This week's update has three major parts. A visual update, adding more life to the map and editor's desk, that's definitely the most noticeable part of Alpha 8.7.
Secondly, this is a balance update aimed specifically at chapters 3, 4 and 5, once your newspaper is past the initial survival struggle (hopefully).
Finally, it patches a couple of big issues with the strategic goals, including a crash. As always, you can find a more detailed list of changes below.
Changes in Alpha 8.7
- Dust puff particles appear when stories and ads disappear from the map
- Star and symbol particles appear, when stories or ads are picked up from the map
- Star particle showers happen, when stories are arranged on the front page
- Custom mouse cursor added (begone, default Windows cursor!)
- Additional celebrity tie-ins with the random events, particularly in chapters 3+
- The ambient audio is lower in the overall mix, especially on the map
- Various balance tweaks to Personality Traits
- Greatly increased Angry Letter forgiveness rewards in later stages of the game
- Greatly increased the bonus points and subscribers gained from winning awards
- Shortened the wait between finishing one goal and selecting the next
- Fixed Advertisement goal not completing when it was supposed to
- Fixed crash, when presented with a Happiness goal
- Several random events were edited for broken special characters