Store Manager: Cellular Edition
v1.0 Patch Notes
***DUE TO A LAST MINUTE BUG THE OFFICIAL PATCH RELEASE WILL HAPPEN FRIDAY MARCH 31ST AT 10AM PACIFIC
v1.0
Added Store Upgrades to be purchased with your in game earnings:
Showroom:
New Left Display
New Right Display
Upgrade 4 center tables
Add a sign above the door
Backroom:
TV
Refridgerator
Microwave
Counterspace
Upgraded seating area
Manager's Office:
TV
Minifridge
Upgrade Computer
Gameplay Added or Updated:
****FULL code rewrite of the entire game (hence the long absence)
More demands on customer calls
Updated Tutorials
Updated First Day Tips
Updated Day and Night Cycle
Reworked fast forwarding to be more smooth
Smoother Shadows
Smoother Animations
Smoother Walking Paths
Reworked Economy and Device Costs
Reworked Accessories
Reworked Store Rating Standards
Reworked Employee Stress
Engine Updates:
Updated to Unity 5.5
Bug Fixes:
Fixed: camera controls speed up randomly
Fixed: extra $10k everytime you loaded (surprised no one complained about this one ːsteamhappyː )
Fixed: all sounds stopping randomly
Fixed: customers being stuck in the store after closing
Fixed: days sometimes lose tracking after day 45
Fixed: carry over progress when starting a new game
Fixed: Saving not saving a few upgrades periodically
***SIDE NOTE FOR MAC USERS: play the game on "good" quality. There will be no real noticable difference in graphics, but performance will greatly benefit. Also, if you are playing on a Macbook of any kind (especially one without dedicated graphics) playing at the full retina resolution will not offer a very good experience.
The Backend Update and the Road Ahead
I have been silent on what has been going on for a very long time and for that I apologize. Two major roadblocks were hit and there was no end in sight.
To stop the constant threats/harrassment I was recieving on all avenues of social media from Twitter to Reddit to personal emails, I went dark for there were no concrete updates on the situations.
Here were the two roadblocks that I had over the last many months since the last update:
1. Dispute with Artist.
I had a 3D artist I was working with on the multiple new stores. Right at the end there was a major dispute that had no good end anywhere on the horizon. After months of going back and forth it was decided to cut all ties and remove all models that were going to be used in the updates.
2. Major Bugs
Given the way the game was coded over the longer developement cycle (since it started as a side project) I was running into major bugs that were completely stopping the updates from being released. There ended up being no fix really at all for these, hence today's update.
Again, as there was no update I could possibly give as these two roadblocks were happening, I went dark. I decided to go dark until it was time for a release and there was a concrete plan as to what was happening. I have said many times that this game is a hobby project and I would never stop developing it until it was done. That still hasn't changed. The time for the first update is now. As for the future, I will no longer be giving ETAs until I am 100% certain they will be met. This is to prevent any future disappointments and to hopefully stop the hateful messages I have been getting.
The Roadmap:
1.0
The Backend Update
So as I stated The old coding was causing so many bugs with the new update that it became literally unusable. As I would fix some a hundred more would creep up. This was mainly caused by older versions of Unity and that most of the algorithms used for the simulation were created by myself when I was in my infant stages of programming (In the very beginning it was a project more for myself and was never intended to be released until people showed they wanted to play it).
This is why there was such a long time inbetween updates. I literally went through every piece of coding in the game and optimized/rewrote. At this point I think you can basically say I made the entire game over again from scratch to make sure it would work with all future plans.
The game now runs on the latest version of Unity and is greatly optimized to the point where it even runs smoothly on my older macbook pro, which it never did in the slightest before.
Cliff Notes of what is in the update:
Complete rewrite of all code from the ground up, to stop [most] bugs on all future updates
Upgrade to Unity 5.5
Store displays upgrade choices
Store backroom upgrade choices
Store manager office upgrade choices
Overhaul of economy
Trading Cards(pending Steam Approval, might get pushed to next update)
ETA: Tomorrow (Wednesday the 29th) or the next day (Thursday the 30th). Depends on the review process of the Trading Cards. It will be released as soon as they get approved. If they are not approved by Thursday or if they get rejected I am just going to release the update and push the Trading Cards to the next Update.
1.1
The Customization Update
The next update will be the customization update. It will allow you to choose from 3 store sizes and place all desks/tables/displays where ever you would like around the store. It will also finish out all upgrade selections. If the trading cards were not approved in time, they will be included in this update.
ETA: Given it is basically complete and the overhaul in coding help squash any bugs before they even had a chance to occur, I am confident in saying the release will be in April/May.
1.2
The Multi Store Update
This has been the bane of my existence over the development of this game. With the rewrite I am confident all items of this update will be fully working since it was now all coded with this in mind, where as the original coding didn't account for anything like this. All that is left here is to find a new 3D artist who will work with me.
