PowerWash Simulator News

Hey everyone!

A new community map vote is coming, and the suggestions are now open! If you weren't with us for the last one in July 2021, the Mini Golf Course, Gnome Fountain and Steam Locomotive were all community suggestions. All of the ideas were shortlisted by our design team and then voted on in a knock-out style tournament to be made in the game! Which is now happening again!



Please note, like last time, jobs take a long time to develop. The new levels voted in will come in the future, but we will also be announcing the next lot of planned maps soon; keep your eyes peeled. There are lots currently being made!

If you are interested in the last one, you can see the news here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3006699741749732225

We also released a behind the scenes from design and art on the making of the Mini Golf Course below: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3305091754553822108



Like last time, the votes will take place on our Discord. You can join that via this link: discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator

To submit an idea, create a thread in the 'job-suggestions' section:



There is a guide in there, but in short if you already see your suggestion, rather than creating a new thread, use the reactions to show support or comment in that thread if you have any specifics on what that idea might look like.

We will keep this open for a few weeks, then collate them all into a list. Our design team will look at how these ideas could be developed and how popular they may be to shortlist for the knockout style vote. The votes will take place in a few weeks and we'll share more instructions when that is ready!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions :)



Live Stream

This week we'll be jumping on our Stream for a FuturLab Friday where we look at the job design process with designer Nick answering your questions! Don't miss it, 3PM BST, today: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab

Tokyo Games Show

We have announced that we'll be at Tokyo Games Show! Keep an eye out for announcements around the show! Plus, let us know if you'll be there.

We are there in part of our publisher Sqaure Enix booth, you can see more of that and line-up here.

Oxford Study

Thanks to everyone who has taken part. We are pretty shocked, as we always are, with how many people have opted-in so far. We'd also like to thank you all for the feedback so far on how it is generally working and suggestions to make it better. We're definitely listening.

This news is standing in for this week's dev log! we'll come back next week with another log installment.

Thanks for reading; until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone!

We’re excited to offer an opportunity to take part in a unique collaboration between FuturLab and independent researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute (part of Oxford University).

Plus, get clean exclusive cosmetic items for doing it! (cosmetics coming soon)

In short, play for science and more stuff!



This is a one-of-a-kind anonymous research study centered around the well-being of PowerWash Simulator’s players and also aims to deliver insights into the larger discourse of gaming and mental health. For more information on the study and previous studies, see our main page here.

The most significant difference from the main game is that both Multiplayer and Non-English language support have been disabled in the Research Edition.

A new ‘character’ has been introduced in the Research Edition which allows our researchers to contact you, the player, as if they exist in the game’s universe. They will get in touch throughout the study and occasionally ask questions about your experience. These questions are extremely short (they’ll take you less than a couple of seconds to answer) so shouldn’t disrupt your game experience.

The study questions will not be asked in challenge mode, as they would be disruptive to this mode’s gameplay.

Rewards will be available later, but the system to unlock them has been implemented so that progress will be counted towards them. You’ll see this progression reflected in the ‘Rewards’ pop-up in the game.

Please note that campaign progress will not be carried over between the Research Edition and the main game. This means that opted-in players will need to start from the beginning of the game and any progress in the Research Edition will not be shared with the main game. This is to ensure the study can be delivered in the most consistent way possible while also avoiding potential issues with saved progress on the main game.

Please read our FAQ for more info on the study and the Opting In section for how to join. :)



It’s easy to start participating in the study. The Research Edition of the game is available to any existing owners on Steam through a publicly accessible beta branch.

All you need to do is follow these simple steps to get started:

1. Navigate to your Steam library



2. Find PowerWash Simulator and right click on it (if you can’t see it, ensure you don’t have any filters set which might be hiding it)



3. Select ‘Properties…’ from the right click context menu



4. Select ‘BETAS’ from the left hand menu



5. Click the dropdown, and select ‘research-edition – Research Edition 2022’



6. Steam should now start downloading the new branch

7. Once the download is complete, simply launch it in your usual way, you should see the Research Edition logo on the intro title screen



Q: I have PowerWash Simulator on a platform other than Steam, can I still participate?
A: The Research Edition is only available for owners of the game on Steam.

