Hey everyone, I'm back with another update! This time it's the long awaited cloud saving plus various stability fixes. I'm never giving up on this thing. Hoping to have some big news for you all soon! ^-^ - Danny -

Changes and new stuff

• Cloud saving has now been added!

Balancing

• Reduced difficulty for busking on the subway
• Comic Books give more happiness for new issues, but price is slightly more

Bug fixes and improvements

• Improved how interactables wait for your approach before interacting with them, interactables no longer wait forever and activate when near if you interact with something else. The short story is that it is now easier to cancel clicks.
• Added extra snappiness to various elements while playing with a controller
• Fixed the starving button possibly not working with mouse
• Fixed the mouse cursor possibly still showing while playing on a controller when switching rapidly between mouse and controller
• Fixed a bug that could cause you to not be able to enter buildings without pausing and unpausing, alt tabbing etc
• Fixed Restaurant appearing closed when unable to enter due to low hygiene or being drunk
• Fixed day labour truck following you after declining a pay raise
• Fixed some soft lock bugs that could occur mid-late game
• Fixed jobs not allowing you to work until exiting the menu sometimes
• Fixed dogs hunger showing as 0 temporarily until the first hunger tick right after getting a dog
• Fixed white squares showing in the true ending for addict and mental illness characters
• Improved true ending timing and pace
• Fixed some issues with perk awarding in the late game
• Fixed some icons appearing huge in some popups (bread roll)
• Fixed: When buying newspapers from the paperboy to show the next city event on the same day you get a city event, it would instead show the event you just got instead of the next upcoming one. It now correctly shows the next event.
• Fixed begging in front of other homeless trying to bed taking more reputation than it should
• Some other minor stability fixes

[ 2025-03-22 14:16:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, it's time for another update! More polishing and bug fixes/request fulfillments this time and some hefty balancing changes. A bit about me, things aren't great over here. CHANGE doesn't make as much as people might think; it's been enough to squeeze by each month but I also gave a load of it away and its getting to the point where I probably can't keep doing this. I suppose that's my fault for not releasing new games in time and just working on this one for so long, and I still want to add to this game, but the reality is I can't afford it. In fact... I may be about to lose it all. Delve isn't looking good. I may have to shut things down and I don't know what's gonna happen to CHANGE after that. I don't wanna sing a swansong just yet, if just ONE big streamer does a play of the game before the end of the year that would literally be enough to save CHANGE and the company and me. You can also help by spreading the word or maybe trying out the Living City DLC? Still, I'm so grateful that we even got to this point, so many other great games get buried on steam, and I'm here with thousands of people experiencing what we made and that's amazing and humbling. It's been something truly special that's almost taken a full decade of my life, and all the messages of people saying how affecting the game is has kept me going. We can still do this, just gotta hope for lucky break. I'm finishing up a post mortem right now, so you can all read the full story behind CHANGE soon. I hope there'll be more updates to come Danny

Changes and new stuff

• Controller - Y/Triangle is now mapped to the EAT button on the bottom right that shows when hungry, B is mapped to various Stop buttons, etc, various other UI elements on controller are better mapped and feels more intuitive
• Taxi hailing whistle SFX added when hailing taxis

Balancing

• Increased amount of paperwork given by the paperwork boost custom effect in the Living City DLC
• Removing the Dirty Clothes or Injured maladies now gives 1 happiness
• Increased the base minimum time between police spawns a little bit (they should be around almost as much, they just wont appear practically immediately after the last one)
• Its harder to get the Haggard Malady
• Depression now prevents you from working/studying if happiness is equal to or less than 30 instead of 40
• Various trades are better balanced and usually more favourable
• Bliss gives a bit less happiness
• Significantly reduced chance of finding silver bracelet in trash
• Certain negative night events cause more happiness drain

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed a case where you could still get warmed in winter in shelters with the no heating status
• Fixed Go to park option when talking to other homeless being bugged after moving areas
• Fixed still being able to move cursor around in shelter menu while night event was showing on controller
• Fixed vehicles possibly driving through the sky during the intro cutscene
• Fixed cursor alignment being displaced after parts of the UI are removed in various menus on controller
• Lowered placement of bus stops and increased the delay before input is allowed on the bus UI, to help with misclicks
• When haggling with other homeless for day labour, their speech bubbles are no longer obscured due to bad placement
• Controller support - Made the gambling UI in the Arcade building easier to use
• Fixed a crash that could occur if a controller disconnects in the options menu
• Fixed police scolding you for warming up at trash cans that are on fire after police funding event level 1 (They still dont like it when actually starting fires)
• Search button now hides when clicking on payphones if youve already searched that one that day
• Floating cash gained text more prominent/better timed when searching payphones
• Fixed a bug that could allow you to search trash cans that were on fire
• Slightly increased payphone hitbox size
• Fixed a bug where deselecting Fast start after having it enabled and skipping the intro scene could cause the intro start texts to show when you next moved areas
• Fixed a bug where homeless characters in the park could have talk options you haven't unlocked yet
• Fixed alt tabbing while using controller causing a graphical error with the cursor until you pressed a button
• Fixed a bunch of issues with the Taxis
• Fixed staying in shelters not warming you up sometimes
• A bunch of other little fixes, tweaks, SFX additions, general polish

[ 2024-11-19 14:52:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! It's me again! This time around we're just focusing on your reported bugs and general polish, plus one minor change to make paperwork grinding feel less... grindy. Sorry it's been awhile since the last update, full disclosure; my computer broke. It got hit with a surge some months ago and I've been replacing parts paycheck by paycheck only to find it needs more parts. Back up and running again now though! I've been reading all of your feedback and reports, please do keep 'em coming! I still have some requests/reports to get to, but now that game is playing better, I may even turn my head to more content soon... after cloud saving that is. Anyway, I gotta get back to work, I hope you all enjoy the latest update! ^-^ - Danny -

Changes and new stuff

Day Labour now awards 1 paperwork, (chance to award none on bad events). This will reduce the overall late game feeling grindy a bit and allow you to gain work experience outside of the employment system

Balancing

Inflation city event is now harsher Reduced number of pedestrians on the street a bit, as with all the new characters walking around these days the city is feeling a bit full. This should help with the missclicking Increased crime level rate required before welfare doesnt let you in

Bug fixes and improvements

Fixed job application successes giving a perk which then threw you out of the job screen nulling the application success (really sorry about that one) Fixed a bug that could cause your welfare appointments to be -x days in the past Fixed a bunch of other welfare bugs Fixed menus in the mobile phone scrolling in the wrong direction Fixed public toilets not kicking you out at/after 8pm if waiting in there past then A bunch of other minor fixes and tweaks

[ 2024-10-09 15:57:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, just a little hotfix patch here to deal with some of the reported issues, keep the feedback coming! ^-^

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed click movement being bugged with mouse after clicking on an object to interact with it
• Improved stick sensitivity when playing with controller
• Fixed perk popups causing bugs when applying for jobs
• Fixed some tooltips in the character customiser not showing, namely the ones describing the hope bar
• Fixed some buttons in the character customiser being unresponsive (minus cash, defaults button, etc)

[ 2024-05-27 13:40:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's finally here! CHANGE is now fully playable on controller! Hey folks, it's me again (And hello to our new players too), how've ya been? How in the hells did almost a year go by without an update?! Well, it turned out that adding controller support meant re-writing a ton of code in the game, since it wasn't designed for controllers originally, a lot of stuff had be torn out and re-done. Of course, making changes to a lot of code for one feature caused a shedload of bugs, and they needed to be fixed. So It took a lot longer than originally planned, sorry about that. I've also been spending time on work contracts to keep things going as well as on my secret-for-now other project that I'll be revealing soon! (Maybe I should be banned from using the word "soon", slap my wrist) At least during this time I was also able to make a load of other fixes and improvements to CHANGE, and I actually have even more night events coming in an update soon. One thing I wanna mention before I go, did you guys know about the Living City DLC? It adds a lot of new content including soundtrack lofi remix, loads of new perks/items, customisation, new buildings, etc. It's on sale right now, why not give it a go?
[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1845520/CHANGE_The_Living_City_Expansion/]https://store.steampowered.com/app/1845520/CHANGE_The_Living_City_Expansion/ I want to thank you all again for all the support you've shown me and this game, things have been a bit tough financially lately, but I have hope I'll get to keep making these things. ^-^ Until next time, -Danny-

Changes and new stuff

• Controller support! Both Xbox and Playstation controllers are now supported. Most other controllers should still work but havent been tested.
• Some new night events added
• Quality of life: You can now right click (Or press B/Square on controller) to exit menus and stuff rather than hitting the LEAVE or RESUME button

Balancing

• WARNING! Your city WILL regenerate with different buildings because of this update! Sorry! - decreased spawn rate of police stations, more shops instead
• Addiction has been changed. The final and worst malady you get for abusing each addiction for a long time is now permanent, but it also takes longer/is harder to take addiction to that level. Base happiness gains from alcohol and cigarettes are also reduced by 1.
• Welfare takes a bit less happiness
• During winter, theres now a low chance to come across a trashcan thats already on fire to get warmed. Usually theres two each day somewhere in the city
• Nerfed some busking perks, mainly SHOWOFF(slightly lowered bonus) and MUSICIAN(Lower chance of triggering). Also base busking income nerfed very very slightly.
• Novel items happiness boost is now boosted by the bookworm perk a little
• Trade options with others on the streets now auto reroll after making a trade
• You are no longer locked out of the bank from losing residency
• Notes while busking have a slightly bigger hitbox
• Base hygiene decay rate lowered significantly while working
• Minimum movement speed increased. This isnt a boost to default walk speed, it's just that debuffs that affect walk speed (low happiness, injury, freezing, etc) arent so crippling when you have a lot of them at once

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed a typo shleter in one of the night events
• Fixed a circumstance where unlockable buildings werent spawning sometimes when loading back into a game
• Fixed click skipping when the main menu is fading in possibly causing it to be stuck with a white overlay
• Fixed Novel item not using up time
• Fixed cases where you could get multiple perm/special items from trading
• Fixed some issues with taxis
• Fixed some bug around welfare appointment times
• Fixed some menu transitions being a bit slow compared to others
• The OPEN ALL DAY Library event has now been appropriately named OPEN LATE, because its always meant it closes at 7pm rather than 3pm. I mean technically thats the end of the day and the start of the night, but hey.
• Fixed some minor bugs that could occur with talking to Joe and maggie at the park, namely the wrong talk options showing for your current relationship level with them.
• Fixed shop item generation favouring DLC items a bit too much
• Fixed a crash/softrlock that could occur during a night event
• Fixed city regenerating a new city when loading into game
• Fixed library saying were closed after 3pm when its actually closed because of pandemic closing times during pandemic mode.
• Fixed the Tarp item showing wrong item info in shops
• Made some UI improvements to the character/run customiser in the DLC.
• When asking for directions via a person or your residency/welfare cards/phone, the directions shown are now much more obvious and stay up longer
• Restaurant worker speech is more reactive/apt for your situation/stats

[ 2024-05-15 17:04:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Aha, bet you weren't expecting this! The main new thing here is Taxis, plus a load of fixes and quality of life stuff. Controller support and cloud saves next, I promise. ^-^ Thanks again to everyone's feedback, keep it comin' and I'll keep on improvin'! On another note, I'll be at WASD in London this September with CHANGE, if you're gonna be there too, come say hi! Alrighty, that's it for now, I'll be back with more news on other projects soon too. Now, BEHOLD THE NOTES! - Danny -

Changes and new stuff

• Added Taxis. These can be clicked on when parked or passing by, if your hygiene is high enough you can pay to travel quickly in one direction until you hit stop. So its sorta like the bus but with more control and potentially more expensive. Your crime will increase if you cant pay the whole fare at the end of your journey, and they may even call police.
• Patch notes button in main menu changed to button displaying additional dlc/content you dont have. These patch notes here are much better anyway.
• Made it more obvious/easier to use different organisations with residency in shelters. You cannot apply to another shelter from the same organisation while already a resident at one, but full resident rewards are given for staying there. Youll see the RESIDENT text in blue at shelters that are run by the same organisation but arent your actual main resident shelter. This should help massively with being locked down in one area in the mid/late game.

Balancing

• Sort of a bug fix but also balancing, paperwork gained from applying for jobs (even failing an application is good for farming paperwork until you can get one), now also gives its paperwork bonus when you get the job as well, not just when failing. This should take off a day or twos worth of paperwork farming time in a run.
• Inflation city events are more severe
• The difficulty of stealing multiple items in a row in a shop increased. First item steal chance in a shop each day is unaffected.
• Busking on the subway is more difficult, makes sense, since its a moving train and the rewards can be greater.
• Begging perks are earned a bit faster, especially from non typical pedestrians
• Slightly reduced xp gained for shorter runs (less than a few winters survived). Dont worry, a decent run will still get you through a few levels at once, just not like 8.
• Street vendors are more rare. Youll still see some pretty much every day, just not several types everyday. The discount has also been very slightly reduced. They still have a good chance of appearing in the emptier street areas though.
• Increased spawn chances of bus stops and benches a bit
• Housing assistance in the welfare office is a bit more effective. Now adds +2 days to the residency stay counter in a shelter if going for residency instead of 1, and reduces rental price by 3% instead of 2%. (Even more if you have the notepad item)

Bug fixes and improvements

• ATTENTION! YOUR CITY MAY REGENERATE BECAUSE OF THIS: Tweaked city generation code to make identical buildings not appear on the same strip as much
• Theres more car traffic during rush hour. This doesnt affect anything, its just visual, and a nice hint for when rush hour is on besides the other things. This was actually always meant to be happening but there was a bug.
• Beer is now represented as a few beers in the icon.
• Fixed being able to interact with certain menus when you shouldnt be able to, like being able to leave welfare office while waiting
• Fixed being able to busk on subway with only a licence and not a guitar if you had a guitar but lost it
• Fixed a bunch of other issues with busking on the subway
• Fixed a bug that caused your player level to not update from previous run visually after beating a run
• Fixed bonus item falling from vending machine popup having wrong title
• Fixed issues with arcades perma-banning you after being caught looking for change in machines a lot, even after moving areas
• Fixed certain custom stats such as hygiene not working in character customiser
• Improved some clock timer popup timings
• Finally fixed the Perk Collector achievement
• Fixed a crash that could occur in night events
• Fixed Juice not working in flask

[ 2023-08-18 11:56:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, I'm back with another update! I'm still goin'! ^-^ Bad news first, controller support is still in progress, there's a few things that just don't feel right yet playing that way, but I'm almost there. So, why's it been so long since the last update? Well I'm currently working on multiple things, not just CHANGE, and the time is soon approaching when I can show off some teasers. But not quite yet... There's also of course the other ports like the mobile release of CHANGE, which is coming in the next few months. The last thing is I've been quite unwell for some of the previous months, but doing better now so should be firing out updates more often. Anyway, this update is all about reducing the mid-game grind a bit, as well as a load of bug fixes and other improvements. I've still got a bunch of your suggestions/reports to get to, don't worry I'll get to any remaining issues soon! Please do keep up the feedback! :) - Danny -

Changes and new stuff

• Two minor NPCS from the dlc are now available in the base game, namely the guy sometimes seen on a bench and the sandwich guy. I think this adds some value in variability within the streets to the base game while not taking too much from the DLC, since it still has tons of other characters, buildings, perks, items, customisation, remixed lofi soundtrack, etc.

Balancing

• Base study gains increased, basically it's way less likely you'll only get 1-2 study
• Residency gives +1 more paperwork, bank account gives +3 more paperwork
• Max xp for a run is now 1800 (you can break past this cap with customisation/hope modifiers in the dlc), and xp calculation for runs is generally improved
• Juice costs more
• Lvs 25-27 now require 750 xp rather than 500
• Welfare office drains happiness a bit faster
• The dog loses hunger a little more slowly, even more slowly while working/studying/waiting.
• Hunger loss ever so slightly reduced while working
• Changing core stats such as starting cash, hunger, etc, now has less effect on your hope level in the customizer. Happiness and study still affect hope more though, of course.

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed some generation cases that caused the city to regenerate on load with a new layout (THIS FIX WILL PROBABLY CAUSE YOUR CITY TO CHANGE ONE LAST TIME ON LOAD IF PLAYING IN PROGRESS SAVE)
• Fixed speech bubbles disappearing when trading
• Fixed a bug that could cause the true ending to not show when you had met the requirements
• Fixed unlockable buildings (BAR, SUBWAY, etc) not generating when loading back into a game or changing city sometimes
• Fixed things that award random perks (such as bills teaching or EUREKA/BURNOUT) sometimes awarding special/incorrect perks or an addiction.
• Fixed one of the customisable traits having the wrong unlock text (beat game without recycling > beat hard state challenge mode. This still unlocked before if you beat hard challenge, only displayed text was wrong)
• Fixed still being able to eat trash food with picky eater perk even with food in inventory
• Fixed library book showing as a tradeable item
• Fixed flask item containing drink from previous run still when you get one in a new run
• Fixed being caught stealing not causing crime increase
• Fixed Maggies tip special perk only working first day
• Fixed a bug that could cause volume settings to change after completing a run
• Fixed characters not taking you to park
• Fixed abandoned having option for giving directions even when your rep wasnt high enough yet
• Fixed silver bracelet being a tradeable/buyable item. It should only be found in trash

[ 2023-06-23 15:34:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again! Some of you were nice enough to point out some more bugs and stuff, so here's another mini patch! Back again soon! ^-^ - Danny -

• Fixed some new items not being buyable in the shop or showing wrong info in shop
• I also spent some time working on the pedestrians and the hitboxes for begging from them, so now it should be much harder to accidentally click on one when you were going for scrap. Let me know how it feels!

[ 2023-01-21 11:42:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, sorry it's been awhile! Here's another patch giving some much needed love to the game, still to come is controller support, mobile version, cloud saves and more languages! Oh, and of course, there's also some new games I'm working on... more news on that soon hopefully! ^-^ - Danny -

• Fixed welfare! (For this time, I think/hope)
• Fixed more issues with new items in the shop
• Fixed a few freezing issues

[ 2023-01-19 14:41:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, got a new patch finally done that fixes most of the major issues (especially with the new content). Still got some work to do on welfare, but I'm making progress! Should have yet another update out later this week. ^-^ - Danny

• Fixed various issues with new items
• Fixed freezing issues if your player level got to a certain amount

[ 2022-12-13 14:51:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! So I managed to add some more bugs with all the new content, so here's another patch of fixes! (I've also been secretly doing other mini patches in the meantime). Keep the reports and feedback coming guys! We're so close to making this game perfect... See ya soon! - Danny

• Fixed buildings and things buildings contain being regenerated on load
• Fixed some crash issues
• Fixed city changing on reload
• Fixed shelter charity/conditions changing on reload
• Fixed quit button in main menu

[ 2022-11-19 09:20:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Well, I keep saying Im done with this game, then I go and do something like this. Its another big content update! For both the base game AND the Living city dlc! Sorry it took so long, had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life that threw a spanner into the works, and the trouble with being solo on this right now, is I can't tap someone to replace me when I'm out of sorts. But, we're here now! So what's been going on lately... Well I went to EGX with CHANGE, that was fun, especially getting to see some of you in person. I shall have to rise from my hermit cave of darkness/code to come meet ya more often! Then I had flu.... And about a week after that got covid... Then had a breakup... (things repaired since) Now I'm moving because I can't afford my rent anymore, but that's not so bad. I really should live somewhere with heating anyway. Winter is coming... So yeah, sorry it's been longer than usual and I've been a bit silent, but I'm back and full of fire now! So here's a massive update as a reward for all your patience. Next up I'll have some news about the MOBILE version of CHANGE, as well as maaaaaybe a trailer or screenshot of our NEXT GAME... I've actually got 2 games in development besides change now... Thanks again for all your support and feedback guys, we may yet turn CHANGE into a sleeper hit if you guys keep sharing the game... every share helps! Please keep telling your friends so we can keep the game studio (me) alive! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

• Weve added 27 items! These can be unlocked by getting through the new player levels youll need to beat with EXP by playing. One of them is a MAP!
• The base game now has: 10 New items & max player level increased to 25!
• The Living city now has: 17 New items have been added & max player level increased to 32!
• Added a NO CHALLENGE button to the challenge selection menu, and updated a few other bits of UI in the DLC menu sections.

Balancing

• Slightly increased begging perk earn rate
• Fixed searching trash causing barely any hygiene to be lost
• Spending time in the Arcade or restaurant now provides warmth
• When you beat a run, you now get 400 bonus xp

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed the sun wiping out the screen during heatwaves when playing in EXTREME WEATHER challenge mode
• Fixed DLC perks not displaying names
• Fixed the parent and child walking backwards
• Made an improvement to the Special/Perm item inventory, items are now ordered based on how often you use them, so the items you use the most/daily will always be near the top and you dont have to scroll around so much
• Fixed challenge mode buttons not displaying as completed until you deselect them
• Fixed some of the newer food items not being detected as food to show the starving quick eat button when starving
• Fixed some issues with speech bubbles dismissing too early sometimes on interrupt
• FIXED WELFARE!
• Fixed some medical/utility items possibly showing in certain circumstances before you unlocked them
• Fixed street savvy showing as a perk selection twice sometimes
• Fixed Big pasta pots being endless (sigh)
• Fixed still being able to use some welfare office options when your crime level is too high
• Fixed final perk for perk collector achievement
• Improved timing for welfare clock popups

[ 2022-11-10 11:18:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there, here's another mini patch with more improvements and fixes based on your feedback, including a 4th slot for shops! Be back soon! ^-^ - Danny

Changes and new stuff

• Added a 4th slot to shops that shows a particular use item permanently. (This is often particular items needed for certain runs like dogfood, alcohol, sanitaries, sandwiches etc)

Balancing

• Reduced dog hunger decay when studying/working/passing time a bit
• Slightly increased city density, so more buildings spawn on average and theres less walk time between buildings on average. (WARNING: This means your city will generate differently if continuing a run)

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed issues selecting new perks with certain customisation/challenge/character selection combos
• Fixed Slow player perk as final perk being bugged

[ 2022-08-24 13:36:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again! You've been great reporting any remaining issues, so here's another patch of fixes! I'll be back soon! ^-^ - Danny

Bug fixes and improvements

• Minimum amount to gamble in the arcade is now 2, since thats what it is in the menu
• Paperwork tooltip in jobs menu now displays higher up so its not cut off
• Fixed the trading menu not updating after rerolling the tradeable items with the Lucky Coin item until you close the trade popup and ask to trade again with that character
• Fixed Welfare office being assigned when player doesnt have welfare after moving areas
• Fixed Unlocks for challenge modes and challenge mode completion still being reset!
• Fixed the new hygiene decrease rules via trash not working as intended

[ 2022-08-20 11:01:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! Im sorry I stopped putting out updates for over a month, here's a big one to compensate! Also, theres been some developments I'd like to begin by announcing that the price of CHANGE will be increasing a little bit sometime in Autumn. Not much, but I do feel that CHANGE has a lot of content now compared to when it first released, and it's currently going for lot less than many indie games with less content. Still plenty of time to buy the game at the current price though! On news and developments: First of all, Im sorry to say that Jack, the composer for our games and co-designer/founder will be taking a break from Delve Interactive for a while. Its been a lot of hard years for us, years that have really taken their toll on us both. Dont worry, he wont disappear completely, maybe working on a little something here and there, but he will be taking a step back to focus on other things and I truly wish him the best and will always be ready to welcome him back. Let us all raise a toast in his honour for all the beautiful music and work hes done! The other development that slowed me down a bit this month was catching a bad cold, then after two days of wellness I caught covid and now I have long covid it seems. Both the covid and long covid have been pretty mild for me, mainly just needing an extra nap every now and then, but Im back to working now! Anyway, that's all from me for now, onto the patch notes! Still got some requests and things to fulfil, so I've got at least a few more patches in me for CHANGE. Unless the game explodes in popularity... tell your friends about it! ^-^ - Danny P.S New game announcement next month...?

