Areas
107 changes in this update

Added

18 changes
Multiplayer
  • Voice chat - talk to other players using in-game voice chat

Employment
  • Promotions - employees can now receive promotion opportunities while working

  • Promotion notifications - promotion offers can now appear through the in-game phone

  • Department Manager - added an additional supermarket career progression tier

  • Employee cover - NPC staff can temporarily cover jobs when players are unavailable

  • Bakery employment - new characters can now begin their career at the bakery

Leisure
  • Pool - added pool tables and new downtime activities

  • Pedestrians - street pedestrians can now stop and rest on public benches

Apartments
  • Furniture - added more detailed furniture and additional bed models

  • Radiators - added new detailed radiator models

Shops
  • Phone shop - added new furniture and product displays

  • Clothing store - added improved clothing displays, materials and garment geometry

Millbank
  • West Depot - added the West Depot and surrounding area

  • East Millbank - expanded the visible neighbourhood around the eastern edge of Millbank

  • Pavement signs - added new signs around Millbank

  • Vegetation - added new grass, flowers, trees and waterside plants

Roads
  • Rural roads - added proper shoulders to rural roads

  • Road repairs - added varied asphalt patches and road repairs

Improved

33 changes
Apartments
  • Interiors - improved apartment furniture placement and layouts

  • Bathrooms - improved bathroom layouts and wall joins

  • Windows - improved clearance around apartment windows and radiators

Shops
  • Shop fronts - improved and optimised the bakery and supermarket fronts

  • Clothing store - improved materials and presentation throughout the store

Millbank
  • Neighbourhood - improved the overall layout and appearance of Millbank

  • Greenspaces - improved parks and green areas with more natural vegetation

  • West Meadow - improved grass and vegetation throughout the meadow

  • Terrain - improved terrain materials and environmental detail

  • West Depot - improved surfaces, collision and surrounding scenery

Roads
  • Roads - improved road shapes and generated geometry

  • Terrain blending - roads now follow the surrounding terrain more naturally

  • Junctions - improved the appearance and construction of road junctions

  • Road markings - improved road markings with more natural wear

Navigation
  • Pedestrians - pedestrians now use more of the authored paths around Millbank

  • Greenspaces - pedestrians can now navigate through park and gravel paths

  • Footpaths - improved connections around the depot and construction areas

Characters
  • Carrying - improved animations while carrying baskets, boxes and other objects

  • Stock boxes - characters now hold stock boxes more naturally

  • Hand placement - improved hand and finger positioning when interacting with objects

  • Character poses - improved body and arm positioning during interactions

Casino
  • Roulette - improved dealer animations and marker movement

  • Slot machines - improved seating and character positioning at slot machines

  • Casino models - improved several casino models and environment assets

Audio
  • Rain - replaced the old rain ambience with a more natural looping sound

Performance
  • Startup - reduced waiting during startup by overlapping the intro with navigation preparation

  • Businesses - improved performance when businesses have large numbers of staff and customers

  • Bakery - improved bakery NPC and queue performance

  • Supermarket - improved stock and checkout performance

  • Pedestrians - improved pedestrian movement and navigation performance

  • Stock - reduced the performance cost of stock cases

  • Vegetation - improved rendering performance in areas with large amounts of vegetation

  • Trees - reduced rendering overhead from repeated tree meshes

Fixed

52 changes
Employment
  • Closing time - players now correctly finish work when their workplace closes

  • NPC closing - NPC employees now correctly leave businesses at closing time

  • Business doors - doors now correctly lock when businesses close

  • Closing animations - fixed staff continuing carrying animations after finishing work

  • Promotions - improved feedback when a promotion position is already occupied

Shops
  • Expansion walls - fixed misaligned walls between the bakery and supermarket expansions

  • Retail shelves - fixed incorrect shelf placement in the supermarket

  • Clothing doors - fixed collision on the clothing store's sliding doors

  • Bakery lighting - fixed unwanted fixture glow and staff lighting behaviour

Roads
  • Junction gap - fixed a visible gap in one of the Millbank junctions

  • Road surfaces - fixed several incorrect or overlapping road and yard surfaces

  • Coffee court - fixed pavement and collision around the coffee court

Characters
  • Basket carrying - fixed incorrect one-handed basket carrying

  • Stock box grips - fixed incorrect hand placement while carrying stock boxes

  • Kitchen poses - fixed unnatural character poses during kitchen interactions

  • Character anatomy - fixed several unnatural arm and hand positions

Casino
  • Dealer clothing - fixed casino dealer clothing occasionally not appearing

  • Slot animations - fixed slot machine animations during multiplayer

  • Casino shadows - fixed some casino materials not casting shadows

  • Roulette dealer - fixed excessive bending during roulette interactions

  • Roulette tables - fixed roulette tables after the casino mesh changes

  • Blackjack - interrupted blackjack games now settle correctly after a restart

  • Blackjack - inactive players can no longer hold a blackjack round indefinitely

NPCs
  • Stockroom stairs - fixed employees being unable to use the shared stockroom stairs

