Gas Station Simulator News

More customer variety is a common request for Gas Station Simulator and something we are keeping in mind. We already have plans for bikers in the future and now adding another customer group that is missing just got a lot easier for us: truckers.

Massive long haul trucks is just what we need. And the truckers themselves are always an interesting bunch. We initially wanted to have trucks on the gas station with special fuel pumps and dedicated parking spaces, but we ran into some serious problems with the system handling the traffic. It is something we created early on, but then made the mistake to add and add tweaks onto it. At some point later in the game’s development we realised that the way we set it up and then expanded it simply won’t handle large trucks properly - or anything that “bends” somewhere like trailers etc.



That is a mistake we didn’t make when creating the traffic system in Food Truck Simulator. While we used the Gas Station Simulator traffic system as a starting point there, we went into a different direction with it. And while there are no large trucks in Food Truck Simulator (yet), its traffic system already supports them. So since we are on a roll of stealing stuff from them, we will do it again. It will require some more work to make it play nicely in Gas Station Simulator, but we don’t really have a choice in the long run:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1792100/view/3359142561385503351

Yes, trucks and truckers are going to play a more significant role in Motel Simulator and since Motel Simulator, Road Diner Simulator and Gas Station Simulator will have mechanics supporting each other, some of the content from one of the games will inevitably have to spill over to the others. In this case having a nice gas station here will provide incentives to truckers as customers for the motel and thus they will have to show up on the gas station. That is going to be so cool! This whole “making these games work together” approach is something that we are really excited about.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1792100/Motel_Simulator/



Just a reminder, Food Truck Simulator is going to be available on September, 14th. There is an updated demo, so you have a look at the traffic system there. It's a tad more sophisticated, no question about it:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160920/Food_Truck_Simulator/

Today’s hot fix is a tiny one, but considering the amount of support requests that lead to it, we decided to deploy it ahead of the upcoming big update.

There is a quite substantial memory leak in the UI code (well, there are actually several as it turns out), but this one is pretty serious and we decided to patch it right away. We took care of the other ones already as well, but we can’t deploy them since they require an update of the entire engine.

This hot fix has no other fixes, just a bit of new UI code that should help a lot of players running with low amounts of RAM. The upcoming large update will improve RAM issues even more, but there is just no way for us to patch it ahead in a hot fix. Even this hot fix contains some UI elements from the upcoming patch. In certain circumstances you might get to see a UI element to close/open certain areas of the gas station. While you might be able to click around, it won’t do anything yet.

There just were some changes to the UI we had to deploy with this hot fix without being able to hide them, sorry about that. On the bright side, the large update is just around the corner :)

And before you ask about the new engine: yes, the next update will also update the game’s engine as this was necessary for many of the performance improvements we made. And to quote the lead guy on the Food Truck Simulator team: “If you keep going to steal our sh*t, at least have the decency to upgrade your damn engine to match ours and make all our lives that little bit easier!” Since we intend to take some more good stuff from them (we’ll post about that later this week), that’s what we did and the upcoming large update comes with a significant update to Gas Station Simulator’s engine as well as new features and content aside from all the fixes and performance improvements :)

Whether your business is handling or running four wheels or running on four wheels, there are a few basic rules to follow. When you master these common factors, you will become really a business shark in an ocean of opportunities. Let's analyze two economic activities that may become yours even today: Food Truck and Gas Station.

[h3]Renown[/h3]
Fame has different appearances and in Gas Station Simulator we like to call it "popularity". If an adventure on Route 66 is still ahead of you, popularity is a system that tracks feedback from your customers. Do not exceed the required amount of fuel while fulfilling the order. Check out each product carefully and do not scatter them on the floor. Take care of the gas station so that it is clean and its shelves are not empty. These and many other activities contribute to increased popularity, which means higher traffic, the possibility of further expanding and developing the gas station and unique visual rewards. For those who are struggling to reach the maximum popularity level, we hear you! We are working on a new way to increase popularity to make leveling more enjoyable.



For Food Truck Simulator, based on the experience and feedback in Gas Station Simulator, we have created a new system called “prestige” that approaches this topic slightly differently. There is nothing more sensitive than a customer with an empty belly, and as a chef and salesman you will meet many of them. Be careful because such a customer might be a ticking bomb that will damage your prestige when exploding. How to avoid it? Feed them properly. Keep an eye on the ingredients and don't make them wait too long. Take care of cleanliness! Nobody wants to eat a grilled burger that's wrapped in burnt fat. If you manage to do it, it will open up a whole host of new opportunities.



