Hi all. I just made the unstable build the new default build, with a bunch of improvements. Here are the changes:
1) [GUI] Some improvements to the interface for the map editor.
2) [GUI] Component efficiency window now displays a dash '-' for production in cases where there is no option to produce a resource locally.
3) [Feature] You can now click and drag to edit the wall graphics just like floor tiles in the cosmetic editing feature now.
4) [Balance] Tweaked difficulty slightly easier by adjusting a number of parameters, especially relating to competition and AI research.
5) [Bug] Fixed a few places in the GUI where resource icons like the paint-tin were drawn wrong.
6) [Bug] Fixed a bunch of z-order bugs that drew things weirdly in the factory.
7) [Bug] Fixed occasionally corrupt text on repay loan button.
8) [Bug] Fixed bug where load game screen is stil open if you use the load icons instead of double clicking.
9) [GUI] Changed market screen height so it never obscures the speed buttons.
10) [GUI] Changed production schedule UI so it never spills off the screen bottom on really low res monitors.
11) [Bug] Fixed bug where some robots would not animate at the right times.
12) [Feature] Cars now go up and down on platforms when getting wheels,tyres fitted etc.
13) [GUI] New stats window in the efficiency screen now shows more factory-wide data.
Hope you like these. I do plan to (at last!) start working on world events soon That will include stuff like regulatory changes affecting seatbelts & airbags, increased demand for electric & hybrid vehicles (or changes to resource prices due to global events) and so on...
Updated to 1.64 with factory customisation, rotatable previews and more.
Hi all!
Here is the complete list of changes in todays 1.64 build:
[version 1.64] 1) [Balance] Job creator achievement requires an extra 200 employees (now 1,200).
2) [Balance] Production at scale achievement now requires 6,000 not 5,000.
3) [Bug] Deleting a save game from the load game dialog now works.
4) [Bug] Fixed bug where sometimes you could not toggle off the advice on certain types of advice dialog.
5) [GUI] Clicking the research icon on the top menu when it is flashing green (for no design research) now auto-switches to the design tab of the R&D screen.
6) [GUI] When the research screen is launched to show a specific unresearched item, the screen now temporarily highlights that item to make finding it easier.
7) [Content] New researchable upgrade for some slots: Liquid-Cooled Welding. (5% faster. All welding slots are 2.5% slower now before this upgrade).
8) [Bug] Fixed occasional crash bug on some maps when switching to blueprint mode.
9) [GUI] New rotate buttons now allow you to preview vehicle designs in all four directions.
10) [Feature] New cosmetic placer on the slot menu lets you change the floor textures (drag place) or place down a few cosmetic items.
11) [Bug] If you run out of money, and the only available loan will not cover the financial shortfall, it is not made available now.
The liquid cooled welding, rotatable previews and the new customisation options for factory floors etc are likely the most important changes in this build.
I've also started work on improvements to the usability of the level editor, which will be in the next patch at the start of next year.
Please let me know if this update causes problems or introduces any new bugs etc. Also thanks to everyone buying the game for your support over the last year, and many thanks to everyone who likes or tweets our developer blogs, and tell their friends about the game, its much appreciated!
Updated to 1.63. Advisers, production manager and GUI improvements
Time for the roll out of a new update. Here is the list of changes in this build:
[version 1.63]
1) [Bug] Fixed crash bug when deleting a facility that is displaying a details window.
2) [GUI] Vehicle details window now shows the correct sale price of the vehicle when finished, assuming no components are missed and no defects found.
3) [Feature] A system of advisers give helpful pop-up window hints now during the game.
4) [Bug] Processing order of slots now regularly randomised to prevent bottlenecks happening where production lines converge.
5) [GUI] In R&D screen where an upgrade is applicable to multiple slots, its shown as researchable if only the easiest (highest in the hierarchy) slot has been unlocked.
6) [Bug] Fixed crash bug when going from main menu to new game then back to main menu then selecting mods.
7) [GUI] Main menu interface redesigned. Thanks to Perseco.
8) [Bug] Fixed crash bug under certain circumstances relating to large numbers of component manufacturing slots and multithreading.
9) [Bug] Fixed bug where researching electric powertrain made the post-research GUI think you had locked the same upgrade twice.
10) [GUI] Support for new changelist update window on main menu.
11) [GUI] Update notification for non-steam builds also now shows nicer color-categorised and sorted list of changes.
12) [Bug] Fixed bug where on 1280x1024 res monitors some of the speed buttons could not always be clicked.
