelog
- Fixed a range of issues with autofeeder.
- Fixed bug where lights get in the way of tanks after paint tool has been selected.
- Animals cannot eat another animal if they just grew up themselves, this will give the player time to adjust.
- Fixed bug where an animal that just grew up is eaten even though it shouldn't be possible at new size.
- Attempted to fix black background bug (let me know if not fixed).
- Fixed bug where you could sell things for more than you bought them for.
- Fixed a couple of bugs to do with supplements.
- Egg wrack is deep tank only.
- Fixed Unicorn Surgeonfish typo in level 10.
- Removed second Penny from level 10.
- Fixed issue where hotkey definitions are overwritten if on AZERTY keyboard but not playing in French.
Mac/OSX Users
Thank you for being so patient, I am halfway through creating an update which will hopefully relieve the loading time issue. I hope to be able to trial it within the next couple of days so please check back over the weekend. ːsteamhappyː
Patch v1.1.0
Another patch for you guys:
Changelog
- Made zones more accessible, they now include tasks adjacent to the selected square and if any square of a tank is selected it will be included in the zone.
- Added additional safeguards against global save file and autosave becoming corrupted.
- Fixed bug where rubbish on stairs was not collectable.
- Fixed bug with bench where it couldn't be placed 1 away from wall
- Fixed bug with bench where it wouldn't let anybody else on.
- Allowed text on portraits to be a little bigger.
The big additions today are the tweak to the zone algorithm and the additional safeguards against save games becoming corrupted.
Please let me know if you prefer the way the zones work now compared to before, and whether you still have an issue with save games being corrupted (black screen bug).
Hot fix v1.0.9
Hey guys, I've just pushed a hot fix for an issue introduced with yesterday's optimisation changes.
If you had the issue where your staff were standing idle and not completing tasks, this patch will immediately fix the issue.
I am so sorry to anybody who lost their aquarium or fish due to this bug. I am going to continue to test the issue this afternoon to make sure it is 100% fixed but I wanted to get this patch out to you as soon as possible.
Tim
Patch v1.0.8
Today's patch tackles two issues that have come up a lot in the last 48 hours.
Changelog
- Major performance improvements in large aquariums.
- Severely reduced logging in log files.
- Some underlying bug fixes and stability improvements.
Performance improvements
I know some of you have been waiting for this one. The improvements I made today should make a significant difference to the smoothness and speed of the game once your aquarium gets large.
In very large aquariums you'll still probably encounter the odd judder here and there but the game should be totally playable right into the late game.
I can still squeeze more performance out of the engine in due course so more performance improvements will come out over the course of the coming days and weeks.
Log files
If you're one of the people who's suffered with a humongous log file and running out of disc space, please accept my apologies. These files are completely safe to delete (although I believe the game will wipe it automatically next time you run it) and from now on the logs should be much smaller.
Please let me know if they are still too big. I know some of you like to play the game for many hours in a row!
Thank you again for your continued patience. I hope you agree that the game has come a long way in terms of stability even since release just 5 days ago.
My next job is to tackle those loading times.
Let me know if you have any other problems,
Tim
Patch v1.0.7
Hey guys, thank you for your patience over the last few days while I've been fixing bugs. Got some nice improvements in this build for you.
Change log
- Added rebindable keys
- Reduced pause after levelling up staff
- Staff come out quicker in sandbox mode (this only affects new games)
- Decreased rate of staff level up as they become more experienced
- Improved feedback given on tasks when they are prevented. Advice is more specific and there is no longer a lag before they update.
- Changed take screenshot (no UI) button to F11, this is rebindable though
- Fixed translations in some languages where it said 'Home' key rather than 'H' to return to the entrance.
- Fixed bug where guests and staff wouldn't move out the way in very specific circumstances.
- Fixed some more background bugs
- Added dialog on game load which complains if the game cannot access the save folder. The idea is to force opening access first so no progress is lost.
Staff levelling
I know some of you have been frustrated with the staff level up popups, and some of you want this popup to be optional. I am happy to do this, but it will take some time to do.
In the meantime you will see I have enacted a gameplay change where staff now level up slower, the more experienced they get.
I have done this for two reasons:
- It felt like the staff level ups felt more like a nuisance rather than something the player is waiting for. This change will make them more impactful and you will want to think about the choice more.
- It will also mean that as the game goes long and the aquarium gets large the rate of popups will not necessarily increase, as inexperienced staff are hired they will level up quicker, but your veterens will slow their rate of level up.
As I said above, I also plan to offer an option to make these popups optional but that will take longer as it needs some additional localisation.
Mac users and loading times
To Mac users: I have not forgotten you! My next job is to take a look at decreasing loading times. This will help all users but especially those on Macs.
Performance in large aquariums
Another area I am planning to focus on next is improving performance in large aquariums. I appreciate you patience on this issue and it will definitely be improving in an update soon.
Random freezes still an issue?
Finally, I have noticed that the rate people are reporting random freezes has reduced on the forums. If anybody is still experiencing them then please do send me a log file from straight after the freeze occurs. This will help me get rid of any that remain.
Instructions: https://steamcommunity.com/app/600480/discussions/0/1741094390462646200/
You can email me here: support@twicecircled.com
Or post on the Steam discussions: https://steamcommunity.com/app/600480/discussions/
Flickering highlights
I've looked into these and I now have an idea where the issue is happening, but I haven't been able to work out exactly what is causing it. It runs a little deeper than originally thought.
If you encounter the issue, a quick save, quit and restart will fix it. I will take another look at this further down the line after some more important updates have been made.
Patch 1.0.6
Two patches in one day, you lucky things!
This patch has a number of behind-the-scenes stability improvements. Hopefully the game is starting to run a little more stable for you now. ːsteamhappyː
Any re-occurring bugs please send them to support@twicecircled.com with a log and save file.
