Airport CEO Alpha 34 released (The R&D Update)

30 Jan 2020Developer post

Source: Steam Community (opens in a new tab)

You’ve got questions and now there’s answers! The R&D update introduces R&D projects, a new system for progressing an airport from a small airfield to an international airport. Hire admins and take care of your employees, keep an eye on your ratings to advance your airport’s operations and business position and enjoy a seriously overhauled economy system - and a lot more.

In this update we’ve included:

R&D projects and programs
A new airport rating system
A new employee type: Administrators
Improved and more demanding employee behavior with a new skill, productivity and working hours behavior
Overhauled economy and construction simulation, e-mail system and budget overview panel
Various improved ATC controls, realistic route generation, liquid depot sliders, an overhauled map and much, much more…

Begin your renaissance now!

Release notes - Airport CEO - Version Alpha 34.5-0

Improvement

[ACEO-19412] - Overhauled airport rating system
[ACEO-19422] - Needs now visible for employees on employee UI panel
[ACEO-19423] - Overhauled e-mail system
[ACEO-19425] - Overhauled staff skill system
[ACEO-19426] - Routes now realistically generated thanks to ACEO community airport traffic database
[ACEO-19430] - Balanced several construction energy variables to allow for better construction simulation flow
[ACEO-19431] - Overhauled budget overview UI panel
[ACEO-19433] - Overhauled and propely balanced economy ranging from static and operational prices to costs and more to allow for better economy simulation
[ACEO-20337] - Job task backlog distribution now sorts by distance to allow for better balancing of employees and job tasks that are not located in the same zone area
[ACEO-20499] - Added proper continue airport (most recent save) and privacy information buttons in main menu panel
[ACEO-21354] - Improved flight planner stand settings
[ACEO-21477] - Boarding opening times adjusted to start earlier for flights departing on remote stands
[ACEO-21551] - New graphics for small ATC tower
[ACEO-21607] - Added total amount on income and expenses bar in budget panel
[ACEO-21616] - Airline contracts now divide fleet into size category
[ACEO-21617] - Temporary removed requirements details in flight planner due to system planned for overhaul in next update
[ACEO-21810] - Added ability to set auto planner on specific stands
[ACEO-21815] - Map now shipped as fully available offline
[ACEO-21816] - Improved opening Apoapsis Studios logo animation
[ACEO-22017] - Medium and large aircraft icon now more distinguishable to avoid confusion
[ACEO-22025] - Added option to filter by aircraft size in un-allocated flight list
[ACEO-22221] - Paint tool now emits colored effect when painting

