Hey Chocolate Masters! 🍫
We’ve got something truly special for you! Today, we’re excited to announce that UPDATE I has just been released as part of our roadmap. 🥳 This is just the beginning of some amazing changes that will take your factory to the next level! 🚀 We’re super pumped to share these new features and improvements with you. Every hour we put into developing this game is dedicated to helping you feel like true chocolate masters! 🍫💪
Stay tuned for more updates, as this is just the beginning! But for now, without further delay – check out what's new in "UPDATE I"! 👇
Changes, improvements and additions:
- Added a visual aid for setting up the Melanger: The Melanger is a complex machine with numerous valves, levers, and other moving parts, but adjusting all these controls to the correct values is the only way to properly prepare chocolates, fillings and other sweet products. To make this proces easier, we've added a system that checks your Melanger's settings based on the currently pinned recipe. To use it, simply pin the chosen recipe, then walk up to the Melanger and use the "Toggle machine parameters helper" interaction ("E" key by default). Icons will appear in the critical parts of the Melanger, indicating whether the temperature, power, and consistency settings are correct for the pinned repecie.
- Order cancellation feature added: You can now cancel active orders by interacting with the phone. A new window allows order cancellation if conditions permit (for example mission-related orders cannot be canceled).
- Reputation system adjustments: You can no longer drop below current reputation level, ensuring progression is not blocked or severely slowed. Reputation points will still be deducted for rejected or failed orders, but the overall reputation level (stars) will remain unchanged. For example, once the Topping Container is unlocked in the Shop, it will stay available for purchase even after multiple failures leading to a significant loss of reputation points.
- Recipe search functionality added: A search field has been added to the "Recipes" tab, allowing players to search for recipes by name. This search bar is located on the left page of the Book, similar to the Store tab.
- Enhanced popups and encyclopedia entries: Added many new popups and encyclopedia entries to better explain main game mechanics. Some notable examples include: Heater, Interior Designer and all decorating and designing stations. Disclaimer: All the newly added popups and entries are part of the ongoing proces of improving the clarity and understandability of the game's mechanics. However, since this proces is still ongoing and we are working on further improvements. You feedback is appreciated in this regards.
- Nougat has learned that silence is gold: Nougat realized that not everyone is interested in his lively commentary while tightening screws or carrying coal, so from now on he'll perform his tasks in silence.
- Unlocking popups then a machine is unlocked: Popups for the Melanger, Tempering Machine, and Topping Machine will now appear when the machine is unlocked (whenthe cover is removed) instead of when a quest step is completed.
- Improved readability of the blackboard: The fields on the board have been colored, grouped, and rearranged to make order details even clearer and individual items on the boards easier to distinguish from each other.
- Container fill level visualization: A fill level bar has been added to each container in inventory slots, providing a quick overview of which containers are empty and which still contain ingredients.
- Improved decoration box functionality: Decorations will now be taken first from the least filled box to optimize inventory management.
- Enhanced chocolate status visibility: Chocolate statuses (Tempered, Crystallized, and Suitable for filling) now feature more distinct colors to highlight their importance. Additionally, the status "Suitable for filling" has been renamed to "Can be filled" to avoid confusion.
- Mortar content display enhancements: A new window showing the contents and grinding level is now visible while grinding with the pestle. As a result, notifications about grinding level changes have been removed.
- Nougat has improved at distinguishing different objects: He's now so good at it that he can tell large bowls from small ones - he will no longer bring the first one he finds nearby (unless you don't mind, in which case you can still ask for "Any" bowl). Additionally, he will now look for empty bowls first.
- Adjusted the colliders of many objects: Items (like bags, cans, bowls etc) now occupy less space, making it easier to place them closer to each other.
- Improved vending machine sound effects: A new sound has been added for chocolate sale notifications. The previous sound will now only play when there is exactly one chocolate left or the machine becomes empty. Additionally, the audible range of the Vending Machine sounds has been adjusted.
- Better tooltip visibility for machines: Tooltips for the Docking Station and Press have been raised to enhance visibility during interactions.
