OK! So this patch is another small but effective hotfix with a lot more mechanisms getting a look than last time. At this point it's pretty much confirmed that the upcoming DLC will be free, although I'm pretty sure it won't be this year. The good news is there are more patches coming up that should address some of the more egregious issues that still remain in this old dusty game engine.

[+] Sales algorithm normalized (which just means we did more stability focused QA on it)
[+] Product menu was updated and/or fixed depending on what version you had prior.

Upcoming

Award shows, expanded in-shoot gameplay, more stability and bug fixes, new video feedback and ratings (from review magazines).

Technically v4.3, this patch addresses:

Bugs

[+] Caps lock causing crashes, now supported

Gameplay/Mechanics

[+] 150+ new performer names

I completely forgot to actually mark the build as 4.3 in the client, will cry later :)

Wow, it's been a minute! And the craziest thing is this patch should have been out well over a year ago.
This version 4.1 in particular is more of a hotfix revolving around Hurvey but expect more meat in the upcoming releases leading up to the free DLC. I won't ramble and just say that there's a lot more to come. Here are the most recent changes:

Gameplay/Mechanics

• Experimental sales algorithm
  
• A whole bunch of hidden so-kind-of-irrelevant multiplayer stuff

UX/Visuals

• New portrait, overworld and set art for Hurvey

Bugs

• General stability fixes

For more information on upcoming releases see our full changelog.

Well, I had a much longer update for you all about what's been going on. But then my (borrowed) computer shut off saving none of those few hundred words. I had previously elaborated on the following points, but I just can't bring myself to do it again right now so here's the gist of it:

• We went broke but not bankrupt (yet).
  
• We licensed the game over to a Canadian developer.
  
• We got the license back after gutting the company.

The last update I wrote was probably a bit pessimistic, but what can I say. This project has been like an abusive marriage that I never got out of, just separated from. And now I'm back, because I love the support we've gotten for this in the past. And frankly, this project is our baby not mine or even just the people who worked on it. I always told people this was more of a "community" project and I mean that. So thanks.

Anyway, I not only released V3 in March (to backers) but also ported the entire project over to Mac where it had never been before. This is huge and will be added to Steam as well as a new demo I plan to roll out before this quarantine is over. Then I need to go figure out how I'll be able to afford a new computer because I don't even have one. And that government stimulus barely put a dent in my bills.
Fuck!

The Trello changelog has been updated too. So you'll be able to keep up with some of the changes coming down the pipe. Lots of bugs have been fixed, a huge chunk of the economics engine have been improved in the time since the last update as well. There's also been some talk about multiplayer but it wont be what you think.

The entire feature set for that is based on the idea of having a more open "global" game economy. So if you become a distributor for example, you'll come up in a list of people who can distribute products in-game. In addition to that, and starting with the next patch, I plan to add a lot more depth to the performers themselves.

This will be emphasized with networked play since I'll be allowing folks to trade talent or for the talent themselves to maybe start a studio to compete with yours and so on. Here are some excerpts from a write-up on the matter:

Performers are generated dynamically and will age with the passage of time, thus lowering their value, a commonality in the adult industry. This, naturally, effects their contract values. The player is under no obligation to initiate long-term contracts with A.I performers. Likewise, the performers have no obligation to perform with one, about as much as they may be willing to.

What this creates is an environment in which the talent may choose to act as their own representative whom’s needs may change based on their own standing (i.e clout) in the industry as a whole. Of course, lesser-known performers may be more willing to work with player-owned studios that have a higher renown and more resources. In addition, more obscure studios may be willing to pay more for performers who may elevate the status of the studio. It’s up to both parties to agree on working together.

In addition:

The game economy will also effect negotiation power. So if you have a “blue chip” performer working with low-value talent this may or may not effect the former or the latter depending on their traits, host studio appeal/renown and other external factors. However the players/studios themselves will have equally as decisive a say on the actual value of these contracts since it is them who are ultimately paying the bills.

To clarify, what we have at this point is the ability to generate performers who (can hire agents) may be entering the talent pool with a certain rate in mind. This rate, their stats and ambitions were calculated in response to market conditions created by the players/studios. These performers age and accrue dynamic stats like fame which in itself may increase the longevity of their career thus ensuring a longer store of value for whoever owns their contract.

And so on. The source material was actually based on some plans we had to turn contracts into a form of currency themselves. But more info on that later. In the meantime, if you have more questions, feel free to contact me via Discord. If you'd like to read many years worth of dev-blogs those have been re-published and can be found here. Enjoy and as always, spread the love.

Hey Tycoons!

First of all I want to apologize for the lack of updates here. Those of you who follow the devblog or participate in the Discord discussion know about most of the nitty gritty as to what's been going on behind the scenes since last year.

Since the last post, there have been three new direct devblogs with the occasional longer-form piece about the industry or other things I've learned. We're talking to a new investor, we're working on a new webseries, we're launching a porn site with a prayer to funnel some of that investment back into the game. I'm trying everything to get this done.

I know the last official update here was in regard to the Steam build being censored. But I like to think that was actually for the best, considering how much work went into getting the game into a more broadly playable state since then.