13) [Bug] Fixed bug where the selected features for smart junctions in feature mode were not properly saved and re-loaded.
14) [Balance] Rework is now researchable earlier and at lower cost.
15) [Bug] Fixed bug where some resources, like directional xenon lights, did not have resource importer strategy options.
16) [Feature] Custom maps are now embedded in save games, so you can edit custom maps and not have them wreck existing save games based on that map.
17) [Feature] New production manager GUI.
The big changes are probably the new adviser popups and production manager although you will also notice changes to the layout of the main menu, and hopefully a bunch of small gui tweaks and improvements, plus a lot of fairly obscure bug fixes. Fix #4 is also quite significant I think as it will lead to fare better flow of cars where multiple lines converge.
Thanks to everyone who playtested some of these features in the unstable build as that was good feedback on the advisers, which are now less annoying!
All feedback and suggestions are most welcome!
Updated to 1.62, Chip research, Preventative Maintenance, Smart Junction varieties & more
Hi all! I just pushed build 1.62 out to everyone! here are the changes:
[version 1.62]
1) [Feature] All car colors are now unlocked in freeplay modes.
2) [GUI] ou can now click and drag around the Research screen in both axis with the left mouse button held down. You can also use middle mouse to do that annoying autoscroll thing too :D.
3) [Content] New feature (researchable): Active spoilers for sedan & sports cars. (powered spoilers requiring sensors and servos).
4) [Content] New upgrade: preventative maintenance. needs researching and can be carried out at each maintenance facility to reduce breakdown chance by 50% in inner radius, 25% in outer radius.
5) [Bug] Fixed visual anomaly where setting a car design colors to chrome, then removing that option could mean some cars changed color when zooming in or out.
6) [Bug] Fixed crash bug (assertion error) when deleting some resource importers.
7) [GUI] Clicking an un-researched upgrade at a slot now takes you automatically to the research screen to show where the research item is.
8) [GUI] Yellow and red warning icons now also show in car design screen on categories where an item (of greater value) in that category has become universal or common.
9) [GUI] Manufacturing slots now show an error message if the export stockpile is not connected, and they will not run until this is corrected.
10) [Bug] Fixed crash bug on some occasions when leaving the slot details window open for a long time on a manufacturing slot.
11) [GUI] Valve and Engine block manufacture now depend on the research of engine assembly manufacture.
12) [GUI] A whole bunch of windows that could not be dragged around can now be dragged. Also icons added to facility/slot details title bars.
13) [GUI] Upgrade strips on the slot details window now show icons for each upgrade instead of pointless *cash* icon.
14) [GUI] Some pie chart and other chart colors adjusted.
15) [Content] New researchable manufacturing facility and resource: Silicon and Chip manufacturing / Ai chip manufacturing. Adds new employee type.
16) [GUI] Game will no longer allow you to rename or name designs so two designs are exactly the same (caused chaos!).
17) [Bug] Fixed a bug where sometimes applying a tech on the post-research screen did not seem to work.
18) [Feature] Smart Junctions now have side and 3 exit variations. Art not final. New 'default' option simplifies assigning designs.
19) [Balance] When deleting a manufacturing slot you also now get a refund for the value of any stock in the export-stockpile for that slot.
20) [GUI] On the imports tab for slot windows, there are no longer misleading import strategy buttons for raw materials that cannot be made locally.
21) [Feature] Red and White leather seats can now be researched in the design studio and installed in the sedan and sports car.
Hope you like the new stuff. Advisers coming soon. As ever, all feedback is welcome, don't forget to vote on our priorities from the main menu, and if you really like the game, a steam review is always welcome and a tweet, Facebook or Reddit post is always super-welcome too!
Updated to build 1.61. New Van body, Smart Junction mode, Self driving & more
Loads of cool stuff this time :D
[version 1.61]
1) [Feature] Loans can now be re-paid early, assuming you have the funds, at a penalty of 12 hours interest.
This was widely requested, and I kept putting it off because I felt that it would lead to an unbalancing in the games difficulty, but actually now I’ve tested it for a while I think I’ve got it about right and am glad its in there.
2) [GFX] Conveyors use less obtrusive graphics
3) [GUI] New screen for market analysis to show breakdown of demand, production and sales.
I find this new screen really helpful when playing the game towards the later stages when there is a lot to keep an eye on. I worry its not immediately obvious how it works, but I do think its a usability improvement for managing supply and demand.
