King of Retail 2 News

Dear retailers,

Today’s the day!





As you’re reading this, King of Retail 2 is officially out in Early Access and playable on Steam today!

This is an extremely exciting and nerve-wracking day for me, as I’ve been nurturing this project for a long time and have been eager to finally get it into your hands. As a solo developer, this project is much more than just a game to me. It’s a huge part of my life, one that I hope you’ll love, and one I’m delighted to share with you all.

With King of Retail 2, the development is fully under my control, allowing for much more transparent communication and consistent updates, which I am fully committed to.

Since the demo released into the wild in February of this year, I’ve been hard at work on pushing updates every few weeks, helping bring more of what you’re wanting into the game with every step, thanks to both the Alpha playtesters and Demo users.

Since then, we’ve seen the addition of the fully-customisable Shapes feature to let you craft a truly special store, vastly improved tutorialisation, custom lighting, new cash registers, UI overhauls and menu adjustments, additional character customisation, a tonne of bug fixes, and much more than I can reasonably fit in this sentence.



Which brings me to my next point…



Your feedback as a player of King of Retail 2 is incredibly valuable to me. As development continues throughout Early Access, which I anticipate to take a few years, your insight is always sincerely appreciated during that process.

There are a large number of features and concepts in the game right now that came as a direct result of player feedback and suggestions. How you feel about the game matters a great deal, and when you make those feelings heard, it often leads to me incorporating those very ideas into King of Retail 2 itself.

So, I encourage you to share your thoughts, feelings, queries, suggestions, and improvements with me, which you can do over on the King of Retail 2 Discord. Jump in, have a look around, maybe share a store or two, and let me know your thoughts on King of Retail 2.

As much as I have many, many things in mind for King of Retail 2’s future, regarding the roadmap and further updates, I’d also love for you to play a part in that future, as well.

King of Retail 2 is an evolving title, but with your help, we can make it the quintessential retail simulation experience.



The journey ahead is exciting, wildly so, and I'm committed to continuous improvement and open communication throughout King of Retail 2’s journey.

You may have seen it already, but, here’s another look at the roadmap!



This won’t be everything coming to King of Retail 2, of course, as there’s plenty I want to implement that goes beyond this page. Again, the King of Retail 2 Discord is the best place to keep up-to-date with all things retail.

And with all that being said, the doors are officially open!

Play today, let me know what you think, and thank you for being part of this community, as well as your continued support.

Until next time, have a great sale!

- Daniel

We’re less than 2 weeks out from the launch of King of Retail 2 into Early Access, and there’s a few more tweaks and updates I had in the pipe for both the Alpha & Demo builds, so, today we’re looking at version 0.0.7.4, which is now available to play!

As always, don’t forget to wishlist King of Retail 2 on Steam, and save the date, May 22nd, for the grand opening.

Right, let’s take a look at the latest update:

[h2]Major[/h2]

• Lamps! Fully tintable, this new addition allows you to tweak the atmosphere of your store and dictate the lighting directly.
  

[h2]Minor[/h2]

• You can now see the number of units held on a single spot per shelf, and increase the order value by this number.
  
• Improved wiki visuals.
  
• You are now asked if you would like to schedule a delivery after completing an order; streamlining the process.
  
• Added a disclaimer when buying a second store.
  
• Removed roles that had no actual tasks assigned to them.
  
• Specific decoration units can now be placed on surfaces,
  
• Shelves can now be added underneath another shelf.
  
• Displays with hanging items now have shelves, starting at the top.
  
• Adding, removing and refilling articles now have 3D elements connected to them.
  
• Added additional keybinds, and menu incorporation for the cheat menu.
  
• Updated segments to have names, rather than simply colours, and they now display their icons in the radar chart.
  
• Adjusted the display use screen to be center top of the display instead of center right.
  
• Adjusted priority, text and icons in various radial menus.
  
• Updated tutorials to not have the "Best friend" part.
  
• Added more visual tutorials.
  
• Build mode is now introduced before the ‘Set Up Store’ part of the tutorials.
  
• You can now switch back and forth freely in City mode, even if the tutorials are not fully completed at this point.
  
• Added a new Store UI category to the radial wheel.
  
• Added a jukebox.
  
• Added ambient sound to the City.
  
• Added sounds to build mode.
  

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

• Removed the 2 second start delay at cash registers.
  

[h2]Bugs[/h2]

• Radial and top menus now close when you check out a customer.
  
• You can no longer open top bar menus when busy.
  
• You now both sell buildings, and vacate rented ones; not the other way around.
  
• Buying empty property now reloads the instance.
  
• You can now move and sell HQ rooms properly.
  
• Deleting walls and elements in build mode automatically opens the Select tool again.
  
• Properties can only expand if next to a store.
  
• Fixed a bug where a Standing Display with clothes and small bags would not autofit when clicked.
  
