Big Ambitions News

[h3]Hello to all our previewers of EA 0.5![/h3]

We hugely appreciate the feedback, bug reports, and community involvement from you all as we work to make this the best update yet!

And so here is a patch addressing nearly everything that has been reported so far!

[hr][/hr][h2]Build 2437[/h2]
Fixed an issue with the radio causing time-skipping activities (sleeping, taxi, etc.) to glitch.

[hr][/hr][h2]Rivals[/h2]
We've heard the feedback regarding rivals and will be making a few changes - mostly allowing for player counter-attacks against the rivals.

Those are not in this patch, but we did remove one thing - some players pointed out that it wasn't realistic for one person to cause a city-wide product shortage, and we agree. That has been removed for now and will be replaced in the future with a different tactic!

[h2]Store Profitability[/h2]

Due to some other changes we made to the marketplace, players are finding some areas of overly excessive profitability that we will be addressing.

In this patch, we have adjusted customer traffic, almost exclusively focusing on "off-hours".

If your store was only open during "normal" business hours for that store, your profit shouldn't change much at all (if you see something weird, please let us know!). But if you were running stores 24/7, you might notice a big drop in customers during those "off hours".

Be aware: This will cut down profit during those "off hours" significantly

[h2]Changelog:[/h2]

• Added Rivals settings to Custom Game options. Turn to "0" to deactivate the Special Rivals.
  
• Fixed issue limiting custom game starting cash to $2
  
• Fixed an issue that was causing buildings to be partially faded/hidden when first loading into the game
  
• Fixed an issue causing the BizMan > Inventory page to appear empty
  
• Fixed an issue causing the UMC van to bounce around after calling the tow truck
  
• Fixed an issue preventing player-created blueprints of the new warehouse types
  
• Fixed MarketInsider including wholesalers in their product count
  
• Fixed Contacts page was showing wrong opening hours for businesses
  
• Fixed an issue causing employees to threaten to "quit" every hour without actually quitting
  
• Fixed issue where employees quit immediately after being hired to replace a previous employee
  
• Fixed issue causing both headhunter options "recruit continuously" options to appear disabled
  
• Fixed no visible security guards
  
• Fixed player getting stuck in skate park
  
• Fixed some issues causing lower FPS in Ika
  
• Fixed tooltips overlapping mouse at the top menu bar
  
• Fixed some number formatting issues
  
• Added if you click on a business in the Rivals app, it opens the business
  
• Fixed some furniture items going through walls
  
• Widened some UI to fit text better
  
• Fixed a second issue with the map filters not allowed WASD movement on the map
  
• Fixed an issue where the player wouldn't unpause if packing up a box
  
• Fixed a few places where "Operating System Number Formatting" wasn't being used
  
• Fixed "Operating System Number Formatting" settings weren't being saved
  
• Fixed can't click on hospital chairs to sit at desk
  
• Fixed shopping baskets in customers' hands appear default color instead of matching custom colors
  
• Fixed Settings button wouldn't work in VoogleMaps
  
• Fixed Entry pad would get skewed if you interacted with certain buildings in Lower Manhattan
  
• Fixed nightclub store hours getting messy in 12-hour time.
  
• Fixed a few items in Ika that were unclickable
  
• Added donuts to AI stores "Donut Days" (note, won't update existing stores)
  
• Fixed issue causing 32 4th Ave to appear as a car dealership in VoogleMaps after visiting the casino.
  
• Fixed an issue causing multiple speakers in a large business to not play in-sync
  
• Uploaded EA 0.5 translations for several languages
  
• Fixed help text bookshelf capacity issues
  
• Slightly reduced building pop-up UI size
  
• Fixed a few Lower Manhattan Warehouses were listed as having buildings that were too small
  
• Fixed security camera can't change color in interior designer
  
• Fixed UI obscuring "change sign settings" options
  
• Fixed several trees in the park were not hiding when running by
  
• Fixed an issue with the Persona App UI not masking
  
• Fixed missing Computer Monitor demand description
  
• Fixed noticeable audio loop in Vord Tiara Vic engine sounds
  
• Turned off UI popups while using a mop
  
• Fixed issue in NY Distro where vehicles had to be close to the cash register
  
• Reduced frequency of radio jingles, and prevented them in clubs and while DJ-ing
  
• Fixed large truck traffic issue at 10th and Broadway
  

[h3]Note 1:[/h3]
If you had the bug where your inventory page was blank, that should be fixed now, however, you might have to do this trick:

• Load the saved game
  
• Take your business (example: A Law Firm)
  
• Open that business' BizMan > Settings page
  
• Turn it into something different (example: Web Development Agency or Graphic Designer)
  
• Click "save".
  
