Big Ambitions News

Devlog #30

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
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Hi friends,

After a few pretty busy weeks of development, we're back with our last devlog for this year.

Before we go into details, let's take a look at the updated Steam wishlist: 28,369!

Traffic system improvements 🚦

In our last devlog, we've already introduced the new traffic system. Jonas#2 has added sounds for the cars. You can now hear engine sounds, and vehicles will honk whenever you run in front of them. Maybe it's time to start using the sidewalk and leave the streets to those having wheels.

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Additionally, car lights have been replaced by light cookies. This sounds more delicious than it actually is, but you will enjoy the new appearance. The single light block in front of cars has been replaced by two separate lights, giving it a more realistic look.

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Cram hand trucks into cars 🚙

Sometimes it can be annoying arriving at your shiny new apartment with lots of luxury furniture but having to move every item separately. Instead, it's now possible to cram hand trucks into the car and take it out again on arrival. Just make sure you don't ruin your car's paint!

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Sports car for the wrooooom moments 🏎️

Another new car has been added, and this time it's a special one: The Porsche 911 inspired sports car! It won't be of much use for transporting goods, but it has speeeeeeeeeeed...

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Take a closer look! 🔍

Often requested, it's finally possible to zoom in and out while walking on the streets. Zoom is limited, however, because textures wouldn't look very nice anymore when zooming in too much.

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Are we sold out again? 🤑

Recently we introduced a change to shopping baskets, showing the number of goods inside. Jonas#2 has now extended this to all kinds of shelves. You can watch them becoming empty while customers buy your fancy overpriced gifts or cheap cigars.

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Storage space 📦

Metal shelves are no longer used for cheap gifts but for storing boxes instead. They can hold up to 16 of them and keep your store's floor tidy. Your employees will automatically restock empty product shelves by using these boxes.

This also simplifies gift shops as all kinds of gifts now require the same rounded shelf.

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Delivery contracts 🚚

Tired of driving around the city every day just to fill up all your stores' storage? This is where delivery contracts come in handy! Your favorite wholesale store will be happy regularly sending deliveries to any of your stores. A service provided by David#NaN!

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Save your good contacts 📱

Ever wondered why you need to visit the bank every time for another loan? Prefer just calling your friendly banker instead? The new Contacts app will introduce this option.

Once you've been to any service business like the bank or recruitment agency, their contact will show in the app. Now they're just one call away at any time - limited to their business hours, of course. This is a massive time saver!

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Where do all these people come from? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

Until now, shops have always been empty when entering them and customers just started to come in. David#NaN thankfully ensured customers are in the store right away, creating a busy atmosphere.

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Away with all this dirt! 🧼

One of the most asked questions by our gold supporters was about cleaning staff. Finally, Jonas#2 has finished its implementation. Employees hired for cleaning can be assigned to a shift making sure your store will always look better than the dirty, run-down burger site next door!

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Screenshot mode for your Instambitions 🤳

Taking a good photo isn't an easy task, and sometimes a top-down selfie just isn't enough. That's why David#NaN added shortcuts for hiding the UI (F1) and toggling a free camera to move it away from your person (F2). Screenshots can then easily be saved to Windows' default pictures folder by pressing the print key on your keyboard.

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Closed issues since the last devlog 🐛

#188 - Bank: Wrong message when no more loan possible (only display issue)
#324 - "soon runs out of" message for clothes shows up right from the start
#339 - BizMan: White underline for "Settings" still shown after shutting down business
#346 - Uncle Fred Message not fitting in box
#403 - Wording: "Condition" on mop actually shows "Cleanliness"
#495 - [Low Priority] Car lights only displaying 1 source and not lining up correctly
#579 - Voogle Maps opens all the way zoomed in after starting a new game or loading a savegame
#592 - Interior Designer colours entire corner not one section
#675 - Products can have a negative quantity
#692 - Drive-In Wholesales: Can't enter by clicking on the doors
#695 - Scenery objects not avoided by mouse navigation
#698 - Voogle Maps opening on wrong location if opened while pressing mouse button
#699 - Character Stops moving when hover action occurs (When you use WASD)
#702 - Buildings hiding too late
#704 - "Not Ikea" not accessible anymore
#705 - Upcoming task for employees in training or on their day off
#706 - Can start a new game without inputting character name
#710 - Boxes got into the paperbag

Coming soon to a Steam client near you!