Changes and new stuff

• Certain texts have been updated/improved
• (LC) These are really bug fixes, but since this content is now working it may come as a surprise to some players:
• Fixed one of the new homeless characters not functioning as they should (the bearded one with blondish hair). He makes begging less successful in his area and may berate you if your reputation isnt very good. He may distract the police if your reputation is high. He does other stuff too
• Subway busking is now working! (All because the Buy busking licence button was hidden due to a bug)

Balancing

• Slowed down the default pace of time a tiny bit more.
• Made various changes to homeless reputation and your relationships with Joe, Bill and Maggie, making it easier to build friendships with them and sooner.
• Various jobs have additional work hours (more time used, but also more pay), have slightly lower paperwork requirements and slightly higher study requirements
• Successful job applications increases paperwork more
• When cheap items come up for trading, youll have to give over more on average, so you cant cheat the previously broken system by trading 2 snack bars for a winter coat or something. Now itll probably take as much as, ahem, 5 snack bars
• Jobs with lower paperwork requirements have a much higher chance of showing in the job office when you dont have much paperwork yet
• Base begging success chance slightly increased, but pedestrians who notice you commit a crime will be less kind/generous
• Pedestrians carry a tiny bit more cash on average
• Reduced base hunger loss over time while studying in library a bit
• Searching trash now takes a little less hygiene from you when below 50 hygiene. It takes more when at full hygiene.
• Updated the amount of perk points required for new perks at certain levels, mid-late game perks are earned slightly faster
• When bargaining for day labour, your competitors wont keep offering to do it for less until its just not worth it
• Significantly increased the number of benches that spawn in cities
• Hunger/happiness ticks can no longer happen within the first and last few minutes of each day, so you wont tick over just as you enter/exit a building on time at certain times
• The previous patch reduced how long you remain drunk for quite a bit. Added a few seconds to how long you are drunk for this time.
• Having the freezing status has a tiny bit less effect on walk speed
• (LC) ALL ALONE Challenge now has way less people on the streets
• (LC) You now need a minimum of 3 to start gambling in the arcade
• (LC) The fence will be tradeable if youve been arrested once, regardless of reputation
• (LC) Dumpsters now only have 3 uses by default, as intended

Bug fixes and improvements

• NIGHT EVENT CHANGE - The game now remembers what night events youve seen the most across runs, and makes those events less likely to show in the future so that rarer events have a better chance of showing, and making runs more unique overall.
• (LC) Fixed the 3rd shop item possibly being a newspaper token or silver bracelet, which would break stuff
• (LC) Fixed the 3rd shop item showing it was discounted by a newspaper token when it wasnt
• (LC) Fixed the charity assistance in the welfare building possibly pointing you to shelters with no current event that would have an event the next day instead
• (LC) Fixed being able to enter the gambling menu in the arcade when you didnt have enough to actually gamble, causing stuckness
• (LC) Fixed the wise trader sometimes breaking if you had max perks or near max perks
• (LC) Fixed challenges not being set as complete after completing them
• (LC) Fixed xp bonuses/negatives from custom games not always working
• Fixed the True ending not always showing under certain circumstances
• (LC) Fixed newspaper coupon not showing what item it discounts when you hover over it in the inventory, as well as some other newspaper coupon related bugs
• Fixed a bug that could cause you to be assigned a random job when moving areas under some circumstances
• Fixed the daytime marker under the time getting stuck
• Some little extra improvements for immersion, the fence and dealer characters wont talk with you while police are nearby
• Fixed pedestrians not speaking when reacting to crime
• Fixed getting stuck zoomed in if certain popups or events happened at the start/end of the day
• Fixed Music starting near the end of tracks too often
• Fixed being able to reselect an already selected character, which just made the char name text unhighlight
• Fixed cases where starting a new run after abandoning a challenge one could have you start the new run with the previous runs selected challenge
• Fixed issues with arcade ambience/music being heard when moving to another building after going to arcade
• Fixed the Illness cured popup showing text for Injury cured popup
• Fixed tooltips from the pause menu still showing after closing it
• (LC) Fixed Go to park option incorrectly showing for Abandoned character in street when talking to them
• (LC) Fixed Addict character in street using text Ah I shouldnt but ill take it after talking to them first time
• (LC) Fixed z positioning of some new street characters
• Fixed issues with perk collector achievement and max level busking perks. Lots of things have changed or become available in terms of changing the perk cap over the last several updates, and busking doesnt have as many perks as the other categories. The max cap for busking is lower if you increase the max cap too much in a custom game to compensate for this, up to the limit of how many busking perks actually exist.
• OFTEN music mode now plays music more often.
• Updated sfx mixing, so sounds sound better
• The dogs walk speed has been improved so he can keep up when you have loads of walk speed buffs
• Fixed food stamp icons incorrectly showing in shop sometimes
• Fixed the MARTYR perk icon having crime colours when its a begging perk
• Fixed beg reactions in the subway showing broken text in non english languages
• Fixed flask item showing a water bottle icon when it contains nothing
• Fixed charity events reading in 2 days - in 2 DAYS twice
• Fixed not being able to hear the guitar when playing it
• Tips in the loading screen now stay up for a minimum time to make them more readable
• Fixed text of map buttons in phone menu
• Fixed music mix/mode text in the options menu initially reading as the wrong mode text
• Fixed cigarettes not showing a proper description in various menus
• Fixed the music mode button being hidden when initially loading into the main menu
• Fixed being able to spam the rest button in shelter to get additional hunger
• Fixed shelter regular perk also applying to shelters with the same company/owner
• Fixed more issues in some translated text in certain languages
• Fixed inventory not being sorted correctly when first opening it
• Fixed perks not being scrollable until you visit other left side menus
• Fixed Defaults button in character customizer causing you to not be able to add traits

[ 2022-08-15 11:32:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again! As promised here's a new patch, complete with more night events and a bunch of other improvements. Still got a few more things to come in yet another patch, stay tuned! - Danny

Changes and new stuff

• (LC) Added a Defaults button to customiser, so you can easily reset everything
• Over 20 new night events have been added!

Balancing

• When competing for day labour, you cant just accept the new values if someone bargains for their own work, you have to change your bid.
• Pedestrians walk slightly slower. While this makes it easier to not beg accidentally, it does reduce crowd volume a tiny bit.

Bug fixes and improvements

• Improved clock icon timer timing in popups
• Fixed getting stuck at water fountain with the pristine perk (YEEEEEEEEEESSSSS!)
• Fixed various issues with welfare appointments
• Fixed main character not doing their end day speech
• Fixed title of talking ui being too big when talking to certain characters
• Fixed certain characters having options to take you to the park when they shouldnt
• Directions shown for buildings now stays on screen longer, like when using the phone map or asking someone
• Fixed some cases or events where a random perk could be awarded and this could possibly be a dlc perk when you dont own the dlc, which would break quite a few things
• Fixed various issues with challenges and unlocks in the character customiser
• Fixed the welfare office mentioning your hygiene is too low, when its actually your crime level being too high thats stopping you getting in
• Fixed issues with popups causing a hang if they occur right at the end of the day
• Fixed winter happiness decays effects occurring in certain new buildings
• Fixed multiple versions of the same story character type showing up in one day (like seeing two veteran characters in the same day)
• Fixed certain hygiene effects not restoring as much hygiene as they should when you had increased your max hygiene
• Fixed the 3rd shop item bugging out
• Fixed more issues with the parent and child pedestrian
• Fixed some new item icons being too small compared to the rest
• Fixed some typos

[ 2022-06-05 16:15:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

I'm back again with yet another patch of improvements, bug fixes and implemented feature requests! Here are your patch notes, I'll be back again soon with more... the next patch has new content too! ^-^ Until next time, Danny

Changes and new stuff

• If you are friends with both Joe and Maggie and have joined their syndicate, sometimes theyll give you some minor items if you pay over the average into the pot
• Updated the new item icon on the bag
• CLINIC UPDATE: The clinic is one of the least used buildings in the game and has been in need of an update for awhile, even though it is one of the minor buildings. Here it is:
• If you have particular maladies like being on your period or illness, the clinic may give you a free item to help with it once when you visit.
• If you dont have any of the item on sale in the clinic within your inventory, your first purchase will come with a free extra. This can only trigger once per day.
• The pool of items that clinics sell has been increased slightly.

Balancing

• Perks are earned Slightly faster at various levels
• (LC) The first welfare appointment now occurs 2 days later rather than 5. However, itll take longer to get welfare again if you lose it by being arrested or anything like that.
• (LC) Welfare now gives even more based on how many appointments youve had, and the maximum possible cap has been increased.

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed the red car graphical bug
• Improved click boxes for pedestrians and scrap to make accidental begging less of a thing, working on some new control schemes as feedback suggests though!
• Increased base volume of guitar sfx
• Fixed that sitting homeless characters positioning so it didnt look like they were floating sometimes
• Various optimisations have been made, so the game uses up 100-300 mb less ram at all times
• Fixed some cases where you couldnt increase hygiene past 100 even though your max hygiene was more than 100
• Further improved bus positioning when dropped off
• Bus: res shelter button now takes you to in progress shelter if you have one, so you dont have to be resident before it shows in the bus menu
• Fixed toilet bugging out late in the day
• Fixed vsync issues, vsync options have been removed, but now its set automatically based on your hardware.
• (LC) Fixed parent and child moonwalking
• (LC) Fixed not being able to move after begging from the parent and child (Woops, forgot to add these fixes too when I first posted the patch notes)
• (LC) Welfare system has been made more obvious in various UI.
• (LC) Also fixed some welfare appointments bugs
• (LC) Small bell - Fixed this bugging out the inventory.
• (LC) Added bus option to current welfare office and arcade
• (LC) Fixed unlocking stuff for challenges and character customiser
• (LC) Fixed challenge mode being turned off if you loaded back into a saved game after going back to the main menu

[ 2022-05-19 14:57:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another patch here, finally got that black screen bug sorted, so that should be all good now. Also made some optimisations to reduce ram usage. Got more patches still coming! ^-^ Danny

[ 2022-05-10 14:33:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys, sorry again for the bugs that were introduced with the DLC launch, here's a patch for a lot of the base game issues! I'll keep coming with more patches until the game is perfect, will have a few more done this week. The game isn't usually like this, but adding more and content does make it harder to not add more bugs along the way! A real shame our recent review score has been cut in half because of this, and we'll never hit overwhelmingly positive now... but I guess I should have tested more. It'll all be smooth again soon though! Still got more fixes and a little more content coming up, stay tuned! Danny

Balancing

• Paperwork now affects job success more positively
• Base Happiness drain when studying/working decreased

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed the first building in the middle of the city where you start always generating with the same buildings
• Fixed some black screen/crash bugs that could happen when continuing a game
• Fixed the ending not loading or causing a crash on low end computers, due to animation frames not being properly compressed and using too much memory (This was a bug from an engine upgrade)
• Fixed the minus xp bug, and if you load into the game after this patch with minus xp youll get a level up as a sorry!
• Fixed happiness loss ticks happening on benches as though you were working

[ 2022-05-09 14:20:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, So it's obvious that the launch of the DLC has fixed a lot of bugs! ...and introduced a load more. Thanks to all your feedback and reports, I've got a bunch of hotfixes up in the last week, but I've still got plenty of work to do. It's hard testing every variable in a game with hundreds of perks, items, events and characters that just multiplied all the different variations of a run with the new customisation system even more, when you're only one person. Still, no excuses, I'm working on more patches and should have everything running smoothly again this week. And then I'll continue to make improvements until I'm satisfied. As an apology, I've got a little more content to be included in the base game on the way too. ^-^ Back soon with more patches! Danny

[ 2022-05-05 11:31:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Got more fixes here, and more coming! You guys are really doing great with all the feedback and critiques. ^-^

Bug fixes and improvements

(Living City) Fixed time affecting start effects (slow, fast) having swapped effects and doing the opposite of what they say (Living City) Fixed some start effects behaving as though they hadn't been unlocked once you equip them, stopping removal (Living City) Fixed the welfare office thinking you already have an assigned office at the start Fixed main character saying "I don't have any more..." instead of usual day end text at 9pm Fixed silver bracelet find popup having the wrong buttons Fixed some overlapping UI

[ 2022-05-02 09:13:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phew! Alrighty, here's another patch with some much needed fixes, keep the feedback coming and I'll keep making updates. :)

New Features & Big Changes

(Living City) Welfare office UI updated, so you can see which one is your assigned office. Various popups/texts related to welfare also updated. You also get your welfare card immediately after siging on rather than when you turn up to your first appointment.

Balancing

Fixed jobs/study/welfare taking more happiness than it should, this is actually more of a bug fix (Living City) The hope levels of some stat changes have been updated (hygiene affects it way less for one) (Living City) Abandoned doesn't give good directions until you have a slightly better reputation

Bug fixes and improvements

(Living City) Fixed not being able to remove start effects after adding them (Living City) Fixed a bug that could cause gambling in the arcade to pay out too much (Living City) Fixed a lot of issues with the Arcade (Living City) Fixed various start effects not resetting when starting a new game (Living City) Fixed some start effects not activating correctly with certain combos (Living City) Fixed being able to change stats even when your hope bar is full or empty, which would let you take it past the min and max (Living City) Fixed some silver bracelet rewards showing as a vendor item (Living City) Fixed stat changes possibly being set to 160 (Living City) Fixed crime increases in the customisation menu increasing hope instead of decreasing it

[ 2022-05-01 14:42:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Got a bunch more fixes done this morning, audio and various bugs have been fixed, I'll be back later with another patch! ^-^

[ 2022-04-30 10:37:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Well it looks like there were some teething issues for those who downloaded the new patch and dlc within the first few hours of launch, so I've done like 4 hotfix patches since then that fixes... a bunch of stuff. For anyone having an issue with crackly sound, closing and reopening the game is a short term fix until i have a solution. Too tired for full patch notes right now, gotta get some sleep, but I'll be back tomorrow with more patches! I hope everyone is having a good time exploring all the new stuff. ^-^ Danny

[ 2022-04-29 23:01:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's time! After a ton of work over many months, The Living City is now available for purchase! Check it out! Or better yet... wishlist or buy it! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1845520/CHANGE_The_Living_City_Expansion/ As I've mentioned before, this expansion comes with new buildings, 80 new items and perks, new characters, a lofi remix of the soundtrack that can be toggled in the options menu and a massive customisation system that unlocks if you have at least 3 playable characters including poverty. Also... here's a big update for the base game too! Details on that are further down. I'll be keeping an eye on things like a hark as always and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback on our massive expansion to CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Expensive! It's been a hell of a ride and truly humbling to hear all your stories about how our little game has inspired you to care for the homeless... Maybe I'll have some news on the next game next....? -PEACE- Danny

Changes & new stuff

• New music options! You can now choose how often music is played, even on a random loop of the tracks if you like.
• Various updated UI
• New Abandon run button added to in-game options, drains 100 happiness instantly allowing you to unlock things based on how far you got (ending before your first winter doesnt give much...)

Balancing

• Some special passive items have been increased in price. With all the new ways to earn cash that have been added over the years, some things just make it too easy to fill your pack with every item.
• Anytime you buy an item from a vending machine, there is now a small chance an extra item will fall down
• The base perk cap for all categories has been increased by one. Sorry to anyone going for that max perks achievement I recommend making friends with Bill. Though the perk earn rate at various levels has also been adjusted.
• Charity events happen slightly less often by default
• Pedestrian base generosity/begging chances reduced by about 3%
• Suit pedestrians have a tiny bit more cash on average
• The granny shows up more rarely and pays out 10% less on average
• Restaurant prices reduced, some effects give better bonuses
• Drunk effect lasts for a bit less time (remember you can get sober faster if you sleep on a bench!)
• Negative work buffs/traits now also cause you to lose a little happiness when you get them, positive ones give happiness when you get them
• Bus stops spawn more commonly and also drop you closer to where youre going
• Clothing street vendors are rarer, and street vendor discounts arent quite as good (still much better than shops!)
• Gaining a positive work trait/buff at a job offsets previous warnings more
• Water fountains are slightly more common
• Criminal Record has less effect on paperwork at max
• Various building generation chances have been better optimized, this will mean that your current run will have a different layout after installing this update! New runs will be fine.
• Day labour billboards are more common, but base day labour risks increased. Perks that affect day labour are a bit more effective. Asking for less also reduces risk more. Additionally, competing with other homeless for the same job now works more as intended, so you cant just accept the job when someone undercuts you.
• Streets are generated more densely packed with buildings on average, and buildings are less likely to show up near others of the same kind. Additionally, bad luck spawns have been mitigated so you wont have runs with the nearest library/shelter being miles away
• Slightly increased base busking earnings, but also slightly reduced effectiveness of some busking perks
• Reputation now decays by 1 per day
• Police are a tiny bit more likely to be kind
• The emptier street layouts are much more likely to have street vendors with discounts, vending machines, payphones, etc
• Bliss addiction takes 2 days longer to get rid of. Other addictions take 1 day longer.

Bug fixes and improvements

• Fixed bugs that could occur when using public toilets late in the day
• Fixed some translation bugs in certain menus for certain languages
• The flask now has an icon for the drink it contains
• Fixed study continuing to seem to scale your salary in the ui after youve already gained a job
• Banking withdraw/deposit buttons are more intuitive and less buggy
• When returning to the main menu from the game, logos are skipped and the transition is faster
• When using the bus to get to a shelter, this will no longer take you to shelters that are closed down if any are.
• Fixed paperwork values in the jobs office not updating after working a shift until you exit and re-enter
• Improved scrolling sensitivity/speed in inventory, perk menus, etc
• Fixed tooltips that normally show when hovering over things in the bag menu from showing while in the street and not actually hovering over a ui item with a tooltip
• Fixed a bug that could cause some of the scratchcards you find to count as being paid for when you actually found them in the streets/in trash sometimes, causing happiness debuffs on use when it shouldnt
• Fixed library events occurring/showing even when libraries are closed on the first day of summer
• Fixed various instances where the options in certain night events would bug and both read as OK
• Sped up the transition/timing when using the bus before you can move
• Improved background building artwork
• Love perk updated, to make it clear its more dog related
• Made more optimisations for faster loading and smoother gameplay
• Fixed popup title being incorrect when item is confiscated
• Fixed the one of the homeless you can trade with levitating
• Fixed a bug that could affect charity day start times with certain perks after changing areas
• Fixed the Well prepared start bonus icon being too small
• Fixed study bar ui not filling properly until you get some study after loading
• Improved pedestrian spawn code, so they dont spawn so close together all the time
• Improved scrap click collision so you beg accidentally less often
• Fixed text on mouse mode button not changing to reflect new mouse mode
• Adjusted pitch bending for the minor fanfare, so its less piercing
• Fixed certain perks/effects that increased the number of items you find when you do find items in trash not triggering 100% of the time
• Fixed happiness losses possibly occurring with certain perk/item setups while spending time in laundrette, toilets or park
• Fixed city not always generating correctly with welfare cuts city event at level 2 or higher
• HAHA! The fountain washing bug is fixed! It was the deodorants fault this whole time

[ 2022-04-29 19:47:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys!!! It's finally time to reveal the DLC in full! Without further ado, here is the store page and of course the trailer for The Living City expansion: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1845520/CHANGE_A_Homeless_Survival_Experience_Living_City_Expansion/ Remember to hit the wishlist button! Every time someone wishlists, Steam is a bit nicer to us. ^-^ Almost done with the base game patch too, see you next Friday for release day! Danny

[ 2022-04-22 14:10:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, apologies for the lack of updates! So I've been crunching like hell to get everything done to release the game, but due to some internal hiccups we're gonna have to delay "The Living City" DLC expansion once more. And, to be honest, I could really use a little rest from crunching to keep working at a decent quality, and I pretty much do everything. Sorry! Our new release date is April 29th! ...For sure this time! I hate to break promises to you guys, but I promise the wait'll be worth it! The expansion really does add a ton of new content and variability, plus more ways to play how you want. In the meantime, as a little gift for being patient with me, I've got that new base game patch landing in the next couple of days that has a little bit of new content and a bunch of other improvements/fixes/feature requests. Also, here's some preview shots of the DLC!


And with the risk of yet again sounding like a broken record, I'm almost done with the trailer and store page which will be up soon! I'll be back with another announcement when it's all ready for ya.
That's all from me for now, back soon with the new patch and maybe some other stuff. ^-^ Danny

[ 2022-04-09 15:52:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! I'm baaaaaack. Sorry to keep you waiting, but it's been a little while since I gave a proper update and I wanted to keep you guys in the loop. The DLC shall be titled "The Living City expansion" , and it includes a ton of new features. More on that below our base game roadmap, I don't want to spoil too much, but lower down you can see a summary of most of the main features. The store page for The Living City will be live soon! Remember to check back for our new trailer and official release date! Oh, and remember to wishlist! It really helps with the steam algorithm (Oh dear I sound like a youtuber or something...) ^-^ We're almost good to go with everything, first off here's a full list of our remaining plans for CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience:

UPCOMING BASE GAME FEATURES & IMPROVEMENTS

March

• Some new night events! including events specific to certain story characters
• Ability to call the dealer and find out where he is
• Additional music options, so you can play with less silence if you wish
• Flask will show what item it has via an icon
• And of course some balancing adjustments and bug fixes from all the new content

April/May

• Cloud saving
• Controller support
• Mobile/tablet port

Summer 2022

• French, Japanese & polish support (It may not be all 3, it depends on how how much we can afford)

Autumn/Winter 2022

• Brazilian Portuguese, Italian and any other remaining languages we've announced that have been left out.
• Maaaaaaaybe some other ports (can't confirm anything about this yet)

(New languages and things could come out sooner, but for that to happen we'd need to sell a lot more copies in the short term)

THE LIVING CITY EXPANSION

IF you thought this game had a lot of depth before, you're in for a treat. Release Date: March 2?th (full date will be on the store page when it's up! Get those wishlists ready!) FEATURES

• A huge run/character customisation system! Balance your "Hope" by choosing your story, starting cash, starting perks, maladies, reputation, etc as well as selecting from a ton of new unique starting effects that are unlocked by completing various objectives. This doesn't offer graphical changes to your character beyond the predefined character looks we already have, just want to be honest about that.
• 2 New buildings, a welfare office and an arcade! Plus new street layouts and street events
• The homeless stories/characters you don't play as, will become unique interactable characters in your run
• 64 new perks!
• 14 new items!
• 9 unique challenge modes for experienced players, can you survive on the streets in "Extreme Weather" or during a "Pandemic"?
• LOADS of new npcs and other homeless with unique interactions!
• Subway busking!
• New street vendor, new vending machine and a bunch of other new unique street interactables
• A Lo- fi remix of the soundtrack, that can be toggled in the options!

As for after all this released, it'll be the next game. More on that in... a little while. Are you as excited as I am? Back soon with a live store page for THE LIVING CITY! - Danny

[ 2022-03-13 14:18:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Well my last hotfix broke some other stuff, so here's another one! Almost done with the dlc! ;)

• Fixed pedestrians not spawning
• Fixed empty speech bubbles

[ 2022-03-08 21:15:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, here's another patch with some much needed fixes. Back soon with the DLC launch!

Balancing

Arrest crime level requirement increased Like Libraries, Job offices are now closed on the first day of summer (The first day of the game and the first day after each winter). This will be a day off if you have a job. Max paperwork loss from criminal record is now 16 insteead of 20

Bug fixes and improvements

Fixed rented library books being a possible trade item Fixed ball item showing in normal inventory Fixed a couple of crash bugs Made some big memory optimisations to the game Fixed other characters disappearing on state changes sometimes Joe is more likely to continue busking for awhile, instead of playing only 30 seconds or so (This doesn't affect the happiness bonus) Wash bug fixed!

[ 2022-03-07 14:59:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's finally here! CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience is now available for Spanish speakers to enjoy. ^-^ Back soon with more content and other stuff!

[ 2022-02-16 21:21:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed getting stuck in the public toilets! Next up, a couple of balancing/pacing changes and the release of the Spanish version! Back soon, Danny

[ 2022-02-14 12:35:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over... ...Which mean another patch! Here are the notes, be back soon with some more request fulfilments! In the next one, I'm going to have jobs give days off occasionally, so the job isn't as forced on you. Tata for now, Danny

Bug fixes and improvements

Made some big memory optimisations, game now runs smoother and loads faster Fixed a crash that could occur after playing for awhile Fixed the time not being 12 hour format for English Fixed the job earnings popup showing your cash earned per hour, rather than total cash earned in one shift (you were still getting the correct cash before) Fixed an issue with job start times being displayed incorrectly with the Employee perk in particular menus/circumstances Remixed/normalised some of the soundtrack, so certain tracks no longer punch your ear drums (looking at you, main menu music and that one piano one...) Fixed a few translation/localisation errors Keep the reports and feedback coming! I'm here for ya

[ 2022-02-10 19:33:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alrighty, another patch to fix some much needed issues. Got more on the way!

Bug Fixes and Improvements

• Fixed juice not working with the flask item
• Fixed a memory leak when paused that could crash everything
• Fixed infinite washing? I hope... couldn't manage to do it again on my end.

[ 2022-02-08 19:13:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's another Patch! This time it's a few bug fixes and greatly improved Russian and non english localisation!

Bug fixes and Improvements

• Fixed being able to wait in toilets past closing time (again again)
• New font and other improvements for Russian
• Fixed various issues when playing the game in a language other than English

I'll be back soon with another patch, it might even include Spanish! :) Danny

[ 2022-02-07 17:47:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

More fixes! Keep the feedback coming guys! ^-^

Balancing

Required paperwork level for construction job reduced to 75 from 80

Bug fixes and improvements

The game now boots in borderless window mode Fixed the game changing the refresh rate to something over 60 when it shouldn't/was unsupported Fixed some other issues with fullscreen settings (your saved resolution now may be different, but setting it again will fix it) Fixed issues with multi screen setup, now the second monitor isn't darkened Fixed the game changing resolution/fullscreen mode multiple times during boot Fixed day labour big crash Improved russian language font texture atlas Another fix for endless washing Fixed being able to stay in toilets past 8pm

[ 2022-02-04 18:17:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, here's some more fixes! I've also been doing lots of tiny patches between these hotfix ones to fix stuff. Here's the notes:

• Fixed issues when playing in chinese or russian
• Fixed some crashes
• Fixed fancy meals in the restaurant not working
• Fixed a few cases where the game wouldn't let you move
• Fruit price increased by 0.06f
• Pedestrians are a tiny bit less generous by default
• Fixed issues with massive click boxes on scrap
• ...and some other tweaks and fixes.

[ 2022-02-02 16:41:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, some issues have been raised since we released yesterday, so here's a hotfix patch!

