InDev patch notes 0.05.13

Important fix for the issue where players couldn't drop items in their hands. This should also prevent a rare save corruption issue. Thanks for all the help and happy new year!

Fixed issue where players couldn’t drop items from their hands after sleeping
Fixed Tenant sat outside property / knocking on door with no answer issue
Fixed Players getting trapped in the house if they knocked on a door that was installed back to front
Fixed players getting trapped in the house if the ran through the door after conversation with tenant ended
Fixed issue where upgrading Silo wouldn’t increase strength till players loaded back into their game
Fixed issue where players could sometimes not fit roof planks into smaller gaps

Cheers,
Greg

The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.

Month 20 of Landlord's Super Early Access.

In-between fixing bugs, introducing silos & mortar colour to Landlord’s Super, we’ve been busy with Yogscast’s Jingle Jam and visiting family for the Holidays.

Majority of the work this month has been focused on attending to issues within the Free Build In Development version. With build 0.5.12, we're now at the point where most of the significant issues are addressed and we can focus on getting the rest of the content in and pushing the update into the main branch. 

To address the complaints of tedium and repetition in the game, we’re introducing the Mitchell Catalogue (or Document more specifically).
Mitchell’s catalogue provides the player with options in automating some of the more boring tasks (like demolishing the site and tiling exposed roof planks). The catalogue also provides opportunities for players to sell properties to the council, the option for players to retire into their home (end game state), and some more purchase opportunities like Pre-Mixed Silos.

Through Mitchell’s catalogue, players also have the option to purchase the Concrete, Mortar & No-Fines Silos. Once purchased, the Silos will appear at the Tool Shed, providing players with unlimited access to each.
Different strengths of mixture can be purchased as the player earns more money. To use the silos, players need simply push a button, and the silo will begin to fill the tub below it. Each tub has a maximum volume of 1000ltrs and can even be moved using the Pump Truck.




With the introduction of new bricks to the Free Build update, it became clear we'd need to re-introduce mortar colour. Originally removed for performance, we think we've got a good solution in place for this. Though if you do find you're experiencing poor performance, be sure to email Greg (greg@minskworks.net) with your save data and a brief explanation on the issue.





All the best,
Greg

InDev patch notes 0.05.12

Fixed Functional tall (0.6m) window screw loose position
Fixed a save load corruption caused by wood
Can now change the colour of Mortar (muck) by adding paint to the mix
Changed layout of Tool Shed area for optimisation purposes
General optimisation pass
Fixed weird zooming whilst holding paint can
Added Concrete, Mortar & No-Fines Silos, purchasable from Mitchell’s Catalogue
Mortar & No-Fines no longer infinite on Debug Enabled
Fixed Tile / Carpet placement on upper floors of the house

Cheers,
Greg

InDev patch notes 0.05.11

Fixed incorrect icon showing for a Paint Brush tool tip
Optimisation work on Shingles and Bricks
Player input should now be locked during eye closing transitions
Fixed issue where players could order site demolition without the required funds
Added Site Tiling Service to the Mitchell Catalogue
Adjusted AI Driving line to try and stop Winston crashing into the wall
Fixed Tall (0.6m) Traditional Window frame issue
Fixed Tall (0.6m) Traditional screw issue
Potentially fixed code that wasn’t firing for “slimming down” colliders on plasterboard, SHOULD mean plasterboard placement issues no longer pop up

Cheers,
Greg

InDev patch notes 0.05.10

Added ability to demolish site (See Mitchell’s catalogue in front of the big man himself)
Fixed Blank tape unlock issue.
AI Cars & Lorry exterior now accumulate snow
Fixed brick task complete check not completing if a Large (Small) window frame was used
Fixed Large Functional Window (Small) screw placements
Fixed Snow glare
Added Ability to bulldoze the property (accessed through Mitchell’s document in front of his desk)

