Hello Contractors,
First and foremost, we want to address the community directly. We see your feedback, we read your reviews, and we know exactly which areas you have been complaining about. We want to assure you that we are fully aware of these issues, and we are continuously working to make improvements.
Welcome to Update 1.8.5! Here is everything we have changed, optimized, and fixed:
🔥 33% Off Sale Is Live!
To celebrate this massive optimization update, Contractville is currently 33% OFF from May 6th to May 12th! If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to start building your business, or if you want to invite your friends to join your company for some co-op construction, now is the absolute best time to jump in and play together!
🚀 Performance & Stability
PSO (Pipeline State Object) Integration
We have implemented PSO caching in this update. For those unfamiliar, PSO allows the game to pre-compile shaders and rendering instructions before they are needed on your screen. Because of this addition, we anticipate an improvement in sudden FPS drops and in-game stutters (spikes). Your gameplay should feel much smoother now.
Black Screen Issue - New Launch Option
We have activated a new launch option specifically for players experiencing the black screen on startup. If you are encountering this problem, you need to start the game using the new launch option.
How to activate this launch option:
Go to your Steam Library.
Right-click on ContractVille and select Properties.
Navigate to the General tab.
Under Launch Options, select "May resolve black screen issue."
If you still experience the black screen after using this option, please join our Discord server and reach out to us in the #black-screen-troubleshooting channel so we can assist you directly.
🌍 World & House Optimizations
House Overhauls
We are always trying to make the game world better. Our main focus in this update was the houses. We only made small changes to the outside materials to make them work better overall. The only reason these changes were made was to make things run better by lowering the load on the system. Because of this, the houses are now much better for performance.
RAM & VRAM Optimizations
As part of our ongoing world optimization, we made significant changes to eliminate unnecessary resource drain and reduce overall RAM and VRAM usage:
World Clean-up: We’ve removed unnecessary background data from the game world. This lightens the load on your system, leading to faster performance and smoother gameplay.
Lighting Adjustments: Removed unnecessary dynamic lights from the traffic lights.
General Actor Optimizations: Optimized several world objects like fences, roads, and other environmental actors for better overall performance.
Global Textures: Made project-wide material and texture adjustments specifically aimed at reducing VRAM consumption.
🎨 Visual & Quality of Life Adjustments
Clothing Store & Barber UI: We improved the user interfaces for the clothing store and barber. The menus no longer block your view, allowing you to see your character clearly while customizing.
DLC Area Audio: Music in the DLC regions has been adjusted to ensure balanced and equal volume levels across all areas.
Ghost Materials in Build Mode: We adjusted the brightness of the "Ghost Materials" you see while building. They are now much softer and less straining on the eyes.
Paintings: We have completely remastered 70+ core paintings in the world, replacing them with high-fidelity versions for a much sharper and more detailed look.
Posters: We have completely remastered 10+ core posters in the world, replacing them with high-fidelity versions for a much sharper and more detailed look.
🔧 Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where Recycle Combiners would incorrectly misposition in the world.
Fixed a bug in the Planner specifically affecting interior doors; after rotating and removing these doors, the resulting gaps would incorrectly pass the validation check, causing buildings to spawn in the world with missing wall sections or incomplete structures.
Fixed a bug during the Exterior Work stage where doors became completely inaccessible after performing a Save/Load.
Improved the screw positions for wide doors for more accurate placement and interaction.
Resolved an issue where screws would shift from their designated holes or fail to attach correctly during the assembly process.
Fixed a bug causing late-joining clients to see incorrect screw states after a save/load cycle.
General improvements to the screwing logic and interaction consistency to ensure smoother assembly.
Thank you again for your patience, your feedback, and your continuous support. We will keep listening and improving.
See you in Contractville!