This month we review the development and release of Landlord’s Super. We also take time to consider what’s next for our studio.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Landlord’s Super Release
Firstly, Thanks to everyone who purchased Landlord’s Super. Whether you supported us during the Early Access period, waited for release or maybe couldn’t afford a copy but gave us a retweet anyway. We’re a micro studio of 2 people and getting a game to launch is both an emotional struggle and a financial one, so having people value our work really is everything for us. This is especially impactful during a cost-of living crisis. So thank you.
Also, big thanks to the Yogscast for taking a chance on the game way back in the end of 2018 when it was just a rough prototype of bricks and cement. The game would have never turned into a fully fledge life sim without their unwavering patience, trust and support.
Landlord’s Super can comfortable be called niche. A simulation game framed around a piece of 1980s legislation. Available on one platform and currently only translated into 1 language (ignoring American). Landlord’s Super is also an incredibly self-indulgent creation. Drawing from Greg’s time working up and down the country as a concrete (and later steel) erector. All the while presenting itself in the style of Peter Mitchell’s oft forgotten photography.
It’d be easy then, with the game taking such a long time to produce, and it not being in a current trendy genre, to say the game isn’t a hit. Critically and commercially it’s not set the world on fire. But it has paid for it’s own development cycle which is more than most games, and more than it probably has any right to.
Repairing Relationships
Before release, we’d reached out to Excalibur, the publisher of Jalopy, asking for a number to purchase the distribution rights from them. They responded and the number was fair. We now had a best case scenario goal for Landlord’s release. If we could hit a specific number, we’d be in a position to purchase these rights, and could get to work on a rerelease of Jalopy.
We’re nowhere near that number, but if we’re honest we expected that anyway. As mentioned, Landlord’s is niche and it paying for itself to exist is a win in of itself. But even without the capital the Jalopy dream needn’t be dead in the water.
We’re in civil discussion with Excalibur once again, which is a step in the right direction. Discussion based around how work on Jalopy can be continued. The current worry from our side is taking on the risk of producing a content update, only for them to use it to promote another game ala Guangdong. We’re not financially secure enough to take that risk at this time.
So What’s Next?
Support will continue for Landlord’s Super in the form of bug fixes and quality of life updates and we’ll continue rebuilding the relationship with Excalibur. Though major content updates for either game shouldn’t be expected anytime soon.
We’re not yet in a position to reveal what the next game is, but we’re working on it now and fans of Jalopy should be pleased. It’s enjoyable work, and the theme and setting are interesting to me. I think it should also progress the CarPG genre forward in ways other games have yet to try.
Final Thoughts
The lesson’s learnt during the development were nothing revolutionary. Development was too long, the project was too self-indulgent, design wasn’t simple enough. But when players send us their saves and we explore their worlds, it still gives us a special feeling.
So please, continue to play and share your thoughts and we’ll continue improving the game. We’ll be going quiet for a few months whilst we work on something new, but updates will still come and feedback will still be read.
It’s the final month of Landlord’s Super Early Access. The game leaves early access on May 25th.
This month we also look at the Jalopy mod scene.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Landlord’s Super 1.0
The game leaves Early Access on May 25th.
I’ll likely put together a post-mortem next month on what went wrong and what went right. If you’re adverse to Early Access periods and like building games, May 25th is the time to pick up the game.
The game will launch with support for the following languages: UK English, US English and German.
After next months post-mortem, it’s likely we’ll go on a hiatus while we work to get our next project revealed.
With localisation, we hope to make the game accessible to more players.
Month 34 of Landlord’s Super Early Access.
Short one this month as we near launching out of Early Access. Main focus has been for us to get the game translated into more languages.
Read on for more.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Localisation Setup
Most of the month has been spent getting the localisation documents ready to be sent off for translation. Still no confirmed word on what languages we’ll be translating into. Our plan is to look at international interest and proceed with support for the most popular languages.
British vs American English
A lot of the dialogue in Landlord’s Super is written with English colloquialisms. This can be a struggle for non-native English speakers to understand, so we’d like to add support for American-English to the game.
To achieve this however, we’re asking the community for their help. Can you write in English? Want to convert dodgy British slang into American English? The reach out on the discord. All contributors will be credited accordingly and you’ll get creative freedom over how best to word lines.
Community Highlights
This month MBP has a voxel Laika in the works, and VIC MK3 is producing artworks “Autobahn” & “Ghost Town”. Noice.
Implementing controller support made February feel like the longest month in the year. Fortunately, we persevered and managed to get support out on InDev Branch on Steam for beta testing.
There’s an obesity epidemic in Sheffingham, but thankfully we’ve reworked and rebalanced how calories work, along with a bunch of other fixes.
Oh yeah, the game now has achievements.
Read on for more.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Achievements
We’ve added 25 shiny new achievements to the game. Can you roll a jackpot? Retire before 1984? Become obese? Prove it and share with the world how much of a grafter you are. We’ve even themed them on politcal badges from the period the game is set in. Cor, that’s nice.
Also worth noting that Landlord’s Super now supports Steam cloud saves. Noice.
Statistics Tracking
The game now tracks your stats, from cement mixed to calories consumed to steps walked. It’s all viewable from the in-game notepad.
Controller Support
Controller support has entered beta testing, available through the InDev branch on Steam. Please report any issues you have and we’ll work towards getting the changes into the next patch. You can change to InDev through the game properties on Steam, and by selecting the Betas tab.
Xbox and Dual shock support is added. With the way these are implemented, you should be able to setup Steam controller and Steam Deck compatibility. Though we are interested to hear if players on these peripherals have any issues.
0.12.00 InDev Update
Controller Support, quality of life changes to the tool shed and much needed calorie balancing are the standouts this update. Details below.