Bug

[ACEO-9] - Overhauled world map system
[ACEO-16170] - Taxiway nodes remain after removing taxiway tiles
[ACEO-18672] - Alpha 33 and Alpha 34 tutorial adjustments
[ACEO-19178] - Auto scheduler schedules flights despite game time being paused
[ACEO-19369] - A certain tutorial step in the international airport section can complete even if a step is missing in the tutorial checklist
[ACEO-19522] - Medium stand pushback truck does not always push the aircraft fully back
[ACEO-19538] - One way taxiway doesn't work if placed directly next to intersection
[ACEO-19832] - Cleaning show progress in turnaround monitor despite no cleaning activated
[ACEO-19885] - Business descriptions not localized
[ACEO-19917] - Backpacks can in rare instances become visible when passing through a conveyor belt scanner
[ACEO-20023] - Zoning secure area can in some cases cause passengers to get stuck
[ACEO-20042] - Passengers use road as sidewalk
[ACEO-20074] - Aircraft path not serialized causing collisions when loading a save
[ACEO-20123] - CRJ baggage truck loading position misplaced
[ACEO-20152] - Rounding error of hourly cost in construction panel
[ACEO-20458] - Map tiles not always visible
[ACEO-20531] - Boeing 747 and Airbus A350 not spawning correctly
[ACEO-20709] - Missing visual notification when runway is broken
[ACEO-20760] - Flight planner can in rare instances deadlock during planning
[ACEO-20974] - Operations cost does not adjust for disabled objects
[ACEO-20975] - Aircraft does not always resume waiting position after loading
[ACEO-21004] - Missing check-in desk notification not possible to delete
[ACEO-21040] - Construction overlay text replaced with object preview to avoid performance issues
[ACEO-21081] - Security zones can in rare instances become removed when loading
[ACEO-21087] - Taxiway foundation doesn't always update when demolished
[ACEO-21129] - Manual planning allows for overlapping flights on remote stands
[ACEO-21199] - Average GA rating now has a more weighted impact on GA aircraft spawn ratio
[ACEO-21203] - 512x256 airline logos are not shown correctly in stand- and flight planner panel
[ACEO-21215] - First regional airport tutorial step not progressing.
[ACEO-21219] - Service technician missing in the staff panel filter
[ACEO-21229] - Delivery and contractor site don't connect to road if game is paused
[ACEO-21242] - Ratings related to baggage loading and unloading for airlines not properly affected
[ACEO-21248] - Various statistics counting results not reliable
[ACEO-21251] - Incorrect content type setting can cause waste shipments to fail
[ACEO-21270] - CEO avatar does not arrive to newly created airports
[ACEO-21296] - Bag content "snuff" incorrectly spelled
[ACEO-21310] - Runway possible to upgrade to concrete without researching it
[ACEO-21318] - Player starts with $3M regardless of selected starting difficulty level
[ACEO-21323] - All minor ratings can randomly drop to 0% over time due to faulty regression calculation
[ACEO-21325] - Bulldozing terminal foundation causes walls to remain
[ACEO-21326] - Active shipment delivery requests to buildings limited to max five at a time
[ACEO-21328] - Structural engineering project not unlockable preventing concrete structures to be enabled
[ACEO-21339] - Staff icon on security checkpoint reappears during shift change
[ACEO-21341] - Copying staff room can cause wrong zoning to transfer
[ACEO-21343] - Security check-point can display incorrect unmanned warning icon
[ACEO-21344] - Initial need values for hunger adjusted to avoid issue with departing passengers not invoking eating or shopping behavior
[ACEO-21345] - Employees cannot always find a bathroom if the nearest one isn't available
[ACEO-21348] - Conveyor belt system tutorial pictures updated to match Alpha 34 requirements
[ACEO-21382] - One-way arrows layered on top of vehicles
[ACEO-21392] - Advanced runway lighting upgradeable in runway panel before R&D is completed
[ACEO-21394] - Boarding cannot close earlier than 30 minutes before departure causing delays for remote stands
[ACEO-21401] - Auto scheduler plan flights over the ATC tower limit
[ACEO-21447] - Unable to go back from R&D overview menu in management panel
[ACEO-21466] - Flightplanner night flight toggle interactable even though night flight R&D not completed
[ACEO-21474] - Flight capacity counter does not update as you plan flights
[ACEO-21475] - Very late arrival passengers attempting to find a baggage bay can in rare instances throw null reference exceptions and stall
[ACEO-21476] - A-star pathfinding threading incorrectly disabled causing stalled people and performance issues
[ACEO-21479] - Missing locilization key for R&D project proactive cleaning title
[ACEO-21483] - Auto scheduler can in rare instance continue to schedule flights despite being turned off
[ACEO-21490] - Security officers can in rare instances transition through a specific security check-point despite already being cleared causing wierd paths
[ACEO-21497] - Vehicle operation cost does not match procurement panel values
[ACEO-21508] - Aircraft number counter in bottom panel shows incorrect values
[ACEO-21517] - Hourly balance doesn't show actual cash flow
[ACEO-21528] - Incorrect random chance calculation can cause conveyor belt scanning station to not correctly identify dangerous baggage
[ACEO-21533] - Vehicle procurement toggles for increased ordering number reversed
[ACEO-21535] - Vehicle layer issues concerning both one-way arrows and passengers
[ACEO-21537] - Reception of small commercial flights possible without having any commercial small stands built
[ACEO-21542] - Incorrect values in operations performance report