Q: How do I opt in or Out?
A: See the Opting In and Opting Out sections!

Q: Can I have the Research Edition installed as well as the main version?
A: Unfortunately, no. Due to the nature of Steam’s beta branches, you can currently only have one version installed at a time. Switching to the Research Edition (or back) will trigger a download and re-install of (most of) the game. This should be around 5GB.

Q: Is save data from the main game separate?
A: Yes, the career progression is separate but game settings will be shared between both. You will have a fresh save on the study branch but can return to your current main game save at any time by opting-out.

Q: Will I lose any progress on the main game for opting in to the Research Edition?

A: No, all campaign progress on the main version of PowerWash Simulator will be retained as the Research Edition uses a separate 'save file'. All progress from both branches will be kept when swapping between branches on Steam.

Q: Why should I get involved?
A: Because it’ll support extremely important research on video games! This is a first-of-its-kind research study which will be important in understanding the effects videogames can have on their players. We also have a few rewards planned for participants, which will arrive at a later date!

Q: How do the participation rewards work?
A: During gameplay, the researchers will periodically get in touch with the player via an in-game character. These will usually be followed by a popup with a question about the player’s experience and wellbeing. These questions are always optional, but answering them will yield progress towards unlocking the next reward.

The rewards will be released at a later date. In order to claim and use them once they go live, you will have to launch the Research Edition and use the in-game rewards popup to claim any you have unlocked. Once these have been claimed, you will be able to equip them on both the Research Edition and the main version of the game on Steam only. Equipped cosmetics will be visible to all players during cross-platform multiplayer.

Q: I have an issue with the Research Edition, how can I report it?
A: Please use this thread on the Steam discussion boards.

Q: I would like to ask the researchers a question, how can I do this?
A: Please get in touch via their dedicated email address.

Q: Will the Research Edition be available in my language?
A: At this current time the Research Edition is only available in English.

Q: Can I play the Research Edition offline?
A: While the core gameplay will still be functional when offline, the data from the study can only be sent to the researchers while you have an active internet connection so we do encourage trying to retain online connectivity whilst playing on the Research Edition as much as possible.

Q: Will the researchers know who I am if I participate?
A: No, the data being collected are being de-identified so that no one at either FuturLab or Oxford Internet Institute will be able to re-identify you as a participant.

Q: What will you do with my data?
A: In the Research Edition, there are two types of data being collected.

The first is the ‘base’ telemetry - metrics for player progression, shop purchases, general gameplay activities etc. This will be both kept by FuturLab and provided to the researchers for analysis in the study.

The second type of data is made up of the responses from the Research Edition-specific popups (aka the questions that the researchers will ask you). Any question that you respond to from the researchers will not go to FuturLab, and will be sent securely from the game client to the researchers’ own database. No-one except the researchers will have read access to this sensitive information—and like your telemetry, these data will be de-identified.

Q: What is the difference between the Research Edition and the main version?
A: The Research Edition has the same content as the main game except for the following:

- Multiplayer has been disabled
- Non-English language support has been disabled
- A new launch sequence will allow first-time players to opt-in if they agree to the terms
- A new Opt Out button on the main menu provides players with instructions on how to transition back to the main game and remove their progression (and sensitive data) if desired
- A new Tell us how you feel button in the menu allows players to optionally give the researchers feedback about their experience once every 30 minutes
- A new Rewards option in the menu allows players to track their progress towards unlocking the new cosmetic reward for participation. Though these aren’t yet available for claiming, progression will be tracked and saved - don’t worry, you’ll be able to claim them when they release
- Throughout gameplay, a new character will periodically contact the player with communication about the study, often closely followed with a question about their experience

Q: How long will the Research Edition be available?

A: While we don't have a solid end date in mind yet, the branch will be available for at least three months from launch (which was 18th August 2022).

Q: Is there an age limit?

A: Unfortunately due to data protection and handling laws, participants must be aged 18 or older.





Once you have opted into the Research Edition, Steam will have automatically downloaded that version of the game and you will be able to run it from the Steam listing of the game in your library.

