Saloon Simulator News

[h2]Dear players,[/h2]

It’s my great pleasure to once again invite you to the playtests for Saloon Simulator! The version we’re presenting—though slightly shorter than the last one you played—is now much closer to the final quality we aim to achieve.

[h2]You will receive access to the new version on March 5, 2025.
[/h2]

[h3]What’s new in this version?
[/h3]

• Full voice-over performed by actors
  
• Freeplay mode
  
• Improved wagon dismantling mechanics
  
• Horse models in the town
  
• Customizable controls
  
• Notification system
  
• Customer traits system
  
• Facial animations during dialogues
  
• New furniture to purchase
  
• Tons of optimization improvements for better performance on lower-end hardware
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Join the Playtests![/h3]
Signing up is easy! Just head over to Saloon Simulator’s Steam page and click the "Request Access" button on the playtest section. You’ll get access as soon as we approve your request. The new version will be available starting March 5, 2025.



[h3]Take the Survey and Win the Full Version![/h3]
I’d love for you to give it a try and share your impressions by filling out our survey. Every participant will be entered into a Steam key giveaway for the full version of the game!

[h3]Join Our Discord![/h3]
We also invite you to join our Discord, where we answer all your questions. If you have anything you’d like to share with us, that’s the place to do it!



Stay tuned for more updates, and until next time!

Best regards,
Krzysztof "xardi" Marchewka
from the Saloon Simulator Team

We kicked off the new year with a bang and have completed the implementation of one of the biggest updates in a long time. All dialogues and customer interactions in the saloon are now fully voice-acted! In addition to working on dubbing, we've also introduced improvements to the visuals and functionality of the town, making it easier for you to immerse yourself in the world we’ve created.

[h2]1. English Voice-Over[/h2]
In August 2024, we began casting for the roles of our main characters. We received over 700 applications, from which we selected 31 professional and non-professional actors to bring the residents of Blueberry and saloon customers to life. The recordings took place between September and October, while December and January were dedicated to integrating the voice-over into the game engine. You can hear the results of our and our actors' hard work in the preview below.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]2. A Sky as Real as It Gets[/h2]
One of the most visually stunning additions to our game is the implementation of a dynamic sky. We've long known that the desert landscape would be a perfect backdrop for a realistic sky. This is one of our newest features, making a strong impression during the day and an even bigger impact at night.



[h2]3. Horses Have Finally Arrived in Town[/h2]
While we decided early on that our protagonist would travel exclusively on foot, the same couldn't be said for merchants and visitors. Blueberry isn't a large town—you could say it’s a true "15-minute city." However, it lacked something crucial—horses. After all, the game is set in the Wild West, and what would a western be without horses? (Seriously—do you know of any westerns without horses?) Currently, horses don't move around town yet, but we plan to introduce this feature in the future.



[h3]If you haven't played Saloon Simulator Prologue yet,[/h3]
Remember that you can add it to your Steam library for free by clicking on the Saloon Simulator Prologue logo below or searching for "Saloon Simulator: Prologue" in the Steam store. We encourage you to add Saloon Simulator and Saloon Simulator Prologue to your wishlist, ensuring you won't miss out on any updates or the game's release.



[h2]Join Our Discord Community[/h2]
We warmly invite you to join our Discord community, where we can chat, share ideas, and hear your suggestions. We’re eager to hear your thoughts and feedback, which will help us make Saloon Simulator even better.



[h3]And One More Thing...[/h3]
We have a surprise coming your way soon, so be sure to check back here and on our Discord to stay in the loop!

Stay tuned for more updates, and until next time!

Best regards,
Krzysztof "xardi" Marchewka
from the Saloon Simulator Team

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to reflect. Over the past 12 months, Saloon Simulator has transformed beyond recognition. We’ve worked tirelessly on optimizations and features to enhance gameplay. Along the way, we encountered small bugs—fixed with just a couple of clicks—and some major ones that had us scratching our heads for hours. Throughout it all, your warm reception of the Saloon Simulator Prologue (691 reviews, with an impressive 88% positive rating!) has kept us motivated. Your feedback inspired us to collaborate with 38 incredible voice actors, who brought life to the characters and customers of the saloon in Blueberry.