• Fixed shelters sometimes having a curfew before 6pm, and also pretty much never being after 8pm
• Fixed endless washing after washing at a fountain
• Fixed some issues with washing in toilets
• Fixed a ghost speaking at the camp when no one is there
• Charity collector is a bit rarer
• Fixed a softlock/crash that could occur in prison events
• Fixed a startup crash that could occur with high resolutions

I'll be back with more changes/fixes as things are reported :)

[ 2022-01-31 17:37:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's finally here! This massive update changes the game in so many ways, with a new building, updates to some other buildings, new characters and a ton of improvements and fixes. I've spent the last little while putting some love into every part of the game that needs it. A lot of it was meant to be part of the expansion, but I'm just gonna add into the base game for free. Don't worry, there's still loads of content left for the DLC! Many playstyles will need to change with this update, but I'm still gonna be tweaking the balancing of certain things over the next week or so depending on feedback, let me know your thoughts! Now, since I've given something to you guys, I don't suppose you could do me a favour? Could you tell just one friend about CHANGE? Or maybe post about it? Maybe you stream? Currently we're selling less than 10 copies daily, but maybe someone out there can help us out with a little boost. I really think this game deserves so much more attention than it's had, but ah, of course we're still grateful for the small success we've gotten already! Don't forget, the even bigger expansion is on the way too, next post will be with a new trailer and a link to the store page! Oh, and the Spanish version will be up in a couple of weeks or so. Without further ado, here's the patch notes! Now, I need to go to bed because I've been up for 31 hours... but I'm very happy to have this update out. ^-^ Danny

New Features & Big Changes

A new restaurant building has been added! You can get expensive hunger/happiness and other random boosts here which use time, you can also beg for leftovers with a low success rate (depending what time of day you choose to do it). The Addict now has a 50% chance of automatically consuming the item any time you receive an addictive item if happiness is below 60 (Many complained this character wasn't unique enough compared to the others, and it IS meant to be one of the more challenging ones) Occasionally, someone might be willing to play pool with you at the bar for a little happiness boost BIG JOBS/RENT/STUDY UPDATE: There is now a new PAPERWORK stat! I always felt that STUDY wasnt enough to get across what Im trying to say with the stat, as some players think it means that homeless start off stupid and just need to study and work to get a job. But it's actually meant to represent the long struggle of trying to get a job. Hopefully this improves all that. Here are the details: Paperwork now works alongside your study to increase jobs success The new requirement for renting a home and winning the game, other than affording it, is now attaining 100 paperwork, rather than having a job. Though jobs are still important for raising your paperwork level Increase your paperwork by gaining residency, opening a bank account, holding down a job, etc. It can be lowered if you develop a criminal record by being arrested. You also lose paperwork bonuses you have from residency or having a job if you lose them. While the effect that study has on your job success is reduced, study now also affects salary levels so you get paid more if your study is higher. Base salary levels have been reduced to compensate for this, except for the Daily issue job, which works differently. So, lower base wages, but at 100 study your wages will be higher than the base level was before this update, making a high study before getting a job a worthwhile payoff All characters now begin the game with 10 study. All job study requirements have been reduced, but now have a required paperwork level BIG SHELTER UPDATE: Shelters now spawn with permanent "condition" modifiers that make different shelters more or less viable and these never change. Some shelters won't allow animals, others will have lower curfew times, or come with shower rooms, etc. Additionally, shelters now all spawn with different curfew times, though most will be between 19:30 and 20:00. Shelters with good effects tend to have earlier curfew times, but you might get lucky! AND, each shelter is now run by 1 of 3 organisations. Once you have residency, you can set any shelter run by the same organisation as your new resident shelter without having to wait a number of days. This should help with the game forcing you into one small area to grind in. If you don't like the shelters, you'll have to move on to another area for the chance of better ones. A person can sometimes be found sleeping on the benches... A new pedestrian type has been added, the old lady has low begging chances and requires multiple beggings, but will pay out more than the average. If you can find the charity collector in the streets, she'll help you out Some new Maladies have been added...

Balancing

Reaching new levels of friendship/trust with Joe, Maggie or Bill now awards a happiness increase. If they come to hate you or you do enough things to make them like you a lot less than they used to, this comes with a happiness decrease. The SOCIAL perk and DYSFUNCTIONAL PAST malady affects this bonus. Ok fine, time has been slowed a little more Washing at fountains now uses a little time The default choice of perks is now 3 when you get a new one, Street Savvy gives a choice of 4 (Because street savvy was pretty much a must have perk) Winter now arrives after 4 days of "summer" rather than 3 by default All city events are more punishing, especially the level 3 ones. JOB SUCCESS CHANGE: Crime level has a greater negative effect on job success, happiness doesn't affect job success quite as much at base level, low hygiene affects job success more, study affects job success less (but also now affects wages positively), 25% of new paperwork stat is now added to job success. Also, a couple of perks which affect job success are now slightly more effective Some other characters are more reactive to your actions over time, disliking you more for doing a bad thing and liking you more for doing a good thing. New building layouts added to city generation that makes the buildings denser and closer together in some areas, so you don't have to walk as far on average (also because, as we add new buildings, it reduces chances of other buildings spawning, so we need to fit more into the city to maintain balance). Virtually all negative night events now take more happiness Increased chances of dog food appearing in shops when you have the dog When arrested, you now also lose any bliss, alcohol or radios you were carrying (can be negated or lower chances of this with perks like concealment and other things). Base crime level before police will arrest you and start a prison event has been increased from 50 to 80. (You can still turn yourself in at police stations with 50 crime) Base happiness gain from first bliss use reduced by 5 Some more of the other homeless characters will now sometimes spend their mornings waiting for day labour at a day labour billboard, and they will compete with you The teens that cause you to lose happiness when they say something mean as you go past, one group now cannot do this more than 3 times in one day. They also no longer spawn on the first couple of days. Payphones are more likely to have small amounts of change left in them Base chances of food/items found in trashcans reduced slightly. Waste desposal funding city events affect chances of items in trash cans a bit more negatively than before. Very, very rarely, scrap items to pickup in the streets can now be a minor item like fruit or something else... You'll be able to see what the item is on the street. Certain items/perks that affect chances of food/items found in trash cans are now a tiny bit more effective Increased Survival perk points earn rate Fixed Juice description saying "click to eat" Increased number of bus stops on average Significantly reduced chances of mystery events popping up in the park, also significantly reduced chances of the event being one where you're mugged Happiness drain while working a job increased The park entrances are a bit less far out from the city centre Increased the base number of pedestrians in the street, especially during rush hour Base hygiene decay is about 5% faster, but various perks/items that passively affect hygiene are more effective. Slightly reduced vision distance of police, so they don't catch you when they literally have only one pixel on screen Reduced base crime increase for being caught begging significantly Scrap base spawn chances on the streets reduced very slightly. Waste disposal funding city event also reduces scrap spawn chances more. Decreased rate of happiness decay in bad weather Your money now is given back to you when you lose your bank account, rather than when you gain access to the bank account again Base hunger/Happiness decay rate reduced while using benches Chances of being mugged in the night increased when you have lots of items of any kind Breaking into parked cars pays out a bit less if you find cash Breaking into parked cars takes 1.1 seconds longer

Bug fixes and improvements

We've made a LOT of improvements and bug fixes. Enough to upgrade the entire feel of the experience. Fixed speech bubbles not showing the subway Fixed "Null" speech bubble showing in camp area Newly acquired items and perks now have a small animation that plays when you view them in your inventory for the first time to make it more obvious which items you just got right away Street Reputation changes in the streets are now shown with a floating icon and text just like hunger and happiness Fixed a save/load exploit to get more stuff or cash Fixed a bug where winter coat item combined with some other things could cause you to negate the freezing happiness drain completely Fixed item names not being shown in inventory when viewing items Gender selection button has been made more obvious in the character selection menu Fixed a bug where coming starting a new game after playing a run could have you begin with a character you didn't select Fixed those two homeless you could trade with being around basically every day, now different characters may appear on different days as intended Fixed speech around bargaining with the day labour truck guy and other homeless not showing Fixed other homeless characters teleporting to wait for day labour Fixed crash bug that could occur at max level Breaking into parked cars now has appropriate sfx When selling the daily issue, a new cursor icon appears when hovering over pedestrians Various new street decorations and graphics have been added Fixed some bugs that could happen when switching characters very, very quickly in the character selection menu When selecting left menu tabs like perks, maladies, city events, etc in the bag menu, they are now highlighted instead of disappearing depending on which menu you're in Reduced clickbox sizes on pedestrians Fixed the fish n chips food item not working with the eat button when it showed Your previously played character is now usually the one first selected when opening the game and you've played before Fixed teenagers insulting you and lowering your happiness when you first load in and they just happen to spawn where you are. Added a slight fraction of a second delay to when popups are interactable and you can dismiss them, players were accidentally clicking it away too much Reduced volume of stomach gurgle sfx, also changed pitch Slightly sped up night event intro time Improved clock timer popups timing, also various screens that cause time to pass such as taking shelter in the toilets now uses the proper clock timer popup Tree foregrounds now properly fade out when moving into buildings, the way they stayed on screen before ruined the perspective Fixed a bug where study could be decreased when loading into the game with certain perks The dog now barks on dog related popups Various sfx changes and updates Certain buildings that didn't look closed when they are, now do. Various texts within the game including speech is now animated Auto eat is now off by default. Some players were confused after seeing no items in their bag after buying something. When your food is taken by pests, this will no longer show as being done by foxes while sleeping indoors (it was a bit farfetched wasn't it?) Fixed various bugs that could occur if you had the TRASH SCRAPPER perk with the scrap that appears around trashcans such as using the wrong non-scrap graphic like a cone or brick. Other homeless will now move to another area if you keep begging in front of them When paying for the bus, this now shows the cost in floating cash text Fixed some bugs with charity events at higher reality levels Fixed a bug where the charity perk was much less effective with certain reality level/city event combos Fixed some typos in certain text Fixed some texts running outside of borders in certain languages Fixed scrap pretty much always spawning around trash cans if you had the related perk Fixed Library Card button in library being lowercase text Scrap pickup/hover animations have been improved a bit (makin' it juicier) Fixed some scrap behaving as though you had the Scrap Master Library book effect when you don't Fixed payphones not charging you for using them. Also the price has been reduced Fixed there being no feedback after failing to find change in a payphone Fixed a bug where you could fade in the menu music once in the game Fixed scrap mouse colliders getting larger over time Fixed various bugs with prison events and the day not ending properly for everything Fixed a bug/freeze that could occur if you had the dog at the start of the day Fixed various issues/bugs with playing the game in non English languages ...And probably some other stuff that I forgot to write down for this one.

[ 2022-01-30 03:27:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, it's been awhile since we gave an official update on here, so I just wanted to let you all know that the huge base game update is almost done and should be up in within the next few days or so. We've changed so much stuff that we just have to make sure that everything still works as intended in terms of balancing so we're testing rigorously. Prepare yourself for the biggest content update we've ever done, including a new restaurant building, some new street characters, a big shelter update, a whole new "paperwork" stat and more! Not to toot my own horn, but this could almost be considered a "director's cut" update of sorts with all the fixes and massive improvements in every area of the game. Also, Spanish will be ready in a couple of weeks. ^-^ Oh, and the DLC is almost done too, a new trailer and storepage with a release date will be up soon as well! It's got way more content than this base game update... and also includes a massive character customisation system... That's all for now, see you in a few days for the update. :) Danny

[ 2022-01-14 14:37:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! It's time for the Steam awards again! Let's try and push CHANGE into the finalists for the Labor of Love award! After all, we have been working on it for 6 years now... My how time flies. I promise I will have other games out eventually, heh. Also, can confirm that one of the new buildings is being added into the base game pretty soon. Stay tuned! - Danny P.S - The game is also now on sale, tell your friends! :D

[ 2021-11-24 19:38:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

After thinking for some time, and after seeing the amount of support from you all lately, I've decided to put resources into developing a new DLC for CHANGE! Not sure when it'll be ready yet, hopefully by the end of the year. Depending on how big it ends up being, I'm thinking of releasing it for $6 (this is very much not a fixed price, could be higher or lower), but it'll be worth it! It'll include a huge amount of content, including:

• Some updates to shelters and other buildings!
• Some new buildings!
• Some new characters in the streets!
• Some new interactable things in the streets
• Over 50 new perks!
• Some new maladies...
• Some new items!

And other cool big features we want to keep a secret for now... but you're going to love them. Additionally, a lot of the new content will be released into the base game as a free update! Many of you will want more night events, but this is hard since they need to be translated into multiple languages for each one we do now. We might, and I emphasise might add more night events into the DLC,.. but it's unlikely. Just saying that now for honesty's sake. Anyway, Spanish and ports are also in progress, I'll be back when we have some new stuff for you all. - Danny

[ 2021-10-22 10:02:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ah it's that time again! Hey guys, I've missed you! Sorry it took me so long to get this one out, it's been a bad time. A really bad time. Let's talk. For one, the game has declined a bit and is now a little more "buried" on steam and it's declining more everyday. I've tried many times to get the attention of the press... but still we have nothing. And we still don't even have a Metacritic score; despite being nominated for awards, no one wants to do a review. It's a good thing some streamers/influencers gave us love, or we would have been buried at the start anyway. But for now, I have to keep a day job to pay rent and stuff. Of course, if any of you would be willing to share the CHANGE steam page to your friends, it could make all the difference. ^-^ The second thing, which is the main one, is I had an aneurism shortly after posting the previous update. Luckily, there wasn't a rupture. So, after a little recovery (it was basically like the worst migraine for a straight month), I've been thinking about death a lot. Since I now have this possible time bomb in my head that might just play nice for the rest of my years or explode, some of my next games will probably be dealing with death/dying quite a bit... maybe. Might be a few more games down the line before/if I start making them. But not my next one. I need a "happy" game to work on for awhile. So all I can say right now is that it's going to be the best tower defence game ever. And also nothing like other tower defence games. I like the genre, but feel it needs something new desperately. I also can't afford to make my "death" game yet anyway, so this one first. Stay tuned.... We're still doing good for an independent studio (the studio being just me right now... it's actually been only me for a long time), not enough to keep us afloat full time or anything, but still, pretty good. Well with that depressing whining out of the way, we are still working on the other languages for CHANGE, hoping to have Spanish out soon. Maybe even some ports to other devices... but I can't really give any hard dates yet. I'm currently writing the post mortem for CHANGE, so that'll be out soon. It'll be a long read, but perhaps of interest to those who want to hear my whole story with the game. I'm truly grateful for the support from all of you for keeping me going this long. I'm actually grateful for the whole harrowing journey of this project, and everything that comes with it. Well, less days working a million hours would probably be better for my health, but that comes with the territory of being a game developer and I'm quite obsessive with my work. Do keep up the feedback, I read everything I promise, I just don't have time to reply to everything anymore. There's a quite a bit of balance changes in this patch so I'd love to hear about it. Oh, and I'm trying to tweet more. So, if anyone wants to hear more of my drivel, you can find me here: https://twitter.com/DanHayesGamer Ok, that's all from me for now. Until next time... ^-^ Danny PATCH NOTES

Balancing

Finding change in payphones might now give 1 happiness as well Days are slightly longer Happiness decays slightly slower in bad weather Base walk speed slightly increased Working an actual job now drains happiness. The end game was just too easy, and didn't reflect the difficulties of keeping a job while homeless. "Brain drain" takes away 1 less study per day. Unless you have ADHD, in which case it now takes away 1 more. Begging perks are earned faster

Bug fixes and improvements

Fixed some translations in other languages Fixed various texts displaying incorrectly Improved initial load/ splash screen Fixed Settings being reset when starting a new game Fixed residency being given after 1 day rest in a shelter Shelters no longer show "This is a women's shelter" when after curfew Addict and Abandoned descriptions fixed Unlocked characters are brighter to make it more obvious they're unlocked Fixed "employee" perk text display. This perk allows you to start work an hour late without penalty, but when you had the perk all job start times were pushed forward an hour so the effect wasn't obvious. This is now fixed. Fixed cafe job showing start time in the afternoon Fixed bank account still being accessible after losing residency Clicking on pedestrians is no longer blocked by scrap on the streets when you can't carry any more

[ 2021-09-30 16:05:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again! It's been awhile hasn't it? Sorry for the lack of news, I had some personal stuff going on that slowed me down a bit, to be discussed another time (In the post-mortem)! Anyway, Here's a new patch fixing up a few issues and making some touches to the balancing. In other news, we're working on our new game, which hopefully we can talk about soon! We've also got the epic CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience post-mortem coming still, where we'll detail everything about our journey making this thing. Anyway, here's some long overdue patch changes for CHANGE!

Balancing

It now takes an extra day for clothes to become dirty by default Increased happiness gain from browsing internet by 1 THIEF perk and fingerless gloves now increase steal success rates a bit more You're slightly more likely to react badly to trash food if already ill Certain interactions provide more happiness if your happiness is low

Bug fixes and improvements

I finally fixed the city regenerating! You'll likely get one new generation if continuing from an old save, but cities won't magically change all the time now. Can now only study until 7pm when the library is open all day, studying until night caused many issues. Fixed up some text alignments Fixed hygiene not being capped until first wash after getting Dirty clothes malady Fixed a few freezing issues

[ 2021-07-14 14:56:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there, just a little patch here with some minor fixes.

• Fixed the story master achievement
• Fixed some of the texts breaking font after switching language
• Fixed some exploits

[ 2021-06-02 14:50:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixed a few issues that have come up with freezing and such, I'll be keeping an eye out for any more!

• Fixed some freezing issues that could occur, especially after moving areas
• Fixed premium wash price at launderette showing incorrect price

Do let me know if any parts of the translations seem incorrect as well. :)

[ 2021-05-12 07:53:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Well here we finally are, after a long road, here is the translated version of change, along with a little tweaking to certain values to make the early-mid game a bit easier. We hope you all enjoy playing the game in your own language, all 40, 034 words of CHANGE is now playable in: CHINESE GERMAN TURKISH RUSSIAN And we've still got Japanese, Polish, Spanish and French in the works. Though we may not be able to finish them any time soon unless interest in the game picks up, I had to get a second job for awhile just to support the first batch of translations. Moving on! We're currently in pre-production on our next project - Exciting! - which we'll talk about more in like... a year. Or something. We're also gonna be looking at ports of CHANGE as well as writing up a detailed post-mortem of our journey, and fulfilling some remaining kickstarter backer wishes. But anyway, if any of our players are still out there and wish to support us, sharing our game's page on your social media or something would be a big boost for us right now. ^-^ https://store.steampowered.com/app/926140/CHANGE_A_Homeless_Survival_Experience/ That's all from me for now, I can't wait to show you our next story. It's gonna be epic. - Danny -

[ 2021-05-08 19:57:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, just a small update here to make a small tweak to balancing and some extra "smoothness". Balancing

• Slightly reduced hunger & happiness decay rate

Bug Fixes & Improvements

• Re-added frame limiter from earlier patch. This will smooth out many animations, transitions and timers on higher-end computers.

[ 2021-03-05 10:23:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Well here we are. It's been several months since our last patch and we've been working really hard on this update. It's easily our biggest content patch ever. First off, let's get this out of the way, this update does not have the new languages yet. Our translators still need more time to finish all the text in the game. So our new plan is to release the major content update now and then release the languages over the next month or so. The first set of languages will include Chinese, German, Russian and Turkish. The second language update will include Polish, French, Spanish and Japanese! The reason for the delays is partly because the game has a wordcount of about 40,000, but also there are additional complications for various languages ;such as the text needing to be different depending on the gender of both the speaker and listener in any dialogue, which is difficult in a game with random elements in the story. With this much work needed for the text alone, we need to spread the cost out to stop our bank account hitting 0. Anyway, here we are, the final major content update. Half a decade has gone by since we started this thing and you've all been so supportive to us over early access. It's been humbling and harrowing, but this project is just about done. We hope you all enjoy the new content, we'll still be keeping a close eye on things and doing hotfixes where needed. And if you were ever waiting for a time to tell your friends about this game, it'd be amazing if now was that time! ^-^ Without further ado, here are the patch notes!

Changes & new stuff

Several New Items 24 New Perks New night events New prison events Various night events, especially those involving other interactable characters, have been reconfigured to show in an order more suiting to your playstyle, interactions and choices. Standing police officers added. They are rarer and randomly spawn in the map, standing in place and watching for crime in that spot for the whole day. Various other minor characters added to the streets Some updated sfx, music and ambience Some other nice additions (also hindrances) and little bits you'll have to discover for yourself!

Balancing

Hunger and happiness decays a tiny bit slower Time moves forward a tiny bit slower Early game tick rates have been adjusted for better pacing on the difficulty (It's easier in certain ways) Mid game perks take longer to earn Pedestrians give slightly more change on average when they do Slightly reduced price of dog food Slightly increased begging perk earn rate Various actions and markers of progress award more happiness Day labour wages have been nerfed Slightly reduced chances of sanitaries appearing in slot 2 of the shop when you're not currently on your period Slightly increased chances of certain bad events happening depending on your actions It takes 1 day less spending time away from your shelter before you lose residency Increased number of bus stops Previous night events take more days on average before showing again Soda drains less hunger Increased chance of parked cars spawning Default time it takes to recover from a bliss addiction increased greatly Default time it takes to recover from cigarettes increased by 1 day Time it takes to recover from all addictions is increased if you let it reach more severe levels Cigarette withdrawal happiness base loss slightly decreased Bliss withdrawal happiness loss now starts off slightly lower, but increases for each day you go without bliss Bliss is cheaper Trash cans are less likely to contain beer Dog hunger decays slower When you have a mix of work buffs and warnings during job work, your buffs are more weighted in deciding if you'll get fired after a poor performance (Basically you're less likely to get fired when you get buffs) Reduced happiness loss from prison time a bit Bliss now restores less happiness after the first time Slightly reduced scavenging perk progress gained from searching trash Rent price reduced to 150, for better end game pacing Earner perk now only requires that you earn 7 from begging in order to activate it and the happiness boost has been increased MUSICIAN perk is now less likely to trigger Trash can food restores slightly less hunger It's slightly easier to build end game level relationships with other homeless Base busking cash earn rate decreased Busking cash earn rate bonus significantly increased during rush hour Busking perk earn rate very slightly increased Fresh Underwear no longer affects deodorant and so it doesn't last an extra day

Bug fixes and improvements

Fixed a bug that could cause you to have negative xp values Fixed some city events being changed or reset when loading back into the game sometimes Improved scrap pickup, less annoying missclicks because of tiny click boxes! Maggie, Joe and Bill now only show in certain night events after you've actually walked past them or interacted at least once Improved building menu transitions, so there isn't a tiny delay before they're interactable Fixed LOOKOUT perk not triggering while breaking into cars or starting trash fires Drastically shortened phone ringing time Changed Pluviorro perk to Rain wanderer Fixed sanitiser not always working with high hygiene decreases Fixed a bug that could cause vending machines to not spawn unless certain items were unlocked sometimes Fixed not being able to study the next day after spending time in jail when you studied the previous day Pedestrians now correctly move away from you after noticing you committing a crime Fixed some occasions where speech bubbles behaved incorrectly Fixed a bug that caused some scrap to be unclickable Fixed some issues with not being warmed in the morning depending on where you spent the night Fixed not being able to warm from trash fires if you searched the trash can before starting the fire Fixed a few cases where a softlock could occur when exploring the park Fixed Bill always being available in the park even when he's roaming the streets Fixed a bug that caused you to not be taken to the park after selecting the option when talking to a character if you called them that day Updated some texts including various descriptions Fixed happiness icon showing when nothing happens in a park event Fixed deodorant not always working when combined with certain items/perks Fixed some layering graphical issues with other characters Fixed prison event transition during winter Fixed the open all day library event not working under certain conditions Fixed duplicate icons in night event rewards Fixed softlocks and other bugs after being arrested Fixed happiness increasing incorrectly when highly addicted to cigarettes Made the gender button in the character selection menu a little more visible

[ 2021-03-01 20:25:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! We're still going! ^-^ Sorry it's been so long, the last months sure have gone by slowly. Usually we did patches several times a month during early access, but I wanted this one to really send the game off with a bang, so it also has a ton of new content! The new patch is looking to be ready by the end of January, and includes the following new features:

• Several new languages, including French, Chinese, German, Spanish & Turkish. We will continue to add other languages if the game picks up, but right now if we want the funds to remain in the green we have to hold off. This is a heavily text based game, so translations can be pretty costly and time consuming for us.
• 24 new perks
• Several new items
• Loads of new night events, including more night events related to your background story
• Some secret things we want to leave as a surprise
• New options for skipping endings and other quality of life features that have been requested
• New street names (decorative)
• Various balancing changes & bug squishes

After release, many of you have continued to make a lot of requests, so we'll try and accommodate them as much as we can, because we can. Though this upcoming update is likely to be our last major patch, at least unless the game gets a boost in popularity as mentioned already. We'll continue to do hotfixes for any issues that arise though, whatever the case. The language support was a huge effort and we hope those that have been dissatisfied with the game due to lack of language support will change their minds when finally playing the game in their native tongue. If they do, we could hit that ever coveted "Overwhelmingly positive" tag, which would mean a huge deal for us! ^-^ We of course need to begin thinking about the next game (actually I've been thinking about it for a couple of decades so I hope you like it), and so we need to start putting resources into that, as well as continue to make charity donations, so there comes a point when we need to stop spending on CHANGE anyway, and this update has taken a good wallop to our funds, mainly because of the translations (thus, how long it took). Still, we want to make sure we leave it behind with a good amount for you all to still explore, especially for those who've been with us since the beginning of this journey. That's all from me for now, I hope you all like the new update when it lands, I promise it'll be worth the wait. :) Danny

[ 2020-12-23 14:22:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phew! Hello again, it's been awhile.... We've been busy with a lot of things since the release, starting with this new content patch! Even though the game has been released, we're still listening to feedback and adding things here, making changes there... this patch has quite a lot of those. We also like adding extra stuff, because we can! Most notably, the Library now has an event system that should help make the study grind a little less monotonous. We've also mixed up the balancing in certain areas, especially in the late game.... We'll keep watching and see how everyone feels about the new changes. Now, onto the charity stuff! We got our launch month cash last week, and our first batch of donations are as follows: CRISIS: 2500 Shelter: 2500 The Clocktower Sanctuary: 2500 Hopefully the game will swing into bigger profits in the coming months! But a big thanks to you all for helping to make this happen. We actually managed to raise enough to make a sizeable difference for some people out there. Now onto future business, the next patch will finally include new languages! Then we''ll be adding controller support and a few other bits before we make our way to other platforms... We're also still fixing a few remaining bugs along the way via mini patches. That's all for now, onto the patch notes! :D

Changes and new stuff

New night events! Including new events with Bill, Joe and Maggie. 3 new special event perks! These can only be gained by making certain choices... New library events! Each library may have special events on particular days that affect how you study and can even boost your happiness a little. For balancing this new system, all libraries are now closed on the first day of "summer". Some "true ending" updates, to make our message more clear.