4) [Content] New researchable upgrade & feature: large touchscreen.
To make it obvious some cars are tesla-level expensive, and some are more Ford Ka level… :D
5) [GUI] Vehicle design screen now hides categories entirely if there is only a single default option.
6) [Bug] Fixed design research queue bugs where you could adjust first and last items up and down, causing a crash.
7) [Bug] Fixed bug where the second-nearest import bay for each stockpile was sometimes calculated wrong, meaning inefficient routing. Also major route calculation speedup.
8) [Balance] Major increases in the cost and value of electric car batteries (large and small) and touchscreens.
9) [Balance] Increased the power draw and process time for making wheels.
10) [Content] New researchable feature: parking sensors. Now a pre-requisite before reversing camera. Fitted at bumpers.
Amazing we went so far without these, as they are getting so common now. Also handy to be able to add a new feature without requiring yet another resource as ‘sensor’ is already in there. Plus it gives some much needed upgrades to the bumper slots.
11) [GUI] Revamp of the ‘apply options’ screen post-research, which adds price category indicators and selective coloring, and new buttons to apply a feature to a whole category at once.
This makes things much quicker when you have 20+ designs, and you don’t really want to make a more nuanced decision other than ‘add this new widget to my expensive ranges’.
12) [GUI] Music and cruise control are now feature-categories, where the more expensive versions include the resources, value and features of the cheaper ones.
13) [Content] Self-driving! new researchable tech, new resources and feature category for high-end cars.
This is very late-game stuff and requires quite a bit of research, but then you should have expended your factory enough to have a good dozen or two dozen research facilities at this point.
14) [Balance] Boosted the impact on marketing campaigns on showroom visits by 25% to increase total market size possible with current campaigns.
15) [Bug] Fixed bug where sometimes the warning on the design screen about common or universal features missing would be skipped if the feature had a category.
16) [Bug] Fixed bug where changing the color of a car design could lead to duplicating the price slider GUI.
17) [Bug] Fixed bug where the correct price-category adjusted market value of a feature was not being displayed in a number of places.
18) [GUI] Double clicking a car in the showroom now launches the vehicle design screen for that car’s design.
19) [Content] New researchable vehicle body style -> The small van.
20) [Bug] Fixed bug where the car renders in the showroom screen did not use the correct shader.
21) [Feature] Smart Junctions now have a new mode: Feature mode, where they filter cars left or right depending on if they have or do not have a selected feature.
22) [Bug] Fixed bug where the percentage progress on the research center pop-up window did not update in real time.
23) [Bug] Fixed crash bug launching research screen under certain circumstances.
24) [Bug] Fixed bug where tooltips for some conveyor belt resources were wrong.
Hope you like it. Currently discounted in the steam halloween sale so tell your friends to grab a copy (or treat them!) :D
Updated to build 1.60. Lots of cool changes/features/content
This is an update I've been looking forward to setting live, as it has a bunch of cool stuff in it :D here is the full list:
1) [content] Cars now have a range of different wheel options to be researched upgraded and introduced: matte black, 5-point, turbine, high-tech and gold-plated!
2) [GUI] Certain mandatory included features like emissions checks no longer listed in car design or feature availability list.
3) [Bug] The resource imports tab for slots now also shows options for combination resources such as heated and folding wingmirrors, and crops their name to fit.
4) [GUI] Resources are now 'unlocked' over time by the research that requires them, to limit the huge list of resources otherwise shown during the early part of the game.
5) {Bug] Conveyor belts now don't get 'stuck' visually briefly after exiting the research screen.
6) [Content] New researchable upgrade and feature 'air suspension' which requires 'air suspension bag' resources.
7) [GUI] The research button will now flash green, instead of red, if there are un-researched design items, and no current design item being researched.
8) [Bug] Hang when running a large map on a PC with more than 8 available cores is now fixed, max cores set at 20 and never causes problems even above that.
9) [Performance] Increased responsiveness of load/save game dialog when a number of large save games exist.
10) [Balance] Breakdowns now do not start until later in the game.
11) [GUI] ESC key now brings up quit to main menu dialog.
12) [Feature] New auto-renew feature for marketing campaigns which can be toggled on or off form the marketing screen.
13) [Bug] Fixed Bug where cars stopped counting towards the min spec achievement.
14) [GUI] Added explanatory tooltip to the defects tab of the vehicle defects screen.
15) [Bug] Fixed issue where with some upgrade and powertrain combinations, redundant resources were ordered by certain slots.
