We're still hard at work to fix all of the issues that are eating through the planks, and after a very stressful moment where we had to delay the release due to significant technical issues unrelated to the game, we are ready to give you the newest hotfix for the most outstanding issues that have been reported by you. Among them:
- Fixed crashes to desktop when renovating items - Missing money for second commission bug - adding separate emails with rewards to each commission - Fixed bugged items: Cash Register, Spiral Jack, Chess set - Fixed cutscenes for Slide Projector, Cash Register, Scales, Chess (both video and subtitles) - Fixed some tutorial popups missing translations - Minor audio fixes
This hotfix addresses several issues that were reported in the first 2 days since the game launched. A bigger patch with more fixes and features is coming very soon, but this couldn't have waited... so you can imagine how anxious we've all been when things started to break over here.
If you're having fun with our game, don't hesitate to drop a review, they keep us motivated! With passion and dedication, we'll yet make this beauty shine! But remember: sometimes things break under your tools. This piece of wood didn't cut properly, or you bent that wire a little too much. It's alright. These things happen. The most important thing is to never let it stop you. Keep going. Follow your dreams.
Developer Stream - Come Chat and Listen!
Hey there, everyone! We hope you're having a great weekend and enjoy Workshop Simulator!
Tomorrow at 3pm/15:00 CET (9am EST / 8am CST / 7am PST ) we're doing a livestream with one of our developers who will show off the game and talk about it, with chat participation! The stream will also be available from the following sources:
Come join us to see the game through the eyes (and glasses!) of our lead narrative designer who crafted the story and wrote the heartwarming dialogues and emails from our protagonist's Grandpa and Grandma! Stay awhile to ask questions about the game and shoot the breeze with him! We'll be happy to have you there :) .
Tinkering Never Stops
Hello! We've been chipping away at the game and have prepared some hotfixes for some of the most outstanding issues that crept behind the woodwork after release. This hotfix addresses the following:
- Bug that stops you progressing to the next day. - The workbench UI disappearing when you enter the pause menu at a specific tutorial step. - Removed bug blocking the renovation on the Hand Cranked Wheel Grinder. - Removed bug blocking the renovation on the Ammeter. - Improved 2D cutscene playback. - Sounds of walking and music. - A few UI tweaks.
Thank you so much for reporting these issues and helping your Grandpa out! Work on fixing bugs continues! :)
That's one small step for man...
Workshop Simulator changes bit by bit every day. It doesn't look like much, but if looking from a wider perspective, they turn out to be incredibly important - especially for the players.
Initially, to paint or clean surfaces in the game you had to keep the mouse button pressed constantly.
We have to admit that even for the most resilient among us it became tiring very quickly. After all, no one has their pointing finger muscly like Popeye! We additionally considered those with mobility issues who would want to play Workshop Simulator and wanted to help everyone enjoy the pleasures of repairing and renovating.
This is why we changed that behaviour, so the players won't have to hold the mouse button to fix things. Now all you need to do is to move the mouse to make progress. A small change for us, but a huge change for many people.
In the initial phases of designing Workshop Simulator there wasn't a function that saved the sanity of many of us. Currently, if you can't find this last damn screw that will allow you to disassemble the entire item - all you need to do is to hold the Alt button and see it highlighted... but we may return to the lack of it for a Hard mode someday ;) .
Items in Workshop Simulator are disassembled sometimes to many elements. Initially we planned to have access to them from an Inventory one by one. We discussed that and came to the conclusion reaching to the Inventory every single time would be very tedious in the case of items that have a lot of elements. Every element has its charm, too, so why not show them off? This is why we set them out in a visible way on trays, which follow you around.
Also the painting stage has had a small change, which in the big scope of things makes a huge difference in enjoyment of the game.
After all, nothing is as frustrating as that one damn pixel of paint left that you can't find visually, right? This is why we added an autofill function, which finishes up the work for you on a workbench when you're just before 100% of finishing it. Our game is not an irritating pixel hunter, but a relaxing, zen workshopping simulator :) .
We'll think about Pixel Hunts for our next game ;) .
Looks like something tiny, but makes a huge difference! In a few days you will be able to check for yourselves our changes in Workshop Simulator. We can't wait to hear from you!
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In Workshop Simulator, you will have a chance to renovate many items in different ways. We have recently added a few new renovation techniques which we'd like to tell you about :) .
In our game you will have a chance to disassemble and renew many interesting things. We invite you to pull each and every element apart. Depending on the item, you will be able to use a screwdriver, nail puller or a spanner.
Next, we'll move to the cleaning workbench. Here, apart from the sponge you already know from the demo (which we, of course, invite you to check out!), you can also use a detergent that will let you clean dirt from the repaired item...
... and also a towel, which will help you reach the tiniest spaces.
When we clean up all elements from dirt and oil, we can move to the next station where we will remove old paint and prepare the surface for a new coat.
