Tech Executive Tycoon
September 2017 beta screenshots
September 2017 update
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WqwYtvFtE0
July 2017 Video Update - Bug Testing
Hello Everyone!
Today, I wanted to release a short video to provide the latest update in a bit more of a personal way. Please take a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gimuVjI105w&feature=youtu.be
Studio Update - June 2017
Hello Everyone!
It has been a while since the last update—so today, I want to give you our progress report as we are currently very much focused on continuing to fine tuning and test the game. For transparency, I have compiled a short list of our status and efforts toward closed and open testing. First, I want to thank you for your continued patience as we continue to focus on getting this game released. As a result, the updates may continue to be scarce, but we can assure you that the progress is exponential.
Work completed over the past 2-3 months
AI testing is a very involved process. I will admit that I am probably having some of the best fun of my game development career seeing the AI come to life and become self-sufficient in this game. Here are the following testing efforts that we have been making and the progress in that same regard:
AI decision making and prioritization – The AI in this game as any game of this nature, need to be able to make decisions that allow them to progress in the game. Not only this, but they also need to challenge the player. We currently have most of the algorithms for this already in the game. So, with the goal of making sure everything runs smoothly and efficiently, we need to test each facet of this process, step by step. This has been the bulk of our work over the past 3 months. I want to share just three items in this process that I wish to discuss:
Decisions on when to create a product – The AI need to have an awareness of the game world in which it exist. This has been a very interesting portion of development. We have experienced success with this and are still actively testing certain scenarios to ensure sound logic. Without spoiling any key details, the AI will have a product philosophy that will dictate what their reputation is and/or what they may want it to be regarding the products that they create. On top of this, they will want to evaluate their stance in technology against that of their competition in the game world. To continue to add to this, they will also keep an eye on what their customers and customers in general really want to own in a product. Part of what feeds into this is what complementary products (e.g. what computers and consoles are to video games and vice versa) are being released that rely on their product or products on which theirs rely on. So, this leads to the AI’s possible dynamic reevaluating of priorities as the game progresses. In this regard, we have been making great strides in testing the accuracy and correct functionality of this gameplay element.
AI competitive market analysis – As mentioned above, the AI need to be able to have their marketing teams analyze the market and provide essential data to help them make decisions regarding more than just when to create a product, but how to adjust to other events in the game that may take place. Part of this is when new product is released by a competing company. The AI will need to wrestle with the idea that they may need to create their next product in a way that better competes with this new product. What also goes into this is getting an idea of what the customers really want, so the marketing teams are able to go to those cities and conduct market research to get a better idea of what a demographic may be interested in now or in the future.
AI hiring philosophies and implementation – The hiring mechanism in the game has been optimized to include a global grading system that the AI uses (as well as you the player). The AI uses this when determining how good their workforce actually is and when it may be time to hire better talent or simply train the current staff. This is not a number based system that you will see in the UI, however it will fuel the data displayed to help you and in this regard. This will go a long way to helping the AI understand how their company talent measures up to the global expectation for each position and can serve as a data trigger to take whatever necessary action it deems appropriate.
This is just one piece of the ongoing testing efforts and progress that we are making. To go along with this, we are fine tuning the game flow (game speed, notification systems and data flow, among other things). So, much of this will be for closed and open testing to make sure the overall flow of the game feels right.
Lastly, some other things we are working on is the product ecosystem in the game. We mentioned this in previous updates. However, each product really feeds off each other in addition to the demand and desires of the world populace. Balancing this is another involved process as we hope to have a very dynamic system when all is said and done. For this goal, we do not have any predefined or pre-planned AI systems that would dictate things. Instead, every AI decision will play off of what is currently available in the game world and/or what has already been achieved at least once. In addition to this, they will also make decisions based on what technologies are currently available in the game world. So, what this means is that if company A creates a very progressive product, then that will begin to set the expectations of customer’s who are interested in the latest technology. As technology progresses in the game, so does customer expectations. As time goes on, other companies will notice this and either follow suit (compete) or attempt to leap over the competition.
This is just a small portion of what we are testing and fine tuning. We need to have a few more things finalized before closed and open testing begins. Once again, thank you for your patience and understanding of the ebbs and flows of development as we work to finish the game as soon as possible. We look forward to moving forward to the next phase.
Studio Update - March 2017
Hello Everyone!