[h2]1. Blueberry, Livelier Than Ever
[/h2]
Though Blueberry is filled with buildings and nooks to explore, it has sometimes felt lifeless. But Blueberry is far from a ghost town—as you discovered the moment you opened your saloon in the Prologue. We’ve begun work on a “living city” mechanic, bringing the townsfolk to life with activity on the streets. In the next phase, we plan to introduce routines and special animations for our NPCs, deepening your immersion in the world of Saloon Simulator.




[h2]2. Live Music?
[/h2]
In Act Two, Robert—a ragtime-loving musician with a knack for trouble—will arrive in town. Before you can hire him to play at your saloon, you’ll need to help him escape his biggest mess yet. Robert’s music will do more than enhance the atmosphere while you pour drinks—it’ll provide a new source of income (you’ll split tips 50-50) and influence customer behavior. Want to encourage diners to stay for a meal? Ask him to play some background tunes. Looking to impress Casey the gravedigger or Doctor Henry? Have Robert strike up a lively melody—perfect for a brawl. With unconscious customers to save (or rob), the action never stops!



[h2]3. It ain't much, but it's honest work
[/h2]
Here are some smaller but impactful improvements by our programmer Patryk, a specialist in seemingly “small” changes that make a huge difference:

• [h3]Characters finally drink from their glasses instead of spilling everywhere:[/h3]
• [h3]A notification system to keep you updated on all the happenings in the saloon[/h3]
• [h3]Highlighting dirt and trash when using the right tools, so cleaning enthusiasts will never miss a spot[/h3]

[h2]Our Wishes for You
[/h2]
Saloon Simulator is no longer just a demo of mechanics or a small slice of life in the Wild West. It’s growing into a full-fledged game that you can lose yourself in for hours. While there’s still much to work on, we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built so far. We’re endlessly grateful for your kind words and the patience you’ve shown as we work toward the final version of Saloon Simulator. From chilly Gliwice in Poland, we send you all our warmest holiday greetings and wish you a Merry Christmas and/or a Happy New Year. We hope 2025 brings you joy and peace.

[h3]If you’d like to visit Blueberry again, remember that you can still play the Saloon Simulator Prologue on Steam.[/h3]


[h2]Join Our Discord Community[/h2]
We warmly invite you to join our Discord community, where we can chat, share ideas, and hear your suggestions. We’re eager to hear your thoughts and feedback, which will help us make Saloon Simulator even better.




[h3]Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
[/h3]Best wishes from Krzysztof “xardi” Marchewka and the entire Glivi Games team

At Glivi Games, work is in full swing! The script is now in the hands of our voice actors, and they’ll be starting their recordings soon. After that, we’ll dive into implementing the voices in the game. We’re also testing new quests for Chapter Two, and there’s going to be a lot happening – with three new characters arriving in town, one of them making quite the unconventional entrance! Our graphic team is hard at work optimizing the game, aiming to make *Saloon Simulator* look great even on less powerful devices. And we’ve got some new features coming that are sure to spice up the gameplay and breathe new life into your saloon.

[h2]1. Faro – A Classic Gambling Game
[/h2]
What’s a Wild West saloon without some gambling? Have you heard of Faro? It’s a gambling game that’s mostly forgotten now, but it was wildly popular back in the day. In Faro, players try to predict which card the dealer will draw next by betting on its suit or rank.



In Chapter Two, you’ll unlock the second half of the saloon – and that’s where you’ll find a special room you can equip with entertainment. We’re starting with Faro, but we plan to add more game stations in the future. What should we work on next? Poker? Darts? Or maybe Bagatelle – the ancestor of pinball?

[h2]2. Meet Your New Companion – The Mule
[/h2]
As you may know from our previous devlog, we’re working on bringing horses to Blueberry, because what’s the Wild West without them? But while horses aren’t here just yet, let us introduce you to your new best friend for waste transport: the mule. You won’t have to run back and forth to the dump with every single trash bag anymore – just load up the mule’s saddlebags, and he and Charlie will take care of the rest. Handy, right?



[h2]3. Ladies and Gentlemen
[/h2]
In the prologue, the saloon’s clientele consisted mostly of men and Casey. But that’s about to change. We’ve added women to the customer pool, and they feel just as at home in the saloon as the men do. You’ll find them enjoying drinks, trying their luck at Faro, and even throwing the occasional punch!



