Hello!

Alpha 31.8-1 is released as a small hotfix to fix a pathfinding issue that some players experienced.

Take care!


Bug

• ACEO-15465] - Staff salaries not showing correct name in budget panel
• ACEO-15477] - Exception in contractor pathfinding can in rare cases cause them to get stuck
• ACEO-15486] - Wrong text in description in runway panel
• ACEO-15513] - Render buffer warning thrown when loading save in game

Hello CEOs!

We are deploying some critical fixes regarding path finding and contractors, as well as other improvements and minor bug fixes. The experimental branch has also been updated and will soon be transferred to the default branch.

Have a good one for now!


Improvement

• ACEO-15431] - Improved baggage performance rendering
• ACEO-15202] - Improved service road texture with rounded corners
• ACEO-15234] - Road tunnels now automatically set road type based on connectors
• ACEO-15238] - Implemented separate path finding system for contractors to avoid stalling other agents during path finding

Bug

• ACEO-15337] - Shop tutorial does not move forward
• ACEO-15424] - Escalators and stairs are not prioritized by contractors
• ACEO-14410] - Beechcraft 1900D does not activate extra lights on runway at night
• ACEO-14456] - Contractors can in rare cases get teleported to delivery sites without reason
• ACEO-14930] - Contractors can in certain cases stuck when ending up in an inaccessible area
• ACEO-15040] - Baggage can get unloaded underneath conveyor belt on baggage bay
• ACEO-15173] - Default information desk shift too short and can in some airport layouts cause a pile-up of staff at desk
• ACEO-15174] - Failed deliveries are not recognized correctly by the system causing a "delivery block loop" stalling construction material shipments
• ACEO-15177] - Passenger service agent enum not updated an still reflects old variable name airport staff
• ACEO-15192] - Missing reset methods for new turnaround structures can cause turnaround procedures to stall if initially failed by vehicle
• ACEO-15196] - Floating income and expense markers stay on screen when game is paused
• ACEO-15204] - Vehicle depot containers displays maintenance warning label for all vehicles
• ACEO-15206] - Employee can be located even if it hasn't spawned causing panel to get stuck at edge of map
• ACEO-15260] - Statistic labels in main and dashboard panel updates their respective values at different times
• ACEO-15272] - Vehicle workforce statistics containers do not spawn correctly when viewing the vehicle job task panel
• ACEO-15305] - Wrong localized string in staffing selector on desks
• ACEO-15335] - Pathfinding error causing agents to get stuck after a few minutes of gameplay
• ACEO-15364] - Exception can be thrown in new contractor pathfinding causing them to get stuck

Hello airport CEO!

We found an issue with secure zone merging in between different floors causing passengers and staff to get incorrectly failed paths. This hot-fix will fix this as well as another path issue related to security officers. You should also see some updated taxiway textures.

This update is in line with the continued stabilization work of Alpha 31 and more updates are to come!


Improvement

• ACEO-15155] - Added rounded taxiway edge lines

Bug

• ACEO-14970] - Security officer can get stuck on rare occasions
• ACEO-15124] - Security area merge doesn't properly work with escalators and jetway
• ACEO-15154] - Stair truck visible through terminal

Good evening airport CEO!

We're taking a break from the weekend (and from taking a break), and are bringing you the latest stabilizing Alpha 31 update. This is another update centered around bug fixing for core systems, including rendering and pathfinding. Alongside this update we've deployed multiple fixes for the experimental branch this past week, which also has all of the fixes listed below.

More news about Alpha 32 will come next week!


Improvement

• ACEO-14636] - Airport staff renamed “passenger service agent” in accordance with industry terminology
• ACEO-14637] - Security staff renamed “security officer” in accordance with industry terminology
• ACEO-14856] - Improved error handling for person activity update loops to avoid stalling persons
• ACEO-14874] - Service truck renamed “baggage truck” in accordance with industry terminology