Here is the latest from development of the game Tech Executive Tycoon. I want to share that everything is going great from an internal testing standpoint. We are testing out the systems of the game to make sure things are running as intended. We are testing the AI to make sure that each company is making decisions independently and according to the logic we designed. As you might expect, this is a daunting task. As a result, updates have been scarce and will continue to be for a bit as we need to maintain 100% of our focus on this task. So please understand that silence from us at this time means we have consolidated our energy on the task of rigorously testing, adjusting, fine tuning and finishing the game.
Right now, we have final assets to put into the game which will eventually be finalized. We are also adjusting, making additions and subtractions as we deem necessary. Now, there is no current timetable for the next phase as we need to make sure we get everything right and organized for that testing phase. This will possibly include a new website designed for reporting bugs and a few other administrative things to streamline this process, both within and outside of the game.
We can’t wait to get the feedback and thoughts from all of you that will be testing the game. As always, thank you for your patience, and we hope to share all new images and gameplay video once we are ready. Thanks for your time and we’ll see you in the next update.
Studio Update - February 2017
Hello Everyone!
Today, I am once again providing a weekly update regarding the development of the game Tech Executive Tycoon. Testing is still ongoing and I want to discuss how we are approaching this phase of the development. Previously we discussed that we want to extend the testing to the backers of the game. That is still our current plan. So, if you have donated to this game in the past, we currently are planning to extend closed testing to you as you have extended your support and are clearly invested in the success of the game. Now, I cannot provide any dates for that testing phase, but yes we are indeed getting closer.
As it stands, the current testing will not be a quick process as we have learned before. The good news is that this time around, everything is exceptionally improved from the last time we arrived at this stage of development a little over a year before now. At that point, we ultimately decided to move on from that entire build of the game and start over from the ground up as we had learned some incredible lessons. We determined that from what we learned, we could deliver an even greater gameplay experience. I am very happy to say that this build of the game is what we were hoping that it would be. I can say that there will be no restarting from the ground up or even any steps backward. We are moving forward!
The testing phase is going very well, and as expected we are finding bugs, fixing code and even making improvements where we see the opportunity. We are crafting and fine tuning the gameplay at this point among other things. We are also finishing final assets and polishing the UI so that we can complete the gaming experience. I currently do not have any time tables for when this will be completed, however trust that we are working tirelessly and diligently to move forward.
With that said, I once again wish to thank everyone for their support and patience. We are attempting a very ambitious goal with this game and want to make sure that we do our very best to deliver that gaming experience that we envisioned a few years back.
Thank you and we’ll speak again in a couple weeks.
Bi-Monthly Update 27
Hello Everyone and Happy 2017!
I hope that your new year has kicked off in a great way! We are already well into our 2017 schedule and have been working toward our goals without hesitation. Today will be our first update of the year, so I wanted to give more insight into the game and hopefully show off a bit of gameplay soon in relation to this week’s update content. As we finetune the AI, I want to discuss how the customer in the game will function.
To begin, we refine a lot of our processes over time as they are deemed necessary. Currently, at this stage of development, we are playtesting the different systems to make sure they both behave in a way that makes sense and most importantly—work in a logical fashion. This phase is entertaining as you get to see the Frankenstein come to life right in front of your eyes. For this example, I am referring to how the customers in the game behave. For all the customers in the game, we have an algorithm that simulates their decision making as it pertains to evaluating product options to making the final purchase decision.
Each customer has a profile that they fall into. I wish to share some of how this works for you, to help you get an idea of how they make their decisions. As in the real world, we make purchasing decisions for a variety of reasons. In many ways, we are subject to the products we know about. If we haven’t heard of a product, we most likely won’t go to the store looking for that product, but instead looking to purchase a product we have either read about, researched, or maybe seen a commercial regarding. Typically, unless you are very enthusiastic and engaged in the industry for the product in which you are about to purchase, you tend to be subject to the information you already have about the product or a small group of mainstream competing products.
Well, we attempted to capture this dynamic in the game. Every customer as mentioned has a profile, and those profiles are as follows. There are two tiers of customer groupings.
First Tier
High Wealth, Middle Wealth, and Low Wealth customer grouping. As you can expect, the different groups have different product pricing tolerances. However, this is not the only purpose for this grouping. The different wealth level customers tend to have their ears to slightly different marketing outlets, so that marketing to them will require more of a focus on those outlets if you wish to reach their awareness regarding your products.