• Standing displays will no longer add products in the display designer if they don't fit.
  
• Glasses adjusted to fit better.
  
• Players will no longer get stuck when trying to unpack a box if the storage is already full.
  
• Refrigerated podiums (Freezers) no longer have shelf controls.
  
• Product detail screen now displays names correctly.
  
• Fixed a severe bug that allowed the manager to leave an interactable twice, resulting in unforeseen behavior.
  
• Fixed a big where pressing ESC while selling to customers could lock you in place.
  
• Fixed a big where selling inventory could lock you in place.
  
• Fixed a bug when pressing ESC whilst moving items, and then using them again, could lock you in place.
  
• Various interaction and menu communication bugs.
  
• Branding and uniform designer menu now closes properly upon pressing ESC.
  
• The whistle has returned.
  

[h2]Visuals[/h2]

• Fixed sidewalk normals.
  
• Adjusted walls and floors to allow for more colours.
  

That’s all for now!

As a reminder, King of Retail 2 enters Early Access on May 22nd, and I’m so excited to see the empires you cook up when it arrives. Also, remember to hop into the King of Retail Discord for all the latest updates, where you can also share your creations and chat with your fellow entrepreneurs.

Take care, and have a great sale!

With King of Retail 2 going into Early Access on May 22nd (save the date!) I’ve got another update for both the Alpha and Demo versions of the game to further tee you up for unleashing your entrepreneurial skills upon the world of retail management.

We have shoes. We have new tutorials. We have custom keybinds, and plenty more.

Let's break down what's new in 0.0.7.3 and what you can expect in-game

[h2]Major[/h2]

• Shoes! The shoe category has been added to King of Retail 2, with over 200 footwear options to deck out your store.
  
• Added custom keybinds.
  
• Added custom currencies for those seeking more than the mighty Krone.
  
• Added additional tutorials and improved onboarding with further menu guides.
  
• You can now move and remove rooms in your HQ.
  

[h2]Minor[/h2]

• Added more visual contrast to the time of day icons.
  
• Increased the floor space needed for registers, as employees could have a hard time reaching them when placed against the wall.
  
• Reduced each queue spot's space demand.
  
• Added an indicator to show if a queue is valid or not.
  
• Added a confirmation button to queue setup.
  
• Displays now provide more accurate help messages on why an article doesn't fit.
  
• Increased interaction area of delivery units.
  
• Entrances now show their spacing requirements when placing interactables.
  
• Added an option to invert the Y-axis on the mouse.
  
• Added mouse sensitivity options.
  
• You can now rotate your character in the character designer.
  
• Added collapsible functionality to the options menu.
  
• You can now access the game settings from the options menu in the store, City and HQ.
  
• You can now save and quit the game at HQ.
  
• Changed article hover icons to show which storage and display type a product is compatible with.
  
• Updated the UI for the Buy Register/Storage/Delivery units.
  
• Removed the greeting level from the cash register menu.
  
• Added default letter to cash register sign.
  
• Removed wall-mounted displays.
  
• Removed developer menu access; no cheating.
  

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

• Customers can no longer re-evaluate an article that was considered for purchase, whether taken or not.
  
• Increased customer waiting time at cash registers
  
• Reduced property prices across the board.
  

[h2]Bugs[/h2]

• Going to HQ from the “End of Day” screen puts you at the ground floor.
  
• Saving the game pauses and locks the screen while the menu is open.
  
• Fixed stretched textures on sidewalks.
  
• Weather particles on windows now properly follow a moving door.
  
• Queue collision now updates properly when changed.
  
• Queues can no longer move into other objects.
  
• The first spot in the queue will now properly update after a purchase.
  
• Continued tweaking of weird beard/hair color combinations.
  
• Category reputation no longer shows placeholder categories.
  
• Category reputations are now scrollable, and doesn't exceed the screen
  
• Top HUD menus now close when another menu is opened.
  
• You can no longer click the “Transfer Money” button on the City screen.
  
• Fixed an issue where several city menus could lead to a soft lock if not following the screen to the end.
  
• Fixed an issue of characters occasionally levitating.
  
• Adjusted the article selector button color to white, from gray.
  
• Customers now leave the register when the store closes.
  
• Customers now leave the register when the register is closed
  
• The “Take Customer” button now stops flashing when the register is closed.
  
• Fixed a bug where removing articles from a display could cause some to disappear.
  
• Updated customer’s article answers when interacting/selling to them.
  
• Greeters will also go home after a hard day's work.
  
• Ending the workday in pause will no longer soft lock the game.
  
• Employees should (hopefully) go to the registers after a break.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Display context menu would stick to the screen.
  
• Interaction menu reopens if the open menu is closed while still overlapping inventory.
  
• Saved orders are now visible again.
  
