Fortune Avenue News

Hello everyone!

The last major update for Fortune Avenue was pretty well received. It added quite a bit of stability and content!
This new version is going to change the look of the game, starting with the lobby, which has been significantly improved!

[h3]More Customization[/h3]
If you've just launched Fortune Avenue, you've surely noticed that the lobby contains a few additional buttons. Now you can choose the appearance of your dice, and even the look of your tombstone. For when you lose, obviously. But honestly, no one really loses in Fortune Avenue. The games are so quick that we only remember our victories!

There are quite a few additional customization options, especially for the dice. I already have some ideas to add more dice skins. I think being able to customize the little white dots on the dice could be fun! Instead of circles, you could have diamonds or rhombuses. These changes will come in the next update, but in this version, you can add an aura, have rounded dice, and make the outlines more or less visible. I think you'll like it. It doesn't change the gameplay, but it's obviously essential!

As for the tombstones, there are about ten in total, ranging from the traditional headstone to a cute flower pot.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
As with each new version, I add bugs but also fix them. This time, there are numerous bugs, but they're less critical than before. No crashes to report, for example. To get back to the topic, the network layer is better managed when a player closes the game. This prevents desynchronization or rollbacks. Previously, when you abandoned a game, the game didn't necessarily handle it correctly, but that's fixed now.

Another bug, a visual one this time: when a rule is voted on, only the host player sees the notifications of changes on the board. Other players see the changes but don't get notifications, which can be confusing. Speaking of notifications, I've added one that appears when you remove the protection from a city. I've also fixed the issue where some visual feedback wasn't displaying correctly. To sum up, Fortune Avenue now has an even more readable interface.

There have been other fixes related to feedback provided by Bloubill, Munue, Souli and GUL! Many thanks to them for their help

[h3]New Card & Rule[/h3]
A new rule you can vote for has appeared. I know that some of you don't like buying out other players' hotels. So, this rule is made for you. By default, you can buy out hotels ranging from caravans to 4-star hotels, but not 5-star hotels. If this rule comes up, you'll have the choice between allowing the buyout of 5-star hotels or simply prohibiting hotel buyouts altogether. I think this will make some of you happy.

In addition, there's a new card, which is very situational. This means if you have a property that has suffered a penalty, when you draw a card, you'll have a chance to get an "Express Renovation" card. This card will allow you to remove all penalties from a property and protect it as a bonus. Enough to turn around a catastrophic situation and restart the game. If you play this card, it will unlock a new Steam achievement.

[h3]Other Changes[/h3]
And since we're talking about cards, you'll notice they've completely changed in appearance! I find the new design more appealing and more readable. Let me know what you think in the comments, I'm curious.

Among other visual changes, the helicopter changes appearance when it hunts the richest players, sporting a red and yellow color scheme that warns you of its changed state.

The ELO system that was implemented in the previous update is now integrated with a global leaderboard available on Steam. A detail for those who want to have the best ELO: abandoning a game is considered a defeat. So it's better not to quit the game before you're sure you've lost!

As for the interface, I've also slightly enlarged the icons of player cards, the colored panels at the very top.

I think I've covered all the changes this update brings.
I hope you'll like it! In any case, I'm enjoying playing Fortune Avenue more and more, so that's something!

Thank you for reading,
Xavier aka Binogure

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🚁 No More Endless Games
Thanks to our helicopter elimination system, no more 6-hour Monopoly marathons. Games stay fast-paced and exciting, with strategic depth that keeps everyone engaged.

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🎮 Features Include:

• 4-player online multiplayer with robust P2P networking
  
• Physics-based dice and wheel mechanics
  
• 12 unique game pieces and 4 themed boards
  
• Steam Workshop integration planned
  
• Solo play against AI opponents
  
• Anti-cheat protection with VAC support
  

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The bank always wins... but this time, you're getting a discount on the experience!

[h3]🎯 Add to Cart Now - 30% Off Ends Soon![/h3]

[hr][/hr]

P.S. - Remember, Fortune Avenue: Where friendships go to die, but the fun never ends!

Hello everyone!

It's with great pleasure that I meet you again today to talk about the next major update!
Things are going perfectly well, and it's scheduled for June 26th, 2025!

[h3]What's coming in this new version of Fortune Avenue?[/h3]
This is an update that focuses on character customization. You'll be able to customize your dice with rounded dice, sharp-edged ones, auras, or even smoke effects. I've tried to be imaginative when it comes to dice, but if you have more ideas, I'm all ears. I was actually thinking of adding dice with dots shaped like squares, diamonds, or triangles to add even more variety.

