Last week we shared insights from Paul, our UI artist, on how the decals in the Subway and Fortune Teller's Caravan were created. More on that here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3139578128516450105
This week we take a look at what we've come up with on tweaking the economic system in the game.
Bonus Money
Dealing with the 'unpaid intern' syndrome, popularised by the content creator Smii7y has been something on our mind alongside the economy in general.
In the next update, we have an extra bonus payment for Free Play and Special Jobs with a flat 25% of each item given on completion. This 25% bonus will also extend to Career and Free Play mode assistants.
Dan, our lead designer, gives their insight into the thoughts behind the new system:
Our goal has always been to provide players with the freedom to approach PowerWash Simulator however they wish.
Earning money in multiplayer helps with this, especially for players who are more interested in playing with friends than making progress through their own career. This change will allow these players to save up and purchase cosmetic items such as outfits and gloves while washing in Free Play, Special jobs, or as an assistant in Career Mode.
But we also wanted to preserve Career Mode to be the main way to earn money and save up to purchase equipment upgrades. So if you want to get rich quick, it's still best to make your way through the career as that pays the best!
Again this will be coming in the future, and it isn't in the live version right now. We're excited to hear people's thoughts and people to claim their in-game bonus cheques!
Square Enix Publisher Sale
PowerWash Simulator is currently reduced by 15% until March 28th! Tell your friends, family, and whoever else might want a good deal of satisfaction!
Be sure to check out all of the other amazing games from our friends at Square Enix that are in the sale too! :)
Simfest
We have a couple of talks and are taking part in this year's Simfest here on Steam. Find out more about this event here:
https://store.steampowered.com/sale/simfest_hobby
That's All Folks!
Sorry, there was no meme this week. We are currently making a new batch but rigging the models takes some time, and we've been busy this week. If you have any suggestions of a format you would like to see, please let us know in the comments below!
Thank you to everyone for reading, have a fantastic weekend, and we hope you will tune into next week! :)
Join our Discord to submit and vote on ideas for PowerWash Simulator, find other players, and more!
Last week we previewed the upcoming 'Aim Mode' feature, which targets reducing motion sickness. You can read more on that here (there's also a video demonstration below in this dev log): https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3139577498471389980
Update 0.8 Decals
It has only been a couple of weeks since Update 0.8 splash landed. We've noticed so far how much people love uncovering some of the latest decals (posters etc.) in the Subway level and thought it would be nice to share more on their conception.
Paul, our UI artist created these wonderful creations and has these insights and WIP art that made it into the game:
[Quote]In my role as UI Artist, I've mostly been working on UI elements in the game's menu and HUD, but as the game has grown through early access and the levels have become more complex I've had an opportunity to do more graphic work for 2D elements like signs, posters, and maps. For the Subway level, we wanted to make the location feel like a working station that has suddenly closed and been frozen in time.
[Quote]As it was last open in the '80s I tried to give the posters a bit of an eighties feel while pulling in some references from other story elements in the game, to make it feel like Muckingham is an interconnected world. I looked at photos from the New York subway in the 1980s for inspiration and had a lot of fun creating assets in this style.
[Quote]It was also great to create a subway map for the Muckingham station which outlined further how these fictional locations fit together, going so far as to create a logo for 'Caldera City Public Transport', I really enjoy adding elements like this to make something feel a little more real.
[Quote]For the Fortune tellers caravan we first thought of putting tarot cards on the caravan, but instead used that as a start point and pushed them more towards fictional 'water diviner cards', having drawings of dousing and other water-related activities that the Uncanny Franny would use to tell your fortune.
The caravan before decals.
Aim Mode In Action
We run a weekly developer live stream called FuturLab Friday, this week we did a short preview of the Aim Mode if you want to see it in action:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1428304626
Please follow us and keep an eye on the schedule for the next one! (Yes this one was on a Thursday!)
We're Going to W.A.S.D!
We're going to W.A.S.D, one of the UK's newest and biggest video game shows! We want you to visit our booth so we're giving away 2 x 3 Day Passes to 1 lucky winner!
W.A.S.D takes part on the 7th, 8th & 9th of April!
Enter here for a chance to win: https://gleam.io/jjFnJ/wasd-x-pws
Weekly PowerWash Meme
We release a format of a popular meme template using PowerWash Simulator models every Monday at 2 PM GMT, this is our latest one - Internal Screaming PowerWash Sim.