- Beta controller support added, support for Xbox and Dualshock pads now supported, please report any issues you find with these
- Added Input option to the controls menu, allowing players to select between “Keyboard & Mouse”, “Gamepad” & “Gamepad ALT”
- This should now fix the character spinning issue for players who have a wheel attached
- Fixed some Front End menu navigation with pad & keyboard input
- Fixed dishwasher job displaying pay as “£4.00”, now correctly shows “£1.50”
- Drop input now works for exiting menus and telephone
- Added input tooltip to bus schedule interaction
- Paint brush input now uses the assigned key from the control options (previously restricted to Left Mouse button)
- Rephrased “You might have a problem” achievement description to better explain the task
- Slight touch up of the Tools catalogue cover art
- Rewrote “Building a Roof” segment of the Notebook to better explain the process
- Building a Roof segment of the Notebook now unlocks after completing No-Fines task
- Player now burns 400 Calories whilst sleeping
- Player will no longer wake up with excess calories (2500 calorie cap)
- Added Jimmy tutorial lines explaining how to unlock the skip
- Calorie burn rates adjusted:
- Higher burn rate threshold lowered from 4000 calories to 3000 calories
- High burn rate lowered from 3000 calories to 2500 calories
- High burn rate increased from x1.5 to x1.6
- Low burn rate decreased from x0.75 to x0.65
- Lowest burn rate decreased from x0.5 to x0.25
- Fixed a bunch of UI interaction issues with Mitchell catalogue
- New UI for pouch consumables, tapes and ciggies
- Pouch UI can now be selected with keyboard navigation and controller navigation
- Fixed “,” being added to the end of the work bubble description when changing work amount
- New side entrance to the tool shed area
- New water point inside the tool shed area
- Fixed Tamsin’s brick wall placement issue
- Fixed being able to place bucket in paint or storage bucket storage ares, causing it to vanish
- Fixed being able to uninstall some starter house roof frames
Community Highlights
This month we share with you the magnificent cement mixer calculator by Reddit user Jmouse17. Never struggle to find the perfect mix again! Check it out here.
Happy holidays and a happy new year from us at Minskworks!
Month 32 of Landlord’s Super Early Access.
With the Yuppie update out marking Landlord Super’s arrival at 1.0, we answer why the game isn’t out of Early Access yet. We also look at what the coming year holds for both the game and the studio. Oh, and we can finally share the results of the survey from last month. Hooray!
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Landlord’s Super 1.0
Landlord’s Super has hit 1.0 and can now be considered content complete, so why are we still in Early Access? Well, there’s still work to be done in the following areas:
Controller support
Localisation (Languages to be determined, may come post full release)
Steam achievement integration
Bug fixes and polish
Once these 4 areas have been completed then Landlord’s Super will leave early access. Update from this point will continue, with the size and regularity of these updates matching the success of this launch.
Survey Results
At the start of the December, we opened a survey to the community asking you to help us determine what MinskWorks should work on next. The survey was comprised of 10 questions. We received 492 unique responses during the20 day period it was active.
A big thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey, and apologies from us for taking so long in sharing the data.
What is your favourite MinskWorks game?
As a studio we’ve released 2 games to market, with the community being built off of these two games. The purpose of this question was too see how big of a divide there was between interest in our games.
There was no “Other” option allowed for this question. This question was optional and received 486 responses
Does the current price of Minskworks games feel value for money?
The purpose of this question was to understand if our pricing was fair. On reflection, we should have included an additional segment to ask users who voted “No” why they thought it was unfair, as there might be an issue with regional pricing.
There was no “Other” option allowed for this question. This question was mandatory and received the full 492 responses.
What is your preferred social media for gaming?
The purpose of this question was to understand were we should be promoting our work.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses: Mastodon, My Space, Help me find one please., definitely people like drea and dangerously funny on youtube would be great for your content., none, Telegram, Teamspeak 3.
This question was mandatory and received the full 492 responses.
How did you hear about MinskWorks games?
The purpose of this question was to understand how useful our current promotions are.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses: friend, I bought jalopy, My friend show jalopy, Saw it on steam, Humble Bundle Monthly, Just found it mate. since am a fucking grafter it caught my attention, My friend, I’ve known about them for so long I have no idea, I think I heard about jalopy either through rps or the pc gamer podcast, Got Jalopy for free from Humble Bundle, A friend, RPS, tik tok, Just steam store page, EGX Rezzed (now WASD), Game gifted to me from family., Kotaku, I got jalopy from humblebundle monthly, Rock Paper Shotgun, Through looking for games similar to MySummer Car, Friend’s Discord
This question was mandatory and received the full 492 responses.
If you answered Youtuber Or Twitch, which content creator was it?
The purpose of this question was to broaden our awareness of content creators.