  • Navigation - fixed NPCs attempting to use blocked or invalid routes

  • Pedestrians - fixed distant pedestrians disappearing or using incorrect viewing information

  • Store manager - fixed the seated store manager moving away from their chair

Homes
  • Doors - fixed some home doors not working correctly

  • Door prompts - simplified duplicate home door interaction prompts

Deliveries
  • Cargo - fixed some rotated stock cases being packed incorrectly inside delivery vehicles

  • Interrupted deliveries - stock cases now recover correctly when delivery work is interrupted

  • Recycled cases - recycled delivery cases no longer remain unnecessarily in world and save state

Bakery
  • Takeaway bags - takeaway bags can now be replenished through deliveries

  • Opening stock - fixed sold bakery stock returning after loading a save

  • Orders - packed goods and completed sales now survive restarts correctly

  • Cancelled orders - fixed products being lost or reused incorrectly when takeaway orders are cancelled

  • Payment props - fixed cash and card props not following customers' hands correctly

  • Receipts - bakery receipts can now be placed on counters before being attached to takeaway bags

Saves
  • Save recovery - local saves can now recover from previously validated save generations

  • Player position - fixed saved player positions being corrupted by some regional number formats

  • World saving - player saves no longer unnecessarily delay world checkpoints

Furniture
  • Persistence - fixed owned furniture not always restoring correctly on dedicated servers

  • Placement - fixed furniture placement continuing while other interfaces are open

  • Validation - improved server-side validation when moving furniture

Pool
  • Joining - fixed controls being taken before the server accepts a pool game

  • Pool tables - fixed pool tables being incorrectly treated as static

Coffee
  • Paid drinks - paid drink collection now survives save and restart

  • Abandoned orders - abandoned coffee orders no longer block the counter indefinitely

UI
  • Menus - Escape now works correctly when navigating menu sub-pages

  • Localization - improved translated inventory and leisure interaction text

  • Phone - fixed the phone incorrectly restoring controls used by pool

Business
  • Revenue - fixed supermarket revenue totals not updating correctly for clients

Removed

3 changes
Casino
  • Legacy meshes - removed old casino geometry that has been replaced by newer models

Assets
  • Unused models - removed unused and outdated environment models

Onboarding
  • First Steps tutorial - removed the old introductory tutorial

Known Issues

1 change
Employment
  • Promotion positions - senior positions may remain occupied by offline employees until the position becomes available

Areas
9 changes in this update

Improved

3 changes
Multiplayer
  • Supermarket and casino gameplay now run more smoothly for connected players.

  • NPCs carrying items now appear more reliably to other players.

Millbank
  • Street lighting has been softened for a more natural night-time atmosphere.

Fixed

5 changes
Supermarket
  • Customers now avoid crowding correctly again.

  • Customers and staff can navigate shop entrances and exits more reliably.

Bakery
  • Bakery trays now recover correctly if an empty tray position becomes stuck.

Casino
  • Roulette no longer shows a duplicate result marker.

Character Customisation
  • An invalid long-hair outfit option has been removed.

Known Issues

1 change
Alpha
  • No new player-facing known issues have been identified for this update.

Areas
54 changes in this update

Added

2 changes
Player Needs
  • Sprinting now drains Energy faster than walking.

  • Players with no Energy remaining can no longer sprint and must walk until they recover.

Improved

16 changes
Performance
  • Supermarket stock cases now avoid sending unchanged information across the network.

  • Customer baskets now use fewer repeated stock and content checks.

  • Bakery orders, food items and kitchen systems now reuse more of their existing state.

  • Staff visibility updates now perform less unnecessary rendering work.

  • Casino displays and interaction hints now skip updates when nothing has changed.

  • Doors now share short lived movement and collision checks more efficiently.

  • The electricity system now processes registered appliances in a single pass.

  • Employment schedules and private player state now perform fewer unnecessary updates.

Bakery
  • Bakery storage controls are now configured more consistently.

  • The bakery can now accept staff arriving through the rear entrance.

  • The tray return area now holds more trays before becoming full.

  • The preparation guide now responds correctly when the game window changes size.

  • Food prepared after joining the server now appears correctly.

World
  • Customers now spread out more naturally around shop entrances.

  • Pedestrians and bakery staff now choose more reliable routes when leaving buildings.

  • Road materials and supporting assets have been reorganised for easier maintenance.

Fixed

27 changes
Bakery
  • Fixed bakery staff being unable to reach some work areas.

  • Fixed bakery staff losing their routes during daily routines.

  • Fixed trays failing to return correctly when the existing return area became full.