• Turn it back into the original business
  
• And click save
  

If it's still not working, please submit a bug report, but that should fix it!

[h3]Note 2:[/h3]
If you have music playing in normal speakers in your home, and you try to use a DJ booth, both devices will play music at the same time. We will be fixing this. For now, just manually go to your speakers in your room and turn the volume down before you use the DJ booth!

[hr][/hr]
Now it's time to fire up the game, enjoy your weekend, and let us know if you find anything else weird!

~Hovgaard Games

[h2]Hello Friends and Rivals:[/h2]

It seems the EA 0.5 preview branch is going very well so far! You all have done an amazing job catching some bugs, and now it's time for a patch!!

If you're wondering, "Wait, what EA 0.5 preview branch?", then check out this post.

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

• Fixed 5 books, Computer Monitor, and two pieces of Cocktail Furniture weren't showing their names
  
• Fixed missing end of day summary / frozen top bar summary
  
• Fixed broken traffic intersection at 6th Ave / 12 St
  
• Fixed couldn't click "Place" or "Grab" while paused
  
• Fixed can't buy Checkout Counters at AJ Pederson and Son
  
• Fixed MarketInsider showing incorrect information (will take 2-3 in-game days to update if yours is currently wrong)
  
• Fixed some issues causing decreased performance / lower FPS
  
• Fixed don't use "short numbers" (like 1.2k) if total is less than 10,000.
  
• Added reading animation
  
• Fixed parking issues on 6th Ave, inside the warehouse parking at 34 6th Ave, and parking in the last two spots of pier 4
  
• Fixed a couple trees were missing their grass section
  
• Fixed floating light disconnected from traffic light, on Broadway / 9th St.
  
• Fixed packed box colors would change based on the primary color of some objects
  
• Fixed trees clipping through awning at Hudson Wholesale
  
• Fixed can't type decimals with new input system
  
• Fixed two hard to enter buildings: 40 1st St, and 1 Broadway
  
• Fixed can't use WASD to move map after selecting a map filter
  
• Fixed number of businesses on Rivals app displays with a $
  
• Fixed placement node under Camera (Dome) not always displaying
  
• Fixed can't see total money on money graph if the chart is at the top
  
• Fixed large bookshelf pivot to be in the center
  
• Fixed parked AI car despawns if you impact it at exactly the top of the hour
  
• Added new credits to main menu
  
• Fixed can't turn off speakers in your store
  

Keep the comments and bug reports coming because after this upcoming long weekend of testing, we plan to have another hotfix next week!

Now, go kick some rivals out of town!
~ Hovgaard Games

[h3]Hello![/h3]

It's been a big month for us at Hovgaard Games. Big Ambitions had its one-year Steam Early Access anniversary just a couple weeks ago and we're about to start our EA 0.5 Preview!

If you missed our recent post where we explain this new idea, you can check it out here:
[h3]Studio Update 2[/h3]



A full ChangeLog will be released when EA 0.5 is ready for full release, but for now, here is a summary of the bigger changes in EA 0.5.

[h2]Rivals[/h2]

Okay, let's start with our titular feature "Rivals"! What does this mean?

First, it means a nice new app in your BizPhone - here you can keep track of all the rivals and see your ranking in the top 20!



There are four Special Rivals, each dominating their own neighborhood. As you start to take up space in their neighborhood, these Special Rivals will target you with product shortages, price reductions, decreased neighborhood demand and poaching your best employees.

Stay strong, and you can survive their attacks! The severity of their attacks depends on your game difficulty!

• Ingrid Schneider, Garment District
  
• Jessica Johnson, Hell's Kitchen
  
• Thierry Laurent Moreau, Murray Hill
  
• Huang Guo, Midtown
  

Additionally, there are 15 minor rivals scattered throughout the city who will try to steal your other employees from time to time! Usually, these employees will give you the chance to keep them if you agree to give them a raise, but you can also choose to ignore them and let them quit!

Your headhunter will still replace these employees who quit or get poached, but it will take a few days to find that replacement. So, you'd better not let the rivals steal them from you!
Note: Retiring employees are still replaced instantly

Prove to Uncle Fred that you're better than all of these rivals and reach #1 on the leaderboard!

