Police Simulator: Patrol Officers News

[h3]Fellow officers,[/h3]
we're pleased to announce that The Nightshift with Friends Update is now available for Police Simulator: Patrol Officers!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]What's inside The Nightshift with Friends Update?[/h2]

Well, the name of the update kinda spoils it a little... we now have nightshifts. And a co-op multiplayer mode for two players. Oh and a bunch of other stuff. I hope you're hyped.

Let's start with the Co-Op Multiplayer: You can now patrol through the streets of Brighton as a team - and protect your city, together. You can resolve accidents together. You can drive through the streets in a police car together. You can hand out parking tickets together. Isn't that great?

In addition, we're finally introducing Night Shifts! The night is dark and full of terror... at least that's what they said in Game of Thrones. Not here though! While it can certainly get pretty dark in Brighton, there are some lanterns all around. And if you feel a bit lost anyway, you can now use your new Flashlight! Praise the artificial sun! Ah, yeah, we're also introducing Road Flares which you can use to, for example, mark accident sites more clearly.

That's not all! After reading all your feedback, it became clear that you want to see some new violations as well. So, here they are:

• New Traffic Violation: Smoking Exhaust
  
• New Traffic Violation: Engine Too Loud
  
• New Traffic Violation: Driving without Light
  

Oh, and also a bunch of other stuff. More about that down below.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Something else I need to know?[/h2]

Yes. I hope you've seen our last post in which we've announced that starting with the new update, save games will be handled completely differently from now on.

Please read the post for full information.

In addition, I also hope that you've seen our little disclaimer! Due to the multiplayer aspect, we had to skip the planned beta because of multiple factors associated with it which could lead to more problems than we've anticipated during testing. So please keep in mind that things won't be perfect - but your feedback will be extremely important!

Please read our disclaimer about that as well!

[h2]Update 2.0.0 - Full Patchnotes[/h2]

It's time for your favourite list once again! Here's the full list of patchnotes and everything you need to know about Update 2.0.0!

New Features

• New Feature: Added 2 Player Co-op Multiplayer
  
• New Feature: Night Shifts
  
• New Tool: Road Flares
  
• New Tool: Flash Light for Player
  
• New Violation: Smoking Exhaust
  
• New Violation: Engine too loud
  
• New Violation: Broken Headlights
  
• New Feature: Standard key binding for Focus Mode
  
• New Feature: Customizable shift duration
  
• New Feature: Hotkeys for frequently used functions (like 1-7 for tools, M for map or H for handbook)
  

Gameplay

• Reduced the chances for dynamic accidents to happen by ~50% overall
  
• Implemented pause while handbook, board computer or map is open
  
• CP loss and SP gain are now displayed immediately
  
• Adjusted XP calculation to reduce the effect of CP loss
  
• Added Stolen Car detainment reason in background checks
  
• Fixed an issue that caused pulling over a vehicle after being verified with speeding gun to be marked as unjustified
  
• Balanced the priorities of evidence intuition feedback based on the severity of violation types
  

Police Car & Traffic

• Improved camera when interacting with vehicles
  
• Disabled super bright white emergency lights on stationary ambulances (we got blind just looking at them)
  
• Fixed lights on roof of the Arrest Transport Vehicle
  
• Moved rear license plate of Kirishima Avalanche to a lower position on the trunk cover so it's better readable during parking duty (thanks,
  
• GmsGarcia!)
  
• Added handicapped placards and improved handicapped license plates for faster recognition
  
• Added private taxi company Shift! stickers
  
• Fixed issue where NPCs were standing while driving
  
• Fixed issue with invisible collision around precincts
  
• Fixed issue which led to unwanted collisions with the patrol car leading to game over
  
• Fixed issue where NPCs are able to push the patrol car into the ground
  
• Fixed issue with vehicle light balancing being wrongly applied (more cars should have their lights on now!)
  

World

• Fixed the outdoor lighting of the precincts Baytown, Beaufort Landing, and Brianna
  
• Fixed some cases where an interaction camera would clip into the environment
  

Localization & Texts

• Updated text to reflect 'four' new shifts instead of 'two' new shifts in the handbook
  

UI

• Added new loading screen tooltips for Handicap Placard and Brighton's private taxi company Shift!
  
• Added new tutorial images for multiple languages
  
• You can now open the Police Computer (including the map and background check) while talking to NPCs (e.g. during ID checks)
  
• Updated casual mode highlight arrow (which is now yellow and looks a lot nicer!)
  