NerdCubed, Robbaz, WhyBeAre, Charborg, ManyATrueNerd, i don’t know, Squirrel, Jacksepticeye, Drae, Funhaus, Splattercat, Neilogical, It’s been so long I can’t remember, Cazum8, splattercatgaming, Charborg, I watched Vinesauce Joel play Jalopy several years ago.,I can’t remember., LPN_05, Mark Hates Kittens, WhyBeAre, Yogscast trailer for the game, jacksepticeye, Not sure, but I have a feeling it was RevScarecrow (lines up with when their first Jalopy VOD was released and when I bought the game), Spycakes, Mark hates kittens, VoodoheadsTv, MATN, Squirrel, squirrel, Getaway Driver (he only played Jalopy not LS), Dont remmember, Jolate, TearOfGrace, I do not remember, it was 5 years ago, Callmekevin, jacksepticeye, Squirrel, Closetyeti, LPN05, Jacksepticeye, Sips, Sips, MaxInfinite (Romanian Youtuber), Northernlion, Drae, Tomato Gaming, I don’t know, it was a very long time ago but it would have been one of those YouTubers that play all sorts of indie games, The deep voiced fella who sometimes plays with sovietwomble, can’t remember the name., Gopnik Gaming (Life of boris), Squirrel, Paluten, Dreagast, It was LifeOfBoris like way back when Jalopy was still being updated, Grillmastah, Don’t remember, Northernlion, The yogscast, Draegast, This was so long ago I have absolutely no idea., SpyCakes, Spotman (Youtube 631k),OfficialNerdCubed, northernlion, I don’t remember as it was a long time ago., Squirrel, Charborg or Tomato, Draegast, Skape goat, Charborg, unsure, slimt, luksor and bonkol at the same time, Dont remember, Unsure, heard about Jalopy before it was released, bought it the day of release., Luksor, Spycakes, Maxinfinte, LoadingReadyRun, Northern Lion, I cant remember, sorry :(, Triforce podcast, Cool ghosts, SpyCakes, It was Polish youtuber Juniorsky. Back then his content was so great., Cool ghosts, Spotman // he’s a Russian creator on YouTube, It was so long ago. Maybe Sips_ or Robbaz, spycakes, Splattercatgaming, HCL hr, Beautiful O.B (It was a long time ago, ok? Don’t judge.), northernlion, Squirrel, CallMeKevin!, Unsure,Gamehard, Squirrel, Charborg, Markhateskittens, Menos Trece, Anas-Le Bléd’art, TearOfGrace, Sparkz 25 on youtube, Squirrel, NerdCubed, Nerdcubed, Dreagast, Cannot remember… sorry!,Paluten, Cant remember, Youtuber, i dunno maybe spotman, Menos trece, Northernlion and michaelalfox, Squirrel, MarkHatesKittens and Luksor, Squirrel,WhyBeAre, Charborg, Robbaz,So long i dont remember, Northernlion like 6 years ago or something idk, GrayStillPlays, Robbaz, drae and camodo gaming, It was so long ago i can’t really answer to that., Polish YouTuber Luksor, he first made a video on Jalopy in 2018, that’s who I thank for introducing me to the game., Comodo Gaming, Grill master Failrace, Camodo Gaming, Too long ago to remember, Charborg, Tex from Black Pants Legion, Squirrel, Drae, Nerd3, Whybeare, Gamerz+, WhyBeAre, Robbaz, A sheer lot, I assure you of that, drae, WhyBeAre, Bonkol, Bonkol, SpyCakes, GrillMastah, PaulSoaresJr, Likely Jacksepticeye playing Jalopy in 2017, Sips, I forget because it was so long ago, Maxinfinite a romanian content creator with almost 3 millions subscribers, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EXa3vGESek&t= now i only watch english-speaking youtubers, but first it was from that guy, Spycakes, WhyBeAre, The Yogscast, CHRBRG, Dont remember., Markhateskittens, LPN05, SpyCakes, Northernlion, Charborg, Sips, Radex, Yogscast, Drae,Tom Walker (Tom Walker Is Good), Il Gatto Sul Tubo, ilGattoSulTubo, Yotobi, Whybeare,spycakes, sips, Don’t remember his name, all I know he was Swedish and was playing Jalopy alpha, friend and fellow content creator grillamastah, Paluten, Grillmastah, Szerwony, Menos Trece, Vicio OMT, Rosgamer, A Finnish creator back in the days called TenhoPro in 2017, Callmekevin, Spycakes, CamodoGaming, Sips, Many a True Nerd, Grillmastah
This question had 189 responses as it was only presented to people who had answered Youtube or Twitch in the previous question.
Which of these games do you enjoy?
The purpose of this question was to get a basic understanding of what genres, mechanics and settings interest our player-base.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses: Cs Go:), Jalopy, Beamng.drive, American Truck simulator, hitman, fps pvp games, RTS, MOBA, medieval RPG, etc, War thunder, but I really love mudrunner games, Hydroneer, Glying Gorilla, Sims4, Minecraft, Sailwind, Hardspace Shipbreaker, Train Sim World series, Garry’s Mod, Rust., Mount & Blade Bannerlord, My garage and, landlords supper of course, Landlord’s Super lol, rec room, SnowRunner, Rainbow 6 Siege, Beamng drive; Ready or not; Forza Horizon 5; Cartel Tycoon; Wrench, Arma 3, Factorio, Valheim, Project Zomboid, gregtech: new horizons, stardew valley, noita, Jalopy and Landlord’s Super ofc, Minecraft, Scum, 7 days to die, subsistence, Farming simulator all versions, Empyrion, Factorio, Landlord super. GTA v. Pc building sim, Animal crossing, garry’s mod, beanmg, DCS, msfs, stormworks, teardown, ats, My garage, dunno, Spintires, Minecraft, Landlords Super, Doors (a very good horror Roblox Game), Jalopy, Payday 2, Minecraft, I have not played any of the above, Games with good stories, assetto corsa (150hours quickly going up), beamnp.drive (stuck at 1020hours), automation (300 hours, i’ll hop on when theres an update), World of Tanks, Fallout 4, Jalopy :), Road 96 and Under the Sand, jalopy, Route 96, Snipe Elite, XIII, Psychonauts 1 & 2, my garage probably best if you could combine houseflipperand mon bazou and my summer car aspects into my garage you have best game ever, Landlord’s Super, Csgo, COD, Tarkov, Rimworld, Hearts of Iron 4, Europa Universalis 5, Victoria 3, (and many other paradoox games), Assetto corsa.
This question was optional and received 476 responses
Which of these genres do you enjoy?