[h2]Lower Manhattan[/h2]

While the rivals were busy taking over the existing four neighborhoods, we expanded the map and made a new neighborhood!

[h3]Lower Manhattan:[/h3]

• New Wholesale Store, Hudson Wholesale
  
• New Appliance Store, Essentials Appliances
  
• Skate Park
  
• 4 new warehouse layouts: H2, H3, I2, I3
  
• New Above-Ground Parking Garage
  

[h2]Economy Balancing[/h2]

We made several big balancing changes to the economy, which should help things flow a lot better!

[h3]Employees Wages Balance:[/h3]

• Wages now go up with training
  
• Reduced maximum wages at 100% skill
  
• Base Wage Changes:
  
  • Cleaners ($5 -> $12)
    
  • Headquarters Employees ($15 -> $30)
    
  • DJs ($15 -> $20)
    
  • Hairdresser ($15 -> $18)
    
  • Programmers / Graphic Design ($30 -> $25)
    

[h3]Business Balancing[/h3]

• Electronics Store, overall decrease in sales
  
• Clothing, minor decrease in weekend sales
  
• Hairdresser, overall decrease in sales
  
• Jewelry, added Smartwatches to product list
  
• Fast Food, increase several sale prices to higher "Manhattan" prices to boost sales
  
• Fruit and Vegetables, increase to package size/price, while maintaining current unit sales to boost overall profit.
  

[h3]General Economy[/h3]
The highest price you can sell things at is now more dynamic. It is still based on your employees' skill level and the class of the citizens in that neighborhood, but there are a couple more factors now.

1) Rivals can drop their prices below the current market prices and can drive down the prices your customers are willing to pay.
2) If there is no competition in the area, you can increase prices even higher than you previously could!

[h3]New Business: Bookstore[/h3]
We've got a new type of store in EA 0.5: The Bookstore! Bookstores can use large or small bookshelves to sell 6 types of books that can be purchased from the new Hudson Wholesale or from Bluestone Imports!

There are also decorative bookshelves that can be used to read books and gain happiness!



[h2]QoL / Misc[/h2]

[h3]Employees[/h3]

• HR Manager can upgrade Insurance
  
• Headhunter can either search forever, or be set to stop at a certain number
  
• Employees can get bonuses to boost their satisfaction.
  

[h3]UI Update, Part 1[/h3]
We've heard the player feedback! The UI needs some love and here is part 1 of that love!

Lots of menus and UI have been updated throughout the game, and more will continue to be updated in EA 0.6 as well!

• Added Contact Groups for better organization
  
• Improved pop-up UI contrast/visibility
  
• Added Mouse-Hover effects (sound and visual feedback)
  
• Fixed pixelation on UI menus
  
• Optimized UI Scaling for wide monitors
  
  • Main Menu
    
  • City Map Filters
    
  • Time Machine
    
  • Persona App
    
  • Contacts App
    
  • MyEmployees App
    
  • MarketInsiderApp
    
  • BizMan Summary Page
    
  • BizMan Business Info
    
  • BizMan Building Info
    
  • BizMan Insights
    
  • BizMan Deliveries
    
  • BizMan Marketing
    
  • Notifications / Notification List
    
  • F1 Help Menu
    
  • Interior Installation Firm Preview Terminal
    

[h3]Casino Update[/h3]

• AI Casino patrons
  
• New Sounds / Animation
  
• New Casino betting limit: $100,000
  
• Updated Casino bar furniture (also available for the player to buy)
  

[h3]Music / Jingles[/h3]
After a few rounds of musical chairs, we are back with Artlist and more tracks than ever playing on the in-game radio!

Or if you prefer to use your own music, some lag issues should be fixed now!

In addition to this, after every few tracks of music, you'll hear a little radio ad/jingle for one of the in-game businesses for a little audio immersion!

[h3]And More![/h3]
In addition to everything listed above there's traffic improvement, bug fixes, quality of life, and much more that will be detailed in the full changelog when EA 0.5 leaves this Preview / Experimental Branch.



Reminder: Experimental Branch saves are not compatible with the full release
You will be rolled back to your EA 0.4 savegame when EA 0.5 is fully released.

[h3]Here's how to access the branch:[/h3]

• Right-click Big Ambitions on Steam
  
• Select Properties
  
• Select Betas
  
• From the dropdown menu, choose "experimental - Use at own risk - Unstable!"
  

[h3]Remember to submit Bug Reports![/h3]

If you see something weird while in-game, be sure to hit F2 to submit a bug report so we can fix it!