Anyway, after the dice, I've added tombstone customization. I've put in some more cheerful stuff, like flower pots, pumpkins, or even hearts. It's colorful and looks great in-game. Nothing but good stuff!

On top of all that, new rules and cards are making their appearance. Enough to shake up an ongoing game. The helicopter has also had a little makeover to make it more aggressive.

[h3]What about multiplayer?[/h3]
I've done a lot of testing and also received a lot of feedback. So the next version of Fortune Avenue is going to be much more stable, desynchronizations should no longer occur. Deleting a festival works correctly, skipping another player's turn also works correctly. I've focused on fixes but I'm already thinking about what's next.

That is, being able to play Fortune Avenue in remote play together. Many of you have asked me for this, so I'm thinking of implementing it eventually. To this will be added a lobby overhaul, to make it more robust. This second part is fully planned in the early access roadmap so the game is progressing, and it's possible that it will come out of early access sooner than expected since the project development is going very well!

So, the next update is scheduled for June 26th, 2025, and it will come with a promotion!
For those of you who are eager to try this new version, you can already do so.
To do this, go to your Steam library, click on Fortune Avenue, go to properties, then go to Beta. From there, select the unstable version and let Steam do the update. Be careful though, as players who don't have the same version of Fortune Avenue can't play together.

Thanks for reading.
Take care of yourselves
Xavier aka Binogure

Hello everyone!

It's with immense pleasure that I announce a major update for Fortune Avenue. Since many of you are playing Fortune Avenue, I've received lots of feedback, a big thanks to Mark (he'll know who he is) for his high-quality emails that have greatly contributed to improving Fortune Avenue!
v0.44.0 adds content, stabilizes the game, fixes some minor issues and above all makes the game even more chaotic and unpredictable!

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
First and foremost, sometimes when you opened the options during gameplay, it would crash Fortune Avenue. I'm sorry for this bug, and thanks for reporting it. Thanks to you, I was able to fix it and now accessing the options is no longer an issue!

Another small problem concerned an animation. Indeed, when a player pays another player, cards can change the recipient of the payment, but the animation didn't take the cards into account - this has been fixed.

Let's talk about online play now, since the next fixes relate to synchronization bugs. It was impossible to cancel a festival, which led to desynchronization - the issue is fixed. When a player lost or abandoned the game, depending on how the stars aligned, all their hotels might not be properly removed. Or worse, the game could get stuck. No way to advance the game. So I fixed the first problem and added a safeguard that forces the game to progress if it gets stuck. Sometimes, when a network issue occurs, the game can roll back, but visually it didn't show. For example, a player who had actually lost would find themselves back at their previous position alive and well, but with a tombstone avatar. This rollback is necessary to get things back on track, but visually it didn't match the board data. So from now on, player statuses update dynamically based on their state.

A final fix concerns other players' names and avatars not loading properly. It was minor, but needed fixing.

[h3]Camera and Interface[/h3]
The camera... did you know you can configure the camera? Well now you do! You can make it completely static, but to do that, the options need to be understandable. A player pointed out that some naming was ambiguous, so I made adjustments, and now it's better according to your feedback!

Let's talk about some annoying things now. When you need to pay rent and don't have enough money, a panel appears asking you to sell your properties. Previously you had to click on the hotel to select it, now you can click on the small panel above it. It's not much, but it's a game-changer!

Speaking of game-changers, in-game tooltips. Some were hard to read, so I redesigned their layout and it's better now. It's readable and above all, easy on the eyes!

[h3]Other Changes[/h3]
Controller support has been overhauled. Some of you reported a very annoying problem. Playing Fortune Avenue with a controller connected made mouse use impossible. Or, connecting a controller to a Steam Deck made it vibrate constantly... I was able to reproduce all these issues, and they should be fixed! Sorry for these bugs...

Let's talk a bit about optimization. When making Fortune Avenue, I had in mind making it run on very low-end configurations. PCs with barely 8GB of RAM and integrated graphics. Yes in 2025, 8GB of RAM is low. Anyway, I worked on texture compression so the game runs better, more stable even on small configurations. While I still can't get the game running on a TI-89 (for those who get the reference), this new version greatly improves performance!

[h3]New Rules[/h3]
4 new rules make their debut. And these are rules that will shake up your games for sure! First, the most dangerous rules. They're linked to each other, so you must choose between adding a bankruptcy space to the wheel of fortune and adding a victory space to the wheel of fortune! Quite the dilemma! In one case, when you spin the wheel of fortune, if you land on the bankruptcy space you immediately lose the game. And in the other, if you land on the victory space you instantly win the game! Don't worry, I made some adjustments so this impossible choice only appears late in the game.