- Improved the chocolate tempering system: The upper temperature range for tempering didn't always work correctly. Now, tempering should function properly, regardless of whether the chocolate is tempered using a pot, the Melanger, or the Tempering Machine.
- Improvements to Press upgrades: Missing sound effects have been added to both the filling spots and filling tank, as well as a popup that appears on the first unsuccessful filling attempt (when the pressure from the syringe gets too high, the indicator goes into the red zone and the safety valve triggers).
- Recipe sorting improvements: Recipes in the Book are now sorted by category and name for easier navigation.
- Updated decoration box names and descriptions: Decoration box names no longer include the maximum number of decorations - which caused confusion when the content changed but the name stayed the same (object names are constant). Content quantity value has been moved to item's description to clarify that it does not represent the current quantity.
- Skip! Skip! Added the ability to skip dialogs (by default using the spacebar).
- Improvements to the keybinding system: The keybinding system has been refined, and you can now reassign more buttons. Additionally, several new inputs have been added to the game, so it's worth taking another look at the settings and possibly updating or customizing them to your preference.
- Added an "Under Construction" notifications: Due to ongoing work on translations and the encyclopedia entries, we've added reminders in certain places: in the Main Menu, the Pause Menu, and as a popup when the game is first launched. Any shortcomings in the translations are temporary and will be fixed soon. We believe it's better to have more accurate and clearer descriptions of the game mechanics, even if there may be minor stylistic errors.
- Updated mission requirements: The chocolate tempering task previously required 80g of chocolate mass, while the mission stated 100g. To align with the actual requirement, the mission now correctly specifies 80g.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a bug that caused Nougat not to perform interactions with an item if the player was holding an item of the same type in their hands or had one in the inventory. In Nougat's little robotic brain it didn't register that there could be more than one item of the type "cocoa bag" or "large bowl". He's undergone the necessary training and learned to differentiate objects better.
- Fixed a bug that sometimes made it impossible to interact with items dropped on the ground by Nougat. We've taught him not to break other people's things, and that if he borrows something he should return it in no worse condition than when he took it.
- Fixed a bug causing the buttons in Nougat's command menu to sometimes change their order, making them appear incorrectly sorter.
- Fixed multiple issues related to pouring container contents into the Melanger or trash chute by Nougat, addressing problems such as pouring incorrect or imprecise amounts.
- Nougat will no longer interrupt player interactions with valves, levers, or pouring actions when finishing his own operations.
- Fixed the incorrect description of the Wafer Box in the Shop.
- Resolved an issue where the Blip could occasionally get stuck hovering over the balcony when arriving to pick up an order.
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the "PERFECT!" status to be awarded incorrectly during order evaluation - it was based solely on the first chocolate instead of the entire order.
- Fixed a bug causing the Vending Machine to stop selling after a single chocolate sale.
- Corrected the "Main Page" tab in the Book, which was not highlighted properly on the first opening.
- Fixed an issue where the purchase sound effect would play when using the Interior Designer machine, even if no purchase was made.
- Resolved a bug where the customization purchase task in the Interior Designer machine was marked as completed even if the player only browsed options without buying.
- Fixed visual glitches occurring on some factory elements after exiting the Interior Designer machine.
- Addressed performance drops caused by the initial playback of music tracks.
- Fixed a bug causing duplicate and unnecessary fields to appear in the "Possible upgrades" section of the Tempering Machine info window.
- Fixed a bug that prevented putting decorations in certain parts of elliptical chocolates (the apparent no available space for decorations on the chocolate's edges).
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused texts on the room name signs to flicker.
- Fixed particle color for pouring heavy cream effect. They should no longer look as though the heavy cream is far past its expiration date.
And finally… remember, it’s you who’s helping shape this game with us! Your feedback, ideas, and passion are what make Chocolate Factory Simulator better and better. 🍫✨
We can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and we’re already getting started on the next sweet updates! 🎮🍬
Have fun!
Chocolate Factory Simulator Team