Hi all! It's been a busy weekend for me responding to all your feedback and commentary about the demo post-release and I'm so appreciative of all the support so far!
Full notes
Full Empire Water Works update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
1 fix2 additions3 changes1 removal
Gameplay
UI and audio
Fixes
addedI've returned with a 2nd quick small update to the game, the urgency of which is to address a small (but potentially frustrating) bug with the Upgrades, Ledger and Operations Manual books, as well as a adding a few cool new features and QoL!
fixedBug Fix: when opening the Ledger, Operations Manual or Upgrades books, the player could hit 'E' after the cover page was already displaying on-screen (because they could have been unsure how to open the books, and hitting E again was totally logical rather than clicking) and this would result in additional books of the same type displaying on-screen. This could become a UI issue at times when the player went to close the books, with the lower layers still displaying on-screen and the cursor disappearing from view. Fixed! (also added a 'click to open' notation on all books to advise new players how to interact with these items)
removedQoL: if the player is holding the shovel, it's no longer possible to interact with (open/close) the firebox door. This is mainly to avoid the issue some players were seeing where sometimes when shoveling rapidly, they could inadvertently interact with and close the firebox door. This is actually more realistic now too, as when holding the shovel, both of your hands are technically already used, and so cannot be used to open/close the firebox door. NOTE: I'm still not 100% happy with the firebox door positioning/interaction and I totally acknowledge it can still be an obstruction sometimes when shoveling. I will work on this further!
changedQoL: For the cylinder jacket interactions, I have now exposed the back-end cylinder temperature in brackets, so you have a better idea of what the cylinder temperatures are. I'm two minds about this one, about whether it should be a thing displayed, or whether to 'lock' it behind some type of 'perk' upgrade in future, for the demo for now, it's here :)
changedQoL: When supplies (such as coal and/or steam oil) are delivered by the supply utility vehicle, they are now accompanied by a 'item drop' sound effect for each meaning there's better chance you will hear the delivery now.
addedQoL: If the player has the HUD turned off, it's now possible to see the valve gear duration for both cylinders! This is because of new valve gear gauges which I have placed upstairs. The cool thing about this is not only can you see the duration without the HUD, but you can also see the indications from downstairs!
Empire Water Works changes
addedI've returned with a 2nd quick small update to the game, the urgency of which is to address a small (but potentially frustrating) bug with the Upgrades, Ledger and Operations Manual books, as well as a adding a few cool new features and QoL!
fixedBug Fix: when opening the Ledger, Operations Manual or Upgrades books, the player could hit 'E' after the cover page was already displaying on-screen (because they could have been unsure how to open the books, and hitting E again was totally logical rather than clicking) and this would result in additional books of the same type displaying on-screen. This could become a UI issue at times when the player went to close the books, with the lower layers still displaying on-screen and the cursor disappearing from view. Fixed! (also added a 'click to open' notation on all books to advise new players how to interact with these items)
removedQoL: if the player is holding the shovel, it's no longer possible to interact with (open/close) the firebox door. This is mainly to avoid the issue some players were seeing where sometimes when shoveling rapidly, they could inadvertently interact with and close the firebox door. This is actually more realistic now too, as when holding the shovel, both of your hands are technically already used, and so cannot be used to open/close the firebox door. NOTE: I'm still not 100% happy with the firebox door positioning/interaction and I totally acknowledge it can still be an obstruction sometimes when shoveling. I will work on this further!
changedQoL: For the cylinder jacket interactions, I have now exposed the back-end cylinder temperature in brackets, so you have a better idea of what the cylinder temperatures are. I'm two minds about this one, about whether it should be a thing displayed, or whether to 'lock' it behind some type of 'perk' upgrade in future, for the demo for now, it's here :)
changedQoL: When supplies (such as coal and/or steam oil) are delivered by the supply utility vehicle, they are now accompanied by a 'item drop' sound effect for each meaning there's better chance you will hear the delivery now.
Hi all!
It's been a busy weekend for me responding to all your feedback and commentary about the demo post-release and I'm so appreciative of all the support so far!
I've returned with a 2nd quick small update to the game, the urgency of which is to address a small (but potentially frustrating) bug with the Upgrades, Ledger and Operations Manual books, as well as a adding a few cool new features and QoL!
This update takes the demo to 20260620A - you can confirm the version from the main menu.
Details below:
Bug Fix: when opening the Ledger, Operations Manual or Upgrades books, the player could hit 'E' after the cover page was already displaying on-screen (because they could have been unsure how to open the books, and hitting E again was totally logical rather than clicking) and this would result in additional books of the same type displaying on-screen. This could become a UI issue at times when the player went to close the books, with the lower layers still displaying on-screen and the cursor disappearing from view. Fixed! (also added a 'click to open' notation on all books to advise new players how to interact with these items)
QoL
if the player is holding the shovel, it's no longer possible to interact with (open/close) the firebox door. This is mainly to avoid the issue some players were seeing where sometimes when shoveling rapidly, they could inadvertently interact with and close the firebox door. This is actually more realistic now too, as when holding the shovel, both of your hands are technically already used, and so cannot be used to open/close the firebox door.
NOTE
I'm still not 100% happy with the firebox door positioning/interaction and I totally acknowledge it can still be an obstruction sometimes when shoveling. I will work on this further!
QoL: For the cylinder jacket interactions, I have now exposed the back-end cylinder temperature in brackets, so you have a better idea of what the cylinder temperatures are. I'm two minds about this one, about whether it should be a thing displayed, or whether to 'lock' it behind some type of 'perk' upgrade in future, for the demo for now, it's here :)
QoL: When supplies (such as coal and/or steam oil) are delivered by the supply utility vehicle, they are now accompanied by a 'item drop' sound effect for each meaning there's better chance you will hear the delivery now.
QoL: If the player has the HUD turned off, it's now possible to see the valve gear duration for both cylinders! This is because of new valve gear gauges which I have placed upstairs. The cool thing about this is not only can you see the duration without the HUD, but you can also see the indications from downstairs!
Thanks again for your support and for a great demo release weekend!
I still have more QoL updates I want to push over the coming days, but I wanted to get this update out there ASAP due to the aforementioned bug fix for the books UI interactions.
Please keep the feedback coming in this thread for my consideration and until next time, enjoy!