Balancing

Increased happiness loss from job warnings and bad job events Daily Issue study requirements increased Mid game perks come in a tiny bit slower Certain events that cause you to lose street reputation (depending on your choice) now cause you to lose slightly more You are a tiny bit slightly less likely to get a negative response when begging that makes you lose happiness Base hygiene loss from searching trash increased by 1 Periods occur less often when playing as female Waste disposal city event has a larger impact on trash Slightly decreased chances of job warnings when working with poor hygiene or happpiness Busking is more profitable and various busking perks are more effective Libraries are now closed on the first day of summer (day after each winter ending), but various new events will boost your study or happiness and more

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed daily issues not always being removed from your inventory at the end of the day (or turned to scrap if you have room) Fixed a graphical glitch when using the syndicate system with Joe and Maggie with female visuals Fixed a bug that could get you stuck if you begged within half a second of petting the dog Fixed various issues with certain items in quick bar pocket slots Fixed a bug where you couldn't buy a vendor item when you had exact cash Fixed Maggie giving you the speech to join the syndicate multiple times You can no longer select the daily issue papers in your inventory while in mid conversation with a pedestrian Fixed not being warmed in the morning after using the shelter Entering buildings and such no longer turns off "selling papers" mode when working the Daily Issue job, so you don't need to reenter the inventory every time Finally, I fixed Maggie moonwalking on the spot Fixed dog walking in front of objects when he shouldn't Fixed multiple popups showing if you click on another homeless person mutiple times Fixed the shelter not always updating correctly when entering, such as not letting you in due to being drunk when you've just sobered up Updated some sfx Fixed certain events that only happen during winter or summer happening on the day the season changes incorrectly Updated Mental Illness character text, to make it more clear that the character is different every time you play as them Improved clickboxes for trash makes it easier to pick up Fixed not being able to move after being moved into a new area by police Fixed sleeping outside not always affecting your residency day count in a shelter Fixed an exploit that allowed you to spam click certain choice response speech bubbles to get multiple rewards Fixed the max perks category achievement not firing correctly. Playing through a single day again with the conditions met should get you the perk now. Fixed residency not being lost after spending a night in jail Fixed the item trading event in the shelter tagging on the text for a different item cumulatively every time it shows Fixed a bug that allowed you to use negative and positive items very quickly together to negate certain stat changes

[ 2020-07-11 11:36:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're back with our first patch after release! A little more content to come over the next few months, but for now we're addressing some issues all our new players have raised and tweaking the balancing a little for better pacing. Also welcome to all our new players! It's so strange to think it's actually out after all this time... The launch week was fairly successful with a little under 7000 copies sold, at least by modern indie standards. But not quite enough to fund another full game so we may turn to kickstarter or something for the next one again, we're not sure yet... But yeah, still gotta have day jobs to keep things going! Oh yeah did I mention we've all kept full time jobs at the same time as working on this? Ah, the life of an indie dev. We did try to make a big splash, but unfortunately not a single press outlet of the hundreds we contacted have reviewed the launch copy of the game yet, so we don't even have a metacritic score right now. Which is sad, but meh, it happens and that's just how things are these days. A big thanks to all the streamers who showcased the game though to make up for that! I'm gonna write a postmortem essay sometime soon with details of the whole journey since the release of PONCHO, something to bring closure to it all I guess. But we've still got other languages, controller support and other things on the way as well, so stay tuned! I'm also hard at work trying to fix all the remaining niggling issues you've reported, as well as writing some new events and things to flesh out some characters a little more; post release. Because I can. We get our launch day pay in several weeks and we'll be writing out checks as soon as we know the full numbers! Based on our current estimates, the first pay to charity will probably be 10,000. Our total profits aren't actually that much yet, we were hoping for a bigger launch, but we like nice round numbers. Still, it's really cool we're able to do this, thanks to all your support. It means a lot and it's good to know we can make a difference beyond a statement. When it comes to the postmortem, we'll talk in more detail with exact sales numbers and total profits with deeper transparency once we have all the data ready and a little distance from the release date. Beyond that, we have new games on the horizon... it's not like being low on funds ever stopped us before and I don't think I can ever really stop anyway. We've got a few ideas we want to work on, nothing to reveal yet, but it'll be something a bit... happier. Or it'll involve the Illuminati, not sure yet. Anyway, once again, onto the patch notes! ^-^

Balancing

Smoker's stressed malady doesn't affect happiness quite as much Slightly increased price of juice Slightly increased price of Hot chocolate Decreased Mobile phone item price Increased Pillow price Increased chance of happiness loss when studying multiple times in one day if you don't study well (actually more of a bug fix on this one) Reduced police vision slightly Slightly reduced chances of bad events in the park Study/work perks come in a bit slower Increased crime perk progress gained from breaking into parked cars Slightly increased base job success chances, and very very slightly improved chances for each application you've made for the same job

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed not being able to move after visiting park sometimes Fixed juice not working as a flask item Fixed freezing warning showing in the first minute of the day, when you weren't freezing yet Fixed a couple of day labour bugs Made it more obvious which characters are unlocked Fixed a crash that could occur when giving other homeless money under certain conditions Fixed certain study bonuses from certain perks not applying 100% of the time Fixed a bug that could cause your job to change on reload Fixed some issues with certain items in the pocket menu Fixed hoarder bonus not displaying in recycling depot (bonus still worked before) Fixed not being able to enter buildings sometimes Fixed pills and vitamins not preventing illness from certain addiction maladies

[ 2020-05-12 23:34:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Time for another patch! This time we're bringing in even more night events and finally adding a load of new achievements. We're also making a bunch of balancing changes. Just 5 days to go now! Still got another patch or two coming in before then, also keep an eye out for our official release trailer... Anyway, here are your patch notes! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

New night events! (Including a bunch more positive events than usual) New achievements added!

Balancing

Begging uses slightly less time It takes more time with very low happiness before you get depression Winter now only slows you down when not warmed Reduced price of bliss to 7 Slightly increased base stealing chances Increased chances of beer or cigarettes appearing in the shop if you're addicted

Bug Fixes & Improvements

If you get a crime perk while stealing in the shop, the steal chances now correctly update Fixed pedestrians walking behind dog incorrectly Fixed Joe's speech being cut off in park Fixed a white square icon showing in certain night events Fixed resolutions with low refresh rates showing as possible options Police station menu now properly updates after turning yourself in Fixed character still being set as female if your last run was female even though you didn't select it, if you didn't use gender button when selecting new character Fixed additional period popups occurring when you're already on your period Fixed a few issues with day labour Fixed the dog doing the sitting dance Added a warning popup the first time you get cold

[ 2020-04-26 23:33:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's finally here. After almost 5 years and hundreds of updates, the true ending is now playable, along with a load of polishing and other tweaks to the game. So... CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience is pretty much finished!
We've still got some new events and more polish work coming before the big day, but in terms of major content, the game is now done. Don't worry, we're still gonna release some more content updates post-release, along with new languages! It's been a hell of a ride. From the Kickstarter backers to everyone here on Steam, we can't thank you enough. This community has been so supportive of this project, embracing the subject matter, engaging with suggestions and keeping us informed of any bugs to help us create something truly memorable. It feels really strange to be this close to the finish line. CHANGE has dominated our lives for half a decade, so it's a bittersweet experience to see it done... It almost doesn't feel real. We've got big plans for new projects though! We can't wait to hear what you all think of the ending and don't forget to keep giving feedback! Now without further ado, once more, ONTO THE PATCH NOTES! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

The true animated ending has been added! New night events added!

Balancing

Slightly reduced police vision distance There are slightly less police in the street Increased chances of the dog appearing in the night Soda drains less hunger Increased chances of night terror events as the veteran Slightly increased chance of change in payphones You're no longer drunk in the mornings if you went to sleep drunk The dealer no longer shows in the first couple of days Survival perks are earned a little slower Busking perks are earned faster Busking multiplier bar fills up faster when X 1 Slightly decreased base chances of being mugged You will no longer be mugged before day 5 It takes longer to get the Love perk If you have the Love perk, this now also unlocks the Abandoned If you beat a bliss addiction, this now also unlocks the Addict

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed more animation glitches with the other homeless Made some UI tweaks and improvements Fixed your job being changed when loading back into the game or moving area (this is a save data bug, so your job may change one more time if it was cafe or shop assistant in the previous bugged build, but it'll be the last time) Increased guitar volume Fixed certain items gained the previous day in your save being lost when loading back in Removed "new run" button from game over screen, it's better to always return to the main menu so you can select new characters Added a new page to the tutorial about winter If you spend a night in jail, you're now moved to a nearby police station in the morning Removed the early access part of the starting text Fixed more typos When you unlock a new character, the image of that character now also shows Fixed not being warmed from sleeping in shelters < this will also make the game easier Fixed getting ill for sleeping outside after sleeping in shelter (for real this time) < this also makes the game easier Fixed a soft freeze that could occur when taking the bus to the launderette or bank after being moved to a new area Fixed getting paid twice on successful begging choice popups Fixed food stamps showing as a trade item to give Fixed certain events showing when they shouldn't Fixed the ask for phone number option showing when you're still strangers with the other homeless Fixed popups occurring while night events were showing, so you'd hear the sfx in the background Fixing other homeless having Z fighting issues Fixed new reality levels being unlocked when not playing at current max reality level Perk choice popups now display how many perks you have for that category Fixed other homeless sometimes seen floating when loading into the game Fixed item description text getting stuck on item in inventory when you use the last of that item Fixed a bug where perks could stop coming in after longish play sessions Fixed mobile phone item having all numbers unlocked by default Updated some tooltips Fixed the short staffed job event not giving a choice Fixed street vendor plural grammar Made some improvements to the gameover/lv up screen Pedestrian speech bubbles are now better positioned according to speech bubble size option Fixed white line graphic glitch in subway Fixed some elements of recent changes save data sometimes being lost after quitting "Street smarts" starting bonus is now street lessons and has the proper perk icon Fixed prison menu having old sfx Fixed period status icon not showing again after using sanitaries once Fixed malady menu saying you have no maladies when you do Updated some popup texts Fixed the new malady icon remaining even after a malady has healed Fixed building menus not always opening right away when you move to a building, so now you're not clicking on buildings multiple times Fixed the game getting stuck zoomed in after spam clicking a building

[ 2020-04-24 13:21:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's time for another patch! This time we're adding more events and focusing a lot on balancing changes and polish work. Regretfully, this one comes with nerfs to some favourite perks, to help with the overall balancing and pacing of the game, but we've also reduced the severity of certain elements. We're still watching the balancing carefully to hit as close to perfect as we can. Additionally, this patch comes with many bug fixes! We've still got a lot of work to do over the next couple of weeks, including more achievements and other steam features as well as the ending... and of course, more bug fixing, polish and story. That's all for now, onto the patch notes!

Changes and new stuff

More Night events!

Balancing

Shelter regular nerfed - this perk just didn't feel right and is also too unbalanced, making it a must have for every run. Now, it only works if you stayed in the same shelter the previous night, or if it's a residential shelter You can no longer buy tons of special items from a single shop, the 3rd slot can now be replaced with food and utility items if you're buying a lot Thrill seeker nerfed - now restores 2-3 happiness on successful steals instead of 3-6 < wow that was op... it did make sense with earlier steal rates Level increases faster and early game items unlock faster Day labour is slightly more risky Base warmed time increased Working jobs that are indoors will warm you up during winter Trash master nerfed - now also increases hygiene loss when searching trash A few of the really bad events remove 1 extra point of happiness Chances of addiction slightly increased for every addictive item you use after the 3rd time of use, for each category of addiction Happiness drains slightly more slowly when happiness is critical

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed library card button not always showing in library (could be triggered by entering library while closed) Updated certain perk descriptions Fixed AD or left right arrows not working for movement if mouse is hovering over UI element Fixed some cases where the game over sequence could begin while other ui was still showing Fixed some typos Fixed park walking sfx getting stuck on looping sometimes Fixed a bug that caused you to move area multiple times and then get a black screen if you move back and forth near the edge of the city Fixed joe floating along when walking together with maggie Fixed certain UI elements not having sfx Fixed not being able to move after speaking with one of the homeless in the park Did some UI improvements and tweaks Fixed certain city events showing too early in the game or already having city events when you start a new game Fixed city events menu showing "no city events..." when you actually had city events Fixed snow particles falling behind certain objects incorrectly Fixed certain effects that could occur from sleeping outside in winter from occurring in the morning if you were actually in the shelter Fixed the popup where you lose an item after going to jail showing the title of the previous popup you had Fixed park map marker not always snapping in place Fixed not being able to close the Bill teaching popup if you're close to max perks for a category Fixed the bridge guy saying thanks for the trade forever after trading once Increased mouse scroll sensitivity of the perks menu Fixed police menu text being truncated Fixed illness popup having incorrect title if you get it after sleeping outside Fixed various cases where other homeless could disappear while on screen Fixed the main character's cold breath still showing when working via day labour Fixed being able to get multiples of special items via trading Fixed other homeless sometimes walking behind trash when its in front or visa versa

[ 2020-04-16 21:02:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's another big patch, this time bringing in yet more story and 21 new perks! As well as a load of polishing work and fixes. We're almost finished... We're releasing on May 1st which means the ending is going to be finally added to the game, along with yet more story and polishing work over the next few weeks. After release, we're gonna be working on ports to other platforms and several language translations... Oh and we're also gonna reveal the total raised for charity so far! Everyone in this community has been so good to us, with all the feedback, bug reports and kind words we've been able to make something really special here. To everyone for all their support, from the kickstarter backers to our players, you have our heartfelt thanks. It's been an emotional 5 years of hard work, filled with many heartwarming moments such as when hearing of people inspired to help the homeless because of CHANGE, but now this journey is finally coming to an end... I'd say more, but I need to get back to work on the next update! We've got at least a few more to go before the big date to make this perfect. Onto the patch notes! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

21 new perks added! A few of them can only be gained via certain events. New night events!

Balancing

Slightly decreased rate of survival perks coming in Interactions with police give slightly less progress towards crime perks Cautious Worker perk is slightly less effective Beer & Spirits restore a little less happiness It's harder to get high study amounts in the library, but you get low amounts less often Juice is cheaper Soda is cheaper

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed being able to use the textbook late in the today when you shouldn't be able to Fixed floating text not showing cash earned after a choice when begging Fixed Precise picker perk not always working Fixed Bill being able to teach forever... that was game breaking. Fixed police station not letting you turn yourself in if you have exactly 50 crime level Edited Police station menu text Fixed homeless saying they'd take to the park and not doing it Fixed homeless always saying yes to taking you to the park, even when the day is about to end Improved speech bubble positioning at different scales Fixed pedestrians sometimes walking in front of certain objects when they shouldn't Fixed Smart Shirt being titled "Shirt" in certain menus Made some edits to the tutorial Fixed a bug where the apply button didn't show in the job office Fixed another bug that caused the next day to start at 9pm... Fixed other homeless disappearing after talking to them Fixed other homeless sometimes having strange behaviour after talking to them Fixed being able to move around while talking to a character Fixed BEGIN AGAIN showing as start button text for new players Fixed the same starting random seed often being the same for new players Fixed the homeless reputation tooltip showing if you hovered over a particular section of the screen after visiting the park areas Fixed one of the building layouts having a disappearing window Updated enter building icon so it doesn't show over certain texts Adjusted click boxes for buildings so it's harder to accidentally click on them when begging or picking up scrap Fixed many of the job events not actually ever showing

[ 2020-04-09 21:52:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, we're back with yet another update! This time we're adding a little more story as well as some polishing and bug fixing work! Stay tuned, because our new trailer and release date will be going live in the next couple of days! Also, the next patch we're working on has 21 new perks to try....then that'll be all for the perk system. Still to come is more story and the ending! It's all about to get wild... Onto the patch notes! :D

Changes and new stuff

More night events!

Balancing

Launderette is slightly cheaper Other homeless don't always show up as often in your area

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed your character class being set to poverty when loading back into the game... Fixed a couple of street layouts being incorrectly confirgured Police lookout popups no longer show while in buildings Reduced default music volume and speech bubble size Fixed the next day starting at 9pm occasionally after using a bench Fixed the dog in the street appearing interactable when you hover over it, when you don't have the dog yet Fixed the eat button being off by default Fixed time not fast forwarding if you use a bench early in the morning Fixed a bunch of typos Fixed some other homeless AI bugs Fixed text sometimes showing with a tiny font in speech bubbles Fixed a bug where if a story progression occurs through the phone, such as being asked to join a syndicate, its just several seconds of nothing Fixed other homeless having animation glitches Fixed being able to open multiple popups if you spam click a bench or similar object on your way to it Fixed being able to open the inventory at times when you shouldn't, like when sleeping on a bench Fixed being able to move around while dialogue screens are open Fixed more cases where the night event could come in while a popup was still on screen Fixed pocket menu slots not correctly updating their amounts as you gain or use items

[ 2020-04-03 21:50:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Well ,it's been over a week... time for another big update! ^-^ This time we're bringing in gender selection, more story, some other minor features and more polishing. Thanks to everyone for all the feedback and reports, it's been super useful in getting these updates out quickly! Oh and we have a new trailer as well as our official release date dropping soon. :D Coming up next: the ending... Onto the patch notes!

Changes and new stuff

Gender selection added! Along with many new features and story elements surrounding it including a new item, new shelter type and night events. Oh, and you can play as trans or non-binary. "Suit" pedestrians added. These are slightly more uncommon pedestrians that carry slightly more cash on average. Even more night events! (Not just the new gender based ones)

Balancing

Police will now rarely be kind instead of just following orders Increased mugging chance when using shelters Very slightly reduced walk speed Slightly increased time it takes to get mid level perks Slightly reduced number of shelters (Certain other buildings are now more common), this may affect your save data if you had residency! Increased chances of pests in the night based on how much food you're carrying Injuries are more severe

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed study button remaining on screen in Library when the library is closed Fixed police scolding you for begging when performing a different action that they would scold you for, such as breaking into cars or searching trash if the police city level is high enough Fixed a bug where certain events would say you lost an item, and it'd stil be in your inventory Fixed size up icon showing over pedestrians before you hover over them Fixed your new job not always being saved properly if you move areas or leave the game the same day you get it Fixed clinic displaying the cure price incorrectly so it looked like you had enough and couldn't buy it Fixed library book effect icon being tiny Fixed issues occurring with the stat icons if you have several stats icons active Fixed matches being infinite... my bad. Fixed a crash/freeze or other strange behaviour after an event where you lose food Fixed various bugs with the new dialogue options Fixed the police warning stat icon going mad Fixed being able to use the Novel item just before night Fixed not being warmed if you were sent to a shelter in the night after sleeping outside

[ 2020-04-01 22:44:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

IT'S HERE! It's finally time for another massive patch; this one one brings in a ton more story, new items and many other new features. This is our biggest update yet by far. Sorry it took a bit longer than usual, we tend to add content in little pieces every week, but this one required a whole load to be added at the same time for it all to make sense... It's worth the wait! But, there's still more to come! However, we are now fast approaching the end of our time on Early Access. You guys have been an awesome community that just keeps growing and supporting us and we'll probably keep adding some events and things even after the official release. We're almost there now... ^-^ A lot of polishing and work has gone into the game lately and as such, we feel that now is the time to increase the price of the game a little. It'll happen in the next week or so, so now is the time to buy the game (or tell your friends to) if you're on the fence! Next up is gender selection (planned for next week, we've been working on this at the same time) and the final ending cut-scene. Plus a few other things we have under wraps... It's the final push now everyone, new trailers and all sorts coming in the near future, so get your feedback in while you can! Also, tell your friends about us; we need to spread the word about CHANGE! :D Anyway, without further ado, here's the big list of patch notes: P.S: Because this update changes so many things, we can't guarantee that your current run will be properly balanced or whether strange things will happen.

Changes and new stuff

We've nearly tripled the number of night events, including more story with the other homeless characters and events unique to each character class/story. The night event system also now more accurately matches your choices and play style the longer you play. In general, the narrative elements of the game have more depth. Of course, we're still not done and have even more content for this coming soon. Several new items added! You'll need to advance your player level to unlock a few of them. Some new starting texts have been added for various character stories Various new interactions with other homeless are available if you know them well enough! Join a syndicate, exchange numbers, take street lessons and more! Different characters will have different options, and the characters also have some more "depth" in general and their reponses are more in tune with your past actions with them. We're still working on trying to make them feel more real. Park update! New features and events, including new interactions with the homeless staying there (if you go at the right time of day or ask them to meet you there), learning new perks and more! New pocket menu added! This is basically a customisable quick item bar. Payphones added! You can now also get people's phone numbers, if you know them well enough! You can also check them for a small amount of change (though we're going to change how this works to make checking for money faster). Mobile phone item updated! (Price is also increased) Various new artwork or UI updates, including removing all cursor word items like SEARCH, WASH, etc. New sfx added or updated! New music added! Steps for unlocking the true ending added! The true ending is a fully animated and scored cutscene which will be added at the end of Early access and requires that you've beaten the game with at least 3 different characters. If you've already beaten the game with 3 characters, then you'll see the ending when you next complete a run after the ending is released.

Balancing

There's a slightly higher chance of certain good night events occurring due to the requirements for these events appearing being lowered. But the chance of bad events in the first few days is increased. The "Ambition" perk now only awards happiness if you study ok or very well, and doesn't give happiness if you only get 1 book in the study screen. This became too much of a "must have" for every run, so we're moving a lot of happiness mechanics around for this one. Pedestrians are slightly less generous Reduced base chances of being mugged in the night It takes a little longer to become addicted to something (except bliss, which is still instantly addictive) Vending machines spawn more often Perks are earned faster, especially mid-late game Begging timing updated Early game busking earn rate increased very slightly Parked cars now have much greater rewards, but it takes longer to break in... Soup Kitchen charity event now gives 1 more happiness You now also gain a little happiness if you earn a decent amount when sleeping on a bench, sometimes Clinics are more expensive Survival perks are earned much faster Slightly less cash is taken on average when mugged Police will now reduce their warning count for moving you on by 1 if you don't commit to any crime related activities for a few days by default (MUCH less effective than the related perk) Being caught stealing from a shop now increases your crime rating a little less Police can now see you from a slightly greater distance, but it takes 1 more warning before they move you on "Size Up" perk is now more accurate and you now need to hover the mouse over pedestrians to size them up You can now lose up to 3 special items if you're mugged (chances increased if you have loads of items) Pests in the night now take a lot more food, sometimes Other homeless now haggle more when doing day labour (this is actuallly more of a bug fix, but it heavily affects balancing in this area) When busking, notes also move horizontally a little now Busking is now quite a bit harder if you play when drunk Illnesses are more severe (hunger drain increased) The bar now takes half as much time and is now open until 8pm A certain few events where someone is kind and gives you an item, they didn't give happiness before. Now they do. The happiness maintain threshold for getting out of a depression has been reduced slightly (IE it's a tiny bit easier to get out of a depression) STREET SAVVY now always shows as a choice on your first STREET perk gain. Because it's more useless the more perks you have.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Added some new tip texts to the loading screen You can now use public toilets for shelter as soon as it starts raining rather than only when it's progressed to pouring In certain night events where you spend time with another character through to the morning, they'll now be there when you wake up. The flask item now says what drink it currently contains when you hover over it The random starting story text when you first start a new game now has more of an impact on your story, instead of only the character story/class having an impact. For example, when choosing abandoned, your story could be about a background in foster care, or escaping from an abusive relationship and this may come up in future night events. We're still working on this area though. Improved tooltip positioning Fixed eat button mode being off by default, instead of LOWEST VALUE food setting even though it said it was already on that setting Fixed an issue where certain night events involving the dog would get bugged and display yes/no options when it should just be continue Fixed some issues with Scrap master library book effect, let me know if this is still a thing! Mystery park event popups now also show the correct icons with the event Fixed various bugs to do with other homeless Fixed accidentally moving when clicking through certain popups and other ui elements Fixed inaccessible areas in the park showing a travel time of -1 minutes when you hover over it Fixed reality levels not always showing by default until you select a character, if you've unlocked any reality levels. Fixed status icons eventually moving down the screen... Fixed old previous events that you had seen recently returning to the possible events pool after moving to a new area Better AI for the other homeless characters Various events, both old and new, are now unique to different character stories (POVERTY, VETERAN, etc) Added/improved selection highlighting to various interactables Your character will now sometimes thank people after begging Fixed various cases where the cursor icon could get stuck Fixed some cases where you could be viewing a consumable item in a particular menu and it wouldn't apply your perk based bonuses to the displayed stats for that item (such as the HEALTHY perk). Updated some incorrect reward icons in certain night events Improved game over animation loading time Fixed certain icons having incorrect aspect ratios Fixed not being able to enter the bar even when you had enough cash Fixed various SFX like the dog barking or thunder being muffled Birds are now less active at night Fixed a couple of cases where homeless characters would act like they hated you in night events, but you had a good or neutral relationship with them Fixed some crash/freeze issues Fixed a bug where you could accidentally interact with the bus menu while a popup was showing An "Are you sure?" popup now shows when moving to a new area via the bus Fixed some options settings being reset when starting a new run Fixed main menu music carrying over into the game Fixed the day ending even while a popup or other menu was showing, which could result in things like a perk choice showing and not being able to select a perk before the night event showed Fixed issues with library book rental fines after moving areas Fixed various sfx not playing at correct volume Fixed status icons getting bigger over time Fixed perk description text going weird and feeling "in the way" when choosing a new perk Fixed hunger/happiness still draining while looking at the bus menu Updated speech bubble positioning a bit, also improved variety of speech bubbles The correct icon now shows when you get injured in a night event It takes a little more happiness loss for the world to start going grey And a bunch of other fixes... that I forgot to write down for this one. :D

[ 2020-03-23 00:34:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, Just a little news on the next patch, it'll be ready in a couple of weeks or so and it'll be a big one. Over 50 new night events, big park update and some new items and quality of life features are coming soon! Every bit of feedback left on here and on our Discord is always read and considered, and shapes every patch we do. Thanks to everyone for helping us create this experience, and especially for all the kind words! ^-^ ...And we're finally updating the sfx for the guitar.