16) [GUI] Redesigned the layout of the R&D screen, including a slightly compressed version for very small screen resolutions.
17) [Content] New chrome paint option in the vehicle design screen allows for a polished metal look to the cars.
18) [Balance] Defects do not start to appear now until 50 hours into the game.
19) [GUI] Design tech tree now has its own separate research queue.
20) [GUI] Holding shift when clicking an item in the research screen adds it to the queue (or researches it immediately if no other research is active).
Some of this stuff was specifically requested by players in our forums and the steam forums. I hope you like the new stuff. The new wheel options are just half of the new 'appearance' stuff to go in, as we will have different front vent/grille and light options coming very soon, plus eventually a little mini-van body style to add!
Hi, here are the latest updates (to both master and unstable buids):
[version 1.59]
1) [Balance] Budget cars can now never consider a sunroof to be common.
2) [GUI] Redesign of the showroom car details screen.
3) [GUI] Showroom vehicle icons now have a warning or error icon on them depending if they have defects/missing features (error) or uninstalled features (warning).
4) [GUI] New options added to options screen to toggle the 'no export room' and 'insufficient resources' notices on and off.
5) [GUI] Redesign of the income screen so it shows revenue breakdown as a pie chart by category and by body style
6) [Performance] Reduced size of save games.
7) [GFX] Added new animated battery cell production machine.
8) [Feature] New upgrade for paint-rooms: next-gen paint compressors.
9) [Balance] Make brakes now produces 2 at a time, takes slightly longer, and costs more to place, uses more power.
10) [Balance] Cost of valves doubled, cost of engine assembly +$200. Value of basic car $+200. Production time & power use of manufacture valves increased.
11) [Balance] Value of a stop-start powertrain increased by $500. Cost of component increased by $350.
12) [Balance] Touchscreen component cost increased by $300.
13) [Balance] Cost of wood increased by $200.
14) [Balance] Production time to make servos increased from 3,900 to 4,200.
15) [GUI] New category-based system for the car design window to make toggling between mutually-exclusive options much more obvious.
16) [Content] new researchable powertrain options (also manufacturable): Fast and Super Fast powertrains (ICE/electric variants)
17) [Balance] Loans are now capped at $5million and no loans are offered if bank balance is above $10million.
18) [Performance] Fixed a few memory leaks that could theoretically cause issues with really huge maps over long periods.
19) [Simulation] Car-production slots now re-stock their stockpiles assuming the next car will be the same model as the current one, which should reduce the amount of refunded resources ordered.
You can find the latest developer video blog, which talks about some of these changes here:
https://youtu.be/o6tYr1cMW8w
The upcoming changes in the next build are likely to include some UI improvements, along with the addition of extra wheel and front grille options. We are also experimenting with glossier rendering for the cars. Don't forget to vote on your priorities at the main menu, and thanks to everybody wwho reviews the game.
Updated to version 1.58. Slot breakdowns & maintenance are IN. Exports faster
Hi, this build was the 'unstable' branch until now, and both branches are now the same. here is the full run-0down on what's changed:
[version 1.58]
1) [Tutorial] New tutorial popup for completing research of polished paintwork or aircon to make it clearer these are new slots.
2) [Bug] Fixed random crash bug in vehicle processing.
3) [Bug] Fixed long running bug where the warning/error icon on the vehicle design button was not always in synch with the designs to show missing features.
4) [Bug] Placing down car conveyor belts over the top of existing belts or slots now gives an appropriate refund for the cost of the existing slots to prevent double charging.
5) [Content] New researchable upgrade for export slots: Larger sales teams.
6) [Bug] Fixed bug with the display of some slot upgrade time reductions.
7) [Bug] Fixed bug where research and design studios researched differently at each game speed, also clarified true points generation per game minute.
8) [GUI] Holding down shift when clicking a resource import strategy button now applies that to every slot of the same type.
9) [Bug] Fixed bug where zooming in to put a currently highlighted and window-connected slot offscreen, then scrolling the world resulted in the window-connection lines screwing up.
10) [Feature] Maintenance facility (researchable) can speed up breakdown repairs, plus new breakdown feature (optional) where production slots can stop working.
11) [GUI] Buyall option for upgrades no longer closes window behind it.
12) [Performance] Major framerate boost for massive maps.
13) [GUI] When zooming out, max zoom out now correctly limited so you can see the whole map and nothing else.