To return to the main game, you must follow the same process to get to the beta branch selection dropdown, then select None.



This should trigger/queue a download in Steam for the main version of the game, to replace the Research Edition.

Thank you for your interest! We hope you will consider joining us in the Research Edition of PowerWash Simulator.

Until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone - welcome to dev log 65!

Last week, we opened our storybooks to take a look at the narrative of PowerWash Simulator with Writer Mark Ginbey: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1290000/view/3409806154136534468

This week, we’re getting all soppy with some reflections from the team on the creation, launch and community of PowerWash Simulator. We took inspiration from FuturLab’s Co-CEO James Marsden, who, at the PWS launch party, asked each member of staff what they were most proud of.

Originally posted by Toby

I think my favourite part of development was the day that Dan internally presented the completed story that he and Mark had been working on. It was such a wonderful surprise! The prospect of players encountering it themselves was hugely energising during development and it’s been fantastic to see it pay off.

Toby Adam-Smith | Head of Production

Originally posted by Nick

The Timelapse Camera in Powerwash Simulator. It turned out to be quite an important part of the game. The satisfying visual 'payoff' to all of hard work that goes into cleaning each job.
I still really enjoy watching players finish a job and seeing their washing methodologies be replayed at high speed. Everyone washes the same jobs but everyone's timelapse are unique. An expression of creativity that never gets old in my eyes. Very proud to have thought of this idea for the game.

Nick McCarthy | Designer

Originally posted by Louis

Very proud of how far we've come in improving accessibility for the game, listening to community feedback and developing new accessibility features + options for the players who need it. There's always more that can be done, so I'm looking forward to supporting it further and making it more playable for everyone!

Louis Sykes | Senior Games Programmer

Originally posted by Will

There are a couple of proud moments for me during/post launch, but most of them boil down to being able to show family and friends that my name is in the credits of a game that they enjoy so much. Plus the reactions to the story have made me laugh, the best was ‘Cleaning the RV again? That's a bit lazy to reuse the OH MY GOD'

Will Dyball | Multiplayer Programmer

Originally posted by Sofia

I remember the first time I washed something, during the very early days of development, when the powerwasher’s water was just a red beam! It has been an incredible journey of testing and following the game’s development throughout the past years and see it evolve to become the marvel it is today!

Sofia Emmanouiliou | Senior QA Tester

Originally posted by Elliot

I can't stop looking at things and thinking: 'you could power wash that.'

Elliot Greenwood | Business Development & Licensing Manager

Originally posted by Sam

We've received lots of messages from fans saying how much fun the game is and how it's helped them relax in times they've needed to! It just feels great knowing the work we're doing is having that kind of positive impact, and I hope people will continue to feel the same with what we have planned in the future!

Sam Jenkins | Junior Game Designer

Originally posted by Matt

It’s been a great journey on PWS, surrounded by a wonderful team. I've really enjoyed stepping out of my boundaries and catching up to our senior developers in terms of workflow and technical knowledge. As satisfying as it is to clean visual dirt, I've found satisfaction in clearing away the brain fog when tackling a new feature or issue.

I've also enjoyed watching the communities reaction to various content! From doing so, I have consolidated my views on fellow PowerWash enjoyers, and that is more of you NEED to use aim mode, it's like having a third arm attached to your face, truly the peak of human evolution. (I joke, but seriously aim mode is cool!) P.S Thank you fellow yellow nozzle users for your service

Matt Kelsey | Graphics Programmer

Originally posted by Federico

Working on a game that is considered not only fun and relaxing but also therapeutic is great. Not only does it entertain people but for some it also helps them relax and even open up.

Federico Dapote | Junior Game Designer

Originally posted by Paul

I would say I'm most proud of the end level murals. I've loved watching players discover them for the first time, and also seeing people decode the characters I created!

Paul Simpson | UI Artist

Originally posted by Dave

I can't get enough of watching people complete the game and watch the credits. It makes me so happy every time! Everything about that end sequence is so good and perfectly wraps up an incredible journey.