Bug

• ACEO-14128] - Dashboard and main interaction bag counters do not match
• ACEO-14622] - Security officers can in rare instances become displaced during or after job task completion causing pathfinding errors
• ACEO-14635] - Inactive construction text causing notable performance impact even if object is built
• ACEO-14806] - Runway tire marks layered over aircraft on runway
• ACEO-14808] - Jetway not colorable from first floor or above
• ACEO-14850] - Premature activity evaluation method for when relief items break can cause a NullReferenceException on interaction items and stalled passengers
• ACEO-14858] - Missing distance check for random node fetch in vehicle's roaming method can cause extensive detours in large airports
• ACEO-14868] - Fuel trucks perform a pirouette before exiting fuel depot
• ACEO-14898] - Assigned fuel truck at closed stand can in certain instances get stuck in a loop
• ACEO-14938] - Airport fees resets when loading a saved airport
• ACEO-14397] - Older saves (saved before Alpha 30) can crash on load due to incorrect serialized item type
• ACEO-14951] - Passengers can in rare instances get stuck in shop while waiting to pay
• ACEO-14953] - Construction costs doesn't match description on some objects
• ACEO-14954] - Loans can be paid off with insufficient funds

Hello airport CEO!

Here's the week's dev blog on the process of developing and deploying Alpha 31 and Alpha 32, and what happens next when we come back from our summer hiatus. Check out Dev Blog 133: Alpha 31 (the multi-floor update) released, experimental testing of Alpha 32 and the development road ahead!

... but we still of course have more stuff to do before the break, including more updates for Alpha 31 and eventually deploying Alpha 32 to the default branch. Check out the dev blog and you'll learn more!

Thanks,

Olof, Alexander & Fredrik - Apoapsis Studios

Good afternoon airport CEO!

We hope your multi-floor endeavors are going well. We've kept ourselves busy the last few days with tending to your bug reports and are today back with a new stabilizing deployment for the default branch, i.e. Alpha 31 and the multi-floor update. The fixes in this update are of course also already deployed on the experimental branch, and we'll be keeping them aligned as Alpha 32 is prepared for default deployment.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: We've adjusted the size of the stairs for this update (as a result of user feedback). This means that when you boot into your airport, they will be offset and ground beneath will be visible. They will still work but you'll need to rebuild them to make sure it all looks good and that they are placed correctly.

Here's the patch notes for the first Alpha 31 fix update:

• ACEO-14465] - Decreased stairs length
• ACEO-14561] - Additional logging added to deal with ACEO-10338
• ACEO-14566] - Lacking requirements dialog panel now reveals what requirements missing when attempting to purchase a product

• ACEO-13398] - Queue overlay doesn't show on upper floors
• ACEO-14445] - Persons using urinal can't properly relief themselves
• ACEO-14461] - Airport lights toggling always delayed
• ACEO-14478] - Uncaught NullReferenceException in passenger behavior validation method can cause all passengers to stall
• ACEO-14491] - Investigation UI for person's failed path not visible through various floor configurations
• ACEO-14493] - Security staff in certain cases instantly teleport to transit structure when entering security check-point area due to wall built on checkpoint edge
• ACEO-14497] - In-world notification icon too small
• ACEO-14501] - Incompatible alpha setting for shader can cause tools to render transparent background on some GPUs
• ACEO-14506] - Uncaught deserialization exception on employee resumes can case loading of game to break
• ACEO-14563] - Object selection overlay doesn't show on upper floors
• ACEO-14565] - Procurement container requirements text clips text

After months of development, the next big Airport CEO feature update has finally arrived. Have you dreaded running out of space for your terminal areas? Dread no longer, because this update enables a total of five floors to build on: Two down and two up. You can now also construct road tunnels and proper underground conveyor belts as well as terminal overpasses.


In this update we’ve included:

• The ability to construct terminals across multiple floors
  
• Road tunnels and proper underground conveyor belts
  
• The ability to construct terminal overpasses
  
• A key-binding system
  
• A new text display system (in preparation for translation)
  
• Other minor improvements and additions such as the Beechcraft 1900 aircraft

This update, of course, also hold huge amounts of bug fixes and improvements including numerous behavioral fixes, pathfinding improvements and a brand new grid system. Decreasing loading times for saves is also something we've focused a lot on.





This is without a doubt the largest ever, most fundamental change, we will ever deploy for Airport CEO. This means that we've had to make some adjustments to the game's core functionality, which is something we'd like to highlight below.