The purpose of this question was to enhance the data gathered from the previous question.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses: PLEASE MAKE MORE JALOPY PLEASE, Immersive Sims (I consider Jalopy, and to a certain extent LLS to kind of fall in this category), not bothered, Tactical Shooter, Adventure, Logistics, horror, MMO, 1950-1990s, management, Turn based tactics, Metroidvania, Mostly dynamic sandboxes, Driving a dilapidated old car through Eastern Europe with my crazy Uncle :), endless, Tower defense, jalopy, car mechanic games that open world and building, Automobile Sim, First-Person, cars, “Immersive life simulator” (my summer car is a great exemple), Business
This question was optional and received 488 responses.
Which of these game mechanics interest you?
The purpose of this question was, again, to enhance the data of the previous two questions.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses: i wish yall would continue jalopy, its a very calm game with great lore and fun mechanics, Automation games, When I say that I like precedural generation and survival I don’t mean I like the 100s of survival crafting games out there., Life simulation much like MSC, perfect fit for landlords, Logic / automation, games like surviviing mars are the ideal game for me, it has all of the features i listed hear., idk, Puzzles, Mundane tasks, Base building, Automobile Sim, Intricate Storylines that make you really think about the game. Well Developed Characters that you can relate to., jalopy.
This question was optional and received 488 responses
Which of these art styles would you prefer?
The purpose of this question was to help determine the art style for our next game.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses:
whatever jalopy was like, thats what i like, The one Landlord’s Super and Jalopy used., I like all, as long as they look good, I feel like LLS videotape overlay felt a bit too much after a while and I hate Borderlands cel-shading with a passion, I don’t have a specific art style but more 3D than 2D, It doesn’t matter as long it’s well made, Any really if the story is rich, Minsk works, I guess it comes under minimalist but the artstyle in Jalopy and LS is perfect – keep your own artstyle., Anything but realism., I love all, I love good executions of all of the above, The type of design that is in jalopy and landlord super, Your current artstyle, ID dos shooters, Depends on the game, style matching feel of mechanics is priority, I really like landlord supers art style not sure which it is in the options if its there, The current Minskworks art style, ps2 retro, Whatever jalopy + LLS are, Hard to choose one as I like most, if not all. Art of Rally art style, looks great, Don’t have a preferred art style, You do what you think works!, A unique art style, anything, Whatever MSC/Landlords is considered as, Landlord’s Super’s <3, I like the current style of jalopy, I don’t know what that’d be considered, What your currently doing, Any other than pixel, honestly i love all of the options you gave, All of the above as long as they fit the game., Any, It’s really hard to say, I could dig any of these, any of the above minus realistic, Any, as long as it’s well thought of, like in Jalopy, Anything that runs well on low-end devices., IDK what half of them mean, I don’t know the rest of them. Realistic, kinda low poly and more without a name, All appeal, depends on the character of the game, No preference, the style that jalopy had, retro, realistic or minimalist i cant choose just one, Like landlords super style, whatever one jalopy was, All of the above, Anything except realistic, Art style had never bothered me., Same style as Jalopy, honestly it depends on the tone of the gameJalopy Style Graphics.
This question was optional and received 488 responses
Which would you like to see us work on in 2023?
The purpose of this question was to help us understand what the player-base expects from us as a developer.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses:
a creative mode for landlord super or a prebuilt house so you can do interior decorating, New game and DLC for Landlords, which I appreciate may be impossible, What you want to work on, all of the above, A spiritual successor to Jalopy – where you ride a motorbike instead :), add ability to drive a car and buy a car from the scrapper or something, and the ability to drive new places would be cool (wouldn’t have to be anything big like) just a new city or smth, A new game similar to Jalopy, but open-world, Jalopy on Xbox, Anything that allows for narrative expansion, whether that means another Jalopy-like, narrative DLC for LLS or a new game., A pub simulator, I have a design document created for when I was planning on developing one in EU4, Dlc for landlord super or a new game, continue to improve landlord super, Foxus on one ghame and fix/finish it. landlord isnt even playable., All of the above, God console port, and jalopy 2.0h, Just keep up the good work bruv, I miss Jalopy but LS is fun enough to justify still following ya, I have no strong prefference all sound fun!, Successor to jalopy OR a new game :D, Jalopy + Landlord’s Super = gasm, Jalopy finished and working properly, New game with original mechanics, I’d love more content for Landlord’s Super if it’s possible ofc but if it’s not because of budgetary reasons I’d like a spiritual successor to jalopy, Spiritual successor to jalopy, DLC for landlord super, DLC for Landlord’s Super and just more update for it not just dlcs, A new game with a new gameplay, style and passion would be awesome, but a spiritual successor to Jalopy would be amazing too., The ability to build a council estate, More content for base game Landlord Super (I assume DLC would have to be paid for), Landlord’s Super and New game, Something like Open Sewer maybe. More story, post-soviet athmosphere, dark and dirty. Or a strategy game like Empire Earth (in your hands it would be high-quality art piece)…, I would welcome more content for Landlord’s Super. A spiritual successor to Jalopy would be awesome if it featured multiple ways to travel, inspired by 80 days around the world., Landlord’s Super, Even if you tell that there are no moreupdates for Jalopy: This game has a holy fucking ton of potential, like for real… I have a lot of ideas, just write me a mail, Spiritual Successor to Jalopy or update Jalopy and make it the best it can be, Mac port of Landlord’s Super.
This question was mandatory and received the full 492 responses
How would you prefer we fund out next project?
The purpose of this question was to help us understand if we need to reconsider how we approach funding and early access. We also wanted to know if this was something our community wanted us to refrain from talking about.