Dave Gabriel | Designer

Originally posted by Alicja

While I haven't been working on the game very long it's been amazing seeing all the positive feedback and seeing PWS being mentioned everyday, it's very uplifiting! On more personal note I love testing new levels and I'm forever surprised by how fun it is to test this game.

Alicja Nogal | QA Tester

Originally posted by Dan

I’ve really enjoyed all the environmental storytelling that we squeezed into the game. From using dirt to tell the history of the buildings and vehicles (and customers!), the reappearances of vehicles in later jobs and the many different ways we snuck in references to the Mayor’s missing cat, it has been really fun bringing the town of Muckingham to life.

Dan Chequer | Lead Designer

Originally posted by Josh

It is an incredible pleasure working on PWS, the community is super wholesome! I personally have been shooketh at the amount of feedback we've gotten, each time we asked for polls or feedback there would be thousands of responses. It has given us a real clear picture of what the playerbase is thinking with each patch and has made Early Access feel really worthwhile.

Josh Brown | Senior Community Manager

Originally posted by Gonzalo

I remember working on the first demo of PWS. On those dark days someone decided it would be funny to add a gnome to a garden. Seeing gnomes evolve from a small detail to a joke to becoming an integral part of the game is definitely something that I will never forget.

Gonzalo De La Mata | Junior Programmer

Originally posted by Steven

I love seeing the community band together to help each other wash levels in co-op, and it makes me smile every time I see someone post that they have got all the achievements!

Steven Dupont | Programmer

Originally posted by James

Whilst Early Access has presented its challenges for production, it’s been an extremely rewarding experience on balance. The team has had direct feedback from players all the way along, which is so rewarding for the creative spirit, and on release day, from a studio point of view, it’s less nail-biting waiting for the review scores to appear when you’ve known how players are enjoying the game throughout development with a user rating. Thank you so much for taking part and joining us on this journey!

James Marsen | FuturLab Co-CEO

Small update for achievement text that requires no download is now live on all platforms. The below alterations were made to make the achievement objectives as clear as possible.

[h2]Changes: [/h2]

All Hands on Deck Description:

EN: Complete the Fishing Boat decks and steps first Complete the Fishing Boat bow, steps and main deck first.

(This change has also been made in all other languages)

Pressure’s Off:
IT: Pressione al Massimo Senza pressione

Fashionista Description: “Equip a new outfit, gloves and washer modification at the same time”

IT: Usa un nuovo completo, guanti e una modifica dell'idropulitrice in contemporanea Usa un nuovo completo, nuovi guanti e una nuova modifica dell'idropulitrice in contemporanea

SC: 同时装备新服装、手套和清洗器改装 同时装备新服装、新手套和新清洗器改装




Until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone - welcome to dev log 64!

Last week, we celebrated the launch of PowerWash Simulator 1.0, you can read more on that here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3421064519320020730

This week, we're diving into the narrative of PowerWash Simulator and are joined by Mark Ginbey, the writer of the story behind the mysteries in Muckingham.



We've been watching everyone's reactions to the end of PowerWash Simulator's main career mode closely! (more content will drop in the future) There's definitely a lot like these:





It's been a pleasure to be subverting people's expectations of story in a sim game, but we are so happy that it is paying off! Internally, once there was a Game Theorists video on PowerWash Simulator's lore, we knew we were onto a winner!

Also, please no spoilers but let us know what you thought of it in the comments below!

If you haven't finished, we highly recommend sticking around until after the credits!

With that, let's hand over to the writer of the background narrative, Mark Ginbey:

Originally posted by Mark

Hello clean machines, Mark here, writer for PowerWash Simulator, with a few words about its lore.
When FuturLab‘s producer Toby first asked if I’d be interested in writing for a power wash game and finished his pitch with ‘it ends with you washing down grubby, [final job – no spoilers],’ I knew it was going to be my kind of project. If there’s one enemy that’s been consistently overlooked by games, it’s dirt. It unites us all, and it must be stopped.

The design team already had a strong idea of the jobs they wanted; they just required a few narrative elements to help tie them together. Development Director Kirsty Rigden was keen for the game to include more unusual and fantastical places to clean, and that was the launchpad for the entire tone of PWS. FuturLab didn’t want a bunch of unrelated jobs, but something with more soul, placing the player at the heart of a community. It helped the jobs to feel like they had real value within the world, which it seems is something people weren’t expecting, but which helped make it feel special.