Underground conveyor belts needs reconstruction

Due to a completely new underground conveyor belt building system, your old baggage system will not work on Alpha 31 or newer versions unless your airport is adapted or only is constructed using ground floor belts! All underground conveyor belts built with the legacy system will automatically be transferred to the “real” underground floor (one floor down, labeled as “-1”). Alpha 31 features a brand-new conveyor belt escalator system which includes manual placements of escalators to enable underground crossings and better player control. This means that all conveyor belt escalators must be re-placed manually by you in order to get your baggage system up and running again after updating!
‍
We HIGHLY recommend you perform the following steps to restore your saved airport to functioning order:

• Open the development panel by pressing F10
  
• Find a toggle called “simulate construction” and make sure it is unchecked‍
  
• Build conveyor belt escalators where needed to repair the baggage belt connections (found in the build menu where you usually find all buildable conveyor belt items)
  
• Pay close attention to the direction of the conveyor belt escalator (if the escalator should go up or down)
  
• Re-enable baggage service from the operations panel
  
• Finally enable construction again from the development panel

Once your baggage system is restored, some already existing baggage might get stuck on various places on the belts and this is expected, they will automatically be deleted after a while so there is no need to report lingering baggage on a conveyor belt as a bug. Some flights might also get stuck or delayed waiting for undelivered baggage. You will need to dismiss these using the stand panel. After a few flights, given that you’ve re-built your conveyor belt system correctly, the complete baggage system should be up and running again as expected!

Road sidewalks disabled

Alpha 31 also brings changes to road sidewalk, and will no longer support walkable road sidewalks (the area next to the road which is part of the placed road piece). Instead you must place normal sidewalk and crosswalks to create a path from and to your terminal. This change was made in preparation for the multiple terminal update which will come at a later stage.



We will continue to echo these changes throughout the full deployment of this update, and we’ve also implemented several operational security measures across the game to make you attentive on these changes. For example, airports saved with Alpha 30 but launched with Alpha 31 will have baggage handling automatically disabled and a dialog box popping up making you aware of the important changes happening between Alpha 30 and 31.

While these changes are annoying, they are unfortunately the reality of any early access game development. We’ve done our best to make sure that this transition happens as smooth as possible, considering the huge technical change this is while still keeping save integrity and "loadability" as one of the highest priorities across the development of the game.

Jetways automatically removed

Jetways now only connect to the first floor, thus any existing stand jetways you have built in your Alpha 30 update will automatically removed and the stand will be converted to a non-jetway stand to accommodate this change. This should however have no apparent impact on your airport from an operational perspective, as the city will provide you with a few stair trucks to accommodate the change.

We will of course be watching the bug flow just as usual and deploy bug patching updates throughout the week and through the next. Now with this large update out, deployments to the default branch will be a lot more frequent as we're now over the hurdle.




This Steam announcement message contains too much content to include the full patch notes, therefore we've posted them over in the official release thread at the Airport CEO forum and can be reviewed by pressing the following link:

Airport CEO Alpha 31.6-0 patch notes




With Alpha 31 now out on the default branch, we're immediately deploying Alpha 32 and The Turnaround Update to the experimental branch. It features the three new turnaround services voted through for implementation by the community: Catering, aircraft cabin cleaning and de-icing! You're welcome to join us on the experimental branch to test this out if you want but beware as there may be game disrupting bugs. And yes, of course, Alpha 32 is an extension of Alpha 31 and has all the same multi-floor capabilities.

That's all we have for now. Try out the new update and let us know if something doesn't work as expected by performing a bug report. Thank you for your continued support and fly safe!

Hello airport CEO!

Another dev blog has just been published, Dev Blog 132: Stabilizing the multi-floor update and completing the aircraft cabin cleaning update has just been published and it makes a quick recall of the past days events post the experimental multi-floor update launch.

If you haven't already tested the new update, make sure to head on over to the experimental branch and give it a try.

Best regards,

Alexander, Olof & Fredrik - Apoapsis Studios

Hello airport CEO!