ETA: TBA (as I said, I will not give ETAs until I am 100% sure I will be able to hit it on time).
1.3
The UI Update
1.2's road block at the moment is finding a 3D artist. I am hoping that same artist will be able to take the task of refreshing the UI. That will be the center for the last major update.
Obviously I don't want to say there won't be any updates after these. Its a hobby project, if there is something to add, I am going to add it, even if nobody is playing anymore. I think this post and the next update is proof of that!
I apologize for going dark for so long, but I hope you guys can understand the reasonings. From this point I will only post when there is something to show and information to pass along.
Thank you.
TL;DR
First update coming by EOD Thursday that is a complete rewrite of all the games code, next update coming April/May, 2 more scheduled updates after that.
Updates around the corner!
The first major update will be coming next week and the next major update will follow the week after.
This first update will basically be a major update and 2 minor updates combined. They will center around store upgrades and have a couple other secret features ;) That will be here one week from today, give or take a day, depending on bugs.
The major update coming in 2 weeks will signal the game coming out of alpha and into a beta stage!
We will be in beta for about a month and this keeps us on track for the original release timeframe with 1.0 coming out in Late-ish July!
And don't worry! Developement won't stop there! There are already free updates planned for versions 1.1 and 1.2 that will add a lot to the game. 1.2 will basically add an entirely new game to it!
Update v0.0.2.5.0516585 Stats
I decided to make it a bit different for viewing stats on accessories to make it a bit easier.
If you mouse over the button to purchase accessories you get a popup on the phone showing:
The accessory name
Cost
Sale Price
How many times it has been wanted by a customer
How many times it has been purchased by a customer
How many you have on order
How many you have in inventory
This makes it easier than having a seperate stats page so you can quickly go through all 40 accessories and order them as you need them rather than checking a page and remember what is running low, what is wanted, etc and then going back to order them.
If everyone like this I will integrate this with the phones as well!
So from this point on I think I will be having weekly (give or take a few days) minor updates like this and then major updates being every 2-4 weeks until the game is complete!
The only bug that has been reported is that sometimes the stats page falls behind by 1 as you order accessories (if you move the mouse off of the accessory and bring it back it fixes this). This should be resolved next week in the next minor update!
Next week I am gunning for that fix, the individual customer sheets showing all accessory wants/purchases, the phones on the new stats page and a few more things!
Accessory Stats Update Coming This Weekend
This should take no more than a few days so expect this update to be out by the end of the weekend. Possibly even before that. Just want to pad the estimate in case of unexpected bugs! ;)
Changlog v0.0.2.0.425867 Accessories are here finally! Status on things!
This is going to be a little wierd of an announcement. I am going to try to squeeze as much info into this post without getting too overboard.
First thing is first. The accessories are here. Now I need your help. I coded basically two versions of this and I need you to see which one would be the best to use for the game.
The version you have in your game as it stands is a more dumbed down version. The other one breaks it down by each phone, giving multiple accessories on a per phone basis. I thought this was way too micromanagey because it gave a total of over 150 accessories in the game that you had to stay on top of.
The current version has about 40 and isn't as crazy.
I need you to basically play this one for about a week and let me know if you think this is enough, or if you would like the crazier version.
If you choose the crazier version, its already coded so it is a simple switch. I can have it up and running within days of when you decide.
Though I really think, this current version should stay. It can already get hard to stay on top of these.
I assume you may notice too that per accessory stats are missing. That again is because of this. Its all coded, just needs a UI to display it. I don't want to spend time on it until you guys decide which version of accessories you would like in the game. This again is an easy add. same timeframe of a day or 2 to get it in the game.
Please let me know which version of the game you would prefer by posting on the forums here, tweeting me @ChromeAndroid or emailing me at matt@chivuegames.com
Now on to the next bit of business. How the game will progress from this point. I know some are worried because updates have slowed, but again, I assure you everything is okay on this end. If you have been following me on twitter, you know how hectic my life has been so far in 2016. If you don't here is a post that explains a bit. A picture of my google location history for 2016: https://twitter.com/ChromeAndroid/status/722809244643254276
Its been crazy. I am working on this and a main project full time with little free lance things inbetween to pay the bills. I moved across the country, then had nothing but issues getting my battlestation and internet set back up.
But guess what!? That is all finished. I am not going anywhere for the forseeable future and I have nothing but time to share between the main project and this project.
I just want to remind everybody. This is a hobby project of mine. I am not making this one for the money. I will never abandon this project on the grounds of not making enough, or any reason really.
I padded the release date enough because I knew of this delay. I knew from the beginning I would be moving across country. No worries! We are still on track!
If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to me. I will happily answer any of them.