We included an “Other” option in this segment. Here are the responses:
Idk how just please, i bef of you make more jalopy or at least make it moddable, Very early access with possibility of being picked up by a publisher, Whatever means you feel is best, This shouldve been multiple choise, not single choice, However you wish, I have no preference, whichever wfor you guys best, As long as it has Early Access, I like Yogsm but I think you guys should decide on what is best, I don not have a preference, if I like the game and can see that has potential then I will support however I can., You choose, please don’t fund next project, keep up with landlord super, Whatever makes the most sense for the project. (but would prefer some sort of an early access), I’d like to buy it on Steam, either in early access or not. Don’t really care how you do it., I don’t lknow, Kickstarter, Patreon or Publisher funded with early access, Any medium that keeps you developing game as you have made 2 games and shows you can develop to reach goals. I will higly likely to buy your next game even if it is on EA., Without a publisher is preference but obviously this isn’t always feasible so publisher if fund gap needs to be covered, Where ever the most money is without having to loose control of ip or design, Whichever way gets you the most money without screwing you over in the long run., However the dev is most comforter, Dunno, its up to you., Don’t have a strong opinion, However you funded Landlords, I eat that early access shit up, the only thing people answering this question care about is the quality of the game, and none of them are even a little bit correct about how this question relates to that, Not really arsed. Early access has gone well with Landlords Super. The Dev on discord has been great throughout., A mixture of publisher and community funded, Publisher funded with Early Access, but make sure you get a good one this time. ;), Whatever is best, no preference, Whichever you think is best, I would be willing to donate., I don’t mind how it is funded, preferably what works best for Minsk., Kickstarter and Early Access, However you can! I wish I could help. I love Landlord’s Super, Whatever works best for you., Needs to have Early Access, what every way is confortable with minskwork although from an outsider looking in early access looks to be very benificial, Whatever works for you.
This question was mandatory and received the full 492 responses
So what’s next?
Sharing data is all well and good, but what does this mean for Minskworks?
Landlord’s Super is now at the point where it has done about as well as it can manage. This means that as a studio who need to keep the lights on, we need to get to work on a new game soon. Using the above data, we’re confident in knowing what our next project is. We won’t announce this until Landlord’s Super is out of Early Access.
Thank you all for your continued support. You enable us to be able to work on strange games about road-trips through Europe’s reunification period and Quintessentially British games about how a generation became landlord’s thanks to Right to Buy. It really is a pleasure.
Community Highlights
This month, MetalGuru118 shares his American build, TorturedGod is also going big with bricks and Adipat attempts to introduce the soviet block to sheffingham.
MinskWorks presents the Yuppie update for Landlord’s Super. Available on Steam Early Access Now.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
THE YUPPIE UPDATE IS NOW AVAILABLE
We’re delighted to announce that access to the Yuppie update for Landlord’s Super is now available on Steam Early Access. If you have Landlord’s Super already purchased and downloaded on Steam, your game will update automatically. Otherwise, you can purchase Landlord’s Super Early Access here.
The Yuppie Update marks our arrival at Version 1.0 which sees the addition of the Yuppie class of tenant, the Harold’s furniture catalogue, caravan customisation, benefits system, crime & punishment systems, graphical improvements, gameplay changes and bug fixes.
Overview & full patch notes below:
YUPPIES & HAROLD’S FURNITURE
The final tenant has entered Sheffingham and is looking for the best digs in town. Build a property to suit their demands and fill it with all new furniture from the Harold’s catalogue to entice their application. Yuppies are rude, demanding tenants but when taken care of, they pay exceedingly well…
UNEMPLOYMENTS BENEFITS
“Slinging the lead, kid?” Whether you’re struggling for work, or injured yourself, you’ll be able to claim unemployment’s benefits and invalidity benefits by making a visit to your local Job Centre. Just be sure you’re not caught working while claiming…
CRIME, PUNISHMENT & PRISON
The local police station has finally opened up and Constable Gareth is looking to bring order to Sheffingham. Players will now need to answer for their petty crimes, including vandalism, benefit’s fraud and disorderly conduct. Players caught disrupting the peace may be issued a Penalty Notice, which they’ll need to pay off through community service or fine payments. Failure to address this notice – or repeat offenses – could result in players seeing the inside of a prison cell.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES
Lots more changes to the environment with this update. There’s a whole new police station, more suited to the small town vibe of Sheffingham. The flats in the distance have been rebuilt. Bridges have been redesigned to better reflect those found in the English countryside. Players will also notice parked cars are now dotted around the map, adding more visual flavour.
CARAVAN CUSTOMISATION
First impressions are important, and the old caravan was an eye-sore. We’ve decided renovating it ourselves wouldn’t make sense in a game that features interior decoration, so we’ve adapted the caravan to be fully customisable by players. Paint the walls, lay carpet, install furniture. Why not install a television to get the morning weather reports? It’s up to you!
4 NEW PROPERTIES TO PURCHASE
Players can now purchase 4 new properties from the Mitchell document in town. The properties are all in depilated states and require unique solutions to get back onto the market. Special thanks to JohnFister for creating these properties, if you’ve created a property that you think would feature well in-game, reach out to us and we’ll take a look.
RETIREMENT
The end-game state, retirement option, is now available. Retiring will remove the caravan, hoarding and skip from the environment, whilst allow players to live in the home they’ve built. Upon sleeping in a retired property, players will reach the end-game screen, summarising the motivations and themes of the game. Retirement isn’t permanent, though. Players have the option to return their property to the market, and resume living in the caravan.
& MUCH MORE
Store consumables in fridges, skip the tutorial stage of the game and more detailed in the change list below.
CHANGE LIST
Landlord's Super 1.0 Update (The Yuppie Update)New Features
Added Yuppie tenants
Added Harold's furniture catalogue
Added New Police Station
Added Constable Character
Added Crime and Penalty systems, penalty notices and prison sentences
Vandalism, assault, public urination, fraud are now considered crimes
Added caravan customization which can now be customised with carpet, paint and furniture
Added UB40 & Incapacity Benefits claims to the job centre
Added Unemployment & invalidity benefits that players can claim at the Job Centre
Benefits cheating is now considered a crime
Added ability to retire allowing players to hit the end-game screen and live in their property
Added end-game outro screen
Added 4 new properties to the Mitchell purchase document, built by the incredibly skilled JohnFister.