Update 0.8 has only just splash landed last week bringing in new levels, cosmetics, and more! Today, we are looking into the future and to an upcoming feature that is one of the most requested we've had during Early Access.
'Aim Mode' - Fixed Perspective Washing
One of the unique challenges we have had for the game is overcoming motion sickness which affects some players and can be a complete blocker to playing! Part of that is due to how so far the motion of washing has been tied to moving the camera. Whilst we have put in small tweaks to help and many players have adapted the way they wash we knew we could do more.
Say hello to the Aim Mode which will bring a form of fixed perspective washing to the game. When toggling this mode on by the press of a button, your washer will move independently of your camera. Currently, your view only turns if your crosshair reaches the edge of your screen. This wash mode is totally optional and you can go back to the normal washing mode fixed to your camera/movement at any time.
Please note this is still very much a WIP and will come in a future update. It is not in 0.8. We're now certain it will come to the game and have made it integrated into the main control scheme but it still needs some work.
Here are some insights into the development and design of Aim Mode from programmer Louis:
Always looking to improve on accessibility features and reduce motion sickness in PowerWash, we've been wanting to implement Aim Mode for a while! Working closely with the design team, we settled on building a system that would lock the camera rotation and seamlessly blend player input from the camera rig into the character model, to allow players to swap in and out of Aim Mode on the fly.
With a lot of the foundation already laid thanks to the work on our new camera rig for implementing custom FOV options, the majority of efforts went into improving the stability of the washer visuals and water VFX rendering to reach all possible angles when in Aim Mode.
We also overhauled the crosshair UI to dynamically target washable surfaces that can be focused on when in Aim Mode, to give players that extra bit of precision when washing those hard-to-reach spots (or to help put the finishing touches on some dirt drawings…)
We're super pleased with Aim Mode, it further improves accessibility for the players who need it, and has the added bonus of giving players the tools to clean with more precision and more creativity. It's also a fab way of appreciating the amazing glove and washer cosmetics from some brand new angles. It's my new favourite way to play, and I hope the community will love it too :D happy washing!
We'd also like to thank everyone who filled out our motion sickness feedback form, it gave us some really useful insights into what is working, what we could do better, and suggestions like those for this very feature!
More info on that here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3132818923050869740
As Louis mentions, not only do we hope it will help with accessibility but also it adds a new way to play which many of the devs in internal play sessions have said they now prefer. Also, we will be looking forward to the art that can be created when the perspective isn't warped as much by moving away from your wash target.
Again, it isn't ready just yet but we really wanted to let everyone know it was coming, especially to those that are affected by motion sickness! Let us know your thoughts below.
Wellbeing Study
Inspired by anecdotes of wellbeing from PWS players through Steam reviews and comments. We've partnered with the Oxford Internet Institute (OII: a department in the University of Oxford,) to better understand the implications of the game. We've also hired a dedicated programmer to help conduct the study and to feedback the recommendations of how we could potentially make the better.
The full MCV/DEVELOP article is here with interview snippets from the FuturLab director and OII researcher working on the project.
Weekly Dev Stream
Our weekly Twitch stream or FuturLab Friday will be canceled this week. However, we will be back next week where we'll show this new washing system in action! :)
That's All Folks!
Thanks to everyone for reading, we hope everyone is excited about the new 'Aim Mode' feature and we can't wait for those to have suffered from motion sickness to try it. We'll be back next week with more dev insights so watch this space! :)
Join our Discord to submit and vote on ideas for PowerWash Simulator, find other players, and more!
It's time to once again equip your power washer and discard decades of dirt in our largest level yet. Plus, uncover filthy ancient secrets at a dig site, fly through the eggy exterior of a stunt plane and implement your clean vision onto the fortune teller's caravan. We can't wait for people to dive into all of the new content in this update and discover more of our world's lore!
New Content
New jobs: Subway Platform, Stunt Plane, Fortune Teller's Caravan & Ancient Statue.
New cosmetics: Say hello to our first Prime Vista Pro skin, Carbon:
We've also added all of the default suit colors to the starter gloves for some extra fashion options.
New challenge: Vintage Car - Time & Water
Fixes:
99% Save issue
An issue in which players loaded data from a previous save will be unable to finish half-finished tasks has been fixed.
Any level with washing progress will be auto-completed when booting up the game after the update.