Alpha 8 is available exclusively to our Gold supporters. You can order the Gold package of Big Ambitions at www.bigambitionsgame.com to get immediate access.

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
We use the up-vote count below to measure how many of you read these devlogs. If you enjoyed it, please let us know by hitting the like 👍 button below, thanks! ❤

That's all for today. We'll be back in 2022 with further updates. We wish all of our friends happy holidays and a great new year! 🎄 🎆

Don't forget to add Big Ambitions to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1331550/Big_Ambitions/

All the best,
Jonas#1 & Daniel#2

Release of Alpha 8

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
We use the up-vote count below to measure how many of you read these devlogs. If you enjoyed it, please let us know by hitting the like 👍 button below, thanks! ❤

The "New York vibes" alpha!

If you ever wanted to feel what it's like to travel around New York City… This is your moment!

After almost two months of hard work, Alpha 8 comes with huge improvements and new features that will let you enjoy (and suffer) the life of a real New Yorker: from clothing to driving, from people being everywhere to awesome parks and skyscrapers…

Alright, it might not be that real (yet)… But we are getting closer to it update through update.

Let’s see what Alpha 8 brings!

[h2]Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood[/h2]
Brand new area finished, including a park and three skyscrapers. 2nd and 3rd Street have been widened, and three new streets have been unlocked: Broadway, 1st Avenue, and 2nd Avenue. Beware: emergency services are not yet implemented. So, don't get lost in the park!

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[h2]Advertising Agency[/h2]
You can now find on 17 Third Avenue an Advertising Agency that will let you order advertising packages to boost the number of customers your business receives per hour.

[video]https://www.bigambitionsgame.com/assets/devlog28/marketing-agency.mp4[/video]

[h2]Customer Capacity and Popularity[/h2]
Available on the Bizman App, customer capacity shows how many customers per hour your business can receive. It depends on the building size and the furniture placed on the building (number of cash registers, shopping baskets, and shelves).
On the other hand, popularity depends on the overall customer satisfaction, the people reached through marketing (using the new Advertising Agency), and the customer capacity.

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[h2]New traffic system[/h2]
We’ve switched to a new traffic system that lets us work faster and fixes several known bugs. Now drivers stuck in traffic are more clever (and annoying).

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[h2]WASD controls[/h2]
Together with point and click, you can now move the player using WASD. “Satisfy players” achievement unlocked.

[video]https://www.bigambitionsgame.com/assets/devlog28/wasd.mp4[/video]

[h2]Character Customization[/h2]
Choose your character’s name, gender, skin color, head type, and clothes. Available when creating a new game.

[video]https://www.bigambitionsgame.com/assets/devlog29/character-customization.mp4[/video]

[h2]Improved vehicle controller/mechanics[/h2]
In addition to fixing known issues, the new vehicle controller is smoother and more responsive.

[video]https://www.bigambitionsgame.com/assets/alpha-8/driving-a-car.mp4[/video]

[h2]Added more sounds/ambience[/h2]
Several sounds have been added to the UI and different ambience sounds have been implemented throughout the city.

[h2]Improved performance[/h2]
Overall performance has been improved with optimization of various models and systems, reducing FPS drops.

[h2]66 closed issues since Alpha 7[/h2]

[h2]And many more![/h2]
You can try all the new features and improvements on Alpha 8, available exclusively to our Gold supporters. If you aren't a Gold supporter yet and want to get immediate access to the Alpha 8 and support us in our adventure in creating the next tycoon era, you can order the Gold package of Big Ambitions at www.bigambitionsgame.com.