Cheers,
Greg

InDev patch notes 0.05.09

Fixed Screws for Window_01_Large_B
Fixed Curtains
Fixed text issue on windows in the Building Catalogue
Fixed Small Traditional Windows loading in the incorrect mesh
Fixed plasterboard placement for both 0.2m No-Fines frames
Slimmed down placement colliders on plasterboard to try and solve some placement issues
Fixed a bunch of No-Fines collider sizes which prevented plasterboard placement in specific situations
Fixed Cement, Aggregate and Sand bags found in the world acting weirdly when placed in WheelBarrow
Removed Cloth physics from Cement, Aggregate and Sand bags
Fixed No-Fines collider resizing on placement, which would allow for No-Fines to be placed overlapping one another
Fixed Green & White Tall (Small) window issues
Fixed missing Staining on Traditional windows
Fixed missing glass on small (medium) Traditional window
Fixed max order number for Roof Frames in the Building Catalogue

Cheers,
Greg

Month 19 of Landlord's Super Early Access.

Access to the Free Build update is now available from the InDev branch on Steam. Details below.

After many months of development, the Free Build Update is finally available through the InDev Branch!

InDev is a separate branch on Steam that gives players access to updates earlier while they are still in development. It's a great way to try out new features early whilst also helping to make updates release as polished as possible. Whilst InDev contains the majority of the content available in the upcoming Free Build update, players who opt-in should expect bugs, performance issues and some missing features.

The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.

Month 18 of Landlord's Super Early Access.

A short one this month, as we've entered another gear in order to get the update completed.

We're looking at getting a test build of the Free Build update into the InDev branch before Christmas. Let's look at how that will look.

Work on the construction elements is finally drawing to a close. However, development still needs to complete on two more areas of the game before the update can hit the public branch.

First is making sure that the new construction gameplay is presented correctly. This means revisiting how the start of the game plays out. Answering questions such as "how do you complete tasks in the notebook with free build?". Enhancing areas of the game such as the loan system, reworking how the tool shed is unlocked and of course, tutorials for the new mechanics.

Second is bug fixing. Once we enter this phase we'll share the game on the InDev branch where players can try the new features early and help us out with bug tracking.

Also of note; we'll start releasing builds on InDev with debug tools. So you'll be able to spawn money, refill energy, fly around, etc. This is to ensure playthroughs are faster and bug tracking is easier.

A variety of new Shingles and Bricks are making their way into the Free Build update. Each with their own price and style, allowing our players even more creative freedom.




The ability to build wooden housing has been a popular request, so we’re adding in the ability to panel your homes in plasterboard and wood panelling. Both the insides and outsides of your homes can be fully panelled and painted.

We look forward to seeing how creative players get with this once Free Build is released!




All the best,
Greg

The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.

Month 17 of Landlord's Super Early Access.

The Free Build update sure is taking a long time, huh? We appreciate players are probably starting to lose patience with it, so this month, we'll be looking into why exactly this update is taking longer than previous ones, but it's important to know that the guts of the game are really being torn out and refitted. We're confident, however, that this work will give the game the longevity it deserves.

We've also done a bunch of work on Roofing, Newspapers and Curtains. We've even took on an extra pair of paws to help us speed along development.

The Free Build Update is by far our biggest update to the game thus far. Due to this, save data from previous versions of the game will not be compatible with The Free Build Update (oof). All players will need to start a fresh save when the update comes out.

There's a justification for this. Big changes to how construction gameplay works have also meant reworking how the save and load system works. We understand that losing save data isn't any fun, so we're making sure to add as much new content to the game as possible. Starting a new save in The Free Build Update should feel like playing a whole new experience.

We've spoken over the last few months of the changes incoming. Interior Wall Placement, Exterior Wall Placement, Ceiling Generation, Staircases, Hot Bar, and a raft of quality of life improvements and bug fixes. But there's still even more to come. Let's take a look.


Greg managed find time to sneak in a long-planned feature with the in-game newspapers.

With how hidden some features are in Landlord's Super, we've always worried that a lot of the depth of the game gets over-looked. Our Discord channel can usually help mitigate this, with users pointing out unknown features to new players, but we really wanted an in-game way to address this.

Newspapers are our chosen solution for this. They are now generated on a daily basis, come with a period appropriate headline - which have been drawn from an array of real-world press articles - and a "tool tip" headline hinting at some of the mechanical depth and hidden features of the game. It's really neat!