We have tried to give an advanced warning to those who may have been in progress but we apologise to anyone who may be caught unaware by this.
The game has changed a lot under the hood (bonnet) since the first Early Access Launch and whilst this wasn't ideal we feel it was necessary to get on top of some issues that occurred with conflicting saves between the patches. This will bring everyone's save data up to date with the current version 0.8. Anyone who was stuck with unwashable objects at 99% in the last patch will now be able to continue as normal. Those who had the Ferris Wheel completed will just be able to go straight into the new patch!
All money from the parts and job completion will be given to all players for any jobs that auto-complete. Note, the UI in job details may get slightly confused and display something like $149/$150 but the total earned will be correct.
More fixes:
An issue in which clients could not open the inventory in a multiplayer game if they had soap selected in Career Mode before has been fixed
A rare issue in which the tablet would occasionally get stuck on the screen has been fixed
Some localisation corrections
Non Slippy Ladders
New non-slippy ladders are in. A lot of players have complained about being able to stay on the ladders without slipping off the sides. In Update 0.8 you will no longer easily slip off the side and it will keep you inside unless you are purposefully trying to get off the ladders.
we hope everyone will have a much better experience when climbing up walls etc!
Gnomes return:
The gnomes have been a running gag for us and something that has become quite iconic to PowerWash Simulator. We were all a little upset that they last-minute broke the game before 0.7 and had to be taken out.
Don't worry, they are back and are better than ever! There is now a gnome in every level! Not just that, you can also pick them up and move them if they are in the way of your washing. Or, even to put them in a better position for a nice picture.
Keen gnome hunters, it is your time to shine!
Known Issues
Messages for the Stunt Plane & Ancient Statue job appear out of order in the messages tab of the menu
Unable to mute the game audio via the options menu
Thanks for reading, we hope everyone has an amazing time with the new content and we can't wait for all of the new lore theories following these levels. We have some exciting things to share that we have been working on in the background that weren't ready for 0.8 but are pretty massive that we can't wait to share in our weekly dev logs.
Have fun all!
If you want to vote on new game ideas, talk to the community, find some tough dirt - then join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/powerwashsimulator
Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:
This week's edition is a little early but there's a good reason...
Update 0.8 splash lands on Steam next Wednesday, March 2nd at 2 PM GMT / 9 AM EST / 6 AM PST! Hopefully, that's a good enough reason for the early episode!
Coming is 4 new career jobs including the biggest yet the Subway, new pro skin, glove skins, challenge level, gnomes, 99% fix, and more!
99% Cleaning Save Issue
We have had issues with a small but significant amount of players getting stuck on uncleanable surfaces on levels they started before an update was installed. We're sorry to anyone who ran into this issue!
To make sure the same problem doesn't occur again the game will automatically complete whatever level you have partially completed. This will bring all players into the new update with fresh 0.8 save data for uncompleted levels. So, for those currently stuck on 99% it will get rid of their blocker to continue. Any in-game money you are owed for a career job will still be paid to you as normal via auto-complete for finishing both the parts and the job bonus itself. (Please ignore the in-job details as it may show the total money incorrectly but the amount given to you will be correct.)
Following that, this is a friendly nudge to complete any levels you haven't yet completed before 0.8 goes live.
If you have finished the Ferris Wheel, sit back and relax as you will go straight into the new career jobs.
That's all!
We'll see you all for the update on Thursday, and the full change list with the update post here on Steam.
Join our Discord to submit and vote on ideas for PowerWash Simulator, find other players, and more!
Today we reveal last week's mystery map! Though the real question is were your guesses right? Find out below!
Before we fly into that, we had hoped to have a date to share for Update 0.8 today. Unfortunately, we still haven't got everything 100% to where we'd like it to be but we'll share a time frame as soon as we can! Ultimately we too want to get the update out to everyone as fast as possible!
If you want to take a look at the initial mystery images and guesses in the comments check out the full dev log 44 here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/5489328168222629821
99% Save Issue
One of the main priorities has been to address the corrupted save data issue that has affected some players in 0.7 and previous updates (getting people stuck at 99% with no dirt).
The current workaround is not ideal and it has been something that was high on the list to address.
We do have a solution that we have been working on and we'll go into more detail on this when we announce the patch date. Keep an eye out for it!
Stunt Plane
Ta-da! Say hello to the Stunt Plane, one of four career jobs coming in Update 0.8.
