Casino Resort Tower News

Hey!👋

I hope your year has started off great! We’re finally about to launch the next update, kicking off a pipeline of content updates. I’m really excited about it. It’s time for another Community Gazette to go over what’s been happening since the end of the holiday season.

[h3]Starting Map Size System & The Go Global Update[/h3]
For a while now, we’ve had three map sizes to choose from when starting a game. However, many in our community have requested different ratios, larger maps, or even more basement floors than upper floors. To address this, I’ve added an even bigger map size and implemented a customizable map system where you can set the width/height ratio and the percentage of basement floors before starting. This feature is live on the public test branch and will roll out to the default branch with the Echoes of the Community update package. Sorry for the delay in getting this to you, public test players! I had to address some issues with the transportation system while implementing it.



But the most significant part? This ties into the upcoming Go Global update. In the future, you’ll manage multiple casinos in different cities, each with unique challenges. Map sizes and settings will play a crucial role in this system. This means the customization options may be revisited again before the 1.0 launch, but for now, these settings should provide a solid foundation.

[h3]Financial Data Graphs & Transaction Names[/h3]
I’ve finalized the casino data collection and financial graph system I mentioned earlier. The financial data graph is now live on the public test branch, with additional graphs coming in the next patch after some UI tweaks.



If you’ve been using an older public test save, you might notice some outdated transaction names or financial data for casino rooms at first. However, as new data comes in, everything should gradually align with the latest system.

[h3]Transportation System Refactor & Vehicle Changes[/h3]
There was one part of the transportation module that hadn't been refactored during the past backend work campaign. It stood firm, a stable, a shrine of old code, if you will. 😊 However, since unlocking worker trucks and private cars, bugs have been creeping in. So, I decided to give the system a proper overhaul and migrate it to the new vehicle garage system too.
So Heads-up: After updating, you might notice all your cars have disappeared when loading an old public test save for the first time. Your people might also complain about not finding their cars, but in theory, everything should settle smoothly after that!



[h3]Cheat Panel & Final Pre-Balance Features[/h3]
The public test branch is still out of balance so the "Cheat Panel" is still active for you to use while testing, but I have two key features left to improve before tackling the game’s balance update. Yes, improvements can go on forever, but I know, you know, we all know that these two features are essential before we can truly feel satisfied and move on to the content phase of the roadmap 😅

1. Building Research Overhaul – I plan to move the building research tree to a licensing system, similar to transportation. This means using administrative documents and money to purchase building licenses, improving permits and elevator specifications.
   
2. Hiring Negotiations – While we introduced auto-hiring through the HR Manager, the negotiation messaging system still feels a bit clunky. I want to improve both its UX and mechanics as part of the Echoes of the Community update.
   

[h3]Next Steps & Community Save File Sharing[/h3]
The plan (which can't stop changing) is as follows:

• Later today or tomorrow – A hotfix patch addressing collected reports (huge thanks to everyone who submitted them!).
  
• Next focus – Completing the transportation system, then implementing negotiation improvements and building licensing.
  
• Final stage – Game balance, quality of life and polish update, which will be released as a major default branch update.
  

Since balance is on the horizon, I’ve created a new Discord channel called “Save It and Leave It.” Here’s the cinematic channel description:
Submit Your Legendary Saves! Got an epic, oversized, or glorious save file? Share it here! I’ll use it to test and balance the game, and the community can explore and enjoy it too. Whether it’s for inspiration, chaos, or just curiosity, your save could make an impact!
So, feel free to drop your saves into the channel, especially when you’ve wrapped up a casino and are moving on to a new one. This will help me tremendously in balancing the game, and it’ll also serve as a space where you and other players can share and review save files. Eventually, I’ll implement Steam Workshop support for an even smoother experience.

Thanks for Being Part of the Community!
That’s all for this week’s update! I appreciate all of you for being part of this journey.

See you in the next one!
Cheers!

Merry christmas and happy new year to everyone ! 🎄 ✨

This holiday season, we wish you joy, love, and warmth. Here's to a New Year filled with happiness and amazing moments.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Cheers to a wonderful 2025! 🥂

Hello! 😊 Christmas is almost here again, guess they were right all along, time really does fly, doesn’t it? 🎄✨

[h3]What’s Been Happening Behind the Scenes[/h3]
In the first week after our last Community Gazette, my partner and I had lots of smaller chunks of available time rather than long, focused work sessions, as much of our attention went into settling moving logistics I mentioned earlier, like signing rent contracts and setting up utility bills in a new country. 😬😱
So we tried to make good use of the smaller pockets of free time to focus on early polishing and bug fixes for the public test version, thanks to the helpful reports from our incredible Discord and Steam communities. Your feedback has been invaluable!

