August Update - Patch 0.4.5
Hey everyone it's time for an update.
I'm still hard at work on the next major update (0.5.0) which will include the Reviews overhaul & a new profession amongst other things.
This is a slightly smaller update which adds a few frequently requested features and a host of bug fixes & performance increases.
[h3]Here's a quick overview of what this patch contains:[/h3]
Task Priorities:
You are now able to change your managers, builders & janitors task priorities.
If you're sick of your Janitors prioritising watering plants over cleaning mess or builders leaving repairing equipment until last, you can now easily change task priorities by clicking the up or down arrow next to a task as shown in this screenshot:
Also in this screenshot you can see an example of the next addition:
Builder Repair Threshold:
If you click on a builder you'll see a percentage next to their "Repair" option. Changing this will determine what equipment quality will trigger them to go & repair it.
A higher number (over 80%) will cause them to repair things much more often, so you will have higher quality equipment at the cost of having less time for other tasks.
Timed Switches:
Power Switches can now be set to automatically turn on & off at specific times.
Allowing more cost savvy players to easily switch off power to rooms they're not using.
Membership Mood Bonuses:
In this patch I've reworked the way bonuses & penalties work with Members & Premium Members.
An example of this is that Premium Members & Members will gain happiness 10% faster if in a zone that excludes casuals, however Premium Members will gain happiness 20% faster in a zone that excludes both casuals and regular members.
Conversely, there are also minor penalties such as Premium Members gaining happiness 10% slower while in zones that allow casuals.
These bonuses & penalties are low enough that they can be ignored without serious impact on your Rec Center but are a good option to provide a better experience for your members which may lead to better reviews.
These mood changes only apply to Pool, Gym, Cafeteria, Entertainment & Bathroom zones.
Performance Optimisation:
Before this patch, every floor tile, pool tile & wall were drawn individually by the GPU. In a large Rec Center this would cause up to 1000 calls for drawing.
In this patch I've recoded the way ALL wall/floor tiles are handled so that every tile & wall is drawn on a single big surface overlayed on the screen & only updated when a new tile/wall is added/removed.
The end result should be invisible to the player but give 30-50% overall performance increase, especially in late-game with a big Rec Center.
This is by far the largest single performance increase the game has had to date.
[h3]Here's a list of the full-ingame changelog:[/h3]
- Priorities:
You are now able to change your managers, builders & janitors task priorities.
Simply target your manager or employee & mouse over their tasks & click to shift tasks up or down.
- Optimisation:
The way all floor tiles, walls & pools work has been completely rewritten. Rather than being drawn as individual tiles, they are now all drawn to a single large surface, drastically improving performance for very large Rec Centers.
- Membership Mood Changes:
There are some changes to the way Members & Premium Members handle their mood bonuses while in certain zones. Any time a member gains or loses mood, there is a bonus or penalty based on where they are.
For example, a Premium Member will gain happyness 20% faster while in a Premium-Member exclusive zone.
These mood bonuses only apply to Pool, Gym, Cafeteria, Entertainment & Bathroom zones.
- You can now set the Builder employees' minimum repair threshold
- Switches can now be set to automatically turn on & off at specific times
- A separate toggle for Ambiance has been added to the options menu
- Added utility menu overlay to make cables easier to see
Minor changes & bug fixes:
- Lifeguards with the 'Sharp Eye' trait now have a larger rescue range
- Rebalanced Childcare review scores
- Reduced the chance of customers drowning a by a small amount
- Scaffold limit increased from 1500 to 2000
- Opening the electricity grid should no longer cause an fps stutter
- Reduced stutter in late-game when building/destroying cables & walls
- Volume of water sound effects lowered by 50%
- Members now correctly gain a mood bonus if in member-only zones
- Janitors will no longer try to put stock in unassigned shop shelves
- Fixed crash related to childcare
- Fixed bug causing employees to wander & not do their job
- Fixed some bugs related to lifeguards & drowning
- Fixed some issues with sound volume not affecting all sounds
- Fixed bug causing customers to get stuck on the running track
- Fixed some visual bugs with Purchases & Profit not adding up right
- Many smaller changes & bug fixes
Final note:
I've still got a bit of work to do on the review overhaul & new profession (amongst new additions).
