Blockbuster Inc. News

- new windows added in Build Mode -> indoors -> windows
- fix TV show episodes after 1st episode showing as rank 0
- fix bug where double-clicking the Continue button in tutorial could skip a step and softlock the tutorial
- employees will now always reach task locations (desks, movie sets, tables) even if they are completely blocked by obstacles
- add Reset button in Product Creation for returning the planned product to default state
- TV shows category in product charts now shows all active shows (i.e. released and not retired) even they don't have all their episodes released yet
- the RP gain rate from Researchers has been adjusted and increases per decade, which should improve the Research pace, also the average RP gained per month is now shown in Research menu next to the player's current RP
- fix bug where tenant bubble popups of city houses were hidden when saving and loading while in city view, and were shown again only if you exit & re-enter city view
- save menu now stops the progressive loading of savegames list if the menu gets closed

• improved visuals of room doors
  
• continue button in main menu now loads the most recently updated save (hover the mouse over it to show which file it is)
  
• optimized thumbnail generation for employees and filming sets, which should improve memory usage and reduce lag spikes
  
• fix bug where studio fans would sometimes reset to 0 or a small number after gaining too many
  
• fix bug where new sets made in Set Designer would not appear in build mode
  
• fix bug where some stars were shown as belonging to incorrect studios during awards ceremony
  
• fix bug where stunt animations in Direct Scene would sometimes get stuck into a T-Pose
  
• fix bug where actor animations in Direct Scene would reset to their first frame after completing
  
• save menu now loads the save files one by one instead of all at once, which would freeze the game for a while if there are too many/large save files
  
• fix bug in Direct Scene where actors would disappear when they get too close to the camera
  
• fix some objects having blank thumbnails in build mode
  
• reduced difficulty of earning Best Stunts award
  
• Blockbuster-buster mission no longer fails if you release a non-blockbuster product
  
• rival studio names, district names, and randomized product names are now always in english regardless of selected game language
  
• properly format large numbers in various menus (fans, ticket sales etc)
  
• extra scenes in Product Creation are now limited to max 25 normal & 25 stunt
  
• fixed "pirate drinking alcohol" actor animation poking bottle into eye
  
• fixed hat of western costume clipping into some haircuts
  
• swapped places of NC-17 and R rating slots in Research
  
• moved Cyberpunk theme slot after Superhero theme slot in Research
  
• "Edit in Set Designer" button in Set Info window has been removed, will be re-added when it is fully functional
  
• credits screen in main menu
  
• known issue: when renting a home for a star, the thumbnail sometimes becomes a black square, will be fixed in next update
  

Esteemed lords and ladies of the ton! 🎩💐

Surprise, surprise! Today we deliver our biggest update yet and with it a chance to find true love in the early 1800s London! Not to mention over a dozen fixes and a heap of additions and quality of life improvements. Quite a revelation!

To celebrate the season 3 finale of the beloved Bridgerton series we present the new in-game theme for the actors and movie sets: "Regency" 💖



So grab your mouse and start working on a new gossip-worthy TV or movie production that I am sure Lady Whistledown would approve!

This update is another labor of love fueled by the constant engagement of our most beloved and most supportive playerbase. Know that you are seen, you are loved, and we could not do it without you! 🫶

Also - just in case you missed it - we have previously dropped a few smaller updates that addressed some of your most pressing feedback and added more content to the game. Read about them here, here, and here.

