Recap - Startup Company 2018
Wow! I don’t think words can describe how amazing this year has been for us. We celebrated our one year anniversary (in August 2018), added tons of new features, fixed bugs, built up an even bigger community and also set some clear indicators as to where we want to take Startup Company in 2019.
In this post, we wanted to look back at the year and see what new features we added, what mechanics completely changed the game and also tell you about our plans for Startup Company in 2019.
Beta 14 in February 2018
We started the year strong with Beta 14 which added tons of new features. Some of them are no longer in the current version but features such as the tracking stock prices, the activity log and product functionality are still present in the game.
After Beta 14 there were many changes and fixes that Jonas worked on within the timespan of a few days, a promise that he’s dedicated on keeping. Once all the bugs were fixed it was time to move onto Beta 15.
Beta 15 drops on April 12, 2018
Beta 15 revolved around adding more personality to the game, giving it a stronger startup-feel and focusing more on the new players. The game became a lot more appealing and user-friendly, which was something that we noticed in the comments on the forums and Discord at that time.
We simplified the infrastructure tab and changed a lot of wording to make everything more clear. We also fixed a LOT of issues and bugs that we had back in that period, making the game a lot more stable and fun to play.
74 days later, Beta 16 releases
On June 25, 2018 we released Beta 16. It had been a while since Startup Company had seen any big updates on the default branch where the majority of the players are playing from. For Jonas it was the biggest update he worked on. So as you can imagine, he was very proud of that achievement!
Beta 16 completely rewrote how the hosting functionality worked by introducing the hosting buildings. We not only added the buildings, but we also added the functionality for racks and servers.
Jonas also needed a new and more immersive way to display all these new buildings. That is how the ‘City Map’ was born:
Other things such as acquiring competitors, receiving investment offers, milestones and a bunch of fixes were also introduced in Beta 16. This Beta version was incredibly big compared to all the previous ones!
Beta 17 just after the anniversary!
Just 13 days after we celebrated the first year anniversary (release on Steam) Jonas launched Beta 17 for everyone on the default branch. Beta 17 added the most complicated mechanics ever seen in the game, and he was very nervous (but also excited) on getting feedback from all the players.
The marketing functionality had been completely rewritten. You no longer had to constantly restart campaigns. Instead, Jonas was inspired by the real world, where your campaign’s success will be based on your ability to correctly target the relevant audience.
Beta 17 also introduces a new variable to your products: Satisfaction. You’ll now have to improve features based on user feedback.
Maybe the most significant change has been that Jonas changed how Features for your product worked. Features of your product are no longer just for increasing your “potential users”. They are now also for creating new revenue channels. You’ll be able to choose between Text Ads, Banner Ads, Video Ads and Subscriptions. Basically you started earning money from selling ads and no longer from completing contracts, which was removed completely. This might have been the most discussed change by the community we’ve ever had!
Beta 18 releases in October 2018
Releasing new features is always exciting, as players get to experience the game on a whole new level. It’s especially exciting when we’re introducing features that are requested by actual players, so we’re always keen to receive feedback so that we can further improve Startup Company and make it as fun as possible! Beta 18 was such an update. We introduced the highly requested queue feature, making the early game less of a chore. We also implemented lots of handy features such as the contract expiration bar, random events (DDoS attacks), viral boosts and more.
Beta 18, for the first time ever in Startup Company, allowed you to ‘’beat’’ the game. Once you've completed everything there is to do in Startup Company you will now be awarded a high-score, which lets you measure yourself up against other CEOs playing the game!
Improving the performance of Startup Company
Beta 19 released earlier this month and was focused on improving a lot of stuff that will prepare Startup Company for 2019. You can now employ a lot more employees (from 180 to 260) and this limit will be increased in the future.
We also added some new overlays, improved the clickable area and added a bunch of new items to decorate your office with. You can read all about it in our Beta 18 release on Steam here.
2019, the year of Startup Company!
We can’t wait for 2019 to start. We’re going continue developing Startup Company according to our updated roadmap from December 7, 2018 but also include highly requested features/fixes from our players.
We’re currently working very hard on Beta 20, which will introduce a Research Tree, new X Servers (more info about it in Devlog 32) and various UI optimizations. We hope to ship this update to everyone as soon as possible.
In the future we’re going to add a bunch of new features such as:
- Website Support. You will have to manage customer service and handle complains/questions from your customers.
- A new hiring system that will allow interviews, negotiations and more.
-Addition of CEO to the office
- UI and QOL Overhaul. Everything will be improved with a focus on usability and “quality of life.
- In-game help system. Helping new players find their way around the game more easily.
Do you have suggestions or ideas for the game? Check out our Conflux board.
We wish you all a Happy New Year and we’re looking forward to bringing you more amazing updates for Startup Company in 2019!
All the best,
Jonas & Robert
https://store.steampowered.com/app/606800/Startup_Company/