But I've layed out my plans & am making good progress!
I'm still hard at work on the next major update (0.5.0) which will include the Reviews overhaul & a new profession amongst other things.
This is a slightly smaller update which adds a few frequently requested features and a host of bug fixes & performance increases.
[h3]Here's a quick overview of what this patch contains:[/h3]
Task Priorities:
You are now able to change your managers, builders & janitors task priorities.
If you're sick of your Janitors prioritising watering plants over cleaning mess or builders leaving repairing equipment until last, you can now easily change task priorities by clicking the up or down arrow next to a task as shown in this screenshot:
Also in this screenshot you can see an example of the next addition:
Builder Repair Threshold:
If you click on a builder you'll see a percentage next to their "Repair" option. Changing this will determine what equipment quality will trigger them to go & repair it.
A higher number (over 80%) will cause them to repair things much more often, so you will have higher quality equipment at the cost of having less time for other tasks.
Timed Switches:
Power Switches can now be set to automatically turn on & off at specific times.
Allowing more cost savvy players to easily switch off power to rooms they're not using.
Membership Mood Bonuses:
In this patch I've reworked the way bonuses & penalties work with Members & Premium Members.
An example of this is that Premium Members & Members will gain happiness 10% faster if in a zone that excludes casuals, however Premium Members will gain happiness 20% faster in a zone that excludes both casuals and regular members.
Conversely, there are also minor penalties such as Premium Members gaining happiness 10% slower while in zones that allow casuals.
These bonuses & penalties are low enough that they can be ignored without serious impact on your Rec Center but are a good option to provide a better experience for your members which may lead to better reviews.
These mood changes only apply to Pool, Gym, Cafeteria, Entertainment & Bathroom zones.
Performance Optimisation:
Before this patch, every floor tile, pool tile & wall were drawn individually by the GPU. In a large Rec Center this would cause up to 1000 calls for drawing.
In this patch I've recoded the way ALL wall/floor tiles are handled so that every tile & wall is drawn on a single big surface overlayed on the screen & only updated when a new tile/wall is added/removed.
The end result should be invisible to the player but give 30-50% overall performance increase, especially in late-game with a big Rec Center.
This is by far the largest single performance increase the game has had to date.
[h3]Here's a list of the full-ingame changelog:[/h3]
- Priorities:
You are now able to change your managers, builders & janitors task priorities.
Simply target your manager or employee & mouse over their tasks & click to shift tasks up or down.
- Optimisation:
The way all floor tiles, walls & pools work has been completely rewritten. Rather than being drawn as individual tiles, they are now all drawn to a single large surface, drastically improving performance for very large Rec Centers.
- Membership Mood Changes:
There are some changes to the way Members & Premium Members handle their mood bonuses while in certain zones. Any time a member gains or loses mood, there is a bonus or penalty based on where they are.
For example, a Premium Member will gain happyness 20% faster while in a Premium-Member exclusive zone.
These mood bonuses only apply to Pool, Gym, Cafeteria, Entertainment & Bathroom zones.
- You can now set the Builder employees' minimum repair threshold
- Switches can now be set to automatically turn on & off at specific times
- A separate toggle for Ambiance has been added to the options menu
- Added utility menu overlay to make cables easier to see
Minor changes & bug fixes:
- Lifeguards with the 'Sharp Eye' trait now have a larger rescue range
- Rebalanced Childcare review scores
- Reduced the chance of customers drowning a by a small amount
- Scaffold limit increased from 1500 to 2000
- Opening the electricity grid should no longer cause an fps stutter
- Reduced stutter in late-game when building/destroying cables & walls
- Volume of water sound effects lowered by 50%
- Members now correctly gain a mood bonus if in member-only zones
- Janitors will no longer try to put stock in unassigned shop shelves
- Fixed crash related to childcare
- Fixed bug causing employees to wander & not do their job
- Fixed some bugs related to lifeguards & drowning
- Fixed some issues with sound volume not affecting all sounds
- Fixed bug causing customers to get stuck on the running track
- Fixed some visual bugs with Purchases & Profit not adding up right
- Many smaller changes & bug fixes
Final note:
I've still got a bit of work to do on the review overhaul & new profession (amongst new additions).
But I've layed out my plans & am making good progress!