• Displays in the select folder are now left-aligned.
  

[h2]Hotfix Adjustments
[/h2]

• Concepts now add new product categories to loaded game files.
  
• Opening the radial menu now closes the previous open menu.
  
• Shoe texture optimization.
  
• Inventory now faces the player on spawn.
  
• Add an Interior category to decorations for proper sorting.
  
• Minor UI adjustments, and icon changes.
  
• Luxury value was not used properly, but now is.
  

And there we have it!

These changes are now available for you to try out in the Demo build, so please hop in and swing by the King of Retail Discord to let me know how you’re finding it!

Once again, King of Retail 2 will be available on the 22nd of May in Early Access, so please consider adding the game to your wishlist and sharing it around. It helps a tonne.

Take care, and have a great sale!

Dear Retailers!

We are just over half a month out from the Early Access release of King of Retail 2. We couldn’t be more excited as Alpha testers and demo players have been a tremendous help in helping us iron out pain points and make improvements in both performance and tutorialization. This process is ongoing, but with a clear goal of making King of Retail 2 leagues better and more in-depth than the original.

But May 22nd will only be the start of the game’s journey, as we are entering into Early Access, I wanted to share what our plans are for the game over the long term, and what we plan to work on between now and the distant day when we exit Early Access into a 1.0 Release.





[h2]Digging Deeper, What Does it All Mean?[/h2]

[h3]Expanding the in-game Build Mode[/h3]

We plan to introduce Multi-floor layouts, interior walls, and custom rooms. Create even more internal sectioning in your floor plan, or design huge, multi-level department stores.

• Big multi-floor layouts & interior walls
  
• Custom rooms
  
• New cleaning tasks for floors and windows.
  

[h3]HQ Expansion & Multistores[/h3]
Centralize your operations with a revamped HQ, including offices, team areas, and space to relax in. Players are now able to run multiple stores and Concepts, promote floor managers, and take the CEO seat. This will serve as a greater layer to KoR’s classic gameplay, allowing players to manage huge enterprises at scale.

• Support to develop new Concepts and divide up your company’s branding.
  
• Manage store at scale, including managing employee transfers and central accounting.
  
• Automate stores so they produce business even when you aren’t present.
  

[h3]Marketing & Concepts:
[/h3]Marketing will allow the player to have a greater impact on the greater world through the creation of Concepts that have talents, capabilities, or strengths. Players will also be able to set up billboards and advertise their businesses to improve reputation and foot traffic.

• Improved concept customisation
  
• Supplier relationship interaction for better deals, exclusives, and new products
  

[h3]Improved Employees
[/h3]Build team structures that shape their mood, productivity, and learning. So, make sure to keep them happy or risk losing them. Spot talent and promote them to flagship stores or HQ roles.

• Unique staff wants, needs, and a more human-like personality
  
• Employee hierarchies that can be set up in the shop and HQ
  

[h3]City Revamps
[/h3]Explore new maps with unique settings and a fully overhauled city—buildings, traffic, and pedestrians included. The city evolves over time, which unlocks fresh opportunities and a brand new customer flow.

[h3]Competition Update
[/h3]Face off against rival chains competing for city dominance. Protect your turf, win back territory, and keep your security tight so no one runs away with your expensive computers.

[h3]Display Designer Overhaul
[/h3]As a key new addition to KoR2, the Display Designer will be seeing an overhaul later in development as we add additional functionality to mix-and-match types of products on single displays, as well as additional options for designs.

[h3]And Finally, More Product! Always More Product!
[/h3]And in complement to major milestone updates that add new features, we will be more frequently adding new products, product design, and product types throughout development to expand what you’re capable of selling across all your stores.

[h3]How long do you plan to be in Early Access?
[/h3]As a solo developer, a project like King of Retail 2 needs to be measured in years, and we’re committed to the long haul of delivering a fully-featured, polished end product in the game. We expect Early Access to take around 3 years of development, including the above milestones. We don’t expect this period to be idle, however, as we’ll be adding the above milestones periodically throughout EA alongside more frequent product updates, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

[h3]How can I contribute to Early Access?
[/h3]The best thing to help shape the course of King of Retail 2 would be to join our public discord, where we have a very active community of over 2000+ players constantly providing feedback on features, testing upcoming features, and giving quality critical feedback that helps us improve the game.

-

I’ve been very fortunate to have the support and good will from people who loved King of Retail 1 and much of that has informed how and why I wanted to make the improvement in King of Retail 2 that I did. It’s my greatest wish that Early Access can be a positive experience for all players and provide lasting positive impact on the game.

I can’t wait for King of Retail 2 to finally release and show you all what’s in store for our sequel. I hope you’re all excited too.

Kind Regards,

Daniel

Hello, dear retailers!

First off, I hope you’ve had a lovely Easter break, if you celebrate, and that you’re having a great week so far.

