We have prepared a video with the lead designer of Gas Station Simulator for you to enjoy.



Learn about the journey, inspiration and possibilities we've exploited while creating this labor of love. Furthermore you will learn the vision we had for this game and how we managed to make it actually happen showcasing some of the mechanics in the full game. And the is a bit at the end hinting that we are not done with Gas Station Simulator after its release…

A while ago we mentioned that we won’t be done with Gas Station Simulator with its release and are already planing for content post-launch. We also hinted at considering expanding Gas Station Simulator beyond the gas station itself.

Today we are announcing Road Diner Simulator. The similarity to Gas Station Simulator is no mistake. The diner will actually be located on the other side of the highway, opposite your gas station. And if also own Gas Station Simulator, the gas station in your game will be created from the GSS save file to show YOUR gas station on the side of the highway in Road Diner Simulator.

Road Diner Simulator is all about running an old-school diner. While it has an entire different gameplay loop, similar to Gas Station Simulator you buy an old diner, fix it up, expand it and run it. You will be a lot more reliant on staff the customization and decoration options are taken to whole new level and the ability to define a theme for your diner.

If you like Gas Station Simulator, you should definitely have a look at Road Diner Simulator. Add it to your wishlist and follow it!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1747470/Road_Diner_Simulator/

When you’re running a gas station, things might sometimes get boring. Few people come to shop during the lengthy nights, and extremely hot days make customer visits just as unlikely. But with the events we have prepared for you, you will never get bored. Just make sure you've got what it takes to handle it all.


You all had the opportunity to meet Dennis and his wrath. To briefly summarise his impact, Dennis will occasionally come to your station and vandalize walls. You will then have to re-paint them to remove any inappropriate graffiti. Dennis will, however, vandalize only 3 walls at a time giving you plenty of opportunities to prevent him from doing more damage. We have added an alarm and an Anti-Dennis device that will notify you about the brat appearing on the station and provide you with necessary items to scare him off! Additionally, an option to disable Dennis entirely is also present in the game.



Maybe you’ve noticed that there is a bus stop next to your gas station. When you first purchase the estate, it is not operational, but later in the game you will have an opportunity to restore it and have busses stop by your station once again. This will however mean more customers coming in waves and demanding all sorts of services your station can provide them. You will need to be prepared for such waves as they can become truly overwhelming. Employees can help you out with all these tasks if you decide to hire them.



Not only have you met Dennis in the prologue, but you had a chance to meet the Uncle as well. He provided you with a loan to kick off your business. Later in the game, he will appear again and occasionally ask for favors that are not exactly within the boundaries of law. These favors might, for example, mean breaking into a certain amount of car trunks in a certain amount of time for various rewards. Apart from favors, the Uncle can also provide you with loans. But make sure to pay them off before the deadline to prevent any misfortunes. Your experience within the Prologue should have been a good indicator of what happens if you get on your Uncle's bad side.



Throughout the game, but mainly after you finish the campaign, you will encounter a vast variety of challenges. Those mostly serve to increase the popularity of your gas station and thus give you more rewards and more opportunities. Challenges will appear randomly. Among them you can count such duties as refuelling 20 vehicles in quick succession, serving 10 customers in a row, and so on and so forth. As your business expands and you progress further, the challenges will get more involved and difficult to match the current level of your gas station.



Since you are based in the middle of the desert, the harsh conditions of the environment around you will be blatantly noticeable to you and your station as whole. We've touched on the topic of wall paint degradation before, but from now on dusty walls will be the least of your worries. Sandstorms might randomly appear out of nowhere causing troubles that will need attention after the disaster is over, so don’t leave Rudy too far away. That said, you shouldn’t be leaving your station during such a storm at all as your visibility might be extremely limited.

Interesting fact: The name of the gas station - “Dust Bowl” - is actually inspired by the true event of the same name that happened in the region in the 1930s.


As you can see, there are plenty of things that are constantly happening at your gas station and all of them will definitely keep you busy. Because of that, make sure to hire some help and maintain your gas station regularly. Don’t forget to keep everything clean, restock supplies and always expand! Oh, and definitely make sure to close your Warehouse doors, you know… just in case.

Hello everyone!
 
Recently, we have announced the official release date for our Gas Station Simulator!
 
To make things a little bit more interesting, we have prepared a little challenge for you, that can reduce the price of the game on its release.
 
As we are a relatively small indie studio, adding our games to your wishlist and following them on Steam helps us a lot!
 
We know that many of you already have the game on your wishlist, but in case you don't, we would really appreciate if you would consider adding it. Sharing this with your friends helps us equally.
 
In return, when we reach these goals, we will apply an increasing discount to the price of the game at launch.
 
 
These are our milestones:
- 5% discount - when we hit 9k follows on Steam.
- 10% discount - when we hit 11k follows on Steam.
- 15% discount - when we hit 14k follows and 150k wishlist entries on Steam.