• Fixed some minor text formatting issues on ID cards
  

Miscellaneous

• Added distinction for beta and stable savegames
  
• Fixed honking while exiting the patrol car causing the game to crash
  
• Fixed issue that could lead the game to crash when accepting a major accident callout
  
• Fixed a bunch of other crashes (more than we could ever list here)
  
• Fixed issue with loading savegames that were corrupted by quitting out of the game during first loading screen
  
• Fixed an issue where wanted NPC didn't match description
  
• Updated startup logos
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed like dozen other things - so many, it's way too many to even list them here :'(
  

https://store.steampowered.com/app/997010?snr=1_2108_9__2107

[h3]Fellow officers,[/h3]
Later this month, the long-awaited Nightshift with Friends Update will finally release. Now the unavoidable question: Beta, where?

Yes, you're right - usually, the beta phase of the next update should have started by now. It didn't, tho. And that's mainly because we've decided to cancel it this time due to a number of technical reasons.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Wait, why?[/h2]

As planned, we were working on the Nightshift with Friends Beta until just recently. However, after a bunch of discussions, we realized that it might not make sense to push out the update into beta - mainly because of the multiplayer aspect.

Creating a functional multiplayer is extremely challenging and could bring a lot of potential problems with it. Performance, glitches, bugs... you know? While we're making good progress and have fixed quite a lot in the past few months, we believe that there's still unforeseen stuff that we couldn't anticipate in our internal tests.

That's why we definitely need as much feedback and data as possible - and therefore the largest pool there could be. Which is, obviously, on the public branch! We know that the multiplayer might not run perfectly right from the start but that might be a risk worth taking. Together with you, we'll find out potential issues and improve them further down the line!

[h2]RIP Betas? :([/h2]

Of course not! Just to make it clear: This is an exception due to the multiplayer aspect.

But yeah, we get it. It must seem weird that after announcing that we'll have a beta before each bigger update, we're skipping it right at the second. Totally understandable.

But no worries, we will continue to host betas in the future and ship them prior to the full release of bigger updates. Hosting the last beta helped us a lot and we certainly can't wait for the next one!

[h2]An important notice about savegames[/h2]

Starting with the Nightshift with Friends Update, we'll change how savegames are handled when playing on both the public and the beta branches. From then on, savegames can not be transferred between beta and public anymore and we'll have two different folders and markings so that you can switch between the branches at any time - without having to hassle with backing up savegames when doing so.

This change brings a side-effect with it: All existing beta save games will no longer be treated as beta savegames and will automatically transform into a public savegame. This means that all previously created savegames, public and beta, are now public savegames.

Should you have primarily played on the beta branch, this savegame can now continue to be used on the public branch. Should you possess both beta and public savegames, we recommend deciding on one to keep for the public branch. It's just the beta branch on which everyone needs to start from scratch after the update.

You can find your current savegame here:
C:\Users\”USER”\AppData\Local\Boston\Saved\SaveGames You can find these more easily by typing %localappdata% into Windows search.

Here's an overview of the different scenarios:



[h2]A first look into the patch notes[/h2]

As we will not offer you a beta this time, we at least wanted to share the current state of the patch notes for the Nightshift with Friends Update with you! It's anything but complete yet and some aspects are still in development, meaning that there's still stuff missing and everything's subject to change.

New Features

• New Feature: Added 2 Player Co-op Multiplayer
  
• New Feature: Night Shifts
  
• New Tool: Road Flares
  
• New Tool: Flash Light for Player
  
• New Violation: Smoking Exhaust
  
• New Violation: Engine too loud
  
• New Feature: Standard key binding for Focus Mode
  
• New Feature: Customizable shift duration
  
• New Feature: Hotkeys for frequently used functions (like 1-7 for tools, M for map or H for handbook)
  

Gameplay

• Reduced the chances for dynamic accidents to happen by ~50% overall
  
• Implemented pause while handbook, board computer or map is open
  
• CP loss and SP gain are now displayed immediately
  
• Adjusted XP calculation to reduce the effect of CP loss
  
• Added Stolen Car detainment reason in background checks
  
• Fixed an issue that caused pulling over a vehicle after being verified with speeding gun to be marked as unjustified
  
• Balanced the priorities of evidence intuition feedback based on the severity of violation types
  

Police Car & Traffic

• Improved camera when interacting with vehicles
  
• Disabled super bright white emergency lights on stationary ambulances (we got blind just looking at them)
  
• Fixed lights on roof of the Arrest Transport Vehicle
  
• Moved rear license plate of Kirishima Avalanche to a lower position on the trunk cover so it's better readable during parking duty (thanks, GmsGarcia!)
  