Thanks to this, I also finally had the chance to fix some long-standing minor visual bugs, like those problematic elevator door animation issues that had been lingering on our to-do list while we were busy with heavier tasks. I briefly considered releasing some of those smaller fixes (which are already available in the default branch) as a separate update for it, but with the big update so close, it made more sense to bundle everything together.

-The ghost door glitch was reported by a Discord member (Mazi), who suggested we keep it as a Halloween animation, honestly, that checks out!-

Anyway, after the first week, as things started to settle down, I turned my attention back to finishing the remaining transportation and data graph features that we have been developing on the public test branch and made some progress.



[h3]So, what’s changed in the public test build since the last community post, other than bug fixes?[/h3]
I’ve implemented the parking part of the new transportation system I’ve mentioned in previous posts. You can now test contractor, employee, and customer parking in the public test branch. The document requirements for parking licenses still need some balancing, but I’m holding off on that for now, balancing can wait for the info graphs. Those graphs aren’t just a new game mechanic; they’ll also help me fine-tune the game balance and polishing in the final stages. Yay to progress! 😉😊

One change to maybe mention is that parking spaces will now generate hourly income instead of just a one-time payment when customers first arrive. This long-requested community change means that when a guest goes on a one-day gambling bender, they won’t get away with only paying a $10 parking fee!



I've also worked on the info charts and graphs. The data info system has been ready and waiting for its UI for some time now. I've started designing and building the interface backend, beginning with the financial data window. The financial data graph is nearly complete, and I’m planning to upload it to the public test branch with the upcoming patch in a day or two.

The garage and public transport systems are also awaiting their UI, which will be the final task before we move into polishing and preparing for the default branch release.

After that, it’s time for the fun content implementation sprints! 🎉

Thank you for being part of the community.
Until next time!

Hello! 😊
I think I’m starting to get the hang of this development journaling thing, who would’ve thought?

First and foremost, I wanted to share that the changes and updates that I mentioned in the last weekly gazette have been uploaded to the public test server after some internal testing with my partner hopefully wihout breaking too much. This patch unlocks the entire new hotel and laundry system along with the hotel menu. If you’re someone who enjoys participating in public testing and maybe reporting issues, this is your chance to dive in and explore.



With that said, let’s jump into what we’ve been working on behind the scenes this week.

[h3]The Revamped Vehicle Parking System & UI[/h3]
As mentioned in the last post, where we explored changes to the walkways and transportation systems, this week’s focus has been on completing the remaining transportation mechanics in the public test build, starting with vehicle parking!



To streamline things, all transport systems have been removed from the research tree. This means parking spaces now start unlocked, allowing you to jump right in. However, as your parking needs grow, you’ll still require accounting and HR documents to secure government licenses for expanding your parking capacity.

Another addition is the ability to build parking spots for contractors like builders, delivery drivers, garbage collectors, or police officers. This gives you greater control over how your spaces are utilized and helps optimize the flow of people and services.

I’ve also worked on a new parking menu that doubles as a handy data minimap and a place to buy government licenses. It shows who’s arriving and leaving, the number of licensed spaces you have, how many are in use, and other useful insights.

[h3]The Revamped Public Transportation System & UI[/h3]
Public transportation; taxis, buses, and subways has also received a major overhaul. Like parking spaces and walkways, these systems now start unlocked. However, you’ll need to construct and upgrade a garage to operate these services.



From there, you can purchase vehicles like taxis, shuttles, buses, or subway trains, and schedule their operation. You can run your vehicles 24/7 by contracting drivers to both morning and night shifts, but it will lead to faster wear and tear. Upgrading your garage will also unlock automated vehicle maintenance, helping you keep the operation running smoothly.

Thanks to the revamped transportation systems’ integration with the new service capacity and rating system, you should now have a clearer view of each transportation need to make decisions. This allows you to adapt your operations to meet growing demands efficiently.

[h3]Vending System Changes and Additions[/h3]
In the previous version of the game, vending machines functioned more as room decorations, with customers using them as part of their room interaction modules. Back then, vending options included tobacco machines, cold drink machines, hot drink machines, and snack machines. During Early Access, we expanded the interactivity of bookshelves and newspaper racks, allowing customers to use them as vending-like items that generated income for the player, though these didn’t require inventory items.



With this update, I’ve written a new behavior script dedicated to vending machine usage, making these interactions more accessible throughout the casino hotel.

Bookshelves and newspaper racks now require inventory items to operate. There are four newspaper varieties and six book varieties available for you to stock, enabling customers to choose their favorites. Additionally, candy machines and keychain machines have been reclassified as vending machines. Candy machines now need candy bars as inventory items, while keychain machines require keychains.
We’ve also added two new vending items, pipe vending stands and lighter vending stands, to complement the new cigar shop feature. These vending machines come with corresponding inventory requirements.