The third rule you can vote for is also a bit nasty. It changes the helicopter's behavior. The rule is called: "Eat the Rich". You've guessed it, the helicopter starts chasing players who have more than 1 million dollars instead of chasing the poorest. I tested it, and it's genuinely funny.

The fourth rule is more situational, as it brings all monopolies back into play. It's simple and effective for turning a game around!

[h3]New Cards[/h3]
2 new anarchy cards have been added. The first allows triggering a new vote immediately. I think it's cool and it breaks the game's rhythm! The second lets you choose a player who will skip their next turn. Fortune Avenue gets a bit meaner with this kind of card, and I like it.

There are also 2 new chance cards added. The first lets you play again immediately. And that's cool, while the second card lets you reset the tax counter to 0. You know, when you land on taxes the first time you pay 30,000, then 60,000 the second time, 90,000 the third time etc., well that gets reset to 0, and you'll only pay 30,000.

One important thing to know is that Fortune Avenue only gives cards that impact the game. So if your tax counter is at 0, you won't get the card that resets the tax counter. I did this because it keeps the game dynamic. Having a card that changes nothing makes you lose a turn and inevitably slows down the game and creates frustration.

[h3]An ELO System[/h3]
From now on, and only for online games, Fortune Avenue will calculate your ELO. It's displayed on the main screen and at the end of the game if you play online. Otherwise, nothing is shown. Adding an ELO system was quite complex, and after many tests, it's proven successful, the calculations work properly.

What about when you play against bots? Bots always have the same ELO, and it never changes, so you can't cheat to get infinite ELO - you'll be limited by the bots' ELO.

For now, ELO is calculated but doesn't affect matchmaking yet since there aren't enough players. But everything's ready and I just need to flip a switch to enable ELO-based matchmaking. We just need more players!

There you have it, that was a huge chunk! I'm very proud of the work accomplished, I thank you tremendously for leaving reviews on Steam, it helps get more players! For those wondering, there are already over 1,200 of you who have played Fortune Avenue, and I thank you!

The next update will focus on customization - dice, tombstones, but also adding new cards and new rules. By the way, if you have ideas or suggestions, please comment - I'd be delighted to read them and add them to the game!

Thanks everyone
Xavier aka Binogure

[h2]Changelog[/h2]
[h3]New Rules[/h3]

• If this rule is adopted, a victory space is added to the wheel of fortune. The player who spins the wheel and lands on this space instantly wins the game
  
• If this rule is adopted, a bankruptcy space is added to the wheel of fortune. The player who spins the wheel and lands on this space immediately goes bankrupt.
  
• If this rule is adopted, the helicopter begins chasing the richest player if they have more than 1 million dollars
  
• If this rule is adopted, all monopolies come back into play

[h3]New Cards[/h3]

• An anarchy card allows you to instantly trigger a new vote
  
• An anarchy card lets you choose which player will skip their next turn
  
• A chance card lets you take another turn immediately
  
• A chance card resets the number of times you've landed on the taxes space to zero.

[h3]Controller[/h3]

• When a controller is connected, it's impossible to play with the mouse (fixed)
  
• Controller detection is not always reliable (fixed)

[h3]Optimization[/h3]

• Texture compression for VRAM. We've reduced VRAM usage from 500 MB down to 250 MB.

[h3]Ranking System[/h3]

• A new ranking system has been implemented. Each player starts with 1000 points. After each game, based on the number of players, if the player wins or loses the game their points are adjusted. This is the implementation of an ELO system.

[h3]Interface[/h3]

• Renamed camera management options
  
• When selling properties, you can now click on the properties panel
  
• Translation adjustments for better understanding
  
• Added a tooltip on the button that allows you to hide or show a panel
  
• Added a button to show/hide rules currently being voted on.
  
• Some text was not visible in Czech
  
• When you hover over player names, you can see their latency.
  
• Tooltips have been redesigned to be more readable

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• Opening the options panel while playing could crash the game (fixed)
  
• When a card changes the recipient of a payment, the game shows the wrong recipient (fixed)
  
• When a player leaves the game, it could cause desynchronization, and hotels could reappear (fixed)
  
• When canceling a festival, it wasn't canceled for everyone (fixed)
  
• When a player is desynchronized, the game will properly resynchronize them
  
• In the lobby, sometimes the game didn't properly load other players' names or avatars