It seems quite topical today with here in the UK being battered by a strong storm and the heroic landings of pilots into Heathrow airport going viral on YouTube. (On that note we hope everyone stays safe today and isn't impacted too seriously!)
Anyway, there's nothing clean about this new vehicle job's landing gear or anything really. Thick grime and even a good helping of the new toughest layer of dirt (oily) are splattered all over its exterior.
This job is the smallest of the four jobs coming but it still has rewarding colors to reveal and challenging dirt to jet blast away! Plus, it is in a rather stunning locale which you will find some interesting objects placed nearby.
The other two maps have a heavy lore element to both of them and we don't want to spoil that before the update goes live. We are really excited to see people experience them first hand as they both bring something completely new to the game mechanics-wise.
Our weekly live stream also focused on the new level and you can watch the whole thing here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1302018278
Let us know your feelings on this pair of wings in the replies below! :)
Weekly PowerWash Sim Meme Template
Each week we release a blank meme format for people to caption and create their own memes on. These are created by our marketing artist Cristina and are based on popular memes with our player models.
This week's template is 'Always Was Dirty,' feel free to use/caption this or edit as you'd like!
As always, these drop every Monday on Twitter at 2 PM GMT! (We also share them early in Discord)
That's all folks!
Thanks again for tuning this week. We're sorry if anyone is slightly burnt out on teasers, we've definitely slowed down for the moment but once we announce that 0.8 release date - the flood gates will open again!
We'll see you all next week for dev log 46!
Join our Discord to submit and vote on ideas for PowerWash Simulator, find other players, and more!
This week we'll take a look at the first skin for the Professional washer and mystery teasers of a new career job coming in Update 0.8 (4 are coming in total). We also hope to have more info on a time frame to share with you all soon and some progress on other areas coming with this update!
Last week we asked for feedback from those who have suffered from motion sickness in the game, the submissions so far have been incredibly helpful, thank you! We also looked at the different shades of gloves coming for those wanting more clothing control! Full dev log 43 here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3132818923050869740
Carbon Skin
People have been asking for customisation to the Pro washer since it was released and we're happy to announce a new skin in this upcoming update!
Behold!
We hope you like it and can't wait for you to switch things up!
There are more skins coming for the Pro in future updates seeing as it has become the de-facto default power washer for those further into the game and revisiting older levels.
What's That Level?
It's speculation time. Here are some close-up, and maybe slightly obscured shots of one of the four career jobs coming in the next update. Can you name what it is? Give us your best and worst guesses in the comments section below!
Seriously though... what is that?
Weekly PowerWash Sim Meme Template
We release a blank meme format for people to create their own memes on. These are created by our marketing artist Cristina and are based on popular memes with our player models.
This week's template is 'Sad PowerWashcobar,' feel free to use/caption this or edit as you'd like!
This week we'll take a look at more ways to make your character look stylish, we're asking for your feedback on motion sickness, and we have some of the developer's insights into the new level!
In last week's installment, we revealed the spectacularly dirty Subway level coming in Update 0.8 as one of the four new career jobs! Full dev log 42 here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1290000/view/4469261572756164576
Motion Sickness Survey
Battling motion sickness that some players experience in the game is one of our top priorities! Whilst it is a minority of players, it can have effects that block people from playing at all.
We have opened a feedback form with a short series of questions to better understand the issue and help us improve the game. This will hopefully help us better understand the causes, what is working/isn't, and what other features we could add.
The form is here, thank you so much for any of your answers.
Please do not fill this form out if you have not experienced motion sickness in the game.
Dev Insight Into Subway
Last week the developers were all extremely busy on a project and didn't have time to give some of their unique insights into their process. Don't worry, we have some this week! :D
Designer Nick:
The Subway Platform is a wonderfully mucky cavern of filth, untouched since the 1980s. The advertising boards, clocks, platform screens, tiling and more were all designed with the 80s in-mind. We really wanted players to feel as though they were the first to enter this place since its closure (besides some wayward graffiti artists perhaps).
One of the main design consideration of this level was to provide players with an expansive space to conduct long, straight, satisfying cleaning motions along large, flat surfaces. The platform has many artistic details to discover and has been split into specific sections so players can experience a series of dings as they glide across its surfaces with their washer. Of course this space is not without its nooks and crannies but for the most part it is a collection of flat surfaces to methodically clear with power and precision.