[ACEO-21544] - Baggage loaded on aircraft rating can randomly drop to 0%
[ACEO-21548] - Copying rooms incorrectly take room template rotation into account causing misplacement
[ACEO-21552] - Closed rooms can randomly open during deserialization process
[ACEO-21554] - Security check-point job tasks can in rare instances where a security officer cannot get to their original start position be reassigned to an incorrect new start position causing security check-point activation to deadlock
[ACEO-21556] - Arriving baggage can contain dangerous content
[ACEO-21566] - Jetway upgrade for stands active before floor permit R&D is completed
[ACEO-21581] - Various typos corrected
[ACEO-21596] - Incorrect vehicle spawning balance can cause passengers to pile up at transit structures
[ACEO-21598] - Various incident panel tracking features not working correctly
[ACEO-21612] - ILS size of 1*2 not aligning well to runway, changed to 1*1 instead
[ACEO-21699] - ATR models' airside shuttle bus incorrectly placed
[ACEO-21719] - Objects displayed on lower floors with a terminal above clickable
[ACEO-21724] - Incorrect localization keys used on security rating UI components
[ACEO-21745] - Security officers unable to properly path find from one secure area to another via an open zone
[ACEO-21775] - Flights auto planned can overlap in flight planner
[ACEO-21779] - Flight planner can in rare instances invoke a notable performance degradation spike
[ACEO-21796] - Number of admins researching project not visible if admins are not at work
[ACEO-21798] - Passengers waiting for non-existing baggage can dead-lock while standing by conveyor belts for baggage appearance
[ACEO-21799] - Payment not invoked for items utilizing drag placement when placed in single
[ACEO-21806] - Aircraft cabin cleaning cost defaults to $0
[ACEO-21819] - Russian, Czech and Turkish not properly enabled for Alpha 34
[ACEO-21841] - Missing bool causes flight planner to revoke manual stand planning
[ACEO-21860] - Missing activation check for security check-points can cause them to enable themselves upon loading
[ACEO-21870] - Persons queuing for a security check-point can in rare instances deadlock after shift change
[ACEO-21884] - Objects on upper floors cannot be properly clicked
[ACEO-21917] - Staff training entry appears twice in budget overview list
[ACEO-21922] - Clicking in an area that has no nodes can in rare cases render further clicking unavailable
[ACEO-21952] - Incorrect description keys in operations overview panel
[ACEO-21964] - Removing taxiway tiles at a certain place can invoke removal of taxiway tiles at random other places
[ACEO-21972] - Flight auto planner can in rare instances during heavy load plan duplicate or overlapping flights
[ACEO-21974] - Vehicles often sell for $0
[ACEO-21981] - R&D programs not serialized correctly if sandbox mode isactivated
[ACEO-21982] - Flight planner time-marker line shows up when viewing future days
[ACEO-21990] - Dangerous baggage can be loaded on aircraft despite perfect setup and high productivity on security officers
[ACEO-22004] - Queues not buildable for small security checkpoints
[ACEO-22006] - De-icing trucks attempt to invoke jobs at unavailable de-icing pads
[ACEO-22009] - Certain airport states not updated correctly leading to a few tutorial steps not progressing when they should
[ACEO-22010] - If number of auto saves in save folder is more than five at start, auto saves wont be deleted
[ACEO-22016] - Tutorial doesn't instruct on completing R&D project "medium aircraft" before it's required
[ACEO-22074] - Tutorial doesn't instruct on completing R&D project "Jet A1 fuel" before it's required
[ACEO-22075] - Choosing a new R&D project doesn't correctly deactivate (+/-) buttons
[ACEO-22080] - Saving game by double click not working
[ACEO-22090] - Minus-signs missing in budget overview
[ACEO-22091] - Employee job task dropdown filter unnecessarily shortens text.
[ACEO-22113] - All 4 de-icing trucks are in use on large de-icing pad when de-icing small aircraft
[ACEO-22115] - Staff hiring leads to switching from applicants to staff view
[ACEO-22124] - No unlocking info is showing in completed projects panel
[ACEO-22125] - Notification of forced go-around during night doesn't inform about R&D project advanced runway lighting
[ACEO-22130] - Flight capacity is increased even if a larger ATC tower is not built
[ACEO-22133] - Employee counter in main panel can get stuck at "1"
[ACEO-22156] - Franchising R&D projects don't inform you about the hired strategy director requirement
[ACEO-22168] - Flight planner UI components can overlap control toggles
[ACEO-22175] - Passengers in certain cases only rely on one boarding desk despite multiple being available
[ACEO-22185] - Security staff can in rare instances visually clip through floors
[ACEO-22196] - Unlock new area hover says "{0} to unlock"
[ACEO-22199] - Construction overlay layer not visible on hedges when built on upper floors
[ACEO-22215] - Auto planner can in very rare and specific instances allocate flights on same stands and time
[ACEO-22216] - Franchise contract displays area unit as both symbols and text
[ACEO-22233] - Description for Maverick fuel trailer truck displays "Jet A1" for "Avgas100LL" fuel type
[ACEO-22242] - Baggage loaded on aircraft rating can randomly tank due to incorrect measurements
[ACEO-22256] - GA aircraft spawn rate incorrect
[ACEO-22265] - Managment tab button animation not working while game is paused
[ACEO-22267] - No new flights are offered from airlines with existing contracts
[ACEO-22268] - Passenger selection circle sometimes visible on wrong floor
[ACEO-22276] - Full stop missing in runway not accessible incident message