These 4 properties are all run down and require renovating each in their own way, offering new challenges for players
(If you have a property you think should be included in the game as a purchase option, please let us know!)
(Property details still being written for these)
Changes
Changed extractor fan screws to small
Tiles & wooden flooring now utilise specular and normal mapping, greatly improving the visuals
Made some of the wooden floorings look less deteriorated
Rounded carpet & flooring prices up to make them consistent with the rest of the catalogue pricing structure
Improved the text quality on the bubble UI for carpet and flooring
Added tool tip ui for muck (previously incorrectly displayed as #!##!#)
Added Index UI selection on Furniture & Building catalogue pages
Returned interest rates to loan document, in preparation for the retirement feature
Jimmy’s Regal Runner Super van doors are now locked, meaning players will have to risk committing a vandalism offence to obtain the blank tape
Added new indestructible glass shader to better illustrate which glass cannot be broken
Can now again break pub, Reggie & Jobcentre windows
Added Harold’s catalogue art
Can now use Drop & Escape inputs to exit zipper state
New more realistic pee stream and pee puddle effects
Zipper now shows Tool Tips for functionality
Can now skip tutorial segment of the game when first talking to Jimmy, opening up Mitchell business opportunities earlier
Slippery surfaces is now reliant on ground wetness level and not just rain intensity. This means players have a grace period where if they are working on the roof and it starts to rain, they can pack up their tools and safely climb down.
Are now signed off of benefits when going to jail
Improved prison eating visuals
Fixes
Fixed bubble not appearing on opening IQ’ERE wooden flooring furniture catalogue
Fixed small tiles UI not deactivating correctly when additional pages opened in IQ’ERE furniture catalogue
Fixed work light tool search functionality incorrectly returning the circular saw
Fixed collisions on Agoost kitchen cabinet and drawers which prevented item placement atop
Fixed tenant UI not displaying correctly on tenant application letter
Fixed maintain 20% / 40% tasks not ticking off after repairs
Fixed weird dirt pile issue on property
Fixed rounding point error caused by ladders falling through the world, which could cause game to soft lock
Fixed pressing esc / RMB while in furniture catalogues not returning to the index.
Fixed a bunch of minor catalogue UI issues such mis-numbered amounts and mislabelled surface types
Fixed issue with large window, brick-only walls not checking for windows, therefore preventing the task from being completed
Fixed issue where brick-only builds were unliveable due to the game thinking it needed No-Fines added
Fixed time not stopping during phone catalogue use and drink ordering
Fixed soft lock caused by tiles breaking in wheel barrows
Fixed UI overlap issue with the Tab UI
Fixed some areas using the old Agoost catalogue art
Testing a fix for painting leaking into walls on the opposite side
Fixed shading on big willow tree trunk
Fixed issue where sledgehammer & breaker couldn’t break car windows
Fixed issue where window repair wouldn’t take into account sleeping multiple days
Fixed issue with £ icon on speech bubble text
Fixed issue with Agoost green flower tiles delivering blue flowers tiles and vice versa
Fixed being unable to pause when exiting the UB40 application without signing on or off
Fixed “get well soon” car having snow on it during winter
Fixed left UI arrow being hard to select on some furniture catalogue bubbles
Fixed unclaimed invalidity benefits doubling each day
Fixed hammer being able to remove caravan plasterboard
Fixed loan payback not working on retirement UI screen
Fixed issue where Tamsin would blame player if someone else damaged her wall
Fixed issue that could compress the Status UI
Fixed descriptive text on Windows page of the Building Supplies catalogue
Fixed players being accused of benefits fraud for sitting on toilet while signed on
Fixed issue where players watching tv then triggering the postal delivery could get soft-locked
Fixed ordering IQ’ERE wall drawers delivering ground mounted drawers
Fixed Harold luxurious carpet being incorrectly mislabelled as green to gold
Fixed spelling mistake “sweatness” to “sweetness”
Fixed caravan potentially being locked when player exits jail
Fixed furniture placement issues within the caravan
Fixed spelling issue with windows description “are” to “our”
Fixed tool tip UI not always fading away
Fixed issue with caravan shower plasterboard not saving
Fixed Harold’s catalogue toilet seat naming issues
Fixed Harold’s catalogue large picture frame naming issues
Fixed Harold’s catalogue sink frame naming issues
Fixed small blue curtain UI incorrectly using the black icon
Fixed Harold’s curtain’s opening too wide for certain sizes
Fixed hammer being able remove the plasterboard on the caravan door
Door states should load in correctly - This should fix the caravan curtain load states
Fixed naming of “Black Walnut” incorrectly shown as “Dark Walnut” in Harold’s catalogue
Fixed Sink W/ Drainboard naming of “Counter” incorrectly shown as “Oven & Hob” in Harold’s & Agoost catalogue
Fixed Single Sink naming issues on Harold’s catalogue
Fixed Small Shelves & Wide Shelves naming issues on Harold’s catalogue
Fixed naming issues with Agoost kitchen wall drawers
Fixed incorrect icon showing for Harold’s blue kitchen wall drawers
Fixed Agoost table lamp incorrect name showing
Fixed kitchen sink double naming issues in Harold’s catalogue
Fixed door locking issue
Fixed issue where windows and doors could be counted incorrectly and not complete the task.
