Company Man Release Schedule & Update
Added 2023-02-13 17:57:30 +0000 UTCJust a heads up that Company Man v1.4.1 Katanga will be officially released to all Manager level supporters on 1st of April and to Executive-level supporters on 15th of April (the official release date).
Just to clarify- the reason for the timing is to ensure that the larger 'official' release version is clean and as bug free as possible. Singapore had some issues that have since been addressed but Katanga has been pretty stable. This hopefully explains the timing but thanks to the fan who requested the rationale for the release dates.
Meanwhile. we're continuing to develop Company Man and the current focus is on the London expansion. It will be a big one, with a fair number of characters, locations and sub plots to dive into. Directors+ level supporters will be getting access in mid/early April, based on the current progress (it's about half completed).
In addition, fan suggestions are being addressed. Quality of life features have been implemented, including screen ratio sizing. New events on the 'global' screen are now indicated (as they are on the city level maps). Characters now won't change clothes midday as they have been-- they'll wear the same outfit for both the morning and afternoon day parts. Cooldowns for repeatable events has, for my gameplay, been a huge improvement and thanks to the fan who suggested it!
Successful experiments with deep swaps and AI have also allowed for a dramatic increase in the numbers of images, audio and video as well. Deborah Jones now has much more audio dialogue, as well as a much wider range of wardrobe (as do other NPCs). In addition, you'll now see deep fake video used to bring encounters with her to life more.
Jill Vander has now been given a voice and Britney Bower has more audio as well. Eventually all major NPCs will be given a voice.
New event arcs are being introduced in all phases of the game, so familiar NPCs will have new twists to experience. Deborah Jones events keep popping into my head so expect more of those as well. New Zenith locations will also be added (such as a Secretarial Dorm) in future expansions. Also, typos, logic and continuity issues are always being addressed, though by this time, the game is pretty 'clean' from that perspective.
The roadmap forward includes one more major global expansion-- Dubai- as well as possible smaller locations to explore. There is a question about memory load that may require building out Hollywood, New York City and Washington DC expansions on the same platform and in the same universe-- but as separate games. That's a bridge to cross towards the end of 2023 though.
In general, I'm still having loads of fun building out this universe and have no plans to move beyond it for the rest of this year. I hope you're enjoying playing in it as much as I enjoy building it. As you may have noted, your suggestions are all considered and most generally implemented. If you have any ideas for Company Man, please share them at the forum: selectacorp.com. I rarely check on Patreon for feedback so if you really want to be heard, please drop into the forum and post your thoughts there.
Thanks for your continuing support! Victoribus spolia!