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
We use the up-vote count below to measure how many of you read these devlogs. If you enjoyed it, please let us know by hitting the like 👍 button below, thanks! ❤

Thank you for reading!
Jonas#1 & David#NaN

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1331550/Big_Ambitions/

Dev Summary #2

The second dev summary of Big Ambitions are finally here!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

I would really appreciate any constructive feedback on how we can improve these video updates. Feel free to share in the comments! ❤

All the best,
Jonas

Devlog #29

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
We use the up-vote count below to measure how many of you read these devlogs. If you enjoyed it, please let us know by hitting the like 👍 button below, thanks! ❤

Hi friends,

We're currently in the final stages for Alpha 8, hoping to release it to our gold supporters by early December.

Before we go into details, let's take a look at the updated Steam wishlist: 25,164!

New traffic system 🚦

The previous traffic system was pretty complicated to set up and also regularly caused trouble when playing. Our gold supporters can tell stories about massive traffic jams, blocked road crossings, and trucks getting stuck when turning around corners.

The new system is less complex and easy to configure. We hope that this will massively improve traffic flow and gameplay. Don't worry - we'll still try our best to assure you get some authentic New York traffic jams in the final version.

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Car controller 🎮

While Jonas #1 was working on the new traffic system, Jonas #2 started working on a much-needed upgrade to the car controller, meaning the mechanics you use when driving around in your own car.

Gold supporters will instantly notice how much easier it is to control their car, especially when parking.

Direction indicators and car lights 🚘

Cars will now tell you which direction they're planning to go! Except for those few annoying idiots who always go the opposite direction or don't know how to use indicators at all. You all know what I'm talking about!

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Additionally, we improved all the car lights for a more realistic impression.

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Advertising 📺

In our last devlog, we looked into the new marketing agency. The first version only allows you to market on the internet. This week, the 3D team has been busy adding real-world advertising billboards to the city. We're still working on it, but it's starting to look pretty good!

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Character customization 🧍

David#NaN has just finished the character customization at the beginning of a new game. You can choose your name, sex, skin and hair color as well as your face and clothes. Just be yourself! Or anyone you like to be...

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Full shopping baskets 🛍️

We weren't happy about the always empty shopping baskets when buying booze and souvenirs. That's why they'll now change their appearance depending on the number of items inside. Just a minor change but feels so much better now!

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Maximum customer capacity 🏪

Yay, your customers now get their own capacity! Only one beer and two cigars per person!

No, that's for sure not what we meant with this headline. Instead, your shops will get a capacity limit. It is based on the store size and furnishing. Metal shelves, cash registers, and everything else will have a limited serving capacity. To get more customers into your gift shop it might be necessary to buy another shelf.

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Closed issues since the last devlog 🐛

#81 - Not Starting work if clicked before shift time
#126 - Wrong grammar in Research Data Page
#134 - Very slow scrolling in Purchase Screen When Queueing
#194 - Drive-in wholesale store Bizman view doesn't show market value and building size.
#249 - Income Statement has no padding at the bottom
#255 - Slow scrolling in cargo list
#256 - Options dialog (Save / Quit) opens behind cargo dialog
#325 - The first time opening BizMan after loading a game, "Insight" doesn't immediately get underlined if you're indoors
#328 - More than two workplaces in one business will cause the additional places to be out of the screen.
#337 - Multi-line error message doesn't fit into red box
#407 - Progress bar not showing proper progress
#642 - "Customers over time" in BizMan showing erroneous graph for yesterday

Coming soon to a Steam client near you!

Alpha 8 will be available exclusively to our Gold supporters. You can order the Gold package of Big Ambitions at www.bigambitionsgame.com to get immediate access.