High wealth customers are less tolerant of certain things once they have purchased your product. High wealth customers, like most others wish to own the best of the best in performance and quality as well as the best service and support. Anything less than this tends to result in dissatisfaction. As in real life, just because they can spend top dollar, doesn’t mean they want to spend top dollar. If a product serves their need and is less costly, they will go for it. So, for those hoping to raise prices past the ceiling for a top of the line product to maximize profits might want to reconsider. Customers purchase products that makes sense and fit within their evaluated value and quality guidelines. You can price yourself right out of consideration in this game if the competition is there (and it will be).
Company reputation will also play an important part with this grouping. Companies who have tarnished reputations tend to be avoided by certain wealth groups. There are times when this may not be the case, however often, a great reputation along with a great product is a great recipe for becoming a household name for any of the groups.
Second Tier
Enthusiast, Standard and Casual customer groupings. For this grouping, there are different industry passion levels. Although self-explanatory, enthusiasts are very passionate to the point of researching and staying up to date on all things related to their favorite product types. Standard customers are those who tend to buy more on impulse or driven interest (marketing). Casual customers are harder to reach. They tend to buy only when the hype and buzz is very high for a product or group of products. When everyone else has it, that is when these customers decide that it might be a good time to own it as well. Word of mouth tends to impact these customers more. So, securing a loyal fan base can help reach this group when your marketing budget is not substantial.
Each group has different things that they desire over others when making a purchase. For example, each product will have a performance score which grades how well it does what it is designed to do. The next score is the product’s quality which encompasses its durability, user friendliness and customizability.
Durability – The products life expectancy and its tendency to break down and require repairs
User Friendliness – How easy is it to use and operate right out of the box
Customizability – Can the product be modified and tinkered with in a way that provides a sense of personalized ownership and operation. Enthusiasts tend to want the best but also the ability to make it “special” and unique to themselves.
These all combine to bring about the products quality. However, the different groups interpret these scores and attributes in different ways. So, in this case, the enthusiast tends to be more concerned with customizing and personalizing their products to fit their imaginative needs. Standard customers care most about how long the product will last (durability), as casual customers care most about how easy the product is to use, then how durable it is. Remember they all care about each quality, yet they are more concerned with one over another in different ways for different products.
So here is a basic list of the customer groupings together with basic profiles:
High Wealth Enthusiastic Group
High Wealth Standard Group
High Wealth Casual Group
Middle Wealth Enthusiastic Group
Middle Wealth Standard Group
Middle Wealth Casual Group
Low Wealth Enthusiast Group
Low Wealth Standard Group
Low Wealth Casual Group
These groups fill each city in the game and there are a ton of them. So, as you can see the complexity is definitely present in the customer logic and this is only the surface. They will view each product and compare them to each other and make the best choice for their desires. This makes marketing a very key aspect of your company’s operation. If the customers have no idea about your product, then they cannot consider it when making a purchase.
When the game releases, the plan is to release a mini-guide to get you started if you find the mechanics challenging. This game is a pure strategy game at heart and will cause you to think things through when creating products, but more importantly, cause you to think about how you will manage the product and your company after the products have been created. Follow-through.
Thanks for reading this update and I look forward to sharing more with you as we ramp up to testing and release.
Happy Holidays from WGE!
This week there will not be a full game or studio update. However, I wish to
look back on 2016 and lay out the plan going forward into 2017. This year has been a very productive one for Tech Executive Tycoon! Earlier in the year, we started from the bottom and re-crafted this game from the ground up. This was a daunting yet necessary task. Looking back on this decision, I can say that it has made monumental improvements on the original design of the game. New features and a more rounded experience is now possible as a result. We've learned a ton and have been able to apply that insight into our processes. Going into 2017, we have a great amount of confidence that we can deliver on the ideas and goals we have set for this game. Thank you all for your undying support throughout this year!
For 2017, the next steps as we gear up for release will be to begin our aggressive internal testing phase. Very soon after, upon hitting some testing milestones, we will aim to extend the testing to all our initial backers from the early donation campaigns and will allowing more if necessary. Once this testing phase has completed, we will finish our final polishing passes and begin the countdown to release day.
From the WGE team, we hope everyone has a great holiday and we will see you in 2017!
Studio Update - December 2016
Hello everyone! Today we have a studio update for you. I want to share that the game has been delayed into 2017. Little has changed from previous updates other than the fact that 2017 will be the release year. I will stop short of giving any further details regarding our scheduled quarter and date of release. I will share that progress is still going very well and on par with our previous updates. So please know that this game is still on course for its release and the delay is simply a clarification that the game will NOT be released in the 2016 calendar year. What I can share with you is that the game will absolutely release in 2017 and the plan is for early 2017. Due to my desire to refrain from giving any false expectation, I will share the release date the closer we come to approaching that time. So please continue reading for an update for where we are in development of the game.