World

• Fixed the outdoor lighting of the precincts Baytown, Beaufort Landing, and Brianna
  
• Fixed some cases where an interaction camera would clip into the environment
  

Localization & Texts

• Updated text to reflect 'four' new shifts instead of 'two' new shifts in the handbook
  

UI

• Added new loading screen tooltips for Handicap Placard and Brighton's private taxi company Shift!
• Added new tutorial images for multiple languages
  
• You can now open the Police Computer (including the map and background check) while talking to NPCs (e.g. during ID checks)
  

Miscellaneous

• Added distinction for beta and stable savegames
  
• Fixed honking while exiting the patrol car causing the game to crash
  
• Fixed issue that could lead the game to crash when accepting a major accident callout
  
• Fixed a bunch of other crashes (more than we could ever list here)
  
• Fixed issue with loading savegames that were corrupted by quitting out of the game during first loading screen
  

https://store.steampowered.com/app/997010/Police_Simulator_Patrol_Officers/

[h3]Update - September 6, 2021[/h3]

Applications have now ended. Thank you so much for your interest!

[h3]Fellow officers,[/h3]
Yes, you heard it correctly: We are looking for REAL police officers! Do you want to help in shaping the future of the game - and help us in making it as realistic as possible?

[h2]What is this all about?[/h2]

When creating Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, we did a lot of research when it comes to the rules and law in the United States. In the last few weeks, we have already collected a bunch of feedback from you - thank you so much for that!

However, sometimes things still seem a bit more obscure to us - and as we strive for a realistic experience in the role of a patrol officer, the support of real officers will help us make an even better game. A huge benefit to everyone!

[h2]How do I apply?[/h2]

It's quite straightforward!

If you want to participate and have a lot of experience as a patrol officer in the United States, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line 'Real Patrol Officer', your profession, and prior experience.

We'll contact you afterwards and invite some of you to our exclusive Discord channel in which our development team at Aesir interactive will be active.

Shape the future of Police Simulator: Patrol Officers and send us an application!

Your Police Simulator: Patrol Officers Team

[h3]Fellow officers,[/h3] ¡Hola! Bonjour! Ciao! Merhaba! Witam! Olá! Здравствуйте! 안녕하세요! こんにちは!
(If you just want to see the new patch notes, please scroll down to the bottom.)

We heard you loud and clear: Starting today, we're offering support for nine more languages in Police Simulator: Patrol Officers – making the game even more accessible. A simulation game that is as realistic and comprehensive as ours, might have a bunch of technical terms which are not so easy to understand if you are not a native English speaker. We can't wait to see even more of you starting their first shifts in Brighton, protecting the city and helping citizens in need!

Keep in mind that - for now - voiceovers will stay in German and English. Only written text has been localized to the new languages. In addition, there might be some mistakes or spelling errors still present in a few areas - but we'll constantly work on ironing them out throughout the months to come! Also, as we update the game quite frequently, we might get to a point at which it can take a while until all localizations have caught up to the most recent changes. In the meantime, bits and pieces are shown in English while the rest is fully localized.

To select a new language, head over to the settings and then to audio.

Here's the full list of new languages supported by the game:

• French
  
• Italian
  
• Spanish
  
• Turkish
  
• Polish
  
• Brazilian Portuguese
  
• Russian
  
• Korean
  
• Japanese
  

[h2]Community Translations![/h2]

Yes, you can take part as well! We're currently in the middle of the process to put up all the original text on a platform and letting you, the community, take part in the translation process. This approach makes it possible - if the demand is high enough - to localize the game into less frequently spoken languages as well!

Do you want to see the game in... Hungarian? Dutch? Greek? Something else? Help us out!

If you want to participate and have already collected some experience in that field, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line 'Community Translation', your language, and prior experience with translations.

Together, we can make it happen!

[h2]What else is new?[/h2]

Today's update 1.2.0 doesn't just add the new languages - no, there's more! We're also shipping a bunch of fixes, balancing changes, overall improvements and new features! Hooray!

Our biggest change made touches the Focus Mode which can now be used while sitting in the patrol car. This way, you can now focus on cars driving by to get intuition feedback about different violations.