[ 2020-01-15 19:18:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

The new year has begun, and we're kicking things off with some new items and a few improvements, including a little re-balancing. Next up, more night events and interactions with other homeless... finally! Onto the next patch! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

You can now do a "premium wash" at the launderette, which keeps clothes clean for longer. Several new items added!

Balancing

Decreased base chances of being mugged "Alert" perk is more effective Certain negative night events drain a little less happiness Late game perks are earned faster

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed one of the Cafe job events causing a softlock Fixed not being able to buy certain items after losing them (Smart shirt, sleeping bag, etc) Fixed lighter having an extra use if you steal one

[ 2020-01-01 22:22:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, just another small patch here to bring in some much needed improvements and fixes, next big content patch should be ready in a week or so! As always, keep up the feedback guys! You're awesome. :)

Changes and new stuff

Updated cursor icons! We've got a little more work to do to replace all other instances of "word" icons.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed the game messing up if you get the overtime event when you have the shop assistant job Fixed some missing perk icons Fixed the "Go to work" button staying on screen when you can't actually work Fixed job events happening every time you work (they're only meant to appear 1/3 of the time) Fixed not being able to pay library book fines in certain conditions Fixed bank not displaying correct amounts the first time you re-activate your account after losing it Fixed happiness not going down if you suffer from a lot of addiction maladies Fixed some typos Fixed the Wallet item not always working after recent content patch Updated how the perk collector achievement works, so that it's slightly easier to achieve. If you already have a lot of perks, you may get the achievement automatically after playing a day or so.

[ 2019-12-26 18:09:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, and here's another patch! This time we're bringing in more balancing, events and fixes. Stay tuned for more story and content in the next couple of weeks. :)

Changes and new stuff

Added "new" icons to city and job menus, to notify you when something changes in those menus like a new event or work buff New Night events!

Balancing

Using the launderette in winter now warms you as well Happiness drains slightly slower on your first day only Various job start times have been updated PRECISE PICKER perk nerfed a little, now reduces hygiene cost of searching trash by 3, instead of cutting it in half (Formerly was a base reduction of 4-5)

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed certain cafe job events causing a softlock Fixed the placeholder "win" ending being totally broken... sorry about that! This also fixes unlocking things after winning a run. New animated ending movie coming soon... Fixed more of the new perk icons Fixed some cases where you could use a bench while it was raining and it wouldn't ruin your begging sign Fixed the "New" icon on the bag getting stuck on screen sometimes Added a little loading screen for when you start a new run after game over

[ 2019-12-18 20:48:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, just a smallish patch here bringing in a few fixes and balancing changes after the recent content update! Onto the next patch! :)

Changes and new stuff

Added "new" icons to city and job menus, to notify you when something changes in those menus like a new event or work buff

Balancing

Mid game perks come in faster Survival perks come in a lot faster If you lose residency, you now also lose your library card Cigarettes shows up more often as a trade item to hand over in the bridge area

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed certain perk icons using old art and being too large Fixed certain job events causing the game to softlock Fixed some job start times displaying incorrectly (Fast food...) Fixed charity events showing in closed down shelters Fixed becoming ill if you slept outside and the season changes to winter that night Fixed not being able to enter buildings occasionally after moving area Updated some old icons still floating around Fixed closed shelters still displaying certain UI elements as though they were open Fixed Day labour popup staying on screen sometimes after you staart waiting for work Updated bus menu text

[ 2019-12-17 23:41:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phew! Well this one took a whole month to develop, but now we're back with another massive content patch! The game has had a bit of a makeover, there's new perks, new events and a ton of other improvements and fixes. We've also done a little pass on the game difficulty, making the early game a tiny bit easier while bringing a little more challenge and variety to the late game! Enjoy. :) Once again we'd like to thank all our fans and followers for the constant stream of feedback, (If you prefer to just chat you can find us regularly on Discord if you follow this invite link to our server: https://discord.gg/xV5MREW ). Keep it coming guys! It's always a big help and the kind words strive us on. Additionally, we're fast approaching the end of our early access period now. Current plans are for a January release, but here's a rough list of what's still to come:

• Female characters/stories
• Updated busking
• More story interactions with other characters
• Translations into several other languages
• A lot more events left to implement
• Some new items
• More possible actions in certain buildings
• The awesome animated ending movie
• Additional music/sfx
• Controller support and more config options

Onto the next update, which will feature lots of new events and a focus on the park as well as the other homeless characters... Ah, but first, here's the massive list of patch notes for the latest update! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

Many areas of the game have had an art update! New perks have been added! Added a no-swearing option in the settings, so you can play without profanities! Added new eat reminder options, now you can choose whether the EAT button uses your lowest value or highest value food item! A slightly wider variety of events can now be found in the park! (Lots more coming up) Tons of new night events added! New job based events! Each job has it's own unique events, apart from the daily issue. We'll be expanding on this later on.

Balancing

Reduced chances of finding beer or cigarettes in trash, but now a greater variety of unspoiled food can be found You can no longer work at any time before the start of your shift if you have a job. Now, you can only work if it's at least 1 hour before your start time. So if your job starts at 10AM, you'll have to wait until at least 9AM before you can start work. Reduced chances of certain bad night events occurring Maximum number of perks you can get in one run increased by 7 Late game perks take longer to get Greatly reduced chances of being mugged in the first few days Late game is a bit tougher Reduced hygiene decay when working Buying Daily issue papers at the job office doesn't give as much towards earning a new work/study perk It takes 1 more warning before you get fired from a job Trading in the park is now more favourable When mugged, if you have a ton of special items, you might lose more than one (but never more than two). Reduced number of launderettes and job office buildings that get spawned (various other types of buildings now have a greater chance of spawning) If you get the "being watched"night event in the shelter where you hug your backpack, it now pretty much guarantees you'll be mugged if you stay in a shelter again the next night

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Made various fixes and changes to resolution settings. The available resolutions now directly reads what resolutions your monitor supports and by default chooses the one closest to 1080p or the highest possible resolution. Due to these changes, resolutions will be set to default values when opening the game for the first time after the update, as the old save data for res settings doesn't work with the new system. Also, be reminded that the game still works best in 16:9 aspect ratios, we're gonna fix the wide screen and 4:3 resolutions soon! Various UI improvements Fixed various bugs related to jobs Fixed being able to get items you hadn't unlocked yet from certain events Trash cans now visually change to show that they've been searched Fixed not being able to move for the first few seconds of a day Updated how picking up trash works slightly, so if a pedestrian walks in front of the scrap, it'll prioritise picking up the scrap first to prevent misclicks Fixed various settings being changed back to defaults when you re-load the game Fixed city event levels not always being reset when starting a new game Added a Resolution timer popup that will allow automatic reversion to the previous resolution, just in case your new setting doesn't work out Fixed some cases where, if the scene moved area or the game closed while a perk selection popup shows, it would count as you having selected a perk and not actually give you one Fixed various issues with 64 bit platforms not launching properly Fixed resolution or fullscreen settings being set repeatedly when opening the game or setting values in the main menu settings (This should also help with booting time) Upgraded base Unity Engine version which should fix some additional crash/freeze issues Fixed cured maladies from reappearing after moving area or loading back into the game Fixed the "Police have their eye on you" popup reappearing if you move area or load back into the game You can now visit unlocked buildings like the bar and subway via the bus Improved city generation/loading tiime Fixed some cases where the player could become "stuck" Fixed some typos Added some additional tooltips to some UI objects Fixed one of the building layouts being incorrectly flipped Improved stat icon animation Improved tooltip text formatting Fixed newest music track being crackly Improved display of various speech bubbles in building areas Improved scroll sensitivity in various menus

[ 2019-12-14 17:49:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait on the new patch, we've got a ton of new content coming in this one, so it's taking a little while to finish off and test, should be ready this weekend! It'll be worth the wait! :D I know many of you are waiting on some bug fixes and feature requests so a lot of work has gone into these in this patch, including a toggle for swears and other options! There's also a lot of new art and other changes, such as new event systems and other event areas have been expanded! Anyway, just keeping you all posted on what's going on, we'll be back in a few days with a new huge update!

[ 2019-12-04 18:33:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again! Time for another small patch of fixes and balancing changes after the last big content update. Thanks again for all the feedback guys, it's been super helpful in getting these last remaining bugs tracked down. :) Next content patch is landing this Friday! It includes some new things in the park... stay tuned!

Balancing

Magazines restore more happiness The Launderette is now closed after 6PM Mid-Late game perks come in slightly faster Abandoned character earns perks a tiny bit slower

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a crash or freeze that could occur when using the textbook Fixed Textbook not speeding up time when studying Fixed some typos Fixed a bug that caused the wrong character to be selected after returning to the main menu and hitting play without actually selecting a character Improved text formatting in perk choice popup Fixed some transition issues with the bus menu Fixed Launderette sometimes spawning without a building image Fixed a bug where you'd get 1 copy back of a previously used item in your inventory on load, for all items where you used all of them (This is what caused random items to appear) Fixed dog barks not being affected by sfx volume Fixed various options in the main menu being set to previously saved values when loading into the actual game, overriding your changes Fixed some effects and story choice from previous runs affecting a current run (this would be things like loading into a fresh game and one of the other homeless characters already liking you). Fixed rain not displaying in the foreground

[ 2019-11-11 15:36:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, we're back with another major update! ^-^ This time we're bringing in the new Launderette building as well as a bunch of other additions, fixes, changes and as some community request fulfilments. Additionally, some love is being given to the music and artwork in the game. The difficulty and balancing has had quite a few changes too this patch, so I'll be closely monitoring and making some additional small patches over the next week. Next up, more story and perks! Also, a new job based event system and other encounters... stay tuned!

Changes and new stuff

Laundrette building added! This also comes with a new malady: "Dirty clothes"; Not washing clothes for some days will cause your hygiene to be capped at 50. New night events! Various new maladies added that can be gained after certain conditions are met... Various other artwork and animations added or updated! New sfx added! New music added! Added "Did you know?" feature to character selection menu that displays facts about homelessness

Balancing

It's a little bit harder to sell daily issue papers Lighter item now only has 3 uses Various shop prices have been updated Trading is more favourable Certain night events that caused you to lose happiness, now take away less happiness The new maladies make the game a bit tougher if you don't keep on top of them... Number of survival days required to unlock veteran reduced to 12 Reduced number of days needed to survive with lots of addiction maladies to unlock the addict Increased boundary before another homeless character starts to hate you if you make certain actions Brain drain now gets slightly worse the higher your study is Having lots of items in your inventory has a bigger impact on the chances of you being mugged

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Updated certain city event popup texts to make each level's effects more obvious Fixed a bug where the game incorrectly set windowed or fullscreen mode on startup Fixed the end of day text going crazy if you enter a building at the exact time it shows Fixed time not being used when studying via textbook Fixed speech bubbles size option not being saved correctly Fixed old library book effects sometimes coming back after moving area or loading into the game Added newer buildings to mobile map Fixed the addict not being able to work at certain jobs, thinking you were drunk "MUSIC THEORY" Library book effect will now only happen if you have a guitar Magazines no longer give busking perk progress unless you have a guitar, it'll choose a different perk category otherwise Removed the night event with Bill and the Rat. I just didn't like it and it doesn't quite say what I want it to. It was the weakest bit of writing in the game. Fixed busking meter not filling up Fixed a bug where the mental illness story wasn't unlocked if you completed a run with one of the newer characters Fixed popups when interacting with other homeless reading as STRANGER when you already know them Fixed a cash duplication exploit in the bank Fixed some typos Updated various texts when interacting with other homeless Fixed job info menu in inventory menu displaying wrong information for daily issue job Added floating text for cash earned while busking Fixed "game over" sequence beginning while popups were still showing Fixed Library book renting/ paying fines being bugged Fixed pedestrians standing to watch busking right in front of the player When you pay a library fine, it no longer also rents another book at the same time Updated certain building click box boundaries Made various UI changes and improvements Fixed Trade menus staying on screen after exiting an area where you can trade Fixed a certain street night event sometimes showing when in shelters Fixed a couple of buildings that had incorrectly placed windows, so they seemed to just "appear" at night Fixed snow not falling if you load into a game that's currently in winter or move area during winter Improved formatting for certain bar event texts Fixed some other homeless and the drug dealer sometimes having incorrect z positioning Fixed certain street vendors having incorrectly sized click boxes Fixed a street layout that contained an incorrectly flipped building Improved choice button text in certain night events to make your actions more obvious

[ 2019-11-09 16:32:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're finally back with another big patch and a lot of changes! First off, the city events system has had a bit of a rework to try and drive players to use new strategies as the game progresses. I'm still working on many more event based things that will add even more variety to runs though! Another big change is making the Library card free and having it instead require residency. This is more in line with how things really are and we feel that the game now has enough content to make this feel balanced. However, residency also now takes longer to achieve. Other than that, this build is mainly a load of balancing changes, polishing and bug fixing. Oh, and Mac Catalina support! We'd also like to announce that gender options are finally coming to CHANGE in a future update. It's something that's been requested by many of you for a long time and we finally have enough of a budget to handle it. We'll need a couple months to finish the new animations and features related to being a homeless woman, but be prepared for a darker and more punishing experience if you select the option. If we're going to cover this area, we're not going to pull any punches... We've got another big patch with more features (including a new building!) landing next week, stay tuned and keep the feedback coming guys! You're awesome. :D

Changes and new stuff

Detailed item descriptions for all items added finally! (Replaces "click to eat" text in inventory) and a load of other UI improvements. Pedestrians now dress up warmer for winter! City events have been reworked! Now events are more unique and may force you to change strategy a little more directly. The library card is now free. However, it requires residency.

Balancing

Your job application success rate is now significantly affected by your current crime level Rent price increased to 200 It now takes longer to get residency Base hunger gained from using shelters increased Magazines can now be rarely found in trash cans City events start occurring earlier in a run Time warmed after warming reduced Fixed text relating to daily issue displaying the wrong numbers if you have certain perks, under certain conditions Hunger drains slightly faster when working or studying You get better deals when trading in radios Some jobs have earlier start times Some shop prices have been updated Smoking now restores slightly less happiness, but also has less severe addiction effects

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed perks being incorrectly awarded upon loading into the game Added 64 bit Catalina support for Mac *Shakes fist at Apple* Updated/Improved various texts Improved weather visuals Bird sfx are a bit quieter Fixed barman not saying anything Fixed some issues with the inventory menu not scrolling Fixed the dog reacting to crimes committed Fixed a crash that could occur on startup Fixed resolution being reset hen entering the main menu Fixed cold breath particles not working Fixed the game sometimes getting "Stuck" after responding to a pedestrian with a choice Dog's walk speed improved to be closer to players when you have a lot of things affecting walk speed Fixed dog sometimes walking in place Fixed save/load data for certain items being bugged under certain conditions Fixed a bug that caused street vendors to continuously give out speech bubbles Fixed cash earned text being displayed incorrectly in subway Fixed street vendors thanking you when you haven't bought anything Fixed day labour truck from remaining in city after going just off screen Fixed the slight lag/jittering when speech bubbles appear Fixed addict character not being able to work... sorry about that! When selecting a new perk, the perk category is now also displayed Fixed police sometimes scolding you for the wrong action (could tell you off for starting fires after begging) Fixed lag that could occur when opening the menu with lots of items Fixed floating stat texts not always taking into account various modifiers such as some perks. Improved timing/animation of floating stat texts Saturation levels are now more directly tied to happiness When you find items in trash, the correct icon is now displayed in the popup Fixed begging sign being a possible trade item Fixed Clothing vendors that sell beer from appearing Fixed mobile map scrolling issues Fixed pedestrians stopping but not replying sometimes when drunk and begging Fixed an exploit where opening and closing the Camp area in the park would allow you to keep stealing items forever Fixed city event menu not always being scrollable Fixed other homeless floating off the ground Street reputation bar in park areas now correctly updates after performing an action The library now becomes more visually "closed" when it's closed Fixed a bug that allowed you to move around in the park while inside a park area Improved speech bubble positioning in park Fixed mobile map or residency card from saying building was 28 or so units away when it's already on screen, now text appears telling you you're already there Rats can now also be seen running around early in the morning Fixed cash earned text in death screen not having Fixed a crash that could occur if you turn the dog away or say no to drugs Fixed clinics sometimes changing their item the first time you exit and re-enter one Fixed foodstamp icons displaying incorrectly initially in shop

[ 2019-10-24 16:00:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're back with another little content update! This time we're adding a new item and giving the original poverty character a new look. This was stuff we wanted to include in the previous content update, but just didn't have time to make it in. We also rolled back the difficulty a little from the previous patch, it got a little too gruelling for awhile there... Next up are more perks and night events plus some other stuff, stay tuned! I''m on a roll right now! ^-^ Keep the feedback and reports coming guys!

Changes and new stuff

Lighter item added! Use it warm up by a trash fire, but don't let police see you doing it... The default Poverty character has had an art rework! We wanted to bring them more in line with the style of the other new characters. Guess we should probably do a new trailer soon, it's so outdated now. :)

Balancing

Parked cars are more common Reverted winter exposure effects to what they were previously. (less happiness loss). Early game perks are earned a tiny bit faster Ambition perk nerfed, now restores 1 happiness instead of 1-2

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed library card being a possible mugged item Fixed a crash that could occur after moving area or during a night event after moving area if you had certain items Fixed the "Your sign has been ruined by rain" popup from occurring when you don't have a begging sign Fixed not being able to stop breaking into parked cars Fixed parked cars becoming bugged after moving area

[ 2019-09-24 17:33:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, here's another patch! This time we're bringing in some fixes and general bits of polish. Onto the next patch! ^-^

Balancing

Parked cars are more common Early game perks are earned a tiny bit faster

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed parked cars playing sfx Fixed a softlock that could happen after a night event Fixed not being able to use bliss Improved choice bubble timing Fixed continuing to break into parked cars after 9pm Fixed being able to move after getting caught breaking into a car Added some "juicy-ness" to various parts of the UI

[ 2019-09-22 21:00:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're back with another big content update! This time we're bringing in the new Addict character story and a bunch of other features and fixes that makes this one of the best versions yet! Sorry this one took a few weeks, we needed to put in a fair amount of stuff at once for it all to work as a whole, but we're gonna do a bunch of quickfire patches now. Coming up next are more input/controller options, new perks and more features centred around other homeless! Thanks again for all the feedback and support guys, we wouldn't have gotten this far without you. :) Onto the patch notes!

Changes and new stuff

Various new SFX added and general sfx improvements Addict Character story added! This challenging character story starts with Cigarettes and unique maladies... Parked cars added! You can take a big risk and break in for potential items... Several features around drugs have been added. Look out for a new character on the street... Some new items added! Some new night events added! New maladies added

Balancing

Anxiety mental illness is a bit easier (reduces happiness less than it used to) It takes less time to lose your residency if you don't stay at the same shelter Pillow is a little more expensive Selling daily issue papers is harder (but still has a higher success rate than begging) Late game perks are earned faster, early game perks earned a little slower Studying doesn't increase perk progress as much "A Need to forget" malady is now worse for veteran Winter exposure drains happiness faster "PRIDE" perk now only requires that you don't beg

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed floating stat detail texts displaying over building UI We fixed the crash that can occur if you click on certain objects near the end of the day! Fixed other homeless not always begging as they should All other crash issues fixed, let us know if you find more! Fixed some issues with food stamps causing the shop UI to display incorrectly in certain circumstances Fixed rain status icon appearing when you have the umbrella (it still provided protection) Fixed warmed status timing out while popup was showing Fixed "Addiction counselling" charity event text being poorly formatted You can now reach the Bank via the bus Improved speech bubble's choice interaction timing Fixed spacing when making a speech bubble choice response Fixed character immediately moving to the side after using bus Cash gained now displays via floating text in the subway Fixed mobile menu being tiny Fixed some typos Fixed misplaced windows in one of the buildings Fixed street vendors saying things while popups are showing Fixed park entry menu hiding stat icon bar incorrectly Fixed being able to leave the real estate menu after renting Fixed a bug where getting an event that made you sick when already ill while the previous illness was due to run out would result in no illness. Fixed Guitar not being "buyable" after losing it Fixed tooltips displaying incorrectly in main menu Fixed guitar pick appearing in shop when you don't own guitar Improved shop item generation so you don't see the same things as often Fixed slot 3 in the shop being broken if you have at least 1 of every kind of item Good statuses now flash green instead of red in the top UI

[ 2019-09-21 17:08:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alrighty, one more update with a load of fixes and improvements! Next up, the Addict will be joining the game in the next few days or so. Keep the feedback coming guys, you're awesome. ^-^

Balancing

Base hunger decay increased slightly Various negative work buffs are more common People give food slightly less often Updated certain item prices

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed being able to click through popup while in inventoy menu, which could use the item and not give effect Fixed time before you can move again after closing a popup The bus now takes you to the exact position of where you want to go, rather than just the general area When an item is confiscated after spending a night in jail, the popup now doesn't show until after you leave Sped up Veteran walk animation a little Improved some text formatting Fixed job office menu using old click sfx Added an "Are you sure?" prompt when clicking the main menu button Fixed some typos Fixed some animations in park not working properly Fixed job work buffs getting reset under certain conditions Fixed maladies getting removed after moving to a new area sometimes Improved lighting in winter, it's now darker throughout the day The city is now larger, you have to walk further to reach the edge of the city and move to a new area Fixed warmed status remaining for awhile after winter ends sometimes Fixed not being able to move after being turned down for day labour Fixed job office displaying incorrect start times with the employee perk Fixed shouted speech bubbles not being affected by speech bubble size Fixed a bug where opening a lot of magazines when you have most of your possible perks for your current run would freeze the game Fixed certain UI elements still being interactable while a popup is open Shifted vending machine positioning slightly Fixed a bug where entering the park right after a night event could cause you to get stuck travelling at a very slow speed Fixed various crash issues Fixed mental illness story not being unlocked until you close and open the game after finishing a run More fixes for the other homeless animations

[ 2019-08-28 12:54:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, another small patch here bringing in some more fixes. Onto more content! :)

Balancing

Steal success chances are much better balanced based on the item you're trying to steal

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed the "Stop waiting" button when waiting for day labour causing issues Fixed the trading night event not taking the correct item if you choose to trade Fixed food stamps being used when stealing items if you have food stamps Fixed food stamp icons showing on all slots initially when entering shop with food stamps Fixed another couple of crash issues Hopefully finally fixed other homeless getting stuck in their "Walk" animation

[ 2019-08-25 14:14:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Time for another patch! This time we're bringing in a load of bug fixes and polishing. Next up is a new playable character and other features!

Balancing

Increased base chances of guitar appearing in shop Time spent drunk after drinking reduced slightly Mid & late game perks are earned faster Clothing Drive and Support group charity events have longer wait times Day labour is now only usable until 2pm Decreased crime perk earn rate when caught by police Rummager perk buffed, now more likely to give change when searching trash Trash food is more likely to make you lose happiness if already ill If you turn the dog away, he won't appear again for several days in night events

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed job changing when loading back into the game Added a slightly delay before the perk choice popup is interactable, which should help with misclicks on sudden popups Fixed some floating stat texts showing double "- -" Fixed not being able to turn yourself in at the police station when crime level exactly 50 Fixed "new run" on death screen always selecting default character, now selects your previous character Default speech bubble size is lower Fixed speech bubble size option not saving correctly Change gained when searching trash with rummager perk is now displayed Fixed some cases of gender pronouns being used incorrectly Deoderant no longer affected by auto eat Fixed magazine popup title text being incorrect Fixed residency being awarded incorrectly, even when not staying at the same shelter Fixed bad status icons not always pulsing red Eating bad food from trash now displays happiness changes via floating text Job councilling charity event not longer shows if you already have the effect Fixed perk popups showing just before night event, which would close the popup Fixed park entrance not spawning on both sides of the city Fixed food items showing in shop slot 2 Fixed game going fullscreen when entering game after un-ticking fullscreen in main menu Fixed various issues with day labour Fixed time not stopping when negotiating day labour Fixed "Trust Issues" malady text being incorrect Fixed eat button not working if the only food in your bag was a meal deal Fixed the left side of the city occasionally regenerating different buildings when loading in Fixed some of the latest night events having incorrect choice text Fixed losing dog event from using some data from another night event Fixed character unlock popup showing constantly Fixed being able to interact with invisible dog Fixed some night events giving incorrect rewards Fixed a crash that could occur on night event showing Fixed trash cans being stuck as unsearchable, even on new days

[ 2019-08-24 17:46:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's another massive patch! Bringing a load of new content including an additional playable character, new perks, new items, a load of new night events and more! We've also given the game a little shine and polish in various areas. It actually feels like we may soon be ready to leave early access! Which means the ending cutscene, final character and various other remaining features will be coming up very shortly. Then, it's onto translating into other languages! Oh, and we're going to be putting up a new trailer sometime in the next month or so, stay tuned... Thanks to everyone for your support and as always, keep the feedback coming! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

Added dozens of new night events! A couple of new items! 12 new perks! New character story added: Abandoned! Starts with supplies, earns perks faster and has unique maladies. Build a friendship with Joe, Bill or Maggie (mainly through night events) to unlock the new story. Detailed reward/stat changes added in the form of floating text/icons above you. This can be turned off in the options menu Park has been updated! It now takes up less space, is less far away from other buildings, and some new features have been developed!