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
We use the up-vote count below to measure how many of you read these devlogs. If you enjoyed it, please let us know by hitting the like 👍 button below, thanks! ❤

That's all for today. We'll be back in 2 weeks with further updates. Don't forget to add Big Ambitions to your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1331550/Big_Ambitions/

All the best,
Jonas#1 & Daniel#2

Devlog #28

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
We use the up-vote count below to measure how many of you read these devlogs. If you enjoyed it, please let us know by hitting the like 👍 button below, thanks! ❤

Hi friends,

It's been a while since the last regular devlog. We've prioritized the Alpha 7 release as well as the post-release update. Now we're back with some fresh development insights. Before we start, let's take a look at the updated Steam wishlist: 24,452!

New team member 🖥️

With lots of work to do, we're happy to welcome another team member. David is assisting Jonas#1 and Jonas#2 with development and bug fixing. Besides, he's lucky to have a name that doesn't need a number (yet). Good to have you with us, David! 👋

What the Hell's Kitchen? 🏙️

We've talked about Hell's Kitchen several times before. Finally, it's ready to go: Jonas#1 has set it up and spent lots of time connecting all the roads to be used by traffic. Everything still needs a bit of polishing before being ready for a release to our gold supporters.

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Flood the city with ads 🪧

Marketing is one of the most asked-for features. The new marketing agency will work similarly to the recruitment agency. For now, you can order advertising packages for Friendbook, Jitter, Latergram, and Voogle. Of course, other options like billboards will follow later.

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David added a marketing tab to the BizMan where you can check all details of your current marketing campaigns.

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Building screenshots in BizMan 📷

Currently, the BizMan only contains static background images, which often don't fit the actual business. Jonas#2 changed it to display the actual view of the building and its signboard. This feels so much better!

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Improved building resume position ↔️

The building resume overlay showing whenever you move the mouse over a building has been repositioned by Jonas#2. While the previous position depended on the camera angle, it has been changed to always stay within the building outline.

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Asset optimization 🖌️

Many of the game assets are pretty heavy to display and reduce the game's frame rate. Our 3D artists are currently optimizing many of them to reduce complexity. Hopefully, this will make the game run much better even on older devices.

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Light up! But not all at once please... 💡

Jonas#2 has updated the street lights so that they will be flickering when switching on. Additionally, they also got some randomization in the time - just like on a real street, some will light up later than others.

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WASD - What Anyone Surely Demands ⌨️

Many of our gold supporters asked for WASD controls when walking. Good news: We heard you! They will come with the next update. Save the mouse buttons!

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Closed issues since the last update 🪲

#201 - Space for pause not working after clicking pause or speed change buttons
#217 - Game automatically unpaused when cancelling "Start working" dialog
#283 - Metal shelf at appliance store filled with boxes
#287 - Clothing racks in non-owned shops don't show type of clothes
#308 - Pedestrians often get stuck on the sidewalk
#326 - Percentage bars moving when opening a panel containing them
#334 - Prices displayed rounded to full numbers in stores
#389 - Cant get out of building if a hand cart is left in the door way
#400 - Hand Truck can block way between appliances
#410 - No scrolling in BizMan with many businesses
#437 - Apartment rent displayed as $64 but only charged $63.8
#511 - Loan payment shows 5 decimal places when deducted
#586 - No light from subway stations at night
#596 - Can work with hand truck
#627 - Missing scrollbar in upcoming tasks / objectives
#643 - Low amount of pedestrians and vehicles after exiting building
#650 - Able to have unpaused game while Apps Are Open
#661 - Pedestrians change walking direction after interview
#664 - EconoView shows only Yesterday's statistics but no older anymore
#673 - Pausing and unpausing while sped up makes your game run at 100% speed

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Coming soon to a Steam client near you!

Alpha 7 is available exclusively to our Gold supporters. You can order the Gold package of Big Ambitions at www.bigambitionsgame.com to get immediate access.

Originally posted by The Big Ambitions Team
We use the up-vote count below to measure how many of you read these devlogs. If you enjoyed it, please let us know by hitting the like 👍 button below, thanks! ❤