Newspapers change on a daily basis, and can be viewed anytime a player used a toilet (We've adjusted the UI a bit so you can read without skipping time).








After adding the ability for players to determine placement of both interior and exterior walls, we found that a solution for roof placement was also needed. Both the ceiling and base of the roof are generated automatically upon an exterior wall loop completing. Players can also place gable and square roof frames to build various slanted and flat roof styles.

We've also taken a look at addressing how fiddly roofing was. Roof planks can now be resized during placement. They also snap into place. Shingles also snap to grid, allowing quick and easy placement.

Roofing is still a work in progress, with more on this coming next month. You can see this new feature in action here.





Finally, players will be able to fit new colours, sizes and styles of windows and doors!

We've added 6 new sizes of window and 3 different style types (Functional, Traditional, Post-Modern). Each of these can be customized in a variety of colours or materials. Doors have also been given the same treatment, with a variety of new styles and colours to choose from.





Extra time this month meant we managed to sneak curtains into the game too. Finally, some privacy!




Another thing we spent doing this month was tightening up the UI for the HUD and various catalogues. UI should no longer overlay elements. Phone dialogue should no longer obscure player view. Additionally, players can read the newspaper without skipping time now. The HUD has also been moved closer to the screen edge, with visual issues being fixed, allowing much more screen space to be dedicated to the game world.

the Official MinskWorks Discord server has now been boosted to level 2! A huge thank you to discord users Tea, ShipMasterCaine, BLKWave , Rūta and 87isaiah8718 for server boosting us to level 2.

Level 2 means we are now eligible for server discovery, have a fancy new banner and most importantly, can share up to 50mb of in-development footage. Thank you all!

Welcome Bija, the newest member to the MinskWorks team!

Bija is a Cockapoo who is very sociable and loves stealing team members slippers. She is currently 13 weeks old and enjoys morning and evening visits to the bark park. She is also looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the coming update!




All the best,
Greg

The following post is taken from our blog. For previous updates, please visit our website.

Month 16 of Landlord's Super Early Access.

Apologies from us for missing a month. We were away visiting family in Lithuania for much of July, so there really wasn’t a lot for us to report on.

Now we’re back and have been making good progress on the much anticipated Free-Build update.

Let’s take a look at what’s coming.

Something we teased back in July’s newsletter was the Interior and Exterior wall placement. Continued work on this has meant walls can now be placed on roofs – allowing for the addition of multiple floors to your property.

Greg has also spent sometime reworking and polishing how wall placement works. It now utilises a much more intuitive “drag & drop” system, which you can see in action linked below (twitter link in image).



Ceilings are generated whenever the game recognises a closed loop between exterior wall segments. Greg got bogged down with making sure this generation worked as expected and without issues, it took a while but the system is now solid and means the game can support the construction of multiple floors! Access to multiple floors will require the use of something that’s been anticipated for a long time…

Planning on adding multiple storeys to your property? You’re going to want to order some staircases. Staircases allow access to the upper floors of your property. Place them on the ground and secure them with your spanner and you or your tenants now have access to a whole new area of the house!

With three different styles of staircase – each with multiple step designs and colours – you’ll also be able to match staircases with any of the furnishing styles you’ve decorated your property with.

Video example linked in the image below.



“Staircases” and “Walls” pages have been added to the Q&Q catalogue. The Save & Load system now also supports both these features. Roofing is still to come but work on that will begin soon. More on that next month.




For the Free Build update, we’re also looking at improving how comfortable the game is to play. For example, windows will now snap to the correct height, making them much easier to place. We’re also setting aside time to speed up roof construction, and implement grid-snapping for tile placement. We’d also like to add a better way to place items on the ground (one that doesn’t destroy the property!).

Other considerations we’d like to see make their way into the update are more involving ways to earn money, and more convenient ways to recover energy. If you have any suggestions for us, we’d love to hear them!

Mar (@midmodmar, commissions open) created an amazing rendition of the player character H. Abiff and local landlady Tamsin. Człowiek Elementu provides the meme magic with not one, but two original memes. Finally, ASkeleton sets the game record for highest wheel barrow stack. Bravo all!






All the best,
Greg