The game is built on its mechanics, and the team have done a phenomenal job with it. We all know that cleaning an object that’s absolutely caked in cack is instinctively satisfying. But breaking down something that initially appears overwhelming into smaller, manageable units, giving a framework to personal progress, is a quite profoundly beautiful paradigm that can be applied to any area of your life, especially in these uncertain times.

From a writing point of view, because the game mechanics were front and centre, people were free to embrace or ignore any narrative elements, allowing us take it anywhere, really. We tried to ground it with personal stories, and then have fun with characters with unusual motivations. I’ve always loved stories that start small and gradually get bigger, and hopefully there’s some sense of this here.
All story in games is collaborative. It’s always great to see designers and artists transform your budding ideas into great story elements. For example, a mayor’s cat goes missing – that might have something. But when every job you do has pawprints running through it, and there are missing cat posters everywhere, suddenly the idea springs to life, and a mystery emerges that can run through the entire story.

It's been an absolute joy working on a project that’s had such a positive impact on its community, and it’s been great to see some of the lore theories that have been bouncing around. Hopefully, there’s lots more to come. In the meantime, keep it clean, y’all.

CAKE!



All of FuturLab gathered in sunny Brighton to have cake, celebrate PowerWash Simulator's launch and have lots of drinks! Thanks for giving us something to celebrate!



We don't have a 'Meme Monday' to share this week, so, instead here's a community creation we love! WARNING, it contains spoilers but ties into the dev log really well!



Art by Steam user: Kafkaesque




Sorry this week's installment is late, I, Josh, the community gnome was off sick, but hope everyone enjoyed a Monday rendition of our weekly log! There should be another this Friday.

We continue to be mind blown at the response we're getting to launch, thanks again to everyone for the amazing feedback and reviews.

Until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone - welcome to dev log 63!

Last week, we launched PowerWash Simulator. No biggie, right? Just kidding, it was massive for us. If you do want to get the clean down on all of the details on 1.0, you can read them here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1290000/view/6173889246015647272

This week, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the community for making our launch incredible!



The dev team here at FuturLab couldn't be happier with the response at launch and are still honestly stunned by how far we have gotten! From taking over Steam itself on launch day (yes, this happened) to so many of you playing at once over 9000 (actually over 10,000) here on Steam!



Thanks to everyone for your support along the way! We hope we have met your expectations in our Early Access because you all have blown us away with the amount of constructive feedback, suggestions, and comments you've given us. We want to think the game is better for it; what do you all think? Does anyone remember the first patch?

This past week we've been eagerly watching and digesting comments on the career mode story's conclusion! Which is another thing we're happy (and relieved about) in response to the last level, credits, and after-credits scene! (NO SPOILERS, FOLKS!) To quote one of our Directors, James:

Originally posted by James

[We are] delighted for all the right reasons that we can make our players cry.

If you look in the Steam art section, there's a fantastic art piece by Kafkaesque if you have already gotten to the end!


We just ran a quick stream this week decompressing on launch, taking questions, and talking about the future here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1539370352

On the topic of answering questions, we also ran an AMA on Reddit where several devs took time out of their busy schedules to answer questions directly if you missed it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/vy3v3k/were_futurlab_developers_of_powerwash_simulator/



This isn't the end of PowerWash Simulator, and we're already working on more content but aren't ready to share more yet! While the main career is over, this isn't the last story to be told in PWS!

If you took a look into Uncanny Franny's crystal ball, what level would you like to see in the future?

Steam Trading Cards are also coming. We wanted to have them in at launch but will let everyone know when they are live.

We are also collaborating with Oxford University on a study of video games and players' mental health. We have had a developer dedicated to this and are excited to reveal more very soon! Keep your eyes out on Steam.



We hope the launch has been as good for you as it has been for us and that you'll stick around for the next chapter for PWS!

Until next time!

Thank you to everyone for reading; see you next week. :)

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki