GearCity News

Hello!

Version 2.0.0.8 is now out. This update is another bug-fix patch of things submitted to me over the last few months. There is nothing too big in this update. But there are a few moderate and small bug fixes.

Depending on what FBS Contributors fund in our Feature Bounty System, the next update will be in conjunction with the FBS DLC release.

In other news,

The Feature Bounty System crowdfunding milestone is 74.4% funded, and we have four more months to go. We are highly likely to reach the first milestone goal! That means new features in GearCity for FBS contributors. (Eventually, those features will become free to everyone else.) If you want to know more about the FBS system, please view our stickies in the forums.

As some may know, I have spent the last 6 months working on our next game, AeroMogul. AeroMogul is an airline management business simulator. I'm pleased to report that progress is going very well. The graphical client, including airports, routes, and the first iteration of some of the UI, is complete. I would love to share an early teaser trailer, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine has hampered artwork production. So instead, you'll get a couple of screenshots.








I am now working on the economics engine for the game. It is called Beardgine III Economic Engine. It is the next iteration of the economics engine found in GearCity's Beardgine I and Beardgine II. However, it is just an economic engine, whereas Beardgine I and II were entire game engines specifically designed for GearCity. I am using Unity3D for AeroMogul's graphical client. Just a little tech talk for those who are interested.



Change Log:
-Bugfix: Fixed Districting Tutorial's title bar text.
-Bugfix: Fixed contract prices not updating when changing contracts.
-Bugfix: Fixed Redesign button issues in RnD->Modify->Components
-Engine: Help->Manual now directs to the Japanese Wiki when playing in Japanese
-Engine: Updated CEF on MacOS.
-Bugfix: Fixed issue that was causing incorrect new generation when using refit system.
-Bugfix: Fixed TV and Internet marketing date mismatches.
-Bugfix: Fixed massive dropdown box item issues when massive GUI scaling (above 100%/double) is used.
-Gameplay: Disable Static Vehicle Popularity no longer blocks Random Vehicle Popularity at game start.
-Bugfix: Fixed Memo warning moving when resizing memo window.
-Bugfix: Fixed list page reset when using Mega Menu End Production and Stop Selling tools.
-Bugfix: Fixed rare condition that allowed the player to build one extra branch when branch limits setting is enabled.
-Bugfix: Fixed small font in production lists when Auto Production is enabled. This might cause a regression.
-Bugfix: The game will now load the next memo after deleting a memo.
-GUI: The game will no longer recenter the Components Modification window after using end production.
-Bugfix: Removed broken predesigned vehicle.
-Bugfix: Fixed Branch Operations report breaking when city sales reports are disabled.
-Bugfix: Removed misleading window title for refit components popup.
-Gameplay: Player now receives a stock split memo for their own company.
-Gameplay: New component and vehicle type memos are now checked on the 12th month of the year instead of the 1st.
-Gameplay: New racing series memo now appears 13 months before start. Memo wording might cause issues in the future.
-Gameplay: Racing Series and Non-Manufacturer Racing contracts now generate their own memos.

Hello everyone! I have another bugfix update for you.

This time we have ten bug fixes, one of which is an exploit fix. We also have two gameplay changes, one of which may harm your company if you solely rely on racing contracts. And two engine changes, one of which allows you to increase GUI scaling to triple the normal size.

In other news,

The first milestone in our crowdfunding efforts for additional GearCity content is now over 1/3rd of the way funded. We continue to need your support to reach our milestone goal. If you enjoy the game and would like to see more content for it, please consider contributing. You can find more information on our forums under the pinned Feature Bounty threads.

Work continues on GearCity documentation, but my primary focus is on the next product, AeroMogul. It is progressing well, and we have already shown off a few sneak peeks to Feature Bounty contributors.


Change Log:

-Bugfix: Cyrillic font not displayed when using CJK language.
-Gameplay: Reduction to racing contracts unit requests.
-Bugfix: Fixed volume settings reset after updates.
-Bugfix: Fixed Research Teams exploit that allowed the player to enter any value into the text boxes.
-Bugfix: Fixed typo in English newspaper articles.
-Gameplay: The "Enable All Vehicles At Start" option now removes year limits to premade designs.
-Bugfix: Fixed unassigned contracts popup that would appear when you are not producing the monthly requirement, even if you are producing more than the remaining units needed.
-Bugfix: Fixed Munitions Factory Destruction Memo from firing when you are not making munitions.
-Bugfix: Added contract sales to Total Delivery Costs calculations
-Bugfix: Fixed sorting issues with Datatables for numbers with '$' and ',' characters.
-Engine: In-game settings now allows for a +200% increase in UI Scaling. This is up from our +100% scaling.
-Bugfix: Fixed bug that prevented the components redesign button from showing if you clicked certain models in a certain order.
-Engine: If you launch the game "offline," the game will now periodically check to see if you have connected to the game distribution client to log your achievements.
-Bugfix: Fixed a problem with our internal scripting that was causing unnecessary files to be uploaded to distributors. Those extra files should be removed with this update.

[h2]Hotfix #1[/h2]

-Bugfix: Fixed code point issues on Japanese and Chinese fonts, which caused text not to appear in the game when using either language.

[h2]Hotfix #2[/h2]

-Bugfix: Fixed regex issue causing sorting problems on some Datatable columns.

[h2]Hotfix #3[/h2]
-Engine: Limited Auto-GUI Scaling for OSX HiDPI displays to +100%.

Greetings everyone!

I have for you all a small bug fix update. It's mostly tidying up a few things that were reported to me since the last update.

-Engine: Added Additional Error Checking to Prevent Rare Vehicle Design Crash.
-Bugfix: Fixed Borderless windows in-game setting in Windows.
-Maps: Updated UA city names on Base City Map names to IATA standard.
-GUI: Fixed some text alignment issues in the Japanese Language File
-Web: News page is now separated based on which game distribution platform you are using.
-Engine: Fixed issues with the Chat system that prevented it from working on 64-bit builds.
-Engine: Fixed browser not redirecting to an internal error page when a report isn't found or when you're offline.
-Engine: Created offline pages for news and manual. The latter will have a static manual once we complete the manual.
-Translations: Updated Translations, added Ukrainian support.
-Gameplay: Minor tweak to Morale increase when paying good wages.
-Gameplay: The game will now only sell a fraction of shares when you run out of money instead of all your share of a single entity.

Greetings Everyone,

I have released GearCity v2.0.0.5!

This update fixes a few bugs in the game, mod tools, and settings editor. All our external programs are now running Qt5, which should help with HiDPI issues on all platforms.

The Feature Bounty System has also launched. We're about halfway to our monthly goal to reach the first milestone before the deadline. You can find more details on the forums, the official websites, or our social media pages.

Work will continue on documentation and fleshing out the FBS bounty lists.

Changelog: -Engine: Some external websites in the game are now using HTTPS on 64-bit builds.
-Bugfix: Fixed issue that could cause frequent engineering strikes when many designs are under research.
-Bugfix: Fixed issue that prevented wage negotiations not being applied to all engineering employees if multiple designs are under research.
-Bugfix: Fixed issue that caused the dealership subsidized frequency value to be incorrect.
-GUI: When there are no longer any unlockable designs in the Research Teams window, we use a blank texture instead of an empty blueprint texture.
-Engine: Fixed several issues with saving and loading volume settings and the settings editor.
-Bugfix: Fixed money not being taken away when using the Anti-Trust Bribery option.
-Bugfix: Fixed several issues when losing the Anti-Trust case when selecting the Bribery option.
-Bugfix: Fixed a way for players to break the New Generation System by clicking the format button and changing the vehicle type and name. As a result, this fixes a couple of reports that players can't create new generations of certain vehicles.
-Bugfix: Fixed issue that caused unused factory morale to show 100 when it could be less.
-GUI: Player will no longer get a memo for unused factories with low morale.
-Bugfix: Fixed incorrect country in McLaughlin achievement.
-Bugfix: Fixed bug that could cause marketing efficiency to grow too fast at first. Made additional adjustments to marketing efficiency monthly growth values.

Mod Tools: -Bugfix: I Added a MapFileLocalSave.xml that stores the local path for the exported map. "MapFileForModTools.xml" uses relative paths which may not load when exported.
-GUI: Implemented Turn Events Editor buttons.
-Bugfix: Increased all localization ID max values.
-GUI: Added load, edit, and save music comments to music editor. I also fixed sizing issues.
-Bugfix: Fixed AI Editor clustering value limits.
-Bugfix: AI Editor can now accept -1 values. This value forces the game to generate a random value.
-GUI: Tool clears racing restrictions when making a new series.
-Bugfix: Fixed OSX drawn issues.
-Tool: Upgraded to QT5.

Settings Editor: -Bugfix: Fixed error prompts when downloading files from Steam Workshop.
-GUI: Added missing music settings.
-GUI: Removed full screen resolution lock.
-Tool: Upgraded to QT5.

Greetings Everyone,


I have released version 2.0.0.4. This update fixes a few minor bugs and exploits. You can expect the next patch once the community reports a work-week worth of issues.

In the meantime, I will return to working on the Game Mechanics section of the manual. Work on the manual will last about a week. Then I will switch back to working on the Feature Bounty System items starting in the middle of this month.

That brings me to the next bit of news. As you probably all have heard, Russia invaded Ukraine, and now the country is engulfed in war. Unfortunately, Serhiy, our contract artist who has done most of the quality artwork on the game, including the backdrops, logos, and 30-40% of the vehicles, lives in Ukraine. He is safe at this time, but nothing is predictable with the uncertainties of war. What does that mean with GearCity? One of the most important elements of the Feature Bounty System was adding new vehicle types and replacing the existing vehicle bodies with a more advanced body designer. In addition to many other artwork-related items, such as visible component designs, more logos, etc.

The plan was to have each fundraising milestone require funding for an artwork bounty before the remaining funds were used on programming bounties. (I require capital to pay for artwork, whereas my time is the only programming expense.) However, because of the instability in Ukraine, we are uncertain if he'll be able to produce the artwork. So I will likely go ahead with the Feature Bounty System without any art-related bounties until the situation improves in Ukraine. When things have stabilized over there, we'll have a couple of art-only milestones to catch the artwork up with the software side if we get too far ahead.

I planned on soft-launching the Feature Bounty System on our chat networks at the end of last month. However, because of the invasion, I pushed the soft launch to the end of this month. A broader launch will be middle of next month, keep an eye out on the forums and what have you, as I won't be making a Steam announcement when it launches. Let's all hope and pray for a speedy and favorable conclusion to the war in Ukraine. Not only for a return to normalcy but for all the lives involved.

Speaking of the chat networks, we have added a Discord if that is your thing: https://discord.gg/xyxDvWPX8X

And it is bridged to our IRC channels: irc.esper.net #vent and #gearcity.

So feel free to come and join us!



Change Log:
-Bugfix: Assisted contract designer component selection breaks when running out of options.
-Gameplay: Improved assisted contract designer to cycle through component options. The tradeoff is that it will test fewer slider positions, but the assistant should be more successful now.
-Gameplay: Assisted Engine Designer will now use maximum length and width of a contract if you load the assisted engine designer via the Assisted Contract Designer. This means you can make adjustments to your sliders and it assistant will keep the dimensions within the contract.
-Gameplay: AI manufacturer and non-manufacturing race teams are now more likely to join first year of racing events and single year series. Non-manufacturing racing contracts now start an extra year in advance before a season starts.
-Gameplay: AI manufacturers are now more likely to join in racing in the early years and replace models a little more frequently.
-GUI: Mega Menu End Production racing/contract warning now only displays when the selected model is used in racing or a contract. This is to make the feature work the same as RnD End Production.
-Bugfix: End Production does not remove model from contract bid, resulting in blue selections in contract window.
-GUI: Zoom in and zoom out button for 64-bit reports windows. The game will store the zoom level for the reports until you close the game. Note, a few reports will not use the stored zoom level, but you can still manually zoom in and out.
-Bugfix: Estimated Design Requirement and Manufacturing Requirement ranges can break with certain numbers
-Bugfix: Limit Define Benefits employee fees to no more than 100% of wages.
-Gameplay: Adjusted union negotiations demands so that fees greatly increases benefits demand. Unless you have very high admin skills, you're unlikely to be able to demand more than 50% fees now.
-Bugfix: Disabled WW2, WW1, and Great Depression achievements in Random History mode
-Bugfix: Refit new trim allows unlimited characters
-Bugfix: Premade designs have availability years that don't match base model body's years. So they're not usable in those years.
-Bugfix: Stock window drop down not resetting when clicking some buttons in the stock window.
-Bugfix: Gearbox racing contract weight values incorrectly displayed
-Bugfix: Lack of rounding in the Purchase More Components memo.
-Bugfix: Refit system creating new generations of vehicle when using the trim system.
-Bugfix: Price Gouging Penalty sticking in the Buyer Rating Table until you hit apply to the price.
-Bugfix: Spin-off stock resell exploit, adjustments made to cash value in stock eval, past stock history for spun off company is now deleted.
-Bugfix: Reports when Auto-save GUI in enabled do not center.