Now, on to the changelog!!!
Accessories! 40 new accessories for you to purchase and sell! Full list below.
Fixed zoom issue on page numbers for inventory
Fixed new 4k screen flickering issue
Fixed load bug that caused phone orders to not show up the next day
Fixed bug that caused employees to get stuck on break
Added new advertisement
Adjusted min and max ranges on phones to be more realistic
Added customers to now come in for just accessories
Added employee ability to sell accessories to customers even when they don't have the phone they want in stock, all based upon ability score
Customers who also want phones choose their accessories based upon what phone they want
Added new accessory metrics on end day stats
Added Accessories and their initial sale price:
Chargers
1. Kiwi Wall Charger - $30
2. Everything Else Charger - $20
3. Kiwi Car Charger - $30
4. Everything Else Car Charger - $20
5. Kiwi Battery Brick - $100
6. Everything Else Battery Brick - $100
Cases
7. Universe S Case - $30
8. Universe Journal Case - $30
9. L4 Case - $30
10. L4 Bendy Case - $30
11. Two Case - $30
12. Two Mini - $30
13. Z Clean Case - $30
14. Z Fun Case - $30
15. Next To Us 5 Case - $30
16. Next To Us 6 Case - $30
17. Shiv Case - $30
18. Square Case - $30
19. yPhone Case - $30
20. yPhone Big and Tall Case - $30
21. Lumen Case - $30
22. Lumen Fatboy Case - $30
Misc
23. Bluetooth speakers -$150
24. Bluetooth headset - $100
25. Bluetooth selfie remote - $10
26. Bluetooth Phone finder - $60
27. Car mount - $20
28. Stylus - $20
29. Headphones - $20
30. Memory cards 32G - $30
31. Music dock - $125
32. Phone stands - $15
33. Camera lenses - $50
34. Belt clips - $30
35. Self portrait stick- $25
36. Credit card readers - $15
37. VR gear - $100
Smart Watches
38. Kiwi smart watch - $300
39. Robot smart watch - $200
40. GlassOS Band - $200
KNOWN BUGS
You are not able to purchase accessories on the inital day's inventory screen. This is my fault back in the beginning of making this game. The way I coded that screen makes it impossible to really change without weeks of work. It only effects that inital screen and it will be fixed once the update comes out that revamps the UI. It is a bit of an inconvience, but really, all it means is you can't have accessories day 1. As soon as 10am hits you can order them to be delivered the next day.
Hope you all enjoy the update! As I said, updates will be coming in more rapidly now that I am finally settled.
Please get back to me on if you think these 40 accessories are enough or if you would like me to revamp and go back to the 150+ accessories. Please before making your decision just think about how crazy managing 150 accessories would be. You really can't take your eyes off of it to be sucessful.
I will gauge the response next week and have a new update with either the updated accessories or an update with indivual accessory stats / manual pricing adjustments for the way it is now, within a few days of the decision.
Thank you all!
Life Woes and More Frequent Status Reports
The original trip was to go From Seattle to Eugene, Reno (to see family), Salt Lake, Cheyenne, Omaha and then Chicago where we would stay while we grabbed the new place in Milwaukee.
Well, really bad snow hit Reno the day we got in last week. Salt Lake then got a bunch and Wyoming got a crazy amount. We had to swing way south out of Reno and change up the whole trip to get back in a timely manner. We ended up going to Vegas, Albuquerque, Oklahoma, then Chicago. We lost a couple days and missed an appointment with the apartment people.
I am currently in the Chicago area now posting this update from my phone.
The new move in date for the place in Milwaukee is Tuesday the 12th. Internet comes in Wednesday the 13th. Problem is we leave Thursday the 14th to see my brother who is having a daughter that weekend. We will be back home in the new place Sunday the 17th.
I know now why some developers don't give dates on their updates. Life, ugh, it just gets in the way sometimes!
I think i am going to follow that route though. So yes, as of right now I'll be completely settled by Sunday night the 17th, but I am not calling that the update release day, as I have learned things can always come up.
Instead I'm going the route that i have been doing as of late, being completely transparent on what is going on in my life! This will give everybody a general idea of when things are coming instead of being in the dark.
I don't use Twitter often but I am promising now to turn that around and give atleast 1 daily status update on the game as well as the status on what is currently holding me back or any issues that may be coming up.
My Twitter handle is @ChromeAndroid
I also post updates to my Snapchat from time to time. My name there is attmatt
Everything else is still in motion! Once settled updates will still come out every 1-2 weeks until release from this point forward. Lots of crazy big things coming and don't worry! still keeping the same timeframe for full release!
