King of Retail 2 News

[p]I wanted to share a blog with you today regarding an approaching update for King of Retail 2, dropping in less than 2 weeks. Just so you can get an overview of what’s coming down the pipe soon, as well as the updates that will follow. [/p][p][/p][p]I aim to deliver one of these developer blogs every 2 weeks, so without further ado, let’s jump right in.[/p][p][/p][h2]Build Mode[/h2][p]In development image of the new build environment, now with internal walls.[/p][p]One of the key priorities of mine over the last couple of weeks has been additions and updates to Build Mode. It’s been wonderful to see so many of you leverage Build Mode to express your retail creativity, and, with these planned updates, there are plenty more enhancements to come.[/p][p][/p][p]Three big requests I’ve seen regarding Build Mode are the ability to build internal walls with the structure tool, as opposed to having to use the Shapes tool to build your own, the functionality to create multiple levels/floors in your stores, and the problems with the radial wheel. [/p][p][/p][p]I’m pleased to confirm that these updates are coming very soon. First up, internal walls will be buildable in the next update, letting you divide your shop floor much more easily than before! This system is much simpler, much faster, and much requested by players, so I’m excited for you to get your hands on it.[/p][p][/p][p]The next addition, multi-level builds, will take a bit more time. In the new update, you’ll be able to build these additional floors, but your in-store experience will remain limited to the ground floor for the time being. [/p][p][/p][p]This is quite a substantial change to Build Mode itself, and I didn’t want to push it through for the imminent update without being able to safely do so, as it will require tweaks to the AI and inventory placement before it can be fully active. [/p][p][/p][p]Instead, I will be rolling this out more gradually, meaning I can also release smaller updates more regularly, rather than bundling everything into one big update and leaving you update-less for a long period of time.   [/p][p][/p][p]Either way, I will keep you posted as Build Mode continues to expand.[/p][p][/p][h2]UI Overhaul; or, The Death of the Radial Wheel [/h2][p]Another big change, and this is a big UI thing, is the phasing out of the radial wheel. [/p][p][/p][p]The radial wheel is used for many things in King of Retail 2, but after hearing your feedback and concerns with the system, I’m starting to purge the radial wheel from the game, in favour of utilising the toolbar at the top of the screen. [/p][p][/p][p]Meaning, all of your tools, such as Outer Structures, Colourisation, Decorations, and much more, will be clickable from the main HUD. This also leads to context menus that pop up when you’re able to interact with something, so it more clearly demonstrates what your options are without needing to open that cursed wheel.[/p][p]
In-store HUD[/p][p]Build Mode HUD[/p][p]That way, you can spend less time clicking through menus and more time building and managing the store of your dreams.[/p][p][/p][p]Once this drops, please let me know how you feel about this UI change, as well as any other menus you feel could do with some TLC.[/p][p][/p][h2]New Products![/h2][p]Expanding the King of Retail 2 article catalogue further, slippers have found their way into the next update![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Also, in the Week 1 update, I mentioned the addition of the Health & Beauty article line, and this is coming along very nicely. There are lots of skin care products on the way alongside more articles you’d expect to find in your local cosmetics store, or the Health aisle of a mighty supermarket. These will also be arriving in the next update.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Oh, and speaking of supermarkets…[/p][h2]Supermarket Contest[/h2][p]As mentioned in the previous Steam blog, we’re running a contest for you to submit your Supermarket in the official King of Retail 2 Discord with a shot at winning one of 3 prizes.[/p][p]
[/p][p]There’s still one week left to get your supermarket screenshot submissions in, so make sure to head over to the King of Retail 2 Discord, follow the contest submission guidelines, and potentially snag yourself a gift card. [/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for now. So, to conclude this dev blog, I’ll leave you with some extremely cool player-created shops that I’ve seen shared around so far.  [/p][p][/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Credits in order:[/p]

1. [p]'Just Simple' by mintyler[/p]
2. [p]Credit to thiesen90[/p]
3. [p]'NedStore' by gameownerltic[/p]
4. [p]'JD Liquor' by jimmydali[/p]

[p][/p][p]Thank you so much for playing, for all your feedback and support, and I’ll see you at the checkout. [/p][p][/p][p]Until next time, have a great sale! [/p]

• [p]Daniel [/p]

[p]Join the King of Retail 2 Discord[/p][p]Get King of Retail 2 Today![/p]

[h2]Changes in 0.1.0.3[/h2]

[h2]Minor[/h2]
- Store closes now at 23 instead of 22,
- Sales game difficulty is based off of segment types,
- Sales game difficulty increases with each interaction,

[h2]Bugs[/h2]
- Product decorations no longer block out invisible areas,
- Gizmo always centered at a decoration product,
- All menus can be closed with ESC in display designer,
- Selling empty properties earn you money for the plot,

Dear retailers!

As we reach the end of the first week since King of Retail 2’s launch, as promised, it’s time for the Week 1 update! Thank you to everyone who has jumped into King of Retail 2 over the last week. It’s been wonderful to see all of your display designs, creative store layouts, and it's also amazing to hear your feedback on the game as a whole.