New feature

[ACEO-11856] - New language: Simplified Chinese
[ACEO-19413] - Feature unlock progression system
[ACEO-19414] - New airport rating UI panel
[ACEO-19415] - R&D projects
[ACEO-19416] - Admin working behavior
[ACEO-19417] - Number of flights in pattern now dependent on ATCT size
[ACEO-19418] - Depots with fluid now fitted with a slider enabling custom levels for when to refill and to what amount
[ACEO-19419] - Automatic stand and runway repair toggles in operations overview panel
[ACEO-19420] - Night flights toggle setting in overview panel
[ACEO-19421] - White collar working hour behavior
[ACEO-19427] - Employee energy fatuige affecting employee skill behavior
[ACEO-19705] - Endgame goal
[ACEO-19707] - Performance reports
[ACEO-20201] - Security reports and major security fines
[ACEO-20257] - Parking lots now possible to set as staff only parking
[ACEO-20258] - Employees now want to relieve themselves in bathrooms when possible
[ACEO-20260] - Bathrooms now possible to limit to passengers, staff or to be shared between both
[ACEO-20462] - Proactive cleaning and repairs
[ACEO-20501] - Added "choose language" prompt before main menu initialization to aid new players in their native selecting language
[ACEO-22281] - New language: Italian

Epic

[ACEO-19411] - Gameplay Improvements

Update notes

While Alpha 34 of course is compatible with Alpha 33 saves, we highly recommend that you start a new airport and experience the new progression system, and everything else, from a fresh save. The tutorial has been updated and should guide you along the steps necessary for making sure that you hit the ground running with research development.

How do I get busy with research and development?

Head over to the staff tab and hire some admins! Make sure you have a staff room with office desks and they will quickly embark to those desks to begin their work.

How does the new rating system impact me?

In multiple ways! The new rating display, found in the lower right corner of the UI, is packed with hover tool tips that’ll instruct you on what each score represents and what you need to do in order to improve that score.

What about all those minor changes you’ve made, how do I find them?

Go discover them! The change log is there to aid you in what is new, if you can’t find something or if something doesn’t activate or makes sense then please let us know.

As per usual we'll of course monitor the health of this deployment and be back with updates as necessary.

Enjoy!

// Alexander, Fredrik & Olof - Apoapsis Studios