[h3]If you haven't played Saloon Simulator Prologue yet,[/h3]
remember that you can add it to your Steam library for free by clicking on the Saloon Simulator Prologue logo below or searching for "Saloon Simulator: Prologue" in the Steam store. We encourage you to add Saloon Simulator and Saloon Simulator Prologue to your wishlist, ensuring you won't miss out on any updates or the game's release.



[h2]Join Our Discord Community[/h2]
We warmly invite you to join our Discord community, where we can chat, share ideas, and hear your suggestions. We’re eager to hear your thoughts and feedback, which will help us make Saloon Simulator even better.



Stay tuned for more updates, and until next time

Best regards,
Krzysztof "xardi" Marchewka from the Saloon Simulator Team

Dear friends! We’ve just finished working on the script and quests for Act Two of Saloon Simulator! The intrigue intensifies, and blood will be spilled. Someone will disappear, and someone will emerge. Something will explode, and someone will get shot. I can't reveal much more, but Act Two, especially its finale, will be packed with action like you've never seen in Blueberry before. Aside from the story and quests, we’ve also focused on implementing new mechanics—after all, Saloon Simulator is not just about the story but, above all, a simulator.



[h2]Trait System[/h2]
From now on, each guest entering the saloon in Blueberry will have a set of 6 traits that will determine their behavior and what needs they’ll want to fulfill in your establishment. These traits are:

• Thirst – Desire to order a drink
  
• Hunger – Desire to order food (the hungriest guests might want to order a full meal!)
  
• Sociability – Perhaps our guest will want to stay a little longer
  
• Impulsiveness – High impulsiveness increases the chance of an aggressive reaction to a wrong order and a willingness to get involved in a fight
  
• Wealth – Determines how much money they have and the size of the tips
  
• Manners – Reduces the chance that a customer will leave a mess behind
  

These traits are influenced by the decor of your saloon—the furniture and decorations you choose will increase or decrease specific traits, allowing you to decide what kind of saloon you want to run. Maybe you prefer a peaceful atmosphere and enjoy serving beans to hungry cowboys? Or perhaps you'll buy the fanciest furniture to attract wealthy visitors? Or maybe you’re after quick profits, encouraging as many fights as possible to rob (and bury in the backyard) the defeated with Casey? Now, the kind of saloon Blueberry Saloon becomes is entirely up to you.

[h2]Renting and Furnishing Rooms[/h2]
In the prologue, you could enlist Earl’s help in renovating one of the upstairs rooms. Furnishing and renting out rooms will become a key part of making money in the later stages of the game. In Act Three, courtesans will enter the scene, giving you a cut of their earnings in exchange for the rooms where they’ll invite their clients.



Earl will remain your best friend when it comes to renovations. To start your hotel business, order furniture from him (you'll need at least a bed to rent out a room) and choose which room he should renovate.



Once Earl finishes the work, wait for the first guests looking to rent a room. When a guest leaves, don’t forget to clean up before renting it out to the next person!

[h2]Skill System
[/h2]
Through the skill system, we wanted to show how much our hero, Cheyenne, grows as a bartender and in other, less obvious aspects of the game. Cheyenne will improve his skills by completing story tasks and earning new achievements along his bartending journey—after all, every bartender knows that while a rookie might make one drink, an experienced one can easily whip up at least five.



[h2]Behind-the-Scenes Bonus
[/h2]I’ve saved a little behind-the-scenes bonus for the end since this work is still in its early stages. But I thought I’d let you know because we’ve received a lot of questions about it. Yes, we know. Doesn’t something very important seem to be missing? Don’t worry—we’re working on it. The symbol of the Wild West—a horse—will soon be galloping through the streets of Blueberry!





[h3]If you haven't played Saloon Simulator Prologue yet,[/h3]
remember that you can add it to your Steam library for free by clicking on the Saloon Simulator Prologue logo below or searching for "Saloon Simulator: Prologue" in the Steam store. We encourage you to add Saloon Simulator and Saloon Simulator Prologue to your wishlist, ensuring you won't miss out on any updates or the game's release.



[h2]Join Our Discord Community[/h2]
We warmly invite you to join our Discord community, where we can chat, share ideas, and hear your suggestions. We’re eager to hear your thoughts and feedback, which will help us make Saloon Simulator even better.



Stay tuned for more updates, and until next time

Best regards,
Krzysztof "xardi" Marchewka from the Saloon Simulator Team

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