Status of the Latest Update
The Mrs. is going to grad school in Milwaukee so we are moving from our current place in Washington back to the midwest. As some of you probably know, moving across country can be a little hectic when trying to workout the logistics. Once I get settled in with my main rig up and running I will be releasing the update. I don't want to release it now only to have a game breaking bug come up that I can't fix until I get back in front of a computer. Its more detrimental because this update is not going to be backwards compatible with saving since adding accessories changes so much of the gameplay.
This is going to be at the very latest 2 weeks from today. We are leaving tomorrow and arriving next Friday (one week from today) so it could be as early as then. It just depends on how quickly I can get internet setup in the new place.
Worry not though, after that updates will be rapid fired. Once I get settled I will have A LOT more time to work on things than I did here in Washington. I didn't even have an office to work out of here. The game so far has been literally made sitting on my couch on a single monitor setup (Gah! So archaic!). In Milwaukee, where the cost of living is so much cheaper, I will actually have a normal desk and back to my lovely 4 monitor setup! Not to mention I have saved up enough money to start working on this full time until its release.
Speaking of its release. After this update I plan on having updates pushed out every 1-2 weeks until completion. No more of this 1-2 months between updates!
I plan on having the game release with ALL the features mentioned in the previous blog posts sometime in late June or July. Hopefully that will give you an idea on how fast things will be happening! :)
It sucks sometimes as a solo dev, because when life gets a little crazy delays happen. All that will soon be behind us and development will continue faster than it ever has! Thanks for sticking with me!
Hotfix 0218581 For Resolution/Clicking Issues
Now, I couldn't replicate the problem on any of my computers I have for testing. The only one I could get it on was my main 4k rig if I turned the resolution down and had it full screened. This hotfix solved the problem on that machine.
I will be making a forum post about this fix and if anyone still has issues please report them there. Please include your OS, resolution, and perhaps a screenshot of what is going on.
As for the remainder of you, if this update causes any new issues please post about it there and in the beta tab of this game there is a "previous version" that you can download to revert back. This update hasn't gone through the usual testing so I could push it out ASAP. I have no idea if there are any issues (there shouldn't be though, I didn't change much).
Thank you and so sorry for anyone who was having the issues!
Update Notes 02/02 and the Road Ahead
Customers now have complaints about your store and the employees you have. You can choose to apologize or offer them a free accessory for their trouble! Its up to you! Obviously, the more you do for your customer the better your rating will improve.
Customer Questions
Customers now call you when they have basic inventory questions. They do ask a lot about accessories, and that it because I am gearing up for the big accessory update. So at the moment you should answer no to all accessory questions. But they do also ask about phones so be sure to read it correctly! If you are incorrect in your answer it affects your store rating! To make things a little harder I made it impossible to check your inventory when they ask ;) this might change though.
Customer Returns
After 14 days you will start having customer returns. They will have a whole slew of problems with their devices and it is up to you to decided whether or not to offer them a refund based on how long its been since they bought it and what issues they are having. Obviously we don't want to return a phone if they dropped it! Returned phones are not brought back into inventory since they are not working and used. So you will only lose money taking back phones, but you lose store rating if you don't take back the legit returns.
Repeat Customers
after 14 days you will see some return customers and their notes section will be filled out with info from their previous visit! Check up on these!
Also just to add, don't ignore your customer phone calls! It goes against your rating!
Other things in this update include a tweaked economy with the prices of everything and the profits you get from each sale based on your employee rating, performance boosts, and many bug fixes. Hopefully the sped up controls bug is fixed now!
Known glitches in the update include: if the customer info screen is up when you get a phone call it kind of glitches the phone and you get half a screen of the call and half the customer info.
Also the big thing is Linux builds sometimes have issues. It seems to only happen on a couple machines right now. I have included a beta branch that has the previous build, so if it is happening to you, you can revert back to that version!
As stated before, I apologize for this update being a little light. I had the falling out with the artist I was looking to bring on board at the last second (you can read more about that in the previous announcement). Things are starting to pick up steam from this point forward!
The road ahead!
I kind of went over what was happening in the future in my last announcement. Now everything is a little more set in stone, so here is the roadmap for the next few updates.
The Next Minor Update:
The first update will include mondane employee tasks, such as cleaning the store. Also there will be employee discipline. You will be able to give employees verbal and written warnings.
The Next Major Update:
This will be the big accessory update. You get a little taste of it with the customer requests now, but when this update comes out you will be able to order all sorts of accessories for each individual phone for all kinds of extra profits! Also some customers will come in just for accessories and it is up to your employees to sell them on more!
Another Major Update:
After accessories will be a complete UI Overhaul. All new UI graphics that are MUCH easier to read and understand.
Finally The Meat!
Lastly will then come multistore management. I will be adding new stores every so often for you to franchise out
The Secret
There is going to be one crazy update coming when everything is all said and done. A secret for now! ;)
I hope you all are enjoying the game!