If you are not sure about adding your game to your wishlist and following it, we humbly invite you to play Early Days, the free prologue to Gas Station Simulator to see how good the game is:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1528080/Gas_Station_Simulator_Prologue__Early_Days/

And remember, Gas Station Simulator releases on 15th of September - we are almost there!
Thank you everyone for your continuous support!

Gas Station Simulator is certainly getting some love these days. It has just been nominated for the Streamers’ Choice award on Indie Cup !
It would be incredible to win this award for our game and we believe we have a shot at it. With far beyond 10 milion views combined between the demo and Early Days, the prologue to Gas Station Simulator we made a much bigger impact than we could have ever hoped for. Thank you for that!

Desert Roamers!

We have great news coming from the Gas Station Simulator HQ here at DRAGO entertainment!

The game's full version is coming to Steam on September 15th.

That's right, the wait is almost over! Get ready to roll up your sleeves and change a decrepit hole into a blooming business.

How will you decorate your gas station?
What kind of atmosphere will your joint offer?
Will you be the paragon of customer service?
Or will you focus on doing anything but work?

You'll find out on September 15th!


BEFORE YOU GO, WE HAVE AN IMPORTANT NOTE

If you'd like to support us, consider adding the game to your wishlist and inviting your friends to do so. Here's why.

The wishlist is what makes Gas Station Simulator visible to other gamers on Steam. The larger the number of wishlists, the more people see this game recommended. Wishlisting does wonders for indie studios like ours, and you can make a wonder happen ;)

Thanks, and see you in the desert!

We made a new gameplay video for Gas Station Simulator. We aimed it primarily at those not yet very familiar with the game. For those already knowing the prologue and demo in and out, we will have some long awaited news tomorrow :)

As usual, even though this is pre-recorded material, we will try to keep the chat live and follow it as much as possible, answer questions and gather suggestions.

Managing your Gas Station can on occasion be exhausting. Sometimes there is just so much to do, that you’ll need help with these things. However, when you run a business, this is to be expected.

In the previous DevLog we shared and explained Employees. But of course, that is not all you can expect. There are a lot more things you need to pay attention to and take care of, because rebuilding your Gas Station is just as important as managing it. This time we will dig deeper into the management features the game has to offer.




Your best friend and the most useful item will be your computer located inside your Gas Station. Maybe it is not connected to the internet or the fastest piece of hardware out there, but it can still do miracles. Through this device you will be able to see and manage all the elements of your Gas Station. For example, maintaining fuel supplies, which means that you will be able to see how much fuel you have, how much you need to order and then do so.

Resupplying is only one area your computer will be crucial. Purchasing tools, ordering a garbage truck or insights into stats also happen on the computer. You will also be able to purchase decorations here and extend the area of your Gas Station with additional parking spaces or even purchase a bus station that will help you attract even more customers.




As we briefly mentioned above, you will need to look out for your fuel supply, after all, you are running a Gas Station! People will come and leave and some of them will purchase fuel - and if you don’t have enough, well… that is never good! On your PC you can see how much fuel you have and how much you should buy. But keep in mind that it will take some time until the fuel truck arrives, so plan accordingly and ahead of time to make sure that you don’t end up without any fuel. Also, bear in mind that the prices can change and one day the price per gallon can be cheaper than the other day, or the other way around!




Since you are not only running a Gas Station, but among other things also a Shop, product resupply is important. People will come wanting to purchase some refreshments or snacks for their journey. You will need to equip your Gas Station with shelves, freezers and stands for such products and then order these products to fill the shelves. Here you face a similar situation as with fuel: once you order, it will take some time until the supplies arrive. Additionally, once the delivery arrives, you’ll need to go to your Warehouse and unpack all the products. And the snacks or refreshments mentioned are just an example. There are a lot of other products you can sell in your Shop, not to mention all sorts of parts for the Workshop.

Time management is crucial here, as you cannot leave the Gas Station with customers waiting, so plan your chores accordingly, or hire someone who can give you a hand with these tasks. Nonetheless, don’t forget to pay attention as you don’t want someone to wander into your Warehouse who isn’t supposed to be there. Keep the door locked!




As you could see in Early Days, the free prologue to the game, you can decorate your Gas Station as you please. There is plenty to choose from and you can of course purchase anything, as long as you have money for it. Decorate the front of your Gas Station and its surroundings, or decorate the inside of the Gas Station. Decorations not only make your Gas Station look good, they are also useful to attract more customers.
The amount of decorations in the full game will increase significantly compared to what you might have seen in the prologue so there is a lot to look forward to in this area.




