Update v1.5: Permadeath and Debt

This update includes a brand new way to play, an overhaul to the debt system, and many improvements to the gameplay experience.

I want to thank everyone who has clocked in and explored the world of Customer Disservice! Every bit of feedback and support has been enormously helpful, so this content update is dedicated to all of you. If you have any thoughts about it, please let me know! Now onto the patch notes!

Gameplay

• Added bomb collar mode, an optional modifier unlocked after completing the game. Mistakes are more costly, and reaching any failure state will delete your current run’s save file. New runs with this modifier must start on day 3 or earlier.

• Added a new failure state to the gameplay portion of the day. If the day is started in debt, that debt must be paid off by the end or a retry is forced.

• Added a 20 scrip green energy bonus to the billing screen on days where the generator was active.

• Added a new window to the monitor that shows your current scrip balance. It will only appear if the day is started in debt.

• The billing screen no longer forces the player to shred bills to avoid debt.

• Made late fees in the billing screen condense into fewer blocks more consistently.

• Reduced pay per order on hard difficulty from 8 to 5.

• Slightly increased the day 10 quota on normal and hard difficulty.

• Day 10 will now force a clock in on the first attempt after the intro is played.

• Random hacks will no longer target the approve and deny boxes if the current or next order form is hacked.

• The puzzle app will no longer have duplicate shapes in the pool. (Rotations of shapes are not considered duplicates.)

• Removed some puzzle patterns that were too visually noisy.

• All apps and tabs will now close when the generator runs out of power.

• The generator will now stop losing power after the day has ended.

• The tab key will no longer open and close the registry if the generator is out of power.

• The tab key will no longer open and close the registry if the camera is not focused on the monitor.

UI

• Slightly reworked how the new game difficulty selector screen works to account for the new bomb collar mode.

• Added clearer information to the difficulty selection screen.

• Added an unlocked content notification screen to the main menu after completing the main game for the first time.

• Adjusted some main menu background elements to appear sooner after certain story events.

• Adjusted the “delete all save data” confirmation screen to prevent accidental deletions.

• Reworded some setting names and descriptions for clarity.

• Added lock icons to the locked custom game button to make it more clear it can be unlocked later.

• Improved the visuals on the custom game screen.

• Added more informative descriptions to some custom game modifiers.

• Adjusted the system debt dialogue to reflect the new debt failure state.

• Added 6 new pop-up ads for more visual variety. (Not real ads, just fictional ones)

• Improved all sliding object animations by updating their positions slightly more frequently.

• Reworded some upgrade descriptions in the scrip shop for clarity.

• Added a note to the handbook to clarify that the ban list changes daily.

• Reworded a clunky description in the categories tab of the handbook.

• Fixed a typo in the handbook overview.

• Added a warning to the billing screen if the current debt is likely too high to be paid off.

• The billing screen will now be permanently in the debt state after the first time instead of playing the sound and animation every single day.

• Removed a background element in the billing screen that could cause some confusion.

• Reworded some achievement descriptions.

Audio

• Lowered the volume on the billing screen debt sound effect.

• Added pitch randomization to part sound effects in the factory screen.

• Added pickup and hang up sound effects to the desk phone.

• Added a pickup sound effect to the desk pistol.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the new game timeline was saving data into the wrong slots in some situations. If you have incorrect save data from before this patch, it will not be fixed. All this patch does is fix the original issue that caused the data to be placed incorrectly. Playing a new game from day 1 to the end will save over the bad data for the route you choose.

• The custom game “pay your way” modifier now correctly takes the helper app cut into account.

• Fixed an issue that caused the hard difficulty achievement to not unlock in certain circumstances.

• Fixed an issue where the difficulty selector in the settings screen sometimes had the wrong options listed.

• Fixed a visual issue where the continue preview of your save file would display the wrong difficulty setting after changing it.

• Fixed small issues caused by dragging the ID card while the registry is closing.

• Fixed misaligned collision on some error messages.