Fixed asking Ronnie to search for the work light resulting in him returning the circular saw
Fixed some instances of floating trees
Fixed issue with plasterboard repair causing soft-lock
Fixed issue where house and rent price wouldn’t change on Mitchell catalogue purchase page
Fixed Harold catalogue shelves having broken names on frame types
Fixed caravan shower plasterboard being removable with the hammer
Fixed issue with police warning text continuing to pop up even after player is going to jail
Fixed issue where cars wouldn’t spawn in town
Fixed green sofa missing from the environment (Fix only applies to new saves due to the way this works)
New police arrive in Sheffingham, player actions now have consequence
Month 31 of Landlord’s Super Early Access.
Phase 2 of the Yuppie update has now entered the InDev Branch on Steam. As stated last week, phase 2 contains Benefits, Caravan Customization & Crime & Punishment features. Phase 3, which will begin in December, is the final phase and will focus on retirement functionality and the end game state. More on that next month, for now, read on about phase 2.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Crime & Punishment
No longer will players get away with terrorising the locals, for the law has entered Sheffingham. Player actions now have consequences. Play without regard to your local residents and you could end up with a hefty fine or even jail time. The following actions are now considered a crime.
Vandalism (i.e. breaking windows / property)
Assaults (i.e. sledgehammer attacks)
Peeing (on NPC or their property)
Fraud (working or receiving income whilst on benefits)
Performing each of the above crimes can result in a Penalty Charge. Failure to address this Penalty Charge, or repeated offenders could face in jail time.
Penalty Charges are issued through the post via a Penalty Notice. Players will be given 28 days to pay off this notice. Failure to do so may see them issued with a prison sentence. Players who cannot afford to pay off the full fine may instead work off their debt through community service.
Prison food; no good.
More Visual Improvements
Continued graphical improvements this month include new pee effects, stationary cars parked throughout Sheffingham and new posters advertising all three unlockable furniture catalogues.
Landlord’s Super in the Guardian
Greg did an interview with Rick Lane for his Guardian piece on “games currently exploring the causes and consequences of Britain’s political and economic crises“. It’s a really good article, check it out here.
Caravan Customization, Benefits, Crime & Punishment Available on InDev Branch
You can now play all the above mentioned – as well as the benefits and caravan customization features detailed in last month’s newsletter – through the InDev branch on steam. Details below.
What is InDev?
InDev is a separate branch on Steam that gives players access to updates earlier while they are still in development. It’s a great way to try out new features early whilst also helping to make updates release as polished as possible. Whilst InDev contains the majority of the content available in the upcoming Yuppie update, players who opt-in should expect bugs, performance issues and some missing features.
How to Access InDev?
1. Right Click on your Landlord’s Super install in Steam and select “properties” 2. Click the Betas tab and then select InDev In development access 3. The InDev build should start to download on steam! Note: Steam may require a restart after stage 2 for the InDev to download.
Community Highlights
This month, Forzaguy125 spotted a Trabant in Washington DC sporting a Jalopy Sticker, and Manuuuu has built a home fit for even the most demanding Yuppie.
Phase 1 of the Yuppie update is currently in the InDev Branch on Steam. Whilst that’s been out, we’ve been hard at work on adding more content for phase 2, including benefits claims and caravan customisation. Read on for more info.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Benefits
With the lack of employment opportunities in Sheffingham, and in keeping true to the setting, we’re adding the ability to sign on for Job Seekers Allowance and Invalidity Benefits.
Players out of work will be able to claim Job Seekers Allowance allowing them to receive a set amount of funds each day whilst they are looking for work. When players do find work, it is then their responsibility to go to the Job Centre to sign off. Failure to do so could result in a hefty fine.
Players will also have the opportunity to claim invalidity benefits, if they can prove they’ve recently been incapacitated. Again, once a player has found themselves back into employment, it is then their responsibility to sign off, or they could face a fine.
Caravan Customisation
A worry we’ve had is that first impressions of the game are quite negative. This seems mainly due to the lack of visual care given to the caravan which players start the game in. To address this, we’ve not only polished up the look of the caravan, but also added the ability for players to customise their caravan.
Much the same as can be done with the properties players build in-game, they will also be able to customise their caravan by laying carpet, fitting lighting, painting walls, placing furniture, and more. We look forward to seeing how players make their caravan feel more like a home.
More Visual Improvements
As we push on with exiting Early Access, we’re ensuring more areas of the game not only look great, but also feel true to the setting. Whether it’s the weirdly monolithic police station receiving a downsize, or adjusting the railway and bridges to appear structurally competent, we’re leaving no corner untouched. More on this next month.
Community Highlights
This month, Gola is probably violating several health and safety rules, JohnFister shows how to utilise the new furniture, and Makumba has a showdown in Sheffingham.
New furniture catalogue is in the works, to help entice the demanding Yuppie tenants.
Month 29 of Landlord’s Super Early Access.
Last month we released The Consumables Update for Landlord’s Super. The update contained purchasable consumables for players to replenish energy throughout the day and new ways to earn (or lose) money with the pub fruit machine.
This month, we’ve been hard at work on assembling the furniture for the final furniture catalogue. (bonus surprise PICO-8 logo design from JWBstuhr over on the discord)
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
Harold’s Furniture Catalogue
To allow players to better express their interior design abilities, and to entice the demanding Yuppie tenants, we’re working on adding one final furniture catalogue, the Harold’s furniture catalogue.
The items in this catalogue provide a luxurious-classic style, with stand out pieces such as patterned carpets, brass & gold trimmings and modern bathroom stylings. You’ll be sure to impress any visiting guests with a full leather settee and walnut coffee table combination.
More on this next month, but here’s a small sneak peak.
Tiles Visual Improvements
Continuing the work to improve the visuals of the game, we’ve added specular and normal maps to all tiles and wooden flooring in the game. In layman’s terms, this means the tiles now accurately reflect light, making them stand out better and look a little shiny.
This was actually surprising difficult to figure out, with the way these surfaces are rendered in-game, but we’re confident the results really add to the interiors.