I’ve got another live update for you today for both the Alpha & Demo versions of the build! To keep you in the loop, King of Retail 2 will be going into Early Access on the 22nd of May (remember to wishlist if you haven’t already!), and so I place a lot of my focus into getting everything ready for that date.

Let's break down what's new in 0.0.7.1 and what you can expect in-game

[h3]Major Changes[/h3]

• Improved Character texture optimizations.
  
• Improved Article texture optimizations
  
• Articles now have different processing times to improve performance. (For example, clothes take longer to add to a display compared to groceries.)
  

[h3]Minor Changes[/h3]

• You can now see your store’s area of influence as a ring when in the City view.
  
• You can also see the potential influence ring of any selected building.
  
• The Delivery unit menu shows type, capacity, and product counts.
  
• Storage units now show their capacity for Articles.
  
• Adjusted profile photos for characters.
  
• Readjusted the opacity of hair and beards.
  
• The current day is now highlighted on the Employee Schedule when in the store.
  
• Staff will now always go inside when arriving at work.
  
• Optimized AI task calculations for display and delivery units.
  
• On load game start, the values of actual storage versus expected storage are checked to ensure that they match.
  

[h3]Balancing[/h3]

• Reduced the Skill and Greed influence on wage requests.
  
• Reduced the base store influence area.
  
• Increased each population’s contribution to customer spawning speeds.
  
• Store influence area is increased when your store’s lot size increases.
  
• Reworked customer flow. Different segments now have different shopping hours, spreading the sales more throughout the day.
  
• Audacious hair colors are now a bit less frequent.
  
• Customers now prepare to finish shopping 20 minutes prior to closing time, which was previously 40 minutes.
  
• Adjusted customer shopping patience, making them more need-dependent, rather than tiredness-dependent.
  
• Adjusted the staff idle move / check for work ratio.
  
• Adjusted the size definitions of many articles.
  
• Increased the capacity of storage shelves.
  
• Increased the capacity of delivery units.
  
• Increased the amount and variety of articles customers take when shopping.
  
• Customers now split out to registers based on queue size and distance; previously, it was only distance.
  
• Adjusted cash register speeds, making purchases run faster.
  

[h3]Bugs[/h3]

• Beards now properly attach to staff members’ faces.
  
• You can no longer end the day at the HQ before it is fully set up.
  
• The Standby slider is now set to 0 when inactive.
  
• Selected Speed buttons turn grey to show they’ve been selected.
  
• Vacating a rented property no longer gives you money.
  
• Fixed a bug where the snapping grid remained when cancelling the placement of a display.
  
• Fixed a bug when moving interactable objects could cause the player to lose the ability to interact.
  
• The grid is now visible while moving objects.
  
• The City store pin no longer blocks the camera.
  
• Copying a decoration no longer opens an empty menu.
  
• You can no longer move when assigning a store from a rental property.
  
• Long messages should now stay within the border of the player message box.
  
• Delivery units didn't previously take product sizes into account, but they now do.
  
• Tweaked the Article selector’s button to display the correct color again.
  
• Storage units now only show appropriate products.
  
• Hair has been graciously returned to women.
  
• Characters now match the height shown in their photos.
  
• Staff will refill almost full displays.
  
• HQ floors will now properly save and load.
  
• The medium HQ office can no longer be placed inside other rooms.
  
• Added missing article images.
  
• You can no longer edit employee schedules in the store.
  
• Removed collision when opening a terminal drawer.
  
• The Presentation skill will now have an influence on refill speed.
  
• The Unpacking skill will now have an influence on unpack speed.
  
• Customers leaving without paying will now return their articles to be delivered the day after.
  
• Customers' ages fit their demographic more appropriately.
  
• Wages and bonuses are deducted properly.
  
• Some inventory items could emit light just because they felt like it, which has been fixed.
  
• Skills are now impactful at the cash register.
  
• Fixed weird animations when customers would take articles.
  

[h3]Visuals[/h3]

• Added additional vegetable visuals.
  
• Added additional cleaning category visuals.
  
• Added additional decorations.
  
• Changed the building options UI.
  
• Improved character shaders overall.
  

Lots of tweaks, plenty of balancing, and a bunch of bug squashing, too.

I also wanted to take the time to extend my sincere thanks to the alpha players of King of Retail 2, who have reported bugs, provided their game saves for analysis, and helped me hunt down and destroy a nasty bug that found its way into earlier versions of this patch. Your feedback and overall assistance with this has been extremely valuable so, again, thank you!

Please let me know how you’re feeling about this update by either leaving your feedback on the Steam Community tab, or better still, hopping into the King of Retail Discord and sharing your thoughts there.

King of Retail 2 enters Early Access on May 22nd, and I can’t wait for you to dive in.

Take care, and have a great sale!