Balancing

When rain starts coming in, you have an extra couple of seconds before you get the "It''s raining!" debuff. Libraries now close at 3pm. People are now slightly more generous in bad weather. However, base generosity has been very slightly reduced. If you go to sleep drunk, you no longer wake up still drunk You can no longer work if you're drunk. This is actually more of a bug fix, but obviously it heavily affects balancing. So here it is. Base perk earn rate increased Textbook now requires actual study time (All study time based perks and items apply) Bad day labour events are slightly worse Minimum study gains reduced to 1. However, low happiness has less effect on study gains You can no longer trade with Joe in the park if he hates you (kindof another bug fix one) Player levels XP for item unlocks has been rebalanced (This won't affect anything if you're already max level) Street vendors appear more often Hat & winter coat have been nerfed slightly Slightly reduced time before player can do another action after begging You now recover from being drunk twice as fast when sleeping it off on a bench

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed sausage roll restoring incorrect hunger Made various UI improvements Various in building speech texts have been updated, and building speech texts are more reactive The cursor is no longer massive when highlighting certain things and it's better centrred. Fixed some typos Improved loading times Fixed status icons bouncing when the time of day changes Fixed some hit boxes for buildings being slightly out of place in some cases Made various optimisations for faster fps Fixed reality levels UI being messed up when switching characters Fixed shop text not updating to EXCHANGE is you have food stamps Removed old click sounds from pause menu Fixed birds not being affected by sfx volume Fixed ambience not being set by SFX volume in main menu When you rent a library book, it is now read immediately rather than having to go the menu to read it every time Fixed some doors and buildings not being properly aligned Fixed non-unlocked items being rewarded in certain events Fixed prison event not updating various "new day" effects Fixed charity events changing to something else the first/second time you enter a shelter in a playthrough Really bad statuses like starving or exposure to cold will now pulse red in the top bar Fixed residency card and busking license being possible trade items Fixed guitar pick being a possible slot 3 item when you don't own a guitar Fixed some icons in certain popups being scaled incorrectly Fixed certain "new day" effects like trash cans resetting and charity events updating not happening for a few seconds into the new day Fixed addictions recovering faster than they should in certain circumstances Fixed an exploit where begging from someone and then selecting papers from the inventory would almost always result in a successful beg Fixed fountains sometimes not spawning in the central city area Fixed master volume slider handle scaling being wrong Auto-Eat no longer applies to risky items such as beer and cigarettes Fixed eat reminder not being on by default (though since the option probably saved it's default state the last time you played, it'll stay off until you turn it on again) Cars pass more often during rush hour Fixed a bug that caused the mental illness story to start the game without any maladies Added a new icon to malady UI Fixed lights constantly flashing if you pause the game at the right moment Fixed "Learning difficulties" sometimes reducing your study gains to 0 Fixed scrap master library book not working properly the day after you get it Joe and Maggie will hang out together more often in the streets Benches now show graphically if you're using particular items like cups! Fixed day labour displaying "use before 1pm", when it actually becomes unusable after 3pm Fixed popup title text being incorrect after losing an item when going to jail Fixed a crash/freeze that could occur if you paused the game or entered a building at the right moment after begging and a "choose a response" choice appears Improved mental illness wash animation Fixed anti homeless benches not appearing until you move to a new area

[ 2019-08-17 17:31:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over... here's another patch! This time we're fixing some bugs and bringing in a little more polish. Keep the feedback coming guys! :D Oh, and we're adding new perks as well as new items in the next content patch, which is later this week! Onwards, to the patch notes!

Changes and new stuff

New sfx added/updated New ambience tracks added and improved ambience fading

Balancing

Cheapest items are slightly easier to steal Snack bars are now much easier to steal! This makes them a good item to train crime perks. Busking perks are now earned a bit faster Slightly reduced cash earned from busking

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Updated some tips and added some new ones in the loading screen Fixed night event UI using old click sfx Fixed being able to hear bus/car when they're not nearby Improved shop item generation code, slot 3 always has an item you don't have, unless you have them all! Fixed mental illness character not unlocking if you complete the game as the veteran Fixed some issues with jobs, fixed job changing when loading back into the game Fixed addictions coming back if you move to a new area or load into a game when you had been cured of addiction the previous day Fixed certain maladies from previous runs being added to your next run under certain conditions Fixed a bug where having the "Amateur" perk would make it harder to get future perks for busking Fixed perk description text when choosing a new perk being wrong initially

[ 2019-08-05 17:36:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Time for another update! This time we're bringing in some small new features, new night events and some polishing work. Next up, even more night events, park update and new items! :D

Changes and new stuff

"Eat Reminder" button added, if you are starving and have food available, a button now appears in the bottom right. Clicking will eat your lowest value food item. This can be turned off via the options menu. A bunch of new night events have been added You can now adjust speech bubble sizes via the options menu! New charity event added: Addiction counselling will reduce the time before you recover from your addiction and reduce withdrawal effects by 50% for one day. This charity event is only generated if you're addicted to something.

Balancing

You no longer lose happiness from scratchcards you didn't pay for It rains slightly more often Bar price reduced Certain bad night events involving bad weather no longer show if you have the tent (previously just reduced chances of certain night events, this is still in effect for certain night events) Some positive night events restore a little more happiness Depression is slightly harder to get, and easier to get rid of if you maintain a happiness over 60 for 3 days Trading is more favourable Slightly increased chances of street vendors appearing Slightly reduced chances of delusion event if you have schizophrenia when playing as mental illness character

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed all cases of clicking on UI elements causing you to move Fixed all cases of clicking through UI onto game objects Fixed tooltips behaving strangely in main menu when selecting characters Made some improvements to speech bubble positioning Fixed inflation causing you to not be able to buy things from shops Fixed other homeless sometimes spawning in the same position causing them to be stacked on top of each other Fixed tooltips from inventory/options remaining on screen after closing the pause menu Fixed schizophrenia causing loads of delusion popups at the start of the day which broke the game Fixed other homeless sometimes floating high up Fixed other homeless being stuck in their walk animation state Fixed other homeless spawning in the "start area" right behind you Updated other homeless walk speed a bit to match the animations more Fixed other homeless standing over each other if more than one is waiting for day labour at the same billboard Fixed the "Enter building" icon showing with a very low alpha over various UI items when hovering over a building with UI showing Fixed speech bubbles staying in place while a character walks away from it

[ 2019-08-04 15:57:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, here's another patch! This time we're bringing in a load of balancing and bug fixes along with some community request fulfilments. Next up, more content! :D

Changes and new stuff

You can now use the bus to get to your resident shelter!

Balancing

Social anxiety affects begging success slightly more STUDENT per buffed, now also decreases hunger decay moderately when studying All perks are earned faster except scavenging perks Pedestrians give slightly more change Increased base hunger gained from eating trash food Slightly reduced chance of becoming ill from trash food Increased chances of cigarettes appearing in shop if you're addicted Removed Library card from the shop Slightly decreased base chances of being addicted Using benches now awards points towards street perks Increased minimum change given when using benches Hot chocolate price reduced Police walk faster Updated various drop chances of items in trash cans Maximum number of perks possible increased to 9 for all categories

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a new city being generated when loading back into the game most times (This will only be in effect after your next save) Fixed homeless disappearing if you talk to them when they're waiting for day labour Fixed residency shelter not being generated on load after switching from the game to the menu more than once if you had residency Fixed some crash/freeze issues Fixed some issues with the screen going crazy/changing resolution when opening the game When selecting NEW RUN on the death screen, now begins the run with your currently selected character rather than switching to default Fixed broken tutorial window Coffee and Hot chocolate icons have been swapped Fixed a bug that caused crowd pleaser to think more people were watching you busk than actually are Library and Job menus now properly update their UI after using them (removes buttons like studying and go to work if you can't actually do that) Fixed bench not always giving correct change amounts for the amount of time spent on the bench

[ 2019-07-31 20:39:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

The new update is here! This time we're bringing in the long awaited mental illness character story and a bunch of other stuff, as well as a load of community request fulfilments! Sorry for the wait on this one, a lot of this content had to be added in one go for it to work, and we've also been hard at work on the ending cutscene in the background.... hopefully it'll be done soon! We're going back to multiple patches a week now, so stay tuned and don't forget to leave feedback! Next up is more night events, item and story features. Phew, well I haven't slept for a couple days, so... I'm gonna go do that. Onwards to the patch notes! :D

Changes and new stuff

Various new artwork & animations added New SFX added Mental illness character story added! My personal favourite, this character can be the most challenging; you get 2 random mental illnesses/maladies that are common among the homeless at the start of the game, from a pool of several different kinds. These maladies are unique to this character. Getting past winter in your previous/current run will give your character new random maladies in your next run. Some new night events! Day Labour system added! Look out for billboards in the street, here you can compete with others waiting for risky temp work from trucks that pass by. The park has had some updates! New interactions available with other homeless in the street. Each character now has unique interactions, depending on your relationship with them and your street reputation. They may also wander around the city and have a wider variety of behaviours they enact depending on various factors like time of day! We're going to be developing these characters a lot more in the next update. 12 new perks added!

Balancing

Coffee & energy drink have been nerfed a bit (slightly less walk speed increase) Increased number of bus stops, benches and trash cans that get generated slightly Magazines have been nerfed very slightly (1 point less happiness/study on average) Having a high street reputation (>50) now also slightly decreases chances of being mugged Veteran nerfed a bit, now starts with 7 Late game perks are earned slightly faster "HIKER" perk buffed, now also greatly reduces hunger decay while in park "CROWD PLEASER" perk nerfed, now multiplies multiplier by 1 + 1 for every 4 people watching (previously 2) < This was probably the most OP perk in the game... Novel item now gives slightly more happiness & study Hot chocolate item now only gives 1 happiness Hot chocolate now gives you a cup when you drink it (this was actually always meant to happen, so more of a bug fix) Various shop prices updated "Secure bag" nerfed, now greatly reduces chances of pests in the night instead of being practically immune Pests have a higher base chance of appearing in the night and taking food when sleeping in the street, but now they only take some of your food... most of the time. STUDENT perk nerfed, now only your first study each day is shorter :( You can no longer study if you're drunk Fountains and toilets appear slightly less often You now cannot get positive work buffs from a job while your happiness is less than 60 (previously 50) Increased job study requirements Adult learning charity event nerfed, now gives base 8-12 study (previously 10-15) Increased base wages for street cleaning job Longer work hours for Fast food and shop jobs Base chance of being mugged significantly decreased Stealing is slightly easier You now cannot have the DISLIKED work buff if you already have TRUSTED and visa versa. The residency system is now more lenient (takes longer to lose residency & takes longer to lose access to your bank account when residency is lost)

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed various issues with magazines Fixed various misc crash bugs Fixed residency being lost when loading back into the game Removed one of the NPC homeless characters from street generation (the one who wasn't Joe, Bill or Maggie), he's going to be our dealer in the next update... Updated and improved various menu and UI elements Fixed "New Clothes" text being wrong in the shop (now "Smart shirt") Updated various texts and text formatting Fixed warnings from poor job performance not always correctly dealing with number of warnings to be fired Fixed sometimes getting the "DISLIKED" work debuff even when working with high hygiene Fixed "Healthy" perk not being applied when auto-eating food from the shop Vending machines and street vendors now have text describing item details Fixed the white square graphic bug in certain night events Fixed other homeless not always scolding for begging near them Fixed clicks going through certain menus and other UI items that could activate street vendors and vending machines Fixed some bugs with selling daily issue Fixed cake not restoring happiness when auto eat is on and you buy it in the shop Fixed not always entering buildings when clicking on them and moving Fixed certain stats not displaying their amounts when less then 1 sometimes Fixed Hunger/Happiness ticking down while in certain parts of the park and not currently travelling Fixed buggy tutorial window You cannot enter the toilet menu after 8pm, rather than showing it and not being able to do anything Subway commuters will now sometimes complain about you begging there during rush hour Fixed cups not appearing in inventory until after reopening inventory sometimes after drinking coffee and other items Fixed speech bubbles showing over the pause menu sometimes Fixed other homeless characters slurring when you're drunk Fixed being able to rent/return library books if the library is closed You don't need to hold down - & + buttons in the bank menu for as long to rapidly increase amounts Fixed a bug that caused you change to a strange position after using benches Reduced volume of "Item placed in inventory" sfx Perk and inventory menus now reset their scroll values when opening/closing the pause menu (defaulting to top) Fixed only being able to scroll the perk menu with drag by clicking and dragging on perk icons, now click and drag anywhere The "Go to work" button no longer displays if you can't actually go to work for some reason (like having already worked that day) Fixed bank not displaying funds you had the first time you enter it after loading the game or after losing residency and regaining it Fixed scrap and cups being possible "give" items when making a trade... that was a bad exploit!

[ 2019-07-28 23:28:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, just a little post here on the progress of our next patch. The next patch is massive. We've got new perks, more playable characters and more things to do in the street, along with many new night events! The park is also getting some attention this patch. Because of this, it's taking a little longer than usual, but it should be ready sometime next week! Thanks again for all the lovely feedback guys, you rock! We'll keep you posted on the next update as we go. ^-^

[ 2019-07-09 12:04:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, time for another update with some much needed bug fixes and improvements before we bring in the next content patch. We'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on the veteran character! As always your feedback has been really helpful in tracking down bugs and bringing a lot of improvements to the game! Oh, and we're also in the Steam Summer sale at 25% off right now, tell your friends! Onto the patch notes! :D

Changes and new stuff

Added a little transition effect to night events

Balancing

"Soup kitchen" charity event now also gives 2 happiness Illnesses drain hunger more quickly Persuasive perk buff: unsuccessful multiple beggings on one person is now also less likely to have a negative response Perks are earned a tiny bit faster

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed perk popups bugging out and making you addicted to alchohol instead in certain circumstances Fixed various issues with late-game perk awards Updated various UI & item texts Fixed progress towards next perk not always being loaded properly when re-opening the game Fixed being able to use the same library book over and over Fixed "Buy" button getting stuck as "Exchange" after using food stamps Added some more sfx feedback to various things Fixed a bug where item prices, amounts actually paid and steal chances would start to bug out once you have a high enough inflation city event level

[ 2019-06-28 16:59:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over... and here's another patch, bringing in some quick fixes for the previous content update. :) Onto the next one!

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed the thoughts and feelings button not always working Fixed being able to get multiple night event rewards by spamming the continue button Fixed Spirits displaying incorrect happiness gains Fixed an issue with incorrect scrap max Fixed the continue button in night events not always working Fixed not being able to move at dawn when you have the "Wrist watch" item Fixed magazine not always working properly Fixed being able to spam certain popups for extra rewards Fixed the "Stop busking" button not working Fixed the veteran being automatically unlocked (any of you who already loaded the game since last night's patch will still have them)

[ 2019-06-23 12:01:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phew! Sorry for the wait, the veteran character story has now been added into the game! We've also got new items and a ton of fixes and improvements! You guys have been leaving some great feedback, it's been a massive help and all the kind words are always great for our motivation! :D Next up, more character stories and things to do in the street!

Changes and new stuff

The Veteran character story is now playable! The Veteran starts with a minor random item of clothing (The item may change on your next run if you make it past winter) and unique maladies. Unique night events are also possible! We finally added an options menu to the title screen! :D Several new items have been added! Pedestrians have more possible responses and interactions! More night events have been added

Balancing

Less scrap is found on the street by default Crime level now increases even more when caught by police and you already have a moderate crime level Rental price greatly reduced from 200 to 150 Various perks which are OP to obtain as your first perk in the early game, now only appear as a possible perk choice after already obtaining a couple perks in that category (Looking at you, recycler perk...). Slightly decreased base chances of being mugged "Alert" perk is more effective Slightly increased base cash earned from busking "Beguiler" perk now also slightly increases cash gained from choice interactions with pedestrians You no longer get change from sleeping on a bench if you do it for less than an hour "Charm" perk changed, it no longer affects job success. Now, pedestrians may give you better items...

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed sometimes not being able to pick up scrap when you should be able to Fixed clicks going through the "start bonus" popup Fixed shop "Buy" button getting stuck as reading "EXCHANGE" after using food stamps Updated Malady menu a bit Fixed various issues with Park and various areas staying on screen after leaving Fixed various issues with the perk UI, scrolling fixed! Fixed a case where a food vendor would have a graphical glitch on their sign Clothing vendors no longer generate at the start of the day if you already own all clothing items (But food vendors appear slightly more often) Fixed deposits in bank being reset when you lose residency Fixed bench change popup text showing incorrect amounts Improved music volume fading Fixed that last window in the opening sequence not being quite in time with the music New Maladies added are now shown at the top of the Malady menu Menu music no longer fades out on the character select screen Fixed clinics always stocking the same item Fixed losing residency after spending just one day away from resident shelter sometimes Fixed needing to close the trade popup after trading in order to trade again Fixed getting multiple late for work warnings at once which could get you fired Fixed "EXCHANGE" button in shops being formatted incorrectly Fixed clicks going though popups when interacting with other homeless Fixed the park UI staying on screen and causing issues if the day ends while in the park. Fixed some cases where sfx sounds would play on game load Updated various loading screen tip texts Fixed some cases where clicks on the night event UI wouldn't register for a second or so. Rats are now more visible in the streets Fixed certain settings not carrying through when switching between the main menu and the game Add some new tooltips to various UI elements "New Clothes" name changed to "Shirt" Pedestrians no longer tell you "You stink" when you have good hygiene Fixed "Tolerated" perk not always working as it should

[ 2019-06-22 15:34:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another week is over, time for another patch! This time we're updating the clinic a bit and bringing a massive load of bug fixes and balancing changes to the game. I know you're all eagerly awaiting the new characters, we'll have the animation work done soon! We're also bringing a few changes to the park in an upcoming patch. That's all for now, keep the awesome feedback coming guys! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

Clinics now also sell a single utility item that changes every day! Amount of Scrap on the streets now regenerates slowly even if you stay in an area (Affected by WASTE DISPOSAL city event)

Balancing

Base price of mobile phone greatly reduced (until its other features are developed ) Various other prices have been updated Pedestrians now carry a little more money Libraries now close at 4:30pm Street and work/study perks are now earned faster Mid-late game perks in all categories are now earned much faster Various negative night events have a more dire effect on your happiness Base "Warmed" time after warming in winter slightly reduced You can no longer study in the library if you have an overdue library book with a fine

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Added "New" icon to inventory menu on the special items tab, to direct player attention when they receive a new special item. Characters are now animated in the character select screen Fixed the music selected at the start of each day often selecting the same tracks over and over again, more variety! Trades now always use an item that you actually own for trading in most cases Fixed trade menu being closed everytime you make a trade Fixed working popups displaying incorrect wages when you have the "pay rise" work buff You can now access your bag when in the park (But you can't access your special/perm items) Fixed a bug where constantly opening/closing the trade menu when you have the "Connected" perk could allow you to get loads of items in the trade Improved tutorial images Fixed some popups having text going outside of the popup borders (Like city event popups) Fixed a bug where the "Collector" perk would make a scrap pickup count as 2, but then you couldn't pick it up if you only had space for 1. Now you get at least 1 Fixed a bug where the "Happiness down" sfx would play even if a perk or item prevented that happiness loss Library books now only give the "Survival skills" effect if it's currently winter Added some new tooltips to various parts of the UI Fixed the "Trusted" work buff not working as it should Fixed being able to use the same Library book multiple times Fixed certain jobs displaying PM start times when they're actually AM in some cases Fixed not being able to attain later level perks in Work/Study or Survival categories Library book late return fines are now capped to 15 Fixed a bug where you could click through a choice response speech popup when begging to enter a building, which would freeze the pedestrian Default Bank menu text now updates based on whether you have residency Fixed a residency day count not being properly reset after losing residency in certain cases Police station menu text now informs the player that spending a night in jail will skip winter

[ 2019-06-07 18:00:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phew! It's been a whole 2 weeks since our last update, sorry about that, we've been really busy on all the new content that's coming in. First off, we have a new building! At the Bank, you can open an account for a fee and deposit your cash to protect it from bad events. But you'll need a residency card in order to do this... Secondly, the residency system! More on that in the change-list. This is one of the first features that we decided not to do In the original design of CHANGE; back then, we were focused on a more abstracted and simple version of the game. Now, we're taking this step to adding in more of the complications that homeless face, but still, as in most cases, in an abstracted form. The community have made it clear, that the depth of the base game is still lacking, so, we're on it! ^-^ As for the other playable characters, we've also been working on these in the background, they're neeeearly ready! We're just currently waiting on some animation work to be completed, we think next week is likely, but we'll keep you updated. Okie doke, here's your change list for this patch! :D

Changes and new stuff

Bank building added! Residency system added. By staying at the same shelter for a certain number of days in a row, you can become a resident. This is a requirement for opening a bank account, and also passively increases your hunger recovery in your shelter as well as a nice job success boost. Spending too much time without resting in your shelter or moving out of the area can cause you to lose residency. Use your residency card in the inventory to find your shelter. The default "Poverty" character has had an animation update! Several new night events added Starting text has been updated

Balancing

Hunger decays a tiny bit slower Happiness decay in bad weather slightly reduced The first perk in any category takes a little longer to get Mugging events are slightly more likely if you're carrying a lot of cash Base steal chances for food items increased Picking up scrap awards a little less points towards scavenging perks Job success chances from happiness reduced Tie item now gives a 7% job success increase instead of 10% Library card can no longer be gained as a start bonus item Upper limit of base study gains slightly reduced Building generation has been modified. Less empty buildings and more shops, number of libraries that spawn slightly reduced.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a crash/freeze that could be caused by selecting "Street smarts" as a starting bonus Fixed a crash/freeze that could be caused by studying on the first day Fixed the text in the shop being truncated for certain items Fixed steal chance buffs being applied twice in some cases from thief perk and fingerless gloves Scrap icon updated Reduced delay when picking up scrap and it actually getting to your inventory Fixed being able to click through popups when interacting with the "tutorial man" in the starting area Fixed job success chance not correctly updating displayed values from buffs of certain items (the buffs still worked under the hood) Improved transition timings for certain menus Fixed Maladies not always saving/loading properly

[ 2019-06-02 18:08:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! It''s time for another update; this patch we're bringing back some challenge to the game and adding the start of the new 'Malady' system! There's also a ton of bug fixes and improvements, next up is more story elements and possibly... also other playable characters! :D

Changes and new stuff

New "Malady" system added. Things like addiction, mental illness and other negative traits will go in here from now on. Think of it as a negative perk system, more on this coming soon! Some new night events! A bit of a UI rework Addictions will now get progressively worse as you keep abusing substances

Balancing

Hunger ticks down a tiny bit faster Perks are attained quite a lot faster Study requirements for some jobs -has been increased Increased chance of pests stealing food when sleeping outside Winter has a greater effect on walk speed Base stealing success chance increased slightly Thief perk is more effective Drunk effect lasts longer after drinking Certain food items restore a little more hunger

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed not being able to leave the subway until it timed out Fixed the "fired" popup sometimes showing right after a warning when late for work Fixed some job warnings causing happiness to increase Fixed Work & study perks being gained too quickly by buying daily issue papers Job warnings due to low stats has a slightly lower chance of occurring Fixed pills having the same icon as the vitamins in inventory Fixed welfare cuts city event coming in at level 3 right way Fixed umbrella not counting as a perm item in some circumstances Fixed being able to obtain multiple work buffs of the same type Fixed BUY/EXCHANGE button not appearing when you have food stamps but not enough cash to cover the price of a food item Fixed the WORK ETHICS perk only working on daily issue job Fixed Z ordering on Lampposts The RESET button no longer also resets options such as resolution Fixed cigarettes restoring happiness as though you had been drinking

[ 2019-05-15 22:21:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, here's another mini patch to fix some issues before we bring in the next content update! Next patch will include a bunch of new night events! :)

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a few more crash bugs Fixed some menus in the park causing stat icons to show over the other UI Fixed being able to wait out the rain in the pause menu if you timed it right Fixed Street vendor speech displaying over various ui elements Fixed game music being played in main menu Fixed infinite flask use exploit...

[ 2019-05-03 16:32:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another week is over, and here's another patch with a massive load of fixes and improvements before we bring in the next big content patch later this week. Keep the feedback coming guys! We've managed to track down a lot of bugs this week, and couldn't have done it without your help. Cheers! Alrighty, now to add in all these new night events...

