[h3][b]Hello![/b][/h3] It's been a big month for us at Hovgaard Games. Big Ambitions had its one-year Steam Early Access anniversary just a couple weeks ago and we're about to start our EA 0.5 Preview! If you missed our recent post where we explain this new idea, you can check it out here: [h3][url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1331550/view/5793390250202568176]Studio Update 2[/url][/h3] [h1]What's New In EA 0.5[/h1] A full ChangeLog will be released when EA 0.5 is ready for full release, but for now, here is a summary of the bigger changes in EA 0.5. [h2]Rivals[/h2] Okay, let's start with our titular feature "Rivals"! What does this mean? First, it means a nice new app in your BizPhone - here you can keep track of all the rivals and see your ranking in the top 20! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40572925/eb1d36a24ff8d79a434b106dbe0b8c66c2bd9c39.jpg[/img] There are four Special Rivals, each dominating their own neighborhood. As you start to take up space in their neighborhood, these Special Rivals will target you with product shortages, price reductions, decreased neighborhood demand and poaching your best employees. Stay strong, and you can survive their attacks! The severity of their attacks depends on your game difficulty! [list] [*] Ingrid Schneider, Garment District [*] Jessica Johnson, Hell's Kitchen [*] Thierry Laurent Moreau, Murray Hill [*] Huang Guo, Midtown [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40572925/bf885618f60bdee9cbd5ef66305a556e55a1b26d.png[/img] Additionally, there are 15 minor rivals scattered throughout the city who will try to steal your other employees from time to time! Usually, these employees will give you the chance to keep them if you agree to give them a raise, but you can also choose to ignore them and let them quit! Your headhunter will still replace these employees who quit or get poached, but it will take a few days to find that replacement. So, you'd better not let the rivals steal them from you! [b]Note: Retiring employees are still replaced instantly[/b] Prove to Uncle Fred that you're better than all of these rivals and reach #1 on the leaderboard! [h2]Lower Manhattan[/h2] While the rivals were busy taking over the existing four neighborhoods, we expanded the map and made a new neighborhood! [h3][b]Lower Manhattan:[/b][/h3] [list] [*] New Wholesale Store, Hudson Wholesale [*] New Appliance Store, Essentials Appliances [*] Skate Park [*] 4 new warehouse layouts: H2, H3, I2, I3 [*] New Above-Ground Parking Garage [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40572925/e6b142aeef22f6a1d5abe3b3dc0512d271de0384.jpg[/img] [h2]Economy Balancing[/h2] We made several big balancing changes to the economy, which should help things flow a lot better! [h3][b]Employees Wages Balance:[/b][/h3] [list] [*] Wages now go up with training [*] Reduced maximum wages at 100% skill [*] Base Wage Changes: [list] [*] Cleaners ($5 -> $12) [*] Headquarters Employees ($15 -> $30) [*] DJs ($15 -> $20) [*] Hairdresser ($15 -> $18) [*] Programmers / Graphic Design ($30 -> $25) [/list][/list] [h3][b]Business Balancing[/b][/h3] [list] [*] Electronics Store, overall decrease in sales [*] Clothing, minor decrease in weekend sales [*] Hairdresser, overall decrease in sales [*] Jewelry, added Smartwatches to product list [*] Fast Food, increase several sale prices to higher "Manhattan" prices to boost sales [*] Fruit and Vegetables, increase to package size/price, while maintaining current unit sales to boost overall profit. [/list] [h3][b]General Economy[/b][/h3] The highest price you can sell things at is now more dynamic. It is still based on your employees' skill level and the class of the citizens in that neighborhood, but there are a couple more factors now. 1) Rivals can drop their prices below the current market prices and can drive down the prices your customers are willing to pay. 2) If there is no competition in the area, you can increase prices even higher than you previously could! [h3][b]New Business: Bookstore[/b][/h3] We've got a new type of store in EA 0.5: The Bookstore! Bookstores can use large or small bookshelves to sell 6 types of books that can be purchased from the new Hudson Wholesale or from Bluestone Imports! There are also decorative bookshelves that can be used to read books and gain happiness! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40572925/3959eb604cca5eb335f729022a52205b30e26166.jpg[/img] [h2]QoL / Misc[/h2] [h3][b]Employees[/b][/h3] [list] [*] HR Manager can upgrade Insurance [*] Headhunter can either search forever, or be set to stop at a certain number [*] Employees can get bonuses to boost their satisfaction. [/list] [h3][b]UI Update, Part 1[/b][/h3] We've heard the player feedback! The UI needs some love and here is part 1 of that love! Lots of menus and UI have been updated throughout the game, and more will continue to be updated in EA 0.6 as well! [list] [*] Added Contact Groups for better organization [*] Improved pop-up UI contrast/visibility [*] Added Mouse-Hover effects (sound and visual feedback) [*] Fixed pixelation on UI menus [*] Optimized UI Scaling for wide monitors [list] [*] Main Menu [*] City Map Filters [*] Time Machine [*] Persona App [*] Contacts App [*] MyEmployees App [*] MarketInsiderApp [*] BizMan Summary Page [*] BizMan Business Info [*] BizMan Building Info [*] BizMan Insights [*] BizMan Deliveries [*] BizMan Marketing [*] Notifications / Notification List [*] F1 Help Menu [*] Interior Installation Firm Preview Terminal [/list][/list] [h3][b]Casino Update[/b][/h3] [list] [*] AI Casino patrons [*] New Sounds / Animation [*] New Casino betting limit: $100,000 [*] Updated Casino bar furniture (also available for the player to buy) [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40572925/d6c2c69400a2c3e23822c683f54e08d0392cb4b5.jpg[/img] [h3][b]Music / Jingles[/b][/h3] After a few rounds of musical chairs, we are back with Artlist and more tracks than ever playing on the in-game radio! Or if you prefer to use your own music, some lag issues should be fixed now! In addition to this, after every few tracks of music, you'll hear a little radio ad/jingle for one of the in-game businesses for a little audio immersion! [h3][b]And More![/b][/h3] In addition to everything listed above there's traffic improvement, bug fixes, quality of life, and much more that will be detailed in the full changelog when EA 0.5 leaves this Preview / Experimental Branch. [h1]How do I get access to the Preview / Experimental Branch? [/h1] [b]Reminder: Experimental Branch saves are not compatible with the full release[/b] You will be rolled back to your EA 0.4 savegame when EA 0.5 is fully released. [h3]Here's how to access the branch:[/h3] [list] [*] Right-click Big Ambitions on Steam [*] Select Properties [*] Select Betas [*] From the dropdown menu, choose "experimental - Use at own risk - Unstable!" [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40572925/8d2d6f2175c34e000d6706740f6d07bc802305ae.gif[/img] [h1]Good luck![/h1] [h3][b]Remember to submit Bug Reports![/b][/h3] If you see something weird while in-game, be sure to [b]hit F2 to submit a bug report[/b] so we can fix it! If you have additional information to contribute, or need a response, the best option is to create a thread on [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1331550/discussions/]Steam[/url], [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/bigambitions/]Reddit[/url], [url=https://forum.bigambitionsgame.com/]Big Ambitions Forums[/url], or our [url=https://discord.gg/hovgaardgames]Discord[/url], then mention that thread in the Bug Report, so I know it's yours and can reply to you! And finally, we just wanted to thank you for your continued support as we grow and expand the game into something amazing that we hope you continue to love even more with each update! ~ Hovgaard Games and the entire Big Ambitions team!