[h3]Large Dumpsters and Cigarette Bins[/h3]
Based on valuable feedback from our Discord community, we’ve added large dumpsters and cigarette bins to improve waste management.

Customers who smoke will now look for a cigarette bin after finishing their cigarette. Failing to provide enough bins in smoking-friendly areas will result in more trash accumulation and, with the upcoming Catastrophes update, it could even pose a fire hazard.



On the dumpster side, we’ve introduced a larger dumpster that takes up slightly less space than two standard dumpsters but can hold more waste than both combined.

[h3]Room Signs[/h3]
Previously, closed rooms displayed signs during restricted service hours. We’ve expanded this feature to include a variety of visual indicators.



Thanks to new sign drawings from Nil, rooms now display small signs that you can hover over for important updates. These signs highlight issues like essential item shortage, pathfinding problems, construction status, and low room ratings depending on the room type.
This update adds a clearer, more intuitive layer of management to your casino hotel, ensuring you can address the issues you choose quickly and efficiently.

[h3]Personal Stuff[/h3]
As some of you may already know, we’re a two-person game studio, just my partner and me. Alongside the development work mentioned earlier, this past week has been a bit chaotic as we’ve been in the middle of an international move we’ve been planning for a while.
This is also why this week’s Weekly Gazette is a couple of days late, I just couldn’t find the time to get it out on schedule. Normally, I aim to post updates every week between Saturday and Monday, and I believe we’re back on track to maintain that schedule moving forward.

[h3]What Are the Current Plans?[/h3]
Here’s what’s on the near horizon: First, I’ll be uploading the remaining transportation changes discussed here to the public test server. After that, I plan to dedicate a week to animation and ai behaviour polishing, balancing, bug fixing, and working on tutorials, UI improvements, and data graphs. This will also include merging save files from the default branch with those from the public test branch. Once all that’s done, the Echoes of the Community update will be ready to launch on the default branch.
Looking ahead, I’m aiming to complete testing for the Nightlife update before the New Year. Most of it is already finished, I prefering to not to make promises. I’m trying to avoid unnecessary extra stress if unexpected issues pop up this time. 😊

That about sums it up for this week! Thank you all for your continued support and patience during the development of Casino Resort Tower, it means the world to us. I’ll see you in the next one.
Cheers!

Hi everyone! 😊

This week, we’ve been busy improving the hotel system AIs and crafting a brand-new hotel menu. Along the way, I also tackled several fixes and balance adjustments. These updates should be live on the public test branch in just a couple of days. After that, I’ll focus on the final touches for the transportation system. Once that’s complete, we’ll be ready to merge everything into the default branch for the release of the "Echoes of the Community" update and kick off public testing for the "Nightlife" update.

Here’s a closer look at what’s been in the works this week:



[h3]Laundry System Overhaul[/h3]
Dirty sheets will now function as physical objects within the game, similar to trash in the waste management system. You’ll need to store these "by-products" of guest services and remove them efficiently. Housekeepers can collect and deposit dirty sheets into laundry bins, which can then be processed in washing machines and iron presses.
The new system encourages players to identify and address bottlenecks by managing housekeeper numbers, storage capacity for dirty linens, and available washing machines and presses. And the new hotel menu, along with detailed data graphs, will provide all the insights you need to stay on top of things!

[h3]Hotel System AI and Behavior Updates[/h3]
Housekeepers:
I’ve completely rewritten the housekeeper AI for improved performance and streamlined behavior. Housekeepers now operate in two key work states instead of one randomized one:
Collecting dirty sheets – They can pick up to three sheets at a time and deposit them into the nearest available laundry bin.
Cleaning and ironing – They retrieve dirty sheets from bins in their assigned laundry rooms, wash them, and iron clean sheets for reuse.
Housekeepers prioritize laundry bins based on their assignment, be it a assigned room, a patrol route base room, or the closest available bin if unassigned.
Guests:
Guests can now use luxury amenities, such as hot tubs, in high-end rooms. We’ve added new behaviors and mood modifiers for these items, making the guest experience more dynamic.


[h3]The Hotel Menu[/h3]
The newly designed hotel menu provides an at-a-glance overview of room occupancy rates, laundry bin capacity, counts and capacities of key housekeeping items. You’ll also have the option to open or close rooms for bookings, whether to catch up on services or manage other hotel operations.


[h3]Customer Inventory[/h3]
Borrowing from the employee inventory system, customers are now have an inventory too. This feature allows players to see what guests are carrying, such as casino chips, souvenirs, or vending machine purchases.



Finally, we’ve decided to add a special touch to the main menu: a little character to honor the memory of Bacon, our beloved pug, and a cherished member of our development team. We hope this small tribute keeps his playful spirit alive in our hearts and the game.


Until next time,
Tolgahan