Hello everyone!
The last major update for Fortune Avenue was pretty well received. It added quite a bit of stability and content!
This new version is going to change the look of the game, starting with the lobby, which has been significantly improved!
More Customization
If you've just launched Fortune Avenue, you've surely noticed that the lobby contains a few additional buttons. Now you can choose the appearance of your dice, and even the look of your tombstone. For when you lose, obviously. But honestly, no one really loses in Fortune Avenue. The games are so quick that we only remember our victories!
There are quite a few additional customization options, especially for the dice. I already have some ideas to add more dice skins. I think being able to customize the little white dots on the dice could be fun! Instead of circles, you could have diamonds or rhombuses. These changes will come in the next update, but in this version, you can add an aura, have rounded dice, and make the outlines more or less visible. I think you'll like it. It doesn't change the gameplay, but it's obviously essential!
As for the tombstones, there are about ten in total, ranging from the traditional headstone to a cute flower pot.
Bug Fixes
As with each new version, I add bugs but also fix them. This time, there are numerous bugs, but they're less critical than before. No crashes to report, for example. To get back to the topic, the network layer is better managed when a player closes the game. This prevents desynchronization or rollbacks. Previously, when you abandoned a game, the game didn't necessarily handle it correctly, but that's fixed now.
Another bug, a visual one this time: when a rule is voted on, only the host player sees the notifications of changes on the board. Other players see the changes but don't get notifications, which can be confusing. Speaking of notifications, I've added one that appears when you remove the protection from a city. I've also fixed the issue where some visual feedback wasn't displaying correctly. To sum up, Fortune Avenue now has an even more readable interface.
There have been other fixes related to feedback provided by Bloubill, Munue, Souli and GUL! Many thanks to them for their help
New Card & Rule
A new rule you can vote for has appeared. I know that some of you don't like buying out other players' hotels. So, this rule is made for you. By default, you can buy out hotels ranging from caravans to 4-star hotels, but not 5-star hotels. If this rule comes up, you'll have the choice between allowing the buyout of 5-star hotels or simply prohibiting hotel buyouts altogether. I think this will make some of you happy.
In addition, there's a new card, which is very situational. This means if you have a property that has suffered a penalty, when you draw a card, you'll have a chance to get an "Express Renovation" card. This card will allow you to remove all penalties from a property and protect it as a bonus. Enough to turn around a catastrophic situation and restart the game. If you play this card, it will unlock a new Steam achievement.
Other Changes
And since we're talking about cards, you'll notice they've completely changed in appearance! I find the new design more appealing and more readable. Let me know what you think in the comments, I'm curious.
Among other visual changes, the helicopter changes appearance when it hunts the richest players, sporting a red and yellow color scheme that warns you of its changed state.
The ELO system that was implemented in the previous update is now integrated with a global leaderboard available on Steam. A detail for those who want to have the best ELO: abandoning a game is considered a defeat. So it's better not to quit the game before you're sure you've lost!
As for the interface, I've also slightly enlarged the icons of player cards, the colored panels at the very top.
I think I've covered all the changes this update brings.
I hope you'll like it! In any case, I'm enjoying playing Fortune Avenue more and more, so that's something!
Thank you for reading,
Xavier aka Binogure