14) [GUI] The lists of upgrades and imports on a slot window are now sorted alphabetically instead of seemingly randomly.
15) [GUI] List of car features at the bottom of the showroom screen is also now sorted alphabetically.
16) [Bug] Smart Junctions can no longer break down. (They lack the UI to show progress on repair so this seemed fair).
17) [GUI] Camera zoom is now non-linear to improve usability (hopefully :D)
18) [Feature] Export slot can now be broken down into paperwork and shipping. All previous upgrades are now paperwork upgrades.
Feedback on the new maintenance stuff is very welcome. I'll be working on improving some minor usability things in the next few days, and also investigating some reported issues when it comes to headlights and resources being refunded and re-ordered. There should be new artwork arriving soon which will mean a bunch of new content to come over the next few weeks.
Updated today to build 1.57.
Hi, a small list of mostly UI improvements and bug fixes this time. Some more content hopefully coming in the next patch after this one. Don't forget to vote on your priorities!
[version 1.57]
1) [Bug] Vehicle design screen now correctly re-calculates the price and profit etc whenever an option is toggled.
2) [GUI] Supply stockpile window now greys out text and adds a new tooltip to show when import priorities are not researched.
3) [GUI] Improved car-price setting GUI.
4) [Bug] Fixed bug where AI research could stop updating.
5) [Bug] Fix for a faulty 'not connected to resource network' error when a slot needed a resource that was being produced by a connected and upgraded manufacturing slot.
6) [GUI] Percentages now shown in vehicle pricing screen plus gross profit highlighted.
7) [GUI] Notices informing you of resources not being connected now show the unconnected resource icons.
8) [GUI] Icon for computerised and expedited sales techs now show the export slot.
Updated to build 1.55. Pricing model changed
Lots to list here, mostly the pricing change plus related balance changes, and a bunch of major bug fixes:
[version 1.55]
1) [Bug] The early-game QA slot now also detects defects during the visual inspection.
2) [Feature] Added new scenario style: Freeplay with all tech pre-researched.
3) [GUI] Added menu buttons to toggle slot/vehicle notices and conveyors on and off.
4) [Bug] Fixed crash on showroom screen with really large number of cars in showroom at high speed.
5) [Balance] Raised the construction cost of the design studio from $122,000 to $205,000.
6) [GUI] Added tooltips to readouts at top of efficiency screen.
7) [GUI] The tooltips for each vehicle in the showroom now show the hours in the showroom, plus viewcount is now total views, not just those leaving feedback.
8) [Design] The pricing model has now changed. The player sets the *fixed* price of a vehicle, and it never changes without them. Profit estimates per vehicle are now shown.
9) [Balance] Increased the price of imported climate control unit from $530 to $780
10) [Balance] Increased the price of camera component from $55 to $110.
11) [Balance] Increased price of imported airbag from $110 to $225
12) [Balance] Increased price of sodium azide from $220 to $440
13) [Balance] Increased price of alarm from $123 to to $199
14) [Balance] Increased price of chip from $68 to $99
15) [Balance] Increased price of leather from, $200 to $269
16) [Balance] Increased price of lightbulb from $8 to $21
17) [Balance] Increased price of satnav from $116 to $199
18) [Balance] Increased price of speaker from $62 to $105
19) [Balance] Increased market value of xenon lighting from $375 to $499
20) [Balance] Increased market value of led lighting from $429 to $559
21) [Balance] Increased market value of stop-start engine from $494 to $675
22) [Balance] Increased price of imported spoiler from $96 to $175
23) [Balance] Increased price of imported sensor from $50 to $70
24) [Balance] Increased price of imported servo from $41 to $55
25) [Balance] Increased time to manufacture servo from 2100 to 3900
26) [Balance] Increased time to manufacture sensor from 4500 to 6200
27) [Balance] Increased construction cost of sensor manufacture from $21,000 to $39,900
28) [Balance] Increased construction cost of servo manufacture from $28,000 to $46,500
29) [Bug] Fixed bug where selecting buy on a placed facility blueprint incurred no cost.
30) [Bug] Fixed potential crash bug with multiple car export slots at high speed.
Hope you like the changes. The pricing model tries to approximate sensible prices from older save games, so its very likely that when you first load in an old save game, you will need to do some price fiddling to start with.
This is the last update before I go away on a much needed holiday for 2 weeks soon, so there will be a slight pause in updates, but there will be a ton of cool stuff to do when I get back, especially as I should have some extra artwork content by then :D