If you have additional information to contribute, or need a response, the best option is to create a thread on Steam, Reddit, Big Ambitions Forums, or our Discord, then mention that thread in the Bug Report, so I know it's yours and can reply to you!

And finally, we just wanted to thank you for your continued support as we grow and expand the game into something amazing that we hope you continue to love even more with each update!

~ Hovgaard Games and the entire Big Ambitions team!

[h2]Hi everyone![/h2]

Last year, on March 10, we released Big Ambitions into Steam Early Access. Celebrating our 1-year anniversary, we want to give you some insight into our studio's current situation and how we see the future.

If it's fresh in-game content or sneak peeks you're after, you might want to skip this one 😁

[h2]The "Experimental Branch" Approach[/h2]
Until now, we have released our updates directly to the live branch on Steam, relying fully on selected testers and our own playtesting to catch all the bugs.

We're changing that, starting with the upcoming EA 0.5. We looked at how other successful Early Access titles manage updates and concluded that adopting an experimental branch-release strategy is the way to go.

For new releases, we'll initially publish them on a new "Experimental" branch on Steam. This allows everyone to test the new features and help us iron out any remaining bugs or identify needs for changes and rebalancing. Alongside this, we'll release a Steam announcement, highlighting the major new features but not the full changelog, as it might change based on feedback.

Once the update is available on the Experimental branch, we'll start addressing the issues, shipping hotfixes, each accompanied by an independent Steam announcement.

Finally, once we believe the update is fully tested and stable, we'll move it to the live/default branch, along with a "Major Update"-type Steam announcement, including a video showcasing the new features and a full changelog.

With this approach, we hope to see many more of you jump in and help us catch critical issues before they affect anyone's save games on the live/default branch!

Please note: Experimental Branch saves are not compatible with the full release
You will be rolled back to your EA 0.4 savegame when EA 0.5 is fully released.

[h2]EA.0.5 Release Date[/h2]



Speaking of the Experimental branch, EA 0.5 will be released onto the new Experimental branch on March 27. As just mentioned, we'll post an announcement here on Steam with further details. The full release to the default branch is expected to be around mid-April.

[h2]The Return of the Big Ambitions Roadmap[/h2]
Back in August, we decided to remove our public roadmap. We needed the freedom to rethink the scope of our game without being bound to features promised when we were a small studio trying to survive.

Our situation has since changed. We're no longer in survival mode, and our vision for the game is much clearer than it was six months ago.

That's why we're introducing what's popularly called "A Living Roadmap."

The term "living" means the roadmap will evolve. The features presented are not promises but a glimpse into what we're working towards. As we progress, we might find that certain features are not suitable or feasible and will remove them from the roadmap.

That being said, we're confident that our vision for the future is solid.

You'll notice the roadmap doesn't include any dates. This is intentional. We're no longer in survival mode, so we see no reason to rush updates just to meet arbitrary deadlines. Moving forward, we'll release updates when they're ready. As a rule of thumb, we aim to limit development time between updates to 3 months.



You can always find the latest version of the roadmap on our website.

[h2]Studio and Future Plans[/h2]
At Hovgaard Games, things are better than ever. Our young team is maturing rapidly, and we're probably twice as productive as we were six months ago.

Currently, we are 7 people working full-time and 100% remotely on Big Ambitions. Looking six months ahead, we aim to increase that number to 10. More specifically, we're in the process of hiring a Game Producer. After that, we plan to hire one 3D Artist and one Unity Developer. It won't happen overnight, but we'll take our time to ensure we find the right people.

If you're interested in any of those positions and have a strong love for management and tycoon games, be sure to follow our LinkedIn profile.

[h2]Thanks for Reading![/h2]
Finally, I just want to thank all of you in our community for the positive and supportive energy you bring. We often share screenshots of your kind comments and positive reviews in our internal Discord channels, and it always brings happiness and motivation to the whole team. So, thank you!

All the best,
Jonas
Founder, Hovgaard Games

Hello there!

[h3]Well, according to the clock, it's… 12:4853[/h3]

Seems like a good time for a really quick patch!

If you haven't guessed it - this patch fixes this clock/time issue. Apparently, the game didn't like if you try to have programmers working in a Law Firm, or Graphic Designers in a Web Dev, so it started making up new time! We have fixed this and your clock should return to normal if you had this issue!

Thanks to everyone who reported this!
~Hovgaard Games