Hopefully, you didn’t think that you will be stuck inside the same looking Gas Station forever. After you earn some money, you can expand your business by adding additional facilities and services. Starting with smaller things like Toilets to larger ones like a Workshop to repair cars or a Warehouse! Each one of these can be further upgraded and thus offer more benefits. You can also upgrade the Gas Station itself which will allow for more space for shelves, customers, additional fuel pumps outside and more room for decorations. There are multiple levels of upgrades you can explore and we cannot wait until you see them on your own!




To wrap up this DevLog, we have a small reminder. The Computer has emails with tips and tutorials on how some of the game mechanics work which can prove very helpful to some players. Apart from that, it offers some insight to the story of the game as well. If you are struggling with your business and don’t have enough funds for decorations, upgrades or resources, you can take a loan on your PC too, which can significantly help you out of this issue. There are also plenty of other things we didn’t mention in this DevLog when it comes to the management portion of the game, but we want you to discover those things on your own.

Maintaining a gas station in the middle of the desert can be exhausting, both physically and mentally. That is especially the case when your station boasts a Garage, a Warehouse and a Store as well, all of which you have to maintain and man entirely by yourself. You can't be in multiple places at the same time, as much as you'd want to, and sometimes you just need to take a moment to unwind. Those are the exact reasons Gas Station Simulator will boast a full Employee suite feature. As the name says - you are a business owner, and it is your right to hire people to do manual labour under your supervision (or not). Let's dive into the feature a little bit deeper and explain the specifics, shall we?



Employees won't just come on their own - you will need to invest time, effort and some money to make the business appealing to a potential workforce. Same as in real life, you will need to vet your list of potential workers. Select only those who are affordable and will help you do exactly what you need to do. Every employee has their own factors to consider, and the list on their resume is pretty big, so pay attention to exactly what you want said employee to achieve. The longer you are in the business, and of course the more sophisticated your gas station is, the better the candidates will come knocking at your door.



Each employee boasts unique statistics. Not everyone is predestined to man the cash register, or to handle the tricky workings of car engines in the garage. As mentioned before, you will have the ability to glance at all of your potential recruit's skills on their resume. In addition, once the deal is done and they begin their work, you will have to be careful. Everyone gets tired working the whole day, especially when your work is in the desert. Set reasonable work hours, don't put too much overtime unless necessary, pay your employees accordingly. With time, their skills will change, so pay attention to their progress and make your own decision if said employee is performing up to par of your expectations.




First days at any business are the worst, and much is the same for a gas station in the middle of a sun-blasted desert. Every fresh hire will struggle, some more and some less. You will have to bare these growing pains if you want to train a truly elite cadre of employees. Be prepared for more than a few bumps on that road to greatness. Even if an employee makes mistakes, fails at some of their tasks or requires a little more time off than you'd expect, consider being lenient with newbies. They will get used to the work pretty quickly, and in some time you will have your own elite senior staff at your beck and call. Just give them the chance to level their skillsets and you might be surprised how well they will perform in the end.



The longer your employee works for you, the better they get. Patience is a virtue, but time is money, and for you the latter saying is a bit more literal. As your employees' skills increase, so do the expectations of their salary. Ultimately, this is but another decision for you to consider - increase the salary to match their expectations, or maybe throw in a little extra as encouragement? Budget too low? Consider hiring someone cheaper - maybe the work won't be as effective, but you're trying to meet metrics here, and not be a magnanimous saint of some sort. To help your decisions, you will be provided a detailed summary of your employees' statistics to monitor their performance.



Usually a drive to work can take about an hour tops. It's a little different when the nearest town is half a day's drive away. Your employees must live close, very close indeed. In other words, their on-station accommodations are also something for you to consider. This also comes right out of your own pocket. At the beginning, there won't be many responsibilities for you to cover, nor much space to house the people working on site. However, as you expand your gas station, so will you expand your avenues of revenue, and thus responsibilities, and thus space. It all becomes a balancing game, ever more complex as your business prospers more and more.



We all know the type. You misplace something, you check a product twice, or forget something from the order. Suddenly, the person looks you in the eye and in but an instant all hell breaks loose. Your employees will face similar challenges, and all of them will only serve to make them more and more stressed. And a stressed employee does little work effectively, thus leading to a spiral effect. Break them out of it with time off, or an extra payment. They deserve it, and you deserve a happy and efficient workforce in return!


In the end, it is your decision whether you wish to brave the wave of ever-increasing challenges alone or hire a cadre of workers to help with every little thing on the station. Employees offer a lot of possibilities, and as complex of a system as they might be, a great many opportunity hide within. We haven't mentioned all the secrets and complexities here to keep some surprises for the actual release, but bear in mind that there is a lot more to work with employees and you should truly act like a proper business owner when the time comes. Until next time!

We do have another broadcast coming up. In the past we took a rather serious approach to it trying to showcase much of the game and provide some insights into what’s there and what is still coming.

This time around, our social media guy Karol tries a different approach. Left to his own devices, without a script and no clear goal… No, no, it gets worse… :P