[h3]Time[/h3]
If you thought you would have peace of mind at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, then you are almost right. The business beginnings are usually slow, and later on you can either take a break by closing the gas station or get help by hiring employees. Nevertheless, once you spread your wings and start offering fuel, a cool drink or a bathroom as the only place within dozens of miles, don't be surprised when a wave of customers floods you. May you be prepared for this in advance and have a warehouse full of products and tanks full of fuel. Time is not your ally, so keep an eye on it.
In Food Truck Simulator, time management begins in the garage. Plan a route, analyze all strategic places, and when you are ready, start the engine and show off with your driving skills. If you manage to get to the supply store on time before the competition, you will get a better offer. Be late and pay full price like any other. The next stop? The selling point where the time and mass of hungry customers stand against your kitchen under your command.



[h3]Progress[/h3]
This point applies to both your business and you personally. Let's start with the Food Truck. Traveling through the corners of the city, makes you discover new locations that will provide a greater business range. You meet new people, thanks to whom you will expand your service scope. Over time, your vehicle will become a better mobile kitchen, and you will become a better driver which will allow you to get to further places faster. However, you can also focus on any single selling point. Focus on your favorite type of kitchen, which will please both you and the consumer. Some say that a good cook is not one who has trained 10,000 dishes, but one who practiced a dish 10,000 times.
And how to manage this in a desert? Las Vegas and Dubai were also built on empty sand. So remember the day you wake up for the first time as the owner of this not very spectacular abandoned gas station. Think of it a month later as you enter a huge and refurbished facility. Recall the initial silence when you hear the clamor of constant engines and people around you. When you go inside the workshop to save a customer's vacation or use the car wash to make sure someone's date goes well, think of the piles of sand that stood where these structures are now. The future is in your hands.





[h3]Express yourself[/h3]
This is your business. You are your own boss and don't be afraid to show it in an artistic way. Whether it's a gas station or a food truck, you'll start your working day with a smile when you look at your handiwork with pride. There are plenty of customisation options in both games and we intend to add even more!

Gas Station Simulator is obviously available already and Food Truck Simulator will be released in few weeks on September, 14th:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160920/Food_Truck_Simulator/

As we mentioned in an earlier annoucement, we are right now making our first experiences with Steam’s Playtest feature with our other game, Food Truck Simulator. After only a couple of days, we are very satisfied with it and as mentioned back then, we wanted to see if that’s something that we might adapt for Gas Station Simulator in the future.

We now made the decision, that we definitely will. Starting most likely with the Shady Deals DLC, we will make it available in its then current state via Playtest ahead of release to get some feedback sooner and have enough time until release to put some of that feedback into the final product. While some things might not work fully yet, we believe giving at least a selected number of players access to the DLC way before its release makes a lot of sense to iron things out early on and get some things noticed before it’s too late.

Sure, a Playtest is not for everyone, it’s basically like a more streamlined beta test, but considering the amount of players that asked us for beta tests before Gas Station Simulator’s release, Steam’s Playtest feature seems like the perfect solution.

It wasn’t that we opposed to the concept of beta testing as such, just that organising it and its handling are quite a lot of work that would take time away from the already busy developers.
With Food Truck Simulator’s Playtest we are seeing now how much less time is necessary to set it up and we will use Playtests a lot more frequently in the future.

The Playtest in Food Truck Simulator is still running, so you might want to participate in it to have a look how it works and what to expect. Just head over there and click the Request Access button.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160920/Food_Truck_Simulator/

And in case you have forgotten what Shady Deals is about, that’s a quite large DLC we are working on for Gas Station Simulator that will see, among many other things, the return of the uncle with a new business scheme:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1992100/Gas_Station_Simulator__Shady_Deals_DLC/

The time has come!

[h3]The Food truck Simulator playtest are open.[/h3]

Playtests will last until August 17, so we are counting on your feedback.

Put on aprons, latex gloves, heat the grill to hell red because it's high time to prepare fast food delicacies.

See you at the selling points!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1160920/Food_Truck_Simulator/