Find the full changelog for the Regency Update below 👇️



Changelog for the 1.7.16.1 version:

- new theme "Regency", inspired by Bridgerton, including costumes, set designer objects, and build mode objects
- new visuals for all set equipment cameras/lights/mics of 1950-2000
- optimize thumbnail generation for Build Mode, Set Designer, Set Equipment, which should reduce lag spikes significantly
- add one default filming set per theme to always have available sets for any theme without having to make them in Set Designer
- progressively increased difficulty in achieving high movie score as decades progress
- add sound for notifications, togglable in Settings
- fix windowed mode not always working
- make not-yet-available research grayed out instead of hidden, so you can always see when the next research will arrive
- set default FPS limiter to 60 (configurable in Settings) to avoid GPU overheat
- fix Researchers always working even when they have to attend education
- fix room info & filming set info windows getting auto-closed every time you enter build mode
- fix some actor animations that were looping even though they shouldn't
- limit max fame level of available-for-hire employees to level 1
- research for medium & high quality food is now available from the beginning of the game
- the studio fences and gate get renovated after 1950 and after 1980
- the cinema next to the studio gets renovated after 1980
- company money is now limited to max 999 billion
- company fans, product fans and product ticket sales are now limited to max 999 million
- product hype is now limited to max 9999
- reduce fame increase rate by 50%
- fix filming set's camera resetting to cheapest camera when relocating
- fix overflow when calculating product revenue that caused the revenue to become negative
- fix room type icon not showing above a premade room when it is placed in build mode
- actors in Set Designer can now be placed anywhere even if they clip into objects
- added buttons for deleting files in the open/save file dialog in Set Designer and Import Character menus
- allow getting loans even if company money is below 0
- fix bug in TV show episodes after first episode that showed incorrect scene rating and prevented reshooting scenes
- fix VFX/SFX designer tasks in Product Creation (post-production tab) not being cleared when starting a new product
- fix employee type filter in Hire Employees menu getting reset when hiring an employee
- added decorated versions of premade rooms in Build Mode
- added subcategory buttons in Build Mode for premade rooms (simple/decorated) and filming sets (default/local/steam)
- added decade intro sequence shown when reaching new decade

We are waiting for your feedback on our Steam discussion forum and Discord server!

- 80+ new actor animations and stunts, available in Direct Scene menu
- added search box in animations/costumes/stunts tabs in Direct Scene menu
- show notification when SFX/VFX designers are not assigned to an office
- fix bug where reshooting a scene in some tutorials would prevent tutorial completion
- fix bug that prevented completing the "PR Pusher" mission
- fix bug that sometimes made desks and other objects unreachable by employees
- fix "Learn the ropes" Steam achievement not being awarded
- increased duration of SFX/VFX designer tasks and other filming tasks

Hello Movie Makers 🎥

Thank you for the valuable feedback you’ve provided those last few days. Rest assured, we are dedicated to improving your experience with Blockbuster Inc. by developing hotfixes approximately twice a week.

Almost a week after the release and two hotfix patches later (and more already being tested), we would like to address the most common issues and important questions you have for us.

We understand that some of you are frustrated with some of the mid-game+ balance issues and the overall management aspect of the game that in the long run proved to be trickier than we had initially thought. While we managed to deliver the scope of the game that together with the publisher we had planned, we see that there are still things left to do before we can move on with our initial post-launch plans.

In hindsight, it seems clear now that we had underestimated the time we would need to balance all our game features and fix performance issues during the final sprint. Naturally, we remained optimistic about the release as we knew that many great content updates were planned for Blockbuster Inc. right after the launch, but it in retrospect it is very clear and reasonable that most people were skeptical about our commitment to improving the game post release and raising concern that if that was our initial intention we should have launched the game as Early Access.

Initially, we planned to show you our roadmap for upcoming months shortly after the release, but currently we are re-evaluating it to make sure all the changes and new features meet your expectations. We will get back to you soon, presenting all the content we wanted to add to the game further, but at the same time readjusting some things that may be considered lacking in the current gameplay.

While we put our heads together to come up with the next bigger update, please check out the latest patch 1.7.14 that launched yesterday, adding multiple new animations and costumes to the Direct Scene in the movie editor and several smaller improvements.

Fret not, we will continue to work on the game and answer your comments daily! ⚡️🦊

Thank you,
Ancient Forge & Super Sly Fox