The dirt design is that of 40 years of neglect and abandonment with grime, stains, moss, lichen and graffiti abound. But beneath lies a pristine time-capsule of the Muckingham Central Subway Station in all its glory. All it needs is a highly skilled powerwasher to turn back the clock.
Artist Laura:
Working on the materials, the goal was to have large surfaces pleasant to clean whilst also having a good contrast between the dirt and the clean object, the glazed squares were perfect for maximising satisfaction!
Again, we're excited for everyone to tackle the biggest and dirtiest job yet!
New Glove Colors
We had a bunch of player model colors but the marigold style yellow gloves have been the only default color of hand cosmetics so far. In 0.8 we are bringing all of the player model colorations to the default gloves.
You can see all of these here:
Look fly in multiplayer and in-game whilst washing!
There's also a pro skin coming next update but we'll be teasing that next week!
Weekly PowerWash Sim Meme Template
We release a blank meme format for people to create their own memes on. These are created by our marketing artist Cristina and are based on popular memes with our player models.
This week's template is 'Washer's Plan,' feel free to use/caption this or edit as you'd like!
Hey everyone - welcome to dev log 42 and the Subway!
It's almost time to tackle underground filth of new magnitudes, are you ready? The Subway is one of four new levels coming in Update 0.8. We don't give dates for patches but keep an eye on how the teasers are heating up for a rough idea on timescale.
Last week's episode was all about guessing what this new map was, were you right? Feel free to gloat below, many of you were! Full dev log 41 here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3142950850541527502
The Subway
This is a level that we're sure TikTok 'Train Guy' and many of the community will be excited to wash as it is one of the highest requested jobs. It will also open up the lore and hint to the wider PowerWash Sim world at large.
Name that stop!
Don't be deceived, this is our biggest job yet! There's a whole lot of cleaning to be had in this underground station. When you enter the level you will be dazzled by its impressive length, spanning two sides of train tracks.
It's looooooong.
Our friends at Lowrider Sound have taken the ambiance audio to the next level to capture the feeling of being in a metro. If you want to give them a sample, check out some of our latest tweets for the pleasant noises of nearby approaching trains. Bing - bong.
Red light... green light.
We also have a new graffiti dirt pallet we can apply to surfaces which we hope will be super satisfying to clean! See below the contrast this can give and the depth in the visuals of the dirt.
Take a seat.
We would have wanted to have some quotes from the artist and designers that worked on this map. Unfortunately, the devs are extremely busy this week but we hope to give some more insights from them in a future dev log. Keep your eyes out! :)
It's a sign... that this segment is over.
Weekly PowerWash Sim Meme Template
This week's template is 'Washer Yelling At Cat,' feel free to use/caption this or edit as you'd like!
As always, these drop every Monday on Twitter at 2 PM GMT! (We also share them early in Discord)
That's all folks!
Look at the time, it's the end of the dev log.
Thanks so much for tuning in this week, we'll have more to reveal that's coming in update 0.8 so be sure not to miss next week's either!
Join our Discord to submit and vote on ideas for PowerWash Simulator, find other players, and more!
Today it's time for your spiciest speculations. Can you figure out what this filthy new job coming in update 0.8 is from the pictures in this dev log alone? Scroll down, put on your detective's hat, and let us know your guesses in the comments!
In last week's episode we covered the return of the gnomes and the new ladder system coming in the update, find out more here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3148579075943293649
Mystery Map
Do you consider yourself a Sherlock Gnomes? Below are candid images of one of the 4 new levels coming in 0.8. Can you work out what this level is? Next week we'll fully reveal it and show it off on our weekly dev stream (Fridays 3 PM UTC.)
Engage inner sleuth, now!
It's watching you!
Do you need to vent about this level?
Take a seat and relax whilst you make your guesses.
You can go to the ceiling with speculations here!
The writing is on the wall...
Last week's image.
So what do you think? Best and worst guesses in the replies! :D
Weekly Meme
This week's meme format is 'Distracted Washfriend,' feel free to use/caption this as you feel fit!
Next one drops Monday on Twitter!
That's all folks!
Thanks so much for reading this dev log, we hope you had fun reading it! Next week we'll fully reveal this new career job!
Also join our Discord to submit and vote on ideas for PowerWash Simulator, find other players and more!