We're back once again with another dev blog but... accompanying that dev blog is a brand new experimental release. Yes! The drought is over. Alpha 31 is deployed on the experimental branch and contains The multi-floor update on which we've been working on for quite some while.



First things first. Click the following link to read all about the new update in this week's latest dev blog: Dev Blog 131: Alpha 31 released on experimental (the multi-floor update), aircraft cabin cleaning and NG19 postmortem

Check this Forum development topic for the full change log (as we only provide change logs on Steam when performing default releases): Airport CEO Alpha 31 Experimental topic


If you want to check out what it's like to be a multi-story terminal constructor, you can head on over to the experimental branch and check it out right now. However, we do have some important things we want to mention as you try out this new version (these are also mentioned in the dev blog and in-game):

Underground conveyor belts needs reconstruction

Due to a completely new underground conveyor belt building system, your old baggage system will not work on Alpha 31 or newer versions unless your airport is adapted or only is constructed using ground floor belts! All underground conveyor belts built with the legacy system will automatically be transferred to the "real" underground floor (one floor down, labeled as “-1”). Alpha 31 features a brand-new conveyor belt escalator system which includes manual placements of escalators to enable underground crossings and better player control. This means that all conveyor belt escalators must be re-placed manually by you in order to get your baggage system up and running again after updating!
‍
We HIGHLY recommend you perform the following steps to restore your save to functioning order:

• Open the development panel by pressing F10
  
• Find a toggle called “simulate construction” and make sure it is unchecked‍
  
• Build conveyor belt escalators where needed to repair the baggage belt connections (found in the build menu where you usually find all buildable conveyor belt items)
  
• Pay close attention to the direction of the escalator (if the escalator should go up or down)
  
• Re-enable baggage service from the operations panel
  
• Finally enable construction again from the development panel

Once your baggage system is restored, some already existing baggage might get stuck on various places on the belts and this is expected, they will automatically be deleted after a while so there is no need to report lingering baggage on a conveyor belt as a bug. Some flights might also get stuck or delayed waiting for undelivered baggage. You will need to dismiss these using the stand panel. After a few flights, given that you’ve re-built your conveyor belt system correctly, the complete baggage system should be up and running again as expected!

Road sidewalks disabled



Alpha 31 also brings changes to road sidewalk, and will no longer support walkable road sidewalks (the area next to the road which is part of the placed road piece). Instead you must place normal sidewalk and crosswalks to create a path from and to your terminal. This change was made in preparation for the multiple terminal update which will come at a later stage.

We will continue to echo these changes throughout the full deployment of this update, and we’ve also implemented several operational security measures across the game to make you attentive on these changes. For example, airports saved with Alpha 30 but launched with Alpha 31 will have baggage handling automatically disabled and a dialog box popping up making you aware of the important changes happening between Alpha 30 and 31.

While these changes are annoying, they are unfortunately the reality of any early access game development. We’ve done our best to make sure that this transition happens as smooth as possible, considering the huge technical change this is while still keeping save integrity and loadability as one of the highest priorities across the development of the game.

Jetways automatically removed

Jetways now only connect to the first floor, thus any existing stand jetways you have built in your Alpha 30 update will automatically removed and the stand will be converted to a non-jetway stand to accommodate this change. This should however have no apparent impact on your airport from an operational perspective, as the city will provide you with a few stair trucks to accommodate the change.

‍With Alpha 31 now available in the open we’ll again start to serve daily updates (mainly during working weekdays) to the experimental branch and once Alpha 31 is stable we’ll start deploying the new turnaround features part of Alpha 32, which are mostly already complete but will be kept back in order to work qualitatively with bugs and roll out more complexity in incremental stages. Our current goal is to make all new content, i.e. Alpha 31 and Alpha32, deployed on the default branch before the Steam summer sale.

We'll be back all next week with bug fixes and daily deployments! Enjoy.

Fredrik, Alexander & Olof - Apoapsis Studios
‍

Hello airport CEO!

We're back with another dev blog, this week digging into the latest developments regarding multiple floor, de-icing, localizations and attending NG19. There's also some other miscellaneous information in there and a few nice pics, so do check it out!



Best regards,

Olof, Alexander & Fredrik - Apoapsis Studios