Yuppie Tenants
As we’re mid-through the Yuppie update, we’re not quite ready to show off the Yuppie tenant just yet but she is coming soon. Yuppies will be the final tier of tenant, and require the most work to keep satisfied during their stay. These out-of-town visitors are sure to demand a lot from players. More on this next month.
CHRBRG Played Landlord’s Super
CHRBRG did a great showcase of the game over on youtube, they even managed to show the creepy breathing on glass feature we added. Be sure to show your love over in the comments!
Community Highlights
This month Artgut shares a creative Kitchen build, The literal Dronk Tracktore man spends a little too much time in the pub, ThisPenguinCanFly proposes how buying damaged properties could look in-game, and not happy with the job centre in town, Horn decided to build his own…
MinskWorks presents the Consumables update for Landlord’s Super. Available on Steam Early Access Now.
The Quintessential Construction Simulator
THE CONSUMABLES UPDATE IS NOW AVAILABLE
We’re delighted to announce that access to the Consumables update for Landlord’s Super is now available on Steam Early Access. If you have Landlord’s Super already purchased and downloaded on Steam, your game will update automatically. Otherwise, you can purchase Landlord’s Super Early Access here.
The Consumables Update marks our arrival at Version 0.9 which sees the addition of the fruit machine for gambling, an array of new consumables to restore energy and an immersive overhaul of the in-game pub. The Consumables update also includes many new features, graphical improvements, gameplay changes and bug fixes.
Overview & full patch notes below:
NEW CONSUMABLES
Work harder for longer with an array of new consumables. Purchase snacks and drinks from the Anchor Tavern and store them in your pouch to consume while on the job. Working overtime becomes easy, just keep an eye on your waistline.
FRUIT MACHINE GAMBLING
There’s now even more ways to finance your constructions, if you’ve the bottle to risk it. Find the fruit machine in the Anchor Tavern, add in a few coins and try to gauge whether the machine is ready to pay out with the all new Fruit Machine Gambler. The Fruit Machine acts just like the gambling machines of old! Cor, nice.
GRAPHICAL OVERHAUL
The characters of Sheffingham has had a tart up and look better than ever. With all new animations, unique eyes and teeth, and a general clean-up, the characters feel more alive than ever.
The Anchor Tavern has also had a renovation. The furniture art has been completely redone to match the fidelity of the rest of the game. TV’s have been installed for players to check in on the weather. Speakers have been fitted that play music during the opening hours and the Fruit Machine offers another great reason to visit.
New Rain effects and more also add to the depressing sense of being stuck in Thatcher’s Britain.
& MUCH MORE
Hangovers, more additional construction services and more detailed in the change list below.
CHANGE LIST
Landlord's Super 0.9 Update (The Consumables Update)New Features
- Added a Fruit Machine (Slot Machine) to the Anchor Tavern
- Added Beer Bottle, Stout Bottle, Whiskey Shot, Whiskey Bottle, Vodka Shot, Vodka Bottle, Rum Shot, Rum Bottle, Red Wine Glass, Red Wine Bottle, White Wine Glass, White Wine Bottle, Rose Glass, Rose Bottle, Fish Snack, Bacon Snack, Pork Snack
- Reworked how ordering from the bar functions, players now have to select the item they wish to buy from the shelf behind the bar
- Mitchell now offers the fill in foundation frames service
- Mitchell now offers the fill in no-fines frame service
- Additional rain screen effects to help give better feeling of wetness
- Players can now get hangovers if they drink too much
- Hangovers will mean players wake up later than usual, have blurred vision and a chance to vomit which will cause a loss to energy and hygieneChanges
- All NPCs have been givens significant visual improvements including better animations, unique eyes and teeth, and an overall visual touch up
- Improved visuals inside the Anchor Tavern
- Added beer garden area to the Anchor Tavern
- Can now watch TV in the Anchor Tavern
- Shower now fully cleans on one use
- Rewrote some of the toilet dialogues
- Winston now mentions he’ll be in the Anchor Tavern if you refuse to give him the job
- Tamsin Player barred dialogue re-written to feels much more natural
- Re-priced consumables (drinks & food) to be period appropriate
- Added “Norman” & “Bogtrotter” to the Lout name pool
- Increased Item Details font size and added an outline for better readability
- Moved over Item Detail texts to the localised format - this may produce some errors so please report if you see any text issues here
- When Mitchell’s boys moves tools and supplies to the tool shed, they will now put junk and damaged items into the skip
- Adjusted Mitchell dialogue to better explain the use of the construction services document
- Construction services document is now restricted until player has accepted Mitchell’s business agreement
- The Anchor Tavern now plays music while open
Fixes
- Fixed issue where Mitchell wouldn’t start rental dialogue
- Fixed Mobile Compressor containing incorrect item detail text
- Fixed spelling of “Seti” to “Settee”
- Fixed caravan using old shower art
- Fixed Tamsin some Tamsin dialogue flows that could mean players are locked out of completing jobs
- Fixed issue where being smelly would break flow for Mitchell dialogues if player used catalogue
- Fixed some text references for Concrete, Mortar and No-Fines that incorrectly reference strength class (should now be Standard, Strong & Prime)
- Fixed rare placement issue with No-Fines walls on site
- Fixed Totter’s roof job spawning supplies everyday
- Fixed tier 3 window lintels preventing brick placement
- Lintel colliders now enabled on load even if the window isn’t secured
- Lintel colliders now enabled on securing of the window
- Fixed issue that could spawn multiple job tickets for the same job
- Fixed issue where selling a house to the council build with brick no-fines could hang the game
- Fixed soft-lock caused by exiting the “turn around” bubble
- Renamed “Curved Slate” to “Crescent Slate” to avoid confusion with Curved Slate item group
- Fixed players able to pick up secured plasterboard
- Can now repair plasterboard with plasterboard again