Changes and new stuff

The inventory is now split up into 2 menus, one for normal items and one for special/passive items! New artwork and animations added/updated New music Some old music tracks have been updated/mixed

Balancing

Very slightly decreased chances of gaining happiness on a successful begging Increased price of Chocolate The first perk of any category is now earned a bit faster, additional perks are earned a tiny bit faster. Moving in the park is less severe on hygiene Hygiene decays a bit faster, but decays less with each tick Total number of perks that can be acquired in a run greatly increased

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Made various improvements to the subway (Like being able to leave anytime!) Fixed ending text not showing the new reality level unlock Fixed game incorrectly getting set to fullscreen at various points when playing in windowed mode Street vendors talk! Fixed < 1 Happiness causing the happiness stat to not display and extending time before death! Fixed a bug where you could find duplicates of an item you already own in shops the same day you buy the item Fixed some timing/transition issues in the park map Fixed various crash/freeze bugs Fixed graphical glitch if you reach 9pm while on the subway Fixed clicks going through certain popups (So you'd end up dismissing a popup and entering a building at the same time) Fixed a bug where spending lots of time in a menu and then coming out could confuse the timer for rain Fixed various issues with the work buff system Fixed stats ticking down while in pause menu or in building sometimes The Perk Collector achievement has finally been fixed (it unlocks when you have the max number of perks for a run) Fixed city ambience being stuck on low volume after using a shelter sometimes Improved city ambience fading Fixed the job office displaying a different job for one day after moving to a new area if you already had a job Fixed street vendors affecting city ambience Fixed various cases where begging could decrease happiness or not give money; when that's not supposed to happen After begging from someone with the size up icon, the icon now disappears Fixed being able to move to a new area just after entering a building If you get the prompt to move to a new area, moving away from the city edge now allows that popup to show again. Fixed coffee being drunk instantly when bought, it now properly gets added to inventory; even with auto eat on. Fixed inventory text initially reading as "You have no perks" Fixed street vendor menu text being incorrectly formatted Fixed cases where being arrested or moved on could and getting a perk popup at the same time could cause you to lose the perk before being moved on.

[ 2019-04-29 18:03:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, just a mini patch this time bringing in some needed improvements and balancing fixes. :) Onto the next patch!

Balancing

Changed the earn rate of various perks (most categories are now earned faster) Street vendors appear slightly more often The clinic no longer cures addiction... Changed the rate at which work buffs are given Warnings from jobs now have a chance of showing if you work with less than 70 happiness. (The lower your happiness and hygiene, the greater the chance of getting a warning) Getting a job warning now also reduces your happiness by 2 Fruit has been nerfed Good night events are less common

Bug Fixes & Improvements

We fixed the trash popup bug! Fixed job warnings appearing incorrectly for Daily Issue job Fixed vending machines displaying SALE PRICE text Fixed wet wipes image in inventory

[ 2019-04-22 12:55:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

What's this, another content patch within a week of the last one? We're on a roll right now, so expect a lot of hefty updates for CHANGE over the next few months... :D This update brings in some new items and street interactables, as well as many improvements, fixes and balancing changes. Anyway, onwards with the patch notes!

Changes and new stuff

Several new items added! These are part of the base game instead of the level system so everyone can try them out right away. Various perk icons have been updated Clothing Street Vendors added - Like the food vendors, these are rarely seen on the streets and they sell discounted special items... Vending machines added - A new uncommonstreet interactable that sells a single new drink each day

Balancing

Certain Perk categories are earned slightly faster Various item prices have been updated Base steal chances slightly increased Shops appear slightly more often Certain items have been updated, buffs and nerfs! (restoring more or less hunger mostly) The Hat item is now more effective when protecting against rain decay Change given while sleeping on benches increased slightly Recycler perk now gives even more cash if you recycle a lot of scrap at once (every multiple of 20 increases your bonus) Strong back perk is more effective

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Changed how certain night events are triggered by player actions Certain night events that award perks now only show if you don't already have the perk Fixed some popup UI clickbox issues that should resolve the popup/text box not responding sometimes Fixed being able to attain various clothing items that weren't unlocked via certain events Increased the pool of items that can be attained via various events Fixed street vendors not showing on day 1 Fixed some perks getting removed if you change area the same day as getting a perk Fixed various cases where windows could spawn under doors and building decor When viewing scrap, the text now correctly displays exactly how much you can carry when using multiple scrap capacity effects Fixed soap only protecting from hygiene decay for a short time If your reputation isn't high enough to trade or do other things in the park bridge area, the UI text now changes to reflect this Updated city generation code so that it's less likely to get multiples of the same building near each other Fixed some perk menu scrolling issues Fixed busking multipliers over 4 causing notes to appear at starting speed Fixed a bug where weather effects could drain stats while you worked Fixed the cup item not working when sleeping on benches Burgers no longer show in the 2nd shop item slot Fixed sanitizer being used up by hygiene decay sometimes Fixed addiction showing up as a perk choice Sandwiches show less often in the 3rd shop item slot Fixed certain perks not showing in perk menu after attaining them Fixed owned perks showing in perk choosing menu

[ 2019-04-20 00:06:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're finally back with another huge content patch! Sorry this one took a while, it was another case of needing to add a certain amount of things in order for it all to make sense as a whole. We're going back to lots of smaller patches for the near future... Also, while this was meant to be a "story patch", we kinda went and just added a bunch of other stuff. Anyway, let's get on with the patch notes!

Changes and new stuff

New artwork and various graphics have been updated A new perk system! Also, we've doubled the number of perks in the game! Many old perks are also updated. People continuing their old runs with the former perk system saved in may experience some issues (mostly being able to more perks than they should), but it should translate fine. New night events! New sfx New music A new Charity event has been added Various new and updated menus, ui elements, etc. Work buff system added. Gain work specific mini perks while you have a job! (Not all of them are good...), more on this to come!

Balancing

Constantly giving cash to homeless is now less effective if you keep doing it Early levels unlock a bit faster People give food less often City events now occur more often Winter coat no longer gives rain immunity with certain other item combos (exploit fix) You no longer get fired immediately from jobs, you may get a warning instead Time passes a little more slowly Studying now only awards happiness if you study well Losing your jobs now costs more happiness The rate at which perks are earned has changed There's now a small chance you won't lose an item when going to jail

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed Spirits being available in shop before it was unlocked Fixed yet another night event black screen bug! Fixed being able to enter buildings just as the day ends If you lose an item after going to jail, a popup now actually tells you that happened You can no longer use the shelter when drunk Fixed the "Rent book" button appearing when you couldn't actually rent a book Scrap click boxes now take priority over pedestrians, to prevent begging mis-clicks Fixed some cases where the side of the park wasn't spawning Fixed Scrap master not increasing scrap capacity Fixed a case where a pedestrian would offer food and you'd get something else Fixed rain not always reducing happiness Status icons at the top of the UI are now more obvious when they appear

[ 2019-04-15 22:31:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, me again, another little update for you all about the incoming Story update! Our current plan is to release it early next week, it's a pretty massive content update again though, so as always it may take us a little more time to get right. It has more artwork, music, tons of new night events and other features have been heavily expanded, certain buildings do more stuff, along with some new perks and items... the perks are actually completely reworked, we hope you like the incoming changes! Of course we'll also be delivering a massive load of fixes and other improvements as well... That's all for now, keep the feedback coming guys, you're awesome! ^-^

[ 2019-03-27 21:36:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, just another little patch to fix a few more issues before we bring in the story update. :)

Bug Fixes & Improvements

We changed the font back! We also made some improvements to some screens with text. Found some night events that could cause black screen under certain conditions and whipped them back into shape Fixed police almost never catching you if you had the practically invisible perk

[ 2019-03-15 22:08:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over... and here are some more bug fixes! Onto the next patch! ^-^

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a bug where attaining items via night events could cause issues (black screen when sleeping) Fixed some issues with night event reward icons Made some improvements to the perk and inventory scrolling menus

[ 2019-03-14 21:21:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, we're bringing you another patch of improvements, feedback requests completed and a little pinch of extra content! Next patch will have a lot more stuff, and it's coming this weekend! It'll be mainly focused on story elements... tata for now! ^^

Changes and new stuff

A few new night events have been added. Next patch, we're adding in dozens more... Stay tuned! Various old night events have been edited or updated

Balancing

Study drain after not studying for a few days has been increased Street vendors appear slightly more often

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed other homeless spawning right behind the player sometimes Fixed snow not showing sometimes during winter Fixed scrolling issues with inventory menu, especially when you have a lot of items The "day will end soon" warning now occurs at 6pm rather than 6:30pm. Fixed a bug where copies of the same homeless person could appear in the city Fixed street vendors never showing until you've seen at least 1 night event Night events now display rewards in greater detail Made some improvements to begging, should also fix negative happiness issue Fixed a bug where the shop menu wouldn't always scroll in all the way Street vendors now display the item they're selling Music track fading has been improved, and various tracks that didn't fade in before, now do. Fixed the timer glowing red in the morning sometimes Fixed a bug where you wouldn't be asked to move on when approaching the edge of the city, causing the black street/background issue. If you have the black screen when you load in after experiencing this bug in a previous version, best thing is to try and walk back to the city, use a bus, get caught by police, or start a new game.

[ 2019-03-13 21:41:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, and here's another patch bringing in some more improvements and fixes. :)

Changes and new stuff

Made various updates to night events. Long text sections now have a new font, for easier readability.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed some library book issues when loading the game Fixed library book popups sometimes having incorrect text. Fixed a bug where you could duplicate night event rewards by spamming the continue button at an exact time Fixed another night event bug! (this was caused if you had the scrap master ability)

[ 2019-03-03 20:01:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ok, it's been several hours since our last patch, but we really wanted to fulfil some more requests from the community before we finish off the next content update. We're busy writing the new night events now! ^-^

Balancing

Updated some shop prices a bit

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Various fixes for the inventory menu The game no longer moves you out of the area automatically even when you turn back from the exit Fixed "Pests" city event showing the tabloid popup instead of the pests popup Fixed the dog being invisible, but interactable, sometime after losing him Reduced the response delay when interacting with other homeless Updated lighting a bit You can now only spend time in toilets when there's bad weather, toilet ui updated slightly

[ 2019-03-01 21:38:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, we're back with another mini patch, bringing some much needed fixes to the game. Now, onto more content!

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed the park menu not always fading out completely We fixed the other winter crash bug! (Again, turns out more than one thing was bugged in this area) Fixed moving to a new area sometimes causing winter to return

[ 2019-03-01 08:16:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, just another mini patch for some much needed fixes for our latest content update, next up is more story content! :)

Bug Fixes & Improvements

The inventory menu is now a scrolling menu! No more overlapping items... We fixed the winter crash bug! (continue button in night event at times).

[ 2019-02-25 23:24:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over... An update for the game arrives, fixing several issues brought in by the previous patch (mostly the library book system). Perhaps the next patch will have some story content...? The patch notes bring you feelings of relief...

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed the buy button making you steal when Textbook item is selected Fixed lightning during rain sometimes getting stuck and illuminating the world forever Fixed Library books always giving you the same buff Fixed not being able to return library books Fixed items not always updating in shops Fixed library effects going weird sometimes

[ 2019-02-22 18:00:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

CHANGE is back with it's biggest patch yet, new things to explore, more items, new music, graphics and many improvements, fixes and balancing changes! Unfortunately, a lot of our promised story content is a bit too buggy right now, so we're going to be patching that in in pieces for each of the other homeless over the next few weeks, expect a lot of night event expansion! We're gonna be doing some mini patches almost daily for a little while again. Sorry for the long wait on this one too,we don't usually take weeks to deliver an update. Alot of this wouldn't be possible without your help guys, you're a great community and have provided a ton of lovely bug reports and feedback. Cheers! Now then, onward with the patch notes! :D

Changes and new stuff

The Park is now open! More coming to this area later as we develop the story. Meet Joe, Bill & Maggie. For now, they can be seen in the park and streets, with some minor interactions available. They will be developed much more in the coming story updates. The shop has had a UI rework! Item trading! You'll need to build a decent reputation first. New Music added New levels added New items added You can now use the bus to get to the toilets, as well as taking a bus to a new area of the city! Street reputation is now a much more important stat, it opens up even more night events, new park features and interactions with other homeless. We'll continue to expand this part of the game as we go forward. You can now rent books from the library if you have a library card. These give temporary bonuses!

Balancing

Building density slightly increased (less walking time between buildings, though the more empty layouts will soon be filled with other things) Winter now only lasts 2 days Shelters appear slightly less often Hunger decays 5% faster Some starting bonuses have been adjusted Walk speed during winter is reduced quite a bit Walk speed during rain is slightly reduced a little Various prices have been updated Base illness chance from trash food reduced Happiness decays slightly faster during winter (unless warm) Some interactions with pedestrians now take less time You now lose a small amount of happiness when sleeping outside Base scrap carry limit increased to 25 There are less police around at the beginning of the game It rains more often Base hunger gain from trash food increased If you go to Jail, you now skip winter The dog is now much more likely to show if you're carrying food

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed hygiene not decaying while working Fixed a bug where buying a normal item in the shop would refresh the item in slot 3 if the last item bought was a special/perm item Fixed a bunch of crash issues You can now buy library cards at the library! Fixed a bug where a couple of items wouldn't always restore as much hunger as they said they would Music is now more reactive to events Adjusted various SFX volume levels Fixed a bug where your job could be swapped for a different one when reloading the game Fixed a bug where clicking on scrap and then walking away could make it so you couldn't pick up the scrap ever. You can now steal from shops even when you can afford the item Fixed charity events not showing if you stay in an area long enough Fixed moving to a new city generating the same city as before Fixed some reality levels being bugged under certain conditions Fixed various issues with winter coming and going Fixed a bug where ending the day or reloading the game could reset the timer for deciding when it rains Fixed the daycount and some things related to daycount being wrong when going to jail (some things still are, we'll get to those shortly). Fixed a bug where you couldn't enter a building sometimes around other homeless Fixed the laying low popup repeating Fixed resolution settings getting reverted Fixed some cases where reloading or moving to a new area could reset some values

[ 2019-02-20 23:06:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey guys! Just wanted to keep you all informed on how the park update is going! Here's a little sneak peak, this'll give you an idea of what's in store for the park...
Anyway we're hard at work on the new update, it's our biggest content patch by far, so it's taking a little while. There's more things to do, many new night events, new graphics and new music! We're still hoping to get it out this weekend, but it might need a few extra days. We'll keep you posted! :D

[ 2019-02-01 10:09:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, and here's another patch bringing in some more tweaks and fixes!

Changes and new stuff

Various UI elements have been updated The bar has new art

Balancing

Busking has been nerfed a bit, more coming to busking soon! Good hygiene has a greater effect on begging success

Bug Fixes & Improvements

(sigh) Fixed another case where the game could get stuck on 9pm

[ 2019-01-23 23:27:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, I can't sleep knowing there's a nasty bug in the game, so... another patch it is! Also we've brought in a little more balancing and pacing changes in preparation for the next massive content patch...

Balancing

People now carry more cash Low hygiene has slightly less effect on begging chances Certain perks are easier or harder to obtain Time moves slightly slower

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a crash that could occur when returning to the main menu during certain sequences Fixed some black screen issues when going to sleep (9:01PM)

[ 2019-01-22 20:43:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, we're back with just one more mini patch bringing in the new "Kindness from a stranger" feature and a much needed bug fix! Ok, back to the park update. :)

Changes and new stuff

"Kindness from a Stranger" added, the stranger will help you on your next run if you can make it past winter... (talk to the other homeless guy at the start of the game).

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a bug that could cause a crash/freeze when selecting Abandon Run

[ 2019-01-18 12:39:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ok, so a couple more bad bugs were discovered, so we're bringing in a new patch. Also, you're getting a little part of the content update in this build, in the form of some new graphics! Let us know what you think...:D

Changes and new stuff

Various building screens have been updated with new art!

Balancing

Time now moves slightly slower Hunger loss from too much walking increased

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a bug where the time would break and you'd have to wait through a whole night, which also caused a bunch of other issues like the day-count not incrementing. Fixed some more freezes and crashes that would cause issues with the game when getting to the "Is there still hope?" screen

[ 2019-01-17 21:45:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, and here's another patch! This counts our 45th update in our first 4 months! Thanks again for all the feedback and good detailed criticisms guys, you rock. ^-^ Ok, so we said before that there wouldn't be any more small patches, but, you guys alerted us to some bugs that needed fixing ASAP, so here we are! We're also bringing in a few more balancing changes. Right, back to finishing the Park and stuff! :)

Balancing

Hygiene now decays faster Street vendors occur more often Higher happiness, hygiene and study stats now have an increased effect on job success chance

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed a bug where opening the pause menu while interacting with someone could change the outcome of the interaction Fixed various cases where levelling up could cause issues Rain volume increased

[ 2019-01-16 21:55:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, it's time for another patch! This time we're bringing in a fresh new set of fixes and fulfilling some requests from the community. That's all for small patches right now, the next one will be our biggest update yet! We're opening the park, adding a new building and adding other homeless into the game. Stay tuned! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

You can now level up and progress through your item unlocks with successful runs!

Balancing

Tents and sleeping bags no longer provide a happiness bonus when using shelters, now the bonus only applies if you sleep rough. But they still improve the chances of a good night event.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

You can now switch to non-16:9 aspect ratios when setting your resolution. Please let us know if any particular resolutions cause issues! The game is still best played in 16:9, do let us know if you want us to add a resolution that isn't available yet. Also, fixed a bug where you couldn't select any resolutions... Fixed a bug where moving to a new area caused shelters and other buildings to be closed or think it was the wrong time Fixed a bug where it could become winter after moving if the next day was winter Fixed animations being able to go waaaaay too fast if you had speed boosters (again) It now takes a bit longer for a night event you've already seen to appear again Fixed a bug where the "warmed" status could start cooling down while the game is paused Fixed various cases where a good night event reward would still show a sad face Fixed a bug where you would steal an item when the game told you you were buying the item while inflation is active Fixed a bug where street vendors did not show a buy button when first using one Crime icon added to Laying low popup Fixed a bug where the "apply" button would continue to show in the job office while waiting to hear back on an application Fixed a bug where the game could crash or freeze when hitting max level

[ 2019-01-15 22:23:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, we're back with yet another patch! This time we're bringing in some more significant balancing changes and bug fixes. Resolution fixes coming soon! Remember to keep an eye out for the massive update that's coming in a few weeks. :)

Balancing

Toothbrush now restores 50 hygiene instead of 100 People are carrying a bit more money now All night events, both good and bad, have a greater effect on your happiness Various shop prices have been reduced "Warmed" status now lasts longer

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed Real estate menu still saying the required deposit was 300 Fixed the "Next Unlock" showing nothing if the item unlocked was a building Fixed Bar building showing before it is unlocked Fixed Library card showing in shops when you already own it

[ 2019-01-07 21:27:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, another day is over... and here's another patch! Fixing some issues and adding a new player level UI, next up is resolution issues resolved and some other fixes like awarding xp properly when completing a run. P.S: Thanks again for all the kind words and constructive criticisms, you guys rock, as always. :D

Changes and new stuff

Added player level UI to story/character select screen

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed the quit button in the job office Fixed city event generation code so that the first or second event is no longer almost always "inflation" Fixed city events going over level 3 Fixed moving to a new area sometimes causing winter to start or end Fixed the Cake item not charging you when you buy it... boo us Fixed some street vendors not listening to clicks Fixed a case where a building could be flipped incorrectly

[ 2019-01-04 21:08:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all and happy new year! We're back with another content patch, adding several new features including the mobile phone. Currently the phone is only useful to use as a map, but later on there will be other characters you can call. We've also mixed up the pacing of the game quite a bit, so old strategies may need to adapt a bit. We're also still expanding the use of some more buildings soon, and in a few weeks, we're opening the park... The next update will bring some much needed other fixes for things like resolution issues and some general UI improvements. We'll also be adding a modification to the current win scene so you get XP. That's all for now, expect a bunch of quickfire patches over the next week! :)

Changes and new stuff

City menu added, now you can track all your city events! 7 new items added (including the much requested mobile phone! We'll be expanding this item with the park update), you'll need to reach level 14 to unlock 2 of the other new items. Street vendors have been added, this feature will be expanded later on.

Balancing

You can now only study in the library once per day (unless you meet the requirements to study more often...) Base amount of study gained from studying has been increased slightly Amount required to rent reduced to 200 Various events that award hunger now award more Hunger decays a bit slower

Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed some typos WE FIXED THE REALITY LEVEL CRASH! :D Fixed the win screen saying you unlocked a new reality level when not playing on your current max reality level You now get a second prompt for quitting your job Total perk counter added to perk menu Fixed a bug where the police lookout perk ability would sometimes tell you a policeman was coming from both sides of the screen Fixed the "laying low" state remaining after spending a night in jail The bus travelling transition is now a bit faster

[ 2019-01-03 23:03:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all! Sorry about the long wait for the incoming patch, we don't usually take a couple of weeks, but we managed to fit quite a lot into this one. It'll be going live tonight! Heads up, new items, street vendors and more is on the way! Including a fixed reality level system and a look at the general game pacing and some fulfilled requests from you guys.... I'd expect it by 9pm GMT. :)

[ 2019-01-03 10:40:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, we're back another little tidy patch before we add the new content in a couple days, enjoy!

Changes and new stuff

Fixed/updated some typos and UI elements Player level system has been changed, the game now starts with more items unlocked!

Balancing

Sandwiches appear less often in the early game (too often sandwiches would fill the third slot because there weren't enough items unlocked for the random generation) Time now moves a tiny bit faster Hunger decays slightly faster Perks around stealing are slightly easier to obtain. Hygiene no longer decays while in toilets Stats decay a bit slower while working or studying Shelters have charity events more often

Bug Fixes

When working, time now stops again after work when the wages popup shows. Fixed a bug where you could reset your reality level by quitting and restarting the game sometimes Fixed a bug where entering a shelter within 1 minute of 9pm would cause issues Fixed a bug where spamming the main menu could cause the screen to lock when selecting reality level or character Fixed some cases where a building would spawn with a window behind it Fixed a bug where the first beer or cigarettes after losing an addiction would cause addiction again Fixed the "Day will end" or "choose a response" text going crazy if the time was stopped Fixed stats decaying while in bar Fixed being able to enter buildings while a begging choice is showing

[ 2018-12-17 21:59:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, another daily patch here, bringing some changes to the bar and some more minor gameplay and balancing changes. We plan to expand just about every building as we progress. You guys are smashing it with the bug reports! Next patch will be a new content patch! ^-^

Changes and new stuff

Bar has been updated You now cannot work or apply for jobs when drunk

Balancing

Shelters are now slightly less common (this is for balancing with the new denser streets) Beer & cigarettes now restore 2 more happiness

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug where spending a night in jail when you have no items could cause issues

[ 2018-12-12 22:24:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, and here comes another patch! Some big fixes for jobs here, namely, your hunger and happiness were prevented from decaying while working and we fixed that, so the late game won't be quite the smooth sailing it was before. We also added some minor features such as pests at night, and some other balancing and bug fixes. Enjoy....

Changes and new stuff

A new city event has been added! If you sleep outside at night, you might lose a food item to pests...

Balancing

Lose less happiness when you go to jail! But if you do go to jail, you will now lose a random item... Some job related perks now take a little longer to get Hygiene requirement for library use increased to 30 Reading glasses item gives slightly less bonus study Minimum amount of study you can gain increased to 2 All jobs give less money (sorry). Spending time in the bar now gives 40 hunger instead of 25

Bug Fixes

BIG FIX - > Fixed hunger, happiness, etc not decaying while you work. That made the late game way too easy. Many of you may need to adjust former strategies to adapt. Fixed the apply button showing at the wrong times within the jobs menu or not showing at all Fixed Abandon Run actually resetting EVERYTHING including reality levels and player level if you close the game before the new game loads in. The bus no longer displays the price as 1 when you own a bus pass Fixed the "What is your story?" menu becoming messed up if you press BEGIN very quickly after loading into the game Fixed Fast food and cleaner jobs not showing the proper reward popup after working

[ 2018-12-11 22:01:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all, we're back with another mini tidy up patch to address some more issues from the previous update, we'll have a new patch with more items, perks and reality levels next... Keep the bug reports and feedback coming! :)

Changes and new stuff

Placeholder ending text has been updated

Balancing

Hunger and happiness decay 0.2% faster Chance of being given a sandwich by a pedestrian reduced Benches and trashcans appear slightly more often

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug where if you return to a job building and get a job after it's start time, you're immediately fired

[ 2018-12-10 22:06:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again, it's been several hours since the last patch, so here's another one! We're just fixing a few leftover bugs we added earlier. Sorry for the wait! :D

Balancing

Hunger and happiness decay 0.8% slower

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug where you could get stuck in a new city loop by walking to the edge of the map Fixed a bug that caused the "enter building" icon to show on the wrong building Fixed the Sausage roll displaying the Hotdog hunger restore amount in the shop

[ 2018-12-07 20:43:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! It's been 2 whole weeks since our last update, and now we're back with another big patch! Sorry for the wait! This time we've taken a big look at the balancing in the game, added some new jobs and made a ton of general improvements and lots of other things! We decided to push back the story elements to be included in the park update when that lands, as many of those features are too intertwined to be released separately. Next week we'll be adding even more sound effects, new items and new perks! Plus we'll be doing some quickfire patches over the next few days with more general improvements and fixes. Stay tuned guys, and please, as always, keep the wonderful feedback coming. :)

Changes and new stuff

New night events have been added! Lots of new sound effects added! 2 new jobs have been added! When pedestrians offer you food, it's now actually added to your inventory! But these events now happen more rarely... Addiction now works differently, each addictive item has a chance to cause addiction each time you try it, with the chances of addiction increasing each time... You can now find a wider variety of things in trashcans... Building density increased, which means more buildings and less walking time!