It's also been a year since the last Q & A. which means we're about due! So if you have any questions feel free to drop them into the comments here or on Discord. I'll get to them either way.

Right now the game is on version v2.6b with the next patch being v2.7. Marking the last major release prior to shooting for the next Steam submission. Although I plan to continue working on this so long as there's an audience for it. I even tossed around the idea of it being an MMO after finishing up some very compatible network code a couple months ago.

It would actually be cheaper. But we'll see about that.

Anyway, thanks for your support, as without it we wouldn't have made it far into this year at all. And, as always, spread the love.

Last week I got an email from Steam. It was the moment of truth! And I didn't know what the hell to expect because you know, PORN, and all.

It was Iris and I going over some strange things that came in a package when I read the verdict. The review went as well as I had expected with the exception of one paragraph that stood out with vigor. Painfully so. It read as follows:



You heard it here first (well, unless you're on Discord). The Steam version will need to be censored to see the light of day. This is in direct contrast with the build we'll be selling direct through the website to circumvent this problem in the meantime.


I wished I had gotten to this announcement sooner but lord knows it's been an uphill battle trying to get everything sorted out everywhere. My brain is falling out of my head. That's +1 to the list of obstacles laid rudely in the path of the development of this game. But I guess they might as well just get in line with the rest of the issues I'm looking to put behind us.

Also, Making Triple X Tycoon Part 25 came out last week as well and outlines some release plans. The game is currently in "lite" mode and is in serious need of additional repair I think. So I opted for Early/Direct Access which has so far given me exactly the kind of feedback I've needed to push v2.6. Was hoping to make a separate, special announcement for ya'll Steamers but it'll have to wait. The work continues.

Spread the love,

- Doop

Last week I got an email from Steam. It was the moment of truth! And I didn't know what the hell to expect because you know, PORN, and all.

It was Iris and I going over some strange things that came in a package when I read the verdict. The review went as well as I had expected with the exception of one paragraph that stood out with vigor. Painfully so. It read as follows:



You heard it here first (well, unless you're on Discord). The Steam version will need to be censored to see the light of day. This is in direct contrast with the build we'll be selling direct through the website to circumvent this problem in the meantime.


I wished I had gotten to this announcement sooner but lord knows it's been an uphill battle trying to get everything sorted out everywhere. My brain is falling out of my head. That's +1 to the list of obstacles laid rudely in the path of the development of this game. But I guess they might as well just get in line with the rest of the issues I'm looking to put behind us.

Also, Making Triple X Tycoon Part 25 came out last week as well and outlines some release plans. The game is currently in "lite" mode and is in serious need of additional repair I think. So I opted for Early/Direct Access which has so far given me exactly the kind of feedback I've needed to push v2.6. Was hoping to make a separate, special announcement for ya'll Steamers but it'll have to wait. The work continues.

Spread the love,

- Doop

Today I had a revelation. See, I'm like an old ass man. Really terrible with a lot of technologies. But sure as hell love me some code! But I decided to sit down and add videos to the video hub considering the game only has a few bugs in it at this point and things can be shown off again.

My point is that it was easy upload those videos. People ask me why I only use Steam for hard updates. Well, that's because I suck at using it.

The patch for the last tech demo has been ready for at least a week now, but it's easier to not split the codebase when debugging in context to the big picture. Quick note on the newest devplay (below). I kept mentioning that I was playing a "dev build" or "dev copy" but that I also wasn't.

It's essentially a pre-release candidate build. Which reflects the final in mechanics with a few things turned off to not drive us crazy when testing
Overall. So say we have to test the warehouse but there's only $5k in the bank, we gotta use funny money to do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydlEW5MLs-4

Today I had a revelation. See, I'm like an old ass man. Really terrible with a lot of technologies. But sure as hell love me some code! But I decided to sit down and add videos to the video hub considering the game only has a few bugs in it at this point and things can be shown off again.

My point is that it was easy upload those videos. People ask me why I only use Steam for hard updates. Well, that's because I suck at using it.

The patch for the last tech demo has been ready for at least a week now, but it's easier to not split the codebase when debugging in context to the big picture. Quick note on the newest devplay (below). I kept mentioning that I was playing a "dev build" or "dev copy" but that I also wasn't.

It's essentially a pre-release candidate build. Which reflects the final in mechanics with a few things turned off to not drive us crazy when testing
Overall. So say we have to test the warehouse but there's only $5k in the bank, we gotta use funny money to do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydlEW5MLs-4

The demo(s) are as done as they can be for right now.

It all started two days ago. When the first bug popped onto the screen shortly after making changes to code about the same age as a small child. Whatever glimmer of optimism left remaining had been snuffed out in seconds. I stood up and figured I’d cook before I forgot to eat again. This is how it starts. Just another day with no sleep!



Today’s blog is a collage of ideas I had for previous entries. Most importantly I wanted to take on the task of compiling the various ups and downs of our development cycle over the past few years into something formatted and easier to read than the older devblogs (2015ish). I can’t be bothered to go back and edit those, with all this better shit to do and all.

But no seriously, it’s my pleasure. And while I imagine you’d rather be playing the game than reading about it. I try and at least give these my best effort.

http://en.joy-toilet.com/blog/making-triple-x-tycoon-part-25-timelapse/