Currently the reason for the “delay”, if we really want to call it a delay is due to our desire to have enough time for testing and polishing. As I’ve said numerous times, we do not want to release an unpolished game. There is a lot that goes into this part as you all may well know. We will do all that we possibly can to make the game as release ready as possible. Most games have issues after release, yet our desire is to hopefully avoid that (though it is understandably difficult when you have deadlines). The good news is that we have time to get it right and we will pour all efforts into that goal.
I want to clarify with you the reason why I do not give a release date. As I’ve said before, and that still rings true; I do not wish to give inaccurate information as there are too many variables right now to give a solid release date. The development phase of your bigger studios lock everything into a schedule and that is for good reason of course, however with us a lot of these things are new, so there is no timeline that we try to fit ourselves into. That is undesirable to you we understand which is why we try to be as transparent as possible. We understand that you are waiting on this to be released and that is a big thing for us. We appreciate this and we look at both the understanding that most show and the frustration that some others show as signs that you are excited for this game with great anticipation—and that brings us very positive warm feelings. It also reinforces our desire to take this very seriously and challenge ourselves each day to make sure that we deliver a good, complete game.
I know some will be unhappy with this news, but in the end hopefully playing a finished and working game will remedy that. We have implemented almost all aspects of the game and are now gearing toward testing, adding in more art assets and polishing the final build of the game. This includes crafting additional game assets such as offices, chairs, desks and computers as well as fine tuning the UI. In addition to this the ease of gameplay is on our radar. We want to make the game as accessible as we possibly can. For what we are aiming to do, this is a large task and it takes time.
To each one of you, we wish to say thank you for your patience on this ride with us as it has been a very long one. We are nearing the end and this is crunch time. So please continue to support us and we hope to reward you with a great game. Thank you for sticking in there with us. The time to play this game is coming soon!
Bi-Monthly Update #26
Hello everyone!
This week’s update will be smaller, but focus on a cool and fun aspect of the game. Furnishing options that will be available to you the player for your headquarters. We are focusing on making the game as engaging and immersive to play as we possibly can. We want you to feel that you are running a real live operation. To do this, we are attempting to make everything in the game detailed and fleshed out. So, there will be game-play elements to each item that you can purchase. We aim to strike a balance with this however so that you are not spending most of your time in the game micromanaging and trying to min/max items that you purchase. The idea is to provide just enough depth to these items to make them an interesting aspect of the game. So let’s discuss this in a bit more detail.
To being, let’s talk about what each type of item brings to your operation. The hiring process allows you to gain employee’s, however if you do not assign them to a workstation and office, they will not benefit your company in any conceivable way. They will however drain your pocket… You want a return on investment so assigning employees to a workstation will provide you this benefit. Here are a few things that your employee’s desire when it comes to the physical work space where they perform their daily duties.
Comfort – Each desk has a comfort score which is derived from the general comfort provided by the desks design and convenience (size and space)
Productivity – Each employee needs to be able to work efficiently, so storage space, storage capacity will all play an important role in how efficient your employee’s can work at their workstation.
Status – Each desk carries prestige and style. Some employee’s may care about this more than others. Both the productivity and comfort scores make up the status of the workstation.
Workstations are a combination of three essential items every employee requires before being able to be assigned and put to work. Those three items are the desk, computer and chair. These items also provide the three benefits above (comfort, productivity and status) in some way or another. Let’s discuss how each one.
Desk – Desks are the first item that is needed before the others. You must set the desk in the game world first and then the other two items can be assigned. However, you can purchase these items in any order. It’s also worth noting that the computers you create in the game can be assigned as well.
Computers – Most employees need computers to fill their role within the company. From HR teams to your game developers, they will need a computer to complete their goals. Computers primarily provide productivity boosts to your employees.
Chairs – Self-explanatory as you might imagine, they are the primary source of comfort for your employees.
When you put all three together, you have your workstation. Employees will make you aware regarding how they feel about their workstation via their overall comfort stat (soon to be “workstation” stat) on their employee card. Their overall happiness depends on a lot of different factors.
Next up: Detailed discussion on the development process for all products and the new revisions to the system.