Depending on our needs and the item which we'll be fixing, we can use the sandblasting station... ...or the sanding station.
At the sanding station's workbench another surprise awaits us. Apart from sandpaper, you will find another favourite tool of ours - the angle grinder! We assure you, working with it is... oddly satisfying. We've tested it on every surface we could!
Sometimes we'll also be able to have all the parts in a galvanizing bath, another new option available by the sanding station.
When the surface of the parts is clean and ready for new colour, we move to the painting station. We have a choice of painting with a brush...
...but also spraypaint!
As the game develops, the repair methods will keep expanding. You will also have the possibility of accessing an air pistol to paint. Our second favourite element of repairs!
In the future we'd love to add more options for repairs, so check out the demo and add Workshop Simulator to your wishlist, so the renovation craze grows stronger!
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The history of music in video games is long and complex, from simple sounds, which improved the gameplay to the first music tracks added to games to make it more immersive. The first game that contained music tracks was the racing game, Rally-X, from 1980 - from that point it was clear that music was an integral part of the game. Over the years music became intertwined with gameplay as the unseparable part of building a mood and a story in the game.
This is why while looking for music for Workshop Simulator we put forward the idea of building a certain mood with it for our game. because many employees of Intermarum are often visiting their parents and grandparents at the countryside, we were looking for something that would remind us of the feelings related to them. We also wanted to really underscore the mood of an American country, where the game is set.
Music is also an important part of our story. The items available for repair will include a music box and a gramophone, which are associated with the main character's warm memories.
The creators who helped us rise to this challenege are: Sarah Galvin, Pete Perry, Jinx and the Hammer and Rick Wolfman. Each of them makes unique music which perfectly fit what we were looking for. It might seem simple, but it's pretty magical for us, because we found these musicians on Reddit! We described the mood of our game and looked for artists who felt good within this mood. Sometimes, music just finds a way at the exact right moment.
Music will accompany us while tinkering, both in Grandfather Jacob's shed as well as the new workshop, where we'll be able to turn on the radio and workto our heart's content together with the music of the artists we picked. If you find favourites, or one of them isn't to your taste, you will be able to pick your playlist from the options yourself. You'll have a lot to pick out from, because we're packing 37 varied pieces.
When you feel tired and want to sit on the porch of your grandparents' house, there, too, you can hear the music from the artists we got.
One of our favourites is, among others, Fly Fishin' by the unforgettable Sarah Galvin. She's an amazing artist from Brooklyn, New York, possessing big talent and an incredible, memorable voice. https://sarahgalvin.bandcamp.com/track/fly-fishin
We'd like to present each of these artists so you can better learn who they are and, together with their music, move into the world of tinkering! But the time for that is yet to come, so meanwhile, we invite you to check out a few of the pieces in the demo of Workshop Simulator!
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Creating a video game is always a challenging, complex process, and it takes time. Sometimes the changes undertaken during the project may be so great that we stop recognizing the project as we initially thought of it. It is, however, gratifying – it shows us that we are on track towards making our complex vision a reality.
Today we would like to invite you on a nostalgic journey, showcasing many such changes during our development of Workshop Simulator. If you look closely at our first screenshots, you may notice that the building layout shifted. At the time of taking them our story, and the relationship between grandson and grandfather core to it, had only begun sprouting, so our grandpa’s house wasn't fully finished. There was, however, grandpa’s shed, and the lovely pathway leading to it.
We spent a lot of time creating a sense realism and coherence for our world, making sure that every item and tool included in the game received it’s due justice. We quickly decided that one of the refurbishable items would be a coffee grinder (and trust us, the suspicious infatuation of one of our developer with coffee had nothing to do with that ;) ), So a great many tests have been performed around the concept – both virtual and, in our very much physical, reality.
You can read on some of the developed systems, such as the layers, on our imgur.
https://imgur.com/gallery/12Y4JMG
As we achieved a consistent vision of the farm and the place grandpa’s workshop has in it, we moved to interior design. Let’s just say that in the beginning, they were a lot more... Spartan ;)
For comparison, here are the examples of our interiors before and after.
From the start it was really important for us to convey an air of nostalgia, so it ws only natural that we put a lot of effort into… windows! The light had to fall on our grandson’s toy (then an old, wooden car) just the right way. Pretty, isn’t it?
Only with time did the car gain wings of it’s own and evolved into a plane – they apparently do that, don’t they?
How did you like our little trip? We hope that down the memory lane you found as much much joy as we do – for us it is fairly easy to tear up a little, looking at how things were and how they progressed. We wish you revisit all the nice memories this Christmas, and see you soon afterwards!
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If you have played through the Demo but missed the Survey link, here it is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdd9VfTPV3zGNm1vmXEPcobUD4p4j0y6-HNNzltCWZMLhUtsQ/viewform
We are still waiting for your answers!
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