As I continue to develop King of Retail 2 throughout Early Access, your feedback is always greatly appreciated, so please keep it coming!

Plus, if you’ve been working on your stores, especially a supermarket, I’ve got some exciting news for you, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

• We’ve added many, many new decorations! As an example, every product currently within King of Retail 2 can now be used as a decorative prop. You can scale up those baguettes, slap jars of pickles across every wall, if you wish, and let your creativity run wild as you craft the perfect store.
  

• All items now show their Bulk Count to reduce confusion when ordering.
  
• Reduced the space needed for new registers.
  
• Men’s boots and Men’s classical shoes have arrived in King of Retail 2.
  

• Added 2 new door types in Build Mode.
  
• HQ rooms are now properly removed in save games if deleted from HQ.
  
• Couriers now spawn in the same place as customers,
  
• Individual applications can now be removed.
  
• Adjusted the collision zone of new registers to prevent AI blocking.
  
• Walls will now properly save their rotation direction.
  
• Products now respect register mirroring when purchased.
  
• The Article viewer now closes upon clicking the X button.
  
• Pants properly show their Bulk Count when ordering.
  

That’s what’s arrived in the game today, ready for you to try out, but, let’s talk about what’s on the horizon!



General tweaks and the occasional bug squashing work will continue throughout development, scaling up and down depending on the latest build.

For other news, we have brought a new designer on board to assist with King of Retail 2, and we will be investing additional time into new products as a result. The clothing category will see continued expansion, as with the introduction of new shoes this week, as we bring in more variety beyond the Men’s clothing category in the future.

In the same vein, we’re also starting work on a Beauty/Health category of products in King of Retail 2, which the new designer will take on, thanks to her excellent experience in product label design.



From next week, my work on Build Mode will begin, allowing for interior walls and doors, so creating rooms will be fully available. Currently, you can achieve this in-game via the use of the Shapes feature, but, baking it directly into the Walls portion of Build Mode is high on my priority list. Part of this will also be to allow you to determine customer flow by assigning your own entrances and exits.

Once this is tackled, multi-stores will be next on my list. Currently, you can own multiple stores, but the system does not simulate those stores when you’re not present, so my goal is to change that. Stores you’re not currently in will then be simulated in earnest, and I’ll also be further expanding the HQ feature to bring it more in line with the store customisation mechanics.

Lots to do, lots to share, and products will be a continually evolving part of this process, as well. If there’s a particular product type that you’re after, please sound off in the comments below!

Right, let’s talk about our supermarket contest.



For those unfamiliar, we like to run competitions in King of Retail 2 where we present you with a theme, you create a store with that theme in mind, and you submit it on our Discord, with the winner receiving a gift card!



To celebrate the first week of King of Retail 2 in Early Access, we’re expanding the theme to one word:

Supermarket.

Credit to Lauraluff on the King of Retail 2 Discord!

However that speaks to you, build your supermarket, share your supermarket in our Discord, and be in with a chance of winning one of the three available Steam gift cards!

The competition will run from today, May 30th, until the 20th of June, and is open to both demo AND Early Access players.

So, swing on by the official King of Retail 2 server, and let’s see those supermarkets!

That’s all for this week.

Once again, thank you for checking out King of Retail 2, please keep the feedback coming, and as always:

Have a great sale!

- Daniel

Dear retailers,

We’re now approaching the end of the first day since King of Retail 2 launched into Early Access, and before I delve into this snappy hotfix to address some small new additions and tweaks after receiving player feedback, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for checking out the game, leaving your comments, suggestions, and areas where you’d like to see improvements.

Being an Early Access launch, King of Retail 2 will continually grow and evolve over the coming days, weeks, months, and years with new features and content; we’re just getting started. I am committed fully to open communication and transparency throughout the game’s development, and I love hearing your feedback to make those improvements. Your comments, criticisms, and praises of King of Retail 2 are incredibly valuable to me as a developer, and so, I want to hear from you!

As always, please visit the King of Retail 2 Discord, as it’s the best place to connect with other retailers ,as well as myself.

Okay, onto the hotfix:

• Added difficulty options to King of Retail 2 upon creating a new game.
  

Having seen some of your feedback regarding the startup speed of the game, I didn’t want to make any sweeping changes to the current experience that not everyone may be keen on, so, I have instead opted for a selectable difficulty.

In short, the lower difficulty will provide you with a starting boost to your reputation and finances to help you get off the ground quicker, whereas the higher difficulties will grant you less starting funds and free advertising as you get off the ground.

• Added V-sync Options to the Graphics Menu
  
• Added Motion Blur options to the Graphics Menu
  
• Added Bloom Options to the Graphics Menu
  
• Main menu buttons now toggle off properly.
  
• The Article Details panel now properly updates the relevant graphs.
  

That’s all for now! I’m currently working on a Week 1 update, as well, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Thank you once again for all your support.

- Daniel

Major,
- Added difficulty settings,

Minor,
- Added V-sync options,
- Added motion blur options,
- Added bloom options,

Bugs,
- Main menu buttons now toggles off properly.,
- Article details panel now properly updates the graph