Balancing

Effects of addiction and withdrawal are now much worse Various Reality levels are harder Hunger now decays much faster. But all food is also much cheaper and restores more hunger! Hunger loss from illness increased Eating food from trash restores more hunger Chance of illness from trash food slightly reduced Happiness loss from spending a night in prison reduced Happiness loss from rain reduced by 30% Happiness loss from low hunger slightly reduced You can no longer apply for jobs with 0% success chance Being declined from a job application now makes you lose 1 happiness Happiness gained from a successfull job application increased You now lose 1-3 happiness if you are fired from a job Hunger decay caused by travelling alot increased by 20% Support group charity event now gives more happiness Novel item has been nerfed slightly (now gives 1 study point instead of 1-3) Various shop prices have changed Certain perks are slightly easier to get Scrap recycling now gives 0.01 more per scrap

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug where your position in the city wasn't being saved (FINALLY) Fixed the game starting at player level max sometimes Fixed the Bigger Bag item text being wrong in the inventory screen Very slightly increased the size of the pedestrian click-boxes Fixed various cases where pedestrians would walk backwards Fixed highlights showing on police on mouse over Fixed a load of bugs around jobs Fixed a bug where the effects of the Hat and Winter Coat wouldn't stack Fixed a bug where you could be fired from a job after quitting it Fixed the subway still charging only 3 when it costs 4 now Fixed a couple more issues with the IS THERE STILL HOPE screen Fixed the level 5 reality level not applying Fixed the success chance and study text still appearing in the jobs screen when you already have a job Fixed a bug where you could interact with the bus stop while begging Fixed a few night events not always giving their effects/rewards Fixed a bug where you could still get low dog hunger warnings when you didn't have the dog Fixed a few more issues around addiction Fixed a bug where entering a shop very quickly after loading into the game could cause a softlock. You no longer shiver in winter when on the train You no longer shiver in winter when you own a winter coat

[ 2018-12-07 13:10:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Well it's been an amazing first steam sale for CHANGE, but there's only several hours left of the sale at the time of writing this! It's also the last time we'll be on sale until after release! So if you haven't bought the game yet, now is the time! Anyway, a quick update on the latest patch, we've ended up adding even more content than we had planned again, so it's being delayed until later this week. Lots of new night events and new jobs are on the horizon... That's all for now folks, we'll be back soon with the new content patch. :)

[ 2018-11-27 12:45:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, so here's another patch! We're fixing the begging issue that's been in the game since last night, and making a few more requested changes and bug fixes. Thanks again for all the feedback guys! Onwards to tomorrow's patch! :D

Changes and new stuff

Added a new tooltip to the subway annoyance bar Updated some of the trash texts

Balancing

The subway now costs more People are more easily annoyed on the subway Crime level increase from being kicked off the subway has been reduced

Bug Fixes

The winter music volume has been reduced. We apologise sincerely to all the headphone users who played before we got around to this. May they rest in peace. We fixed the begging issues! You no longer feel cold when using the subway!

[ 2018-11-22 21:07:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, we're back with another patch, adding a few little improvements and fixing a couple of issues that were added in the last patch. Onwards to tomorrow's patch! :D

Changes and new stuff

We've added our voice actor to the credits

Balancing

Night events now cannot reappear for at least 10 days after seeing them, this should help with variety

Bug Fixes

You can now use multiple scratch cards in your inventory without having to leave the menu Washing from the fountain has less of a delay Fixed a bug where the first night event you see in a run would not occur again Too many rats, fixed a bug where rats show up when it wasn't night/evening Fixed not being able to beg after a day or so... sorry about that!

[ 2018-11-22 12:57:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, and here's another patch! This one is our most stable build yet, and comes with a bunch of requested changes. Thanks for all the bug reports guys, it's immensely helpful in getting them tracked down. This has been a great first 2 months on the store for us. Anyway, stay tuned for Friday, when we'll be adding a load of new sfx and more story elements to the game! P.S Psst, maybe you could give us a vote in the steam awards...? We're crossing fingers for Labour of love :D

Changes and new stuff

Perks are now ordered in the menu, with unlocked perks at the top Various UI elements have been updated Finally, the clock is now AM/PM to match the rest of the game! Updated the subway Rats!

Balancing

Job success rates have been tweaked to be slightly easier Base "warmed" status doesn't last as long, but the scarf is more powerful now Various reality levels have been tweaked or changed People now carry more change Beggar and Master Beggar perks are slightly more powerful Time moves by veeery slightly more slowly Bug Fixes
Fixed a bunch of bugs where the game would think a speech bubble was showing when it wasn't, this caused issues in a load of areas Fixed a bug on various night event screens where making a choice (like saying yes to petting the dog), could break the game. Fixed the cafe assistant job only using up 3 hours of the day, it also gives less money now... Fixed the text on other homeless people going out of the speech bubble We've made some optimisations to various parts of the game, so there should be less stuttering every now and then, and generally everything is much smoother Fixed a bug where the "Practically Invisible" perk would stop police from seeing you entirely... Fixed a bug where getting to reality level 10 would result in loads of city events Fixed text in library not updating when you had certain studying perks... Fixed Hungry stat icon pulsing again...

[ 2018-11-21 22:48:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all, it's time for another content patch! This time we're adding the new reality system that brings extra challenge to those who beat the game, as well as a peak into another upcoming feature, other characters! Next week we're focusing mainly on night events and jobs, along with lots of general improvements in the base game, as well as new sound effects (they didn't make it for this patch, so just moving it to next week). Keep the feedback coming people! We hope you enjoy the latest patch. ^-^

Changes and new stuff

Reality level system added (extra challenge!) Various UI elements have been updated Some new night events have been added Character selection screen added

Balancing

Hunger now decays a little bit slower The subway now also provides the warmed status Bigger bag and reading glasses price reduced Bus stops appear more often Items that increase happiness have a higher chance of appearing in shops when you''re depressed Time now stops when using the bus Inflation now affects shop prices a bit less

Bug Fixes

Fixed the dog getting placed in the wrong part of the map when leaving the subway Fixed various issues with the subway Fixed some cases where your speech bubbles weren't displaying after performing an action Fixed a bug where inflation would go away if you got the inflation city event more than 3 times Fixed a bug where the "busk pass" would show up in the subway before we've even finished developing it... Fixed a bug in the end-game screen when you unlock the subway there'd be a missing image Fixed popups appearing when using the bus Fixed a bug where your job could change upon reloading the game

[ 2018-11-18 15:50:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

That's right, it's 3 patches in 3 days, and this time around and we're bringing in some more bug fixing, balancing, a few more night events, and more TIME!

Changes and new stuff

Some new night events have been added

Balancing

Ok you asked for it, time now goes a little bit slower! Beer now restores 14 happiness Hunger ticks down a little slower The Survivor perk has been nerfed, it no longer increases begging success rate and it also has less effect on hunger loss (previously 25%, which made you too overpowered since you need to reach mid game to get the perk anyway)

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug where hunger and other stats would continue ticking down while in certain menus Fixed a bug where certain special items could appear in the shop multiple times when you already owned it Fixed a couple of night events that showed the happy icon when they were actually sad events Fixed a bug where you could never obtain the "Employee" perk

[ 2018-11-12 22:30:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again everyone! Here's yet another patch adding a few more bug fixes and balancing changes, keep the feedback coming! ^-^

Balancing

Scrap is now worth more in recycling depots Money gained on subway reduced You now have a chance of losing a point of happiness if you get a bad response on subway It now takes a bit longer to get the collector perk Scratchcard chances reduced Happiness loss from rain reduced slightly

Bug Fixes

Fixed new perks not showing up in perks menu Fix text in recycling depot showing wrong values Fixed weather still happening... in the subway... Music now fades in slower after getting a perk Fixed various typos in the game

[ 2018-11-11 15:09:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! Another day is over, and we're back with out biggest patch yet (again)! It's been awhile since our last patch because we crammed so much into this one, but we're gonna go back lots of quickfire patches over the next week or so. The next big content patch includes more story elements and SFX! Tomorrow we're also uploading a new patch for mac users that should fix the issues they're having. See ya till next time! :)

Changes and new stuff:

The Subway is now open! We're going to expand it's features as we go. 2 New charity events have been added: "Medical Check-up" & "Support Group" 13 new perks have been added Busking UI has a littlle additional instruction, but busking will get a rework soon enough... More night events have been added... some can even now award perks! A new city event has been added: "Tabloid Slur" A new setting has been added to the options menu: MOUSE MODE. For now, you can choose whether to use "Simple mode", where everything is interacted with via left click which is the default, or you can set "R Click Move" for movement with right click. We'll add a left click for movement and right click for interaction setting soon. Added new status icons for pills, vitamins and brain drain (daily study loss)

Balancing

Being caught stealing now increases crime level more The Shelter now also provides the "Warmed" status Eating food that would make you ill when you're already sick now decreases happiness by 2 Bigger bag now holds 50 scrap... sorry! Base generousity level of pedestrians has been increased very slightly Busking is now much more profitable during rush hour, but less profitable at other times. We'll add additional UI to show bonuses that affect busking as part of the rework that's coming later. Warmed status lasts longer, and scarf is more powerful It now takes longer to get the Love perk Recycling scrap now gives a bit less cash at base perk level, this balances the new perks around scrap and recycling Hunger and Happiness loss while in Library has been reduced Spending time at the bar now also restores some hunger Meal Deal and New Clothes price reduced It now takes longer to get busking related perks You no longer lose study daily if you have a job Time between hunger ticks has been reduced by 3%, meaning 3% more hunger loss Construction job now requires 80 study

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug where you could busk into the night and break a lot of stuff. Fixed a bug where talking to someone as you entered a building would stop you from being able to talk to anyone until the next day Fixed Master Volume setting not being saved The rain no longer starts/stops while in menus (rain still stops if you spend time in a building) Fixed various issues with the IS THERE STILL HOPE screen (getting max level after one game and the UI breaking) Fixed various cases where you could get to 21 scrap without a Bigger Bag Fixed the bad hygiene icon appearing in trash popups when an item or perk protected you from hygiene loss Popups no longer show while busking, they are now queued to wait until you finish Fixed a bug that caused the "Warmed" status to begin ticking down while still inside a building Fixed a bug where buying cigarettes from a shop with auto-eat ticked would not count towards a smoke for the purposes of calculating withdrawal. Fixed the "Starving" status icon pulsing continuously sometimes and it now appears when hunger is 0 instead of 5 Fixed a bug where moving to a new area reset progression on a couple of perks Slowed down the shivering animation a bit more Fixed a bug where you could get the dog night event when you still had the dog Fixed a bug where a second or delayed eat sound would play sometimes You now cannot spend time in toilets beyond 9pm Fixed a bug where spamming the steal button, before the stealing popup showed, would allow you to get a load of items Fixed a bug where busking at certain times could make the other systems in the game think you were busking forever no matter what you were doing. This caused a bunch of issues.

[ 2018-11-10 20:56:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today marks the 3rd year anniversary of our first game... The uniquely beautiful, open world, post-apocalyptic, pixel parallax puzzle platformer, PONCHO. How time flies... and who knew it''d take us 3 years to get CHANGE out? TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egN1_smzemg&lc STEAM: https://store.steampowered.com/app/332620/PONCHO/ Wanna hear our story? If it wasn't for PONCHO, we might never have decided to create CHANGE... It was some wild ride! ^-^ https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DanHayes/20170106/288790/PONCHO__A_Postmortem.php New update for CHANGE is coming soon guys, lots of new content on the way!

[ 2018-11-05 20:02:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over, and we have another patch! This is just taking care of some more bug fixes and balancing before the new content update on Friday! Keep the feedback coming people! :)

Changes and new stuff

Some new night events have been added Pedestrians no longer say things while busking, because it was annoying!

Balancing

Xp levels have been rebalanced, because you could unlock everything in one go before... A few night events that increased happiness now give a bit more

Bug Fixes

Fixed the dog not going away after the sad dog night event and getting stuck in place Fixed several bugs caused by addiction Fixed the guitar sound effect being muffled by the wrong mixer effects Fixed the Jobs building changing the job available while an application was in progress Fixed the shiver animation going crazy when you have a high walk speed Fixed a bug that re-locked content from earlier levels (this will fix the bar and other items not showing) Fixed some typos in certain night events Fixed a bug where triggering a transition while a speech bubble was showing would stop you from talking to anyone again

[ 2018-10-29 21:06:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all, we're back with another patch! This time we're adding a few more night events and fixing a load of bugs, plus giving some love to our Linux users who've had issues for some time. We'll keep working until the game is perfect. :) Enjoy!

Changes and new stuff

Some new night events have been added When the day gets to 18:30, the time now pulses red slightly

Balancing

Stealing items now has a lower success chance When you study, there's now a chance that you'll get a happiness boost if you study well It now takes a bit longer to get the SHELTER REGULAR perk Various crimes will increase your crime level more Chance of reduced happiness after getting caught committing a crime increased Various xp levels in the IS THERE STILL HOPE screen have been rebalanced Rain now occurs more often Busking is now a bit more profitable, we nearly nerfed it to death! Winter coat has been nerfed slightly

Bug fixes

Fixed a bug that caused issues if you had a popup show while moving to a new area Items that are not yet unlocked will no longer appear in shops Fixed a bug where you could activate a bench and fastforward sleep while inside a building if you clicked on both quickly Fixed normal items appearing as special items if they were in a particular slot in the shop Fixed a bug that caused your total earned cash in a run to not be calculated properly Fixed some cases where you could still move after being caught by police Fixed a bug that caused many issues occasionally after being moved on by police Fixed a bug where you could still beg if you spammed the mouse after being caught by police Fixed a bug where the police would get stuck standing in place after making an arrest Fixed a bug where you couldn't move for several seconds sometimes after spending a night in jail Fixed the PET DOG text showing when in jail if you had the dog Fixed a bug that allowed you to enter buildings while being chased by police Fixed various cases where going back to the main menu from the game and then going back in would cause issues Fixed a bug that cause the Winter Cold/Exposure stat icon to pulse constantly Updated our Cursor code to help with some linux issues (this is a work in progress, please report any further issues so we can get on them!)

[ 2018-10-26 19:23:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alrighty, sorry about the bugs added into the game last night everyone, we can now confirm that night events and continue buttons should be working as normal. Also we'd really, really appreciate it if you could update your reviews if your issues are resolved! Onto the next patch! :D

[ 2018-10-25 11:09:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all, it's another day and another patch, bringing some attention to the early game balancing and a few other changes and bug fixes. You guys have been amazing in helping us track these issues down. ^-^ Next up, we're giving some love to the Linux users, who've had a lot of issues with the game, we plan to get it done by Friday. Oh and for everyone it'll have some more night events too... Anyway, here are the patch notes:

Changes and new stuff

All night events with choices now might randomly have different outcomes when you choose yes or no... Job centres now change the job available each day

Balancing

Happiness loss over time has been reduced Hygiene loss over time increased very slightly City events now begin after day 10, getting a bad one on day 5 was a game breaker Refactored building generation code. Shelters, shops and recycling centres appear slightly more often, and you're now much less likely to encounter buildings of the same type close together. Various night events that had text like "They give you a sandwich", they now actually give the item rather than just increasing your hunger level.

Bug fixes

Fixed a bug where if you managed to enter a building just as the game begun transitioning to a new area, lots of things would break, including 125! Fixed Bar and Clinic appearing in game before they're unlocked Fixed the Burger and Vitamins items being displayed as special items Fixed some cases where toilets would have the wrong colour wall beside them Jobs texts have been updated a bit ("10AM Start" is now "Arrive by 10AM")

[ 2018-10-24 20:03:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello again! We're back with our biggest patch yet, bringing challenge back to the mid-late game a bit while adding some new content and a LOT of bug fixes. This also marks the end of our first month on the store, we've got 12 patches done and added new items, night events, systems and a lot of polishing. We're now at nearly 2000 copies out in the world for CHANGE, all the feedback and love from you guys has been awesome! Additionally, we are now already about halfway to meeting the benchmark (5000 copies) for 20% of all future copies from then on going to charity. If the game really blows up, we aim to increase that percentage. ^-^ We were gonna add new perks also in this patch, but decided to delay it to next week as part of our general perk system rework. We think you'll all like the changes when they arrive! We hope you enjoy our biggest patch yet, we're gonna concentrate on adding some more large content through November, including the Park, Subway, more interactions with other homeless, 20 new perks, and just generally more stuff to do! Anyway, here are our detailed patch notes:

Changes and new stuff

Various UI elements have been updated Several new night events have been added Added a new "City Event" system. Every 5 days, a new effect will make the game harder... This should help with the end-game pacing and bring back some challenge for those who manage to get through a couple of weeks in the street. 6 new items have been added! They can be unlocked via the "IS THERE STILL HOPE?" screen. Added a new "Warmed" status, spending time in buildings will now protect you from the winter cold for a while

Balancing

Happiness loss from exposure during winter increased slightly The first winter of any playthrough now happens one day later Happiness loss from no prize on a scratch card reduced Drug withdrawal now decreases happiness more Charity events occur more often Time between Charity events reduced Prices of various special items have been increased slightly Reduced the chance of dog food appearing in shops, before it basically seemed like every shop had dog food if you had the dog... The dog now becomes hungry slightly faster The "Dog" & "Love" perks have been nerfed slightly Hunger loss over time has been increased slightly The time between hunger and happiness loss ticks has been increased (this in conjunction with the above balance change means that stats decrease more, but slightly less often). Study now decreases by 1 each day you don't study. If you haven't studied for a few days, it decreases by 3... Busking has been nerfed again... The construction job now gives a bit less money, but only uses 5 hours of time The construction job now requires 80 study Pedestrians now walk a bit slower The mugging night event now only occurs if you have at least 10, but you'll lose a lot more money...

Bug fixes

"Caring for a friend" popup now only occurs when your dog has less than 25 hunger Fixed a bug that caused loads of things to break occasionally after moving to a new area Fixed pills text in shop having wrong text Fixed several cases where night events would say you gained new items but didn't actually give them Fixed sad face appearing during dog night event Additional fixes for the addiction fixes from the last patch, people were still seeing the bugs because of bad save data. Fixed some cases where icons would be distorted when shown in a popup Further reduced walking animation speed when you have speed boosting items or perks Fixed a bug where you could get a lot of cash from sleeping on the bench by only sleeping for second or two and then sleeping again very quickly. Fixed a bug that allowed you to get the "Drugs" night event more than once per game Fixed a bug where you would lose perks earned in a day if you quit before the day is over Fixed a bug where if you got to 0 happiness, and then recovered it before the game over screen was meant to show, you would still get a gameover. Fixed a bug where time was still moving in the background while the intro text was on screen Using scratchcards no longer closes the inventory menu before the popup shows Fixed a bug where xp earned from a run wasn't saving between games Fixed being able to use bus stop while other UI like popups were being displayed Fixed a bug where crime level and homeless reputation got reset to 0 after quitting the game and returning

[ 2018-10-23 17:02:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day is over... But at least there's a new patch! This time we're hot-fixing a few major issues in the game and making some slight balancing adjustments. Keep the feedback coming people, look forward to the new content patch at the end of the week! ^-^

Balancing

Rain now occurs more often Pills now only protect from illness for 1 day

Bug fixes

Fixed Night events crashing/locking the game occasionally when you press the "continue" button Fixed job success rates showing the wrong numbers (usually 0) Fixed some cases where night events wouldn't handle rewards properly if winter was coming or going.

[ 2018-10-15 19:15:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today's patch brings some much needed bug fixes to the addiction and job systems, plus a few other changes that stops jobs being so OP when you manage to get one...

Changes and new stuff

Your crime level now decreases each day when you don't commit any crimes You can no longer work more than once per day Default music volume has been reduced to 70%

Balancing

Price of Soap has been decreased Various night events that awarded happiness now grant event more Salaries for all jobs have been decreased slightly The rate at which hunger and happiness ticks down has been reduced by 6% The "Strong Stomach" perk is now slightly more effective in protecting against illness Happiness loss from withdrawal has been increased Guitar has been removed from the trash, but is now slightly more likely to appear in shops

Bug fixes

Fixed the "You've been fired" popup from continuously showing after being fired Cigarettes are no longer bugged to be "free" Fixed withdrawal effects happening even when you've smoked or drunk that day Fixed various options/settings being reset on beginning a new run Fast start option has now been fixed so it actually works... That's all for now, we'll have a much bigger patch ready at the end of the week. :)

[ 2018-10-14 12:10:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another day, another patch! This time we're toning down the difficulty a bit again to re-balance the previous patch, as well as making some general improvements, bug fixes and of course, more night events!

Changes and new stuff

When you buy a special item in the shop, the shop now replaces it with a new item! More police might be encountered as your crime level increases Removed the grain component from our post processing. It was using up way too much memory compared to the other effects and caused stuttering in places, will be re-added when we update our post processing code in general. Several new night events have been added

Balancing

Hunger decay has been reduced veeeeeery slightly to make things a touch easier Busking has been nerfed heavily, so you can no longer generate hundreds in one day.... it was way too OP! The difficulty has also been increased, though busking will be getting a rework in general at some point. Increased the price of the Bigger Bag to 7.29 (Sorry, we know you all love this item) Reduced the chances of the "Clothing Drive" charity event appearing, it was way too common for it's power Happiness loss as a result of low hunger has been decreased slightly. When caught by police, your crime level now increases more if you're drunk as well The chances of the "Dog" night event occurring has been increased slightly Hunger decay from walking too much has been increased slightly

Bug fixes

Fixed a bug where you could buy multiple special items (The effects never stacked before anyway) Fixed a bug where you're forced to leave the shop after buying a special item Fixed a bug where the Tent and Sleeping bag items didn't always reduce the chances of bad night events when sleeping outside Fixed a bug where shelters that aren't currently running a charity event will never be able to run one. Now they might get one on a new day... Fixed speech bubbles remaining on screen when inside a building sometimes The length of time that a speech bubbles stays on screen before fading out is now increased based on how long the text is (maybe now people will be able to read what the other homeless in the street are saying).

[ 2018-10-10 20:00:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today's patch brings more bug fixing, and the game is now quite a bit more difficult. Yesterday's patch actually made things way too easy in regards to various timers, so we've brought some of the challenge back. Also, more night events! :D

New stuff and big changes

When selling the daily issue, the mouse cursor now says SELL instead of BEG A few new night events have been added

Balancing

Reduced stealing chances further, especially for special items Realising that since time now correctly stops at certain points, where popups are showing for example, there is too much time in the day. Time has been sped up again very slightly, we'll continue to monitor how this balances with everything else. Hunger now decays much faster

Bug Fixes

Fixed a bug where returning to the menu and then back to the game would often cause the city to not generate Fixed "winter has come" text not being aligned properly in night events Fixed some cases where the text wouldn't update correctly on night events with choices Fixed some cases where choice based night events were not giving the correct rewards Fixed several typos in the game Fixed a bug where the dog could be obtained in the shelter Fixed addiction not going away after a certain amount of time Fixed lost perks and addictions still being shown in the perk menu Next mini patch will be live either tomorrow or the day after. See you soon! ^^

[ 2018-10-08 20:07:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! We've spent quite a bit of time on this patch, mainly because we completely redid an area of our code. Anyway, here's what's been added:

New stuff and big changes

Night event overhaul! Not a lot will seem different at first, but many bugs surrounding night events have been fixed, and the whole system now reacts more to your playstyle. No more being mugged in the shelter! Under the hood, we've also changed the code to make it much easier and faster to add additional night events in future. This was a massive task that took a bit more time than expected, but expect more new events to be added every week from now on! Happiness now effects the colour saturation of the game Several new night events have been added

Balancing

Reduced stealing chances Hunger decreases very slightly faster Time now progresses just a liiiiiittle bit slower. Increased Crime level gain after being caught stealing Hunger and happiness no longer decays when spending time in the bar

Bug Fixes

Fixed Addiction coming back after moving to a new area Fixed a bug where it could still be winter on starting a new game Time now pauses when popups and other certain UI items show Fixed a bug where you could retain your inventory if you closed the game and then opened it again and started a new game Fixed hand sanitiser also affecting positive hygiene gains Adjusted the click box sizes on pedestrians to help with accidental clicking Fixed being able to leave the library while the study UI is showing Fixed some cases where the "drunk effects" would remain if you did an action that fast forwarded time while drunk Optimised various areas of the game, more optimisations left to do though! Fixed Charity event popups showing when they aren't meant to Fixed scratchcard sometimes giving you more than it actually said it would Fixed Charity event popups showing with the wrong text Fixed various bugs on the "IS THERE STILL HOPE?" screen after gameover Fixed perk music using the SFX channel That's it for now, we're gonna spend most of the next week doing more quick fire patches for balancing and bug fixing, plus more night events!

[ 2018-10-07 20:11:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, We're hard at work on the new patch over here, the big night event rework patch. We should be ready to set it live tonight, but we may end up working into the early hours of the next morning to get it done. Though actually thinking about it, depending on your time zone it'll probably still be Friday when it's live, if you live in the USA for example. We just want to be sure that we're putting out a good stable build and need some time to test everything, especially since this patch comes with a ton of new code. Either way, it'll definitely be live tomorrow! New night events and a ton of bug fixes is on the way! After this patch we're gonna go back to doing some quick daily patches to tweak and balance and bug fix, as well as add even more night events every day! We'll keep you all posted!

[ 2018-10-05 19:09:03 CET ] [ Original post ]