Our development team had something cool in mind when implementing this feature: In a way, this enables you to roleplay better and reenact how police work is often done. For example, you can now park at the side of the street and focus on cars that pass by. When a focused car has a violation, you will receive intuition feedback, now knowing that there’s something wrong with the car or the driver. You then can follow the car, pull it over and detain the driver in a terry stop.

Other than that, we've also improved the keybinding UI in the settings menu. Yes, this once again also touches the Focus Mode which is now on the left mouse button by default (previously, it has been on the right one). This enables you to use the Focus Mode while also having tools equipped and in hand. You're holding the radar gun? Hey, you can now still keep it in your hands and focus on stuff without having to holster your currently equipped tool. IT'S MULTITASKING TIME.



[h2]Changelog - Update 1.2.0[/h2]

New Features

• Added Brazilian Portuguese text language
  
• Added French text language
  
• Added Italian text language
  
• Added Japanese text language
  
• Added Korean text language
  
• Added Polish text language
  
• Added Russian text language
  
• Added Spanish text language
  
• Added Turkish text language
  
• "Focus Mode" can now be used while sitting in the patrol car (you gotta stay still tho)
  
• You can now focus on driving cars to get intuition feedback about different violations
  

Gameplay

• Changed default input binding of "Focus Mode" to the left mouse button (previously on the right mouse button) and LT on Xbox controller (previously on LB)
  
• Changed default input binding to open the tool wheel with the Xbox controller to Y (previously on LB)
  
• Fixed shift selection sometimes not showing any shifts to select
  
• Fixed some issues where NPCs could disappear after being stunned (I guess that stun gun was a bit too strong)
  
• Fixed that pulling over a car multiple times could be used to farm points
  
• Fixed various lighting issues
  
• Reduced CP loss for shooting while not targeting someone to -20 (previously -40)
  
• Reduced CP loss for unjustified detaining to -2 (previously -5)
  
• Reduced CP loss for unjustified reporting of speeders with the radar gun to -5 (previously -10)
  
• Taking a day off now also auto-saves the game
  

Police Car & Traffic

• Fixed an issue where the wrecker did not properly play the towing animation
  
• Improved collision detection when touching pedestrians with your car to be less sensitive
  
• Improved placement of patrol cars at precincts so there is more space to walk between them
  
• Improved placement of some parking spots in the city
  
• Increased chances of dynamic accidents between cars and pedestrians to 20% (previously 15%)
  
• Reduced chances of cars parked in a "No Parking Zone" to 2% (previously 10%)
  

Localization & Texts

• Fixed a possible cause for localization issues after switching the language
  
• Fixed various text and localization issues
  
• Renamed the "I am stuck" button to "Reset Player" (it was charming, tho)
  

Sounds

• Added various sounds
  

UI

• Fixed incorrect maximum duty star count displayed in the main menu / load menu (32 instead of 30)
  
• Fixed various UI issues
  
• Improved keybinding UI in the settings menu
  
• Improved texts of various other tutorials, handbook entries, and tool-tips
  
• Improved tutorials, handbook, and tool-tips to explain that handicapped drivers are allowed to park at expired parking meters
  

Miscellaneous

• Fixed a possible cause for when the mouse cursor could get stuck in the corner of the screen
  
• Fixed placement of some precinct entrances and interiors to better fit the shape of the buildings
  
• Fixed various crashes (thank you for your help!)
  
• Improved interior lighting in some precincts
  

[h2]OMG, you're the best![/h2]

No u
Anyway: You can follow our development process on our official Trello board which we update regularly. In addition, you can chat with the community on all our socials:

• FACEBOOK
• TWITTER
• INSTAGRAM
• DISCORD

https://store.steampowered.com/app/997010?snr=1_2108_9__2107

[h2]Changelog - Hotfix Update 1.1.1[/h2]

Gameplay

• Fixed unjustified CP loss for arresting witnesses although a background check revealed them having an open warrant
  
• Fixed that getting hints from witnesses at crime scenes did not add any callout progress
  

UI

• Fixed wrong icon for some illegal items being a stiletto shoe when searching/frisking
  

Miscellaneous

• Fixed a bug where the mouse cursor could get stuck in the corner of the screen
  
• Fixed various crashes
  

[hr][/hr]
Regarding the 'mouse stuck' issue: We have only fixed it partially. There are quite a few controllers and input devices that appear as if a button is being held down permanently. Our recommended solution - for now - is to disconnect such input devices while we're working on a proper fix.