  • Fixed bakery uniforms appearing too dark or incorrectly lit on dedicated clients.

  • Fixed bakery staff movement animations not appearing correctly for remote players.

  • Fixed newly prepared food remaining invisible for some players.

World
  • Fixed pedestrians and bakery staff attempting to use invalid exit routes.

  • Fixed missing solid collision on the delivery van doors.

  • Fixed invalid ambient occlusion textures affecting several clothing materials.

Coffee Shack
  • Fixed orders from dedicated server clients not being accepted or acknowledged correctly.

  • Fixed the kiosk shutter closing during normal gameplay.

  • Fixed collected drinks being placed too close to the till.

  • Fixed the barista remaining static for remote players.

  • Fixed payment prompts and drink prices not using the selected language.

Supermarket
  • Fixed shoppers building up behind occupied checkouts.

  • Fixed missing customer baskets taking too long to be detected.

  • Fixed customers crowding shop entrances.

  • Fixed customers repeatedly attempting the same route home.

Casino
  • Fixed roulette balls appearing more than once on clients.

  • Fixed the roulette wheel being included in static casino geometry.

  • Fixed collision around roulette tables and restored the intended player barriers.

  • Fixed overlapping rails at the casino entrance.

  • Fixed incorrect cloth shading on the casino carpet.

Multiplayer
  • Fixed staff routines not appearing correctly for remote players.

  • Fixed workers remaining visible inside their homes when they were off duty.

  • Fixed employment information occasionally becoming stale when its values had not changed.

  • Fixed clothing store entrance doors not appearing correctly on dedicated clients.

Removed

5 changes
Player Needs
  • Hunger depletion has been temporarily disabled while its balance and gameplay purpose are reviewed.

  • The Hunger display has been hidden while Hunger depletion is disabled.

Development
  • Removed obsolete asset auditing, scene consolidation and release staging tools.

  • Removed completed internal performance reports and experiments that were no longer needed.

  • Removed stale terrain metadata left behind by older world assets.

Known Issues

4 changes
Player Needs
  • Hunger does not currently decrease and will remain hidden until the system is rebalanced.

  • Energy balance is still provisional and may change following playtesting.

Alpha
  • NPCs may still hesitate briefly in especially crowded entrances.

  • Players joining a busy server may briefly see staff or business objects update into their correct state.

Areas
78 changes in this update

Added

22 changes
  • Welcome to the first public alpha of Business as Usual. Build a life in Millbank, find work, earn money, look after yourself and make your apartment feel like home.

World
  • Explore the hand-crafted Millbank neighbourhood, filled with homes, shops, workplaces and public spaces.

  • Experience a shared 60-minute day and night cycle with changing weather, fog and lighting.

  • Meet residents and customers travelling between their homes and local businesses.

Employment
  • Use your phone to find vacancies and start entry-level work.

  • Work in the supermarket by replenishing shelves, unloading deliveries, serving customers and operating checkouts.

  • Work in the bakery by receiving ingredients, preparing products, cooking food and completing customer orders.

  • Take orders, prepare drinks and serve customers at the coffee shack.

  • Improve your skills and take on greater responsibilities by completing useful work.

  • Build up earnings while working and receive your wages when the job is finished.

Player Life
  • Return to the same persistent character, home, money, possessions and progress when rejoining a world.

  • Manage Hunger and Energy by eating food and sleeping at home.

  • Carry and organise personal items using a visual inventory grid.

  • Receive your own persistent starter apartment, along with the keys and access rights for it.

Housing
  • Browse and purchase furniture through the Home app on your phone.

  • Collect purchased furniture from the parcel stack inside your apartment.

  • Place, rotate, move and store furniture within your assigned home.

Casino
  • Play roulette, blackjack, mechanical slots and prestige slot machines.

  • Play three original arcade games called The Vault, Frostline Fishing and Skybound.

  • Share synchronized casino tables, chips, machines and seating with other players.

Multiplayer
  • Play on dedicated multiplayer servers with a shared, persistent world.

  • Experience businesses, stock, customers, doors, casino games, time and weather that remain synchronized for everyone.

Improved

21 changes
World
  • Millbank now includes more street furniture, lighting, crossings, dropped kerbs, gardens and environmental details.

  • The apartment block now has more detailed interiors, materials, furniture, windows, doors and shared spaces.

  • The supermarket, bakery, coffee shack, casino and clothing store interiors have received additional detail.

  • Shops, homes, streets and civic buildings now respond more naturally to the time of day.

  • Cloud edges have been softened and fog now blends more naturally into the sky.

  • The casino now has improved lighting, materials, carpets, uniforms and machine presentation.

  • The contractor yard now has more convincing machinery, materials and working lights.

Interface
  • The player HUD now presents your money, needs, current work, accrued wages, day and time more clearly.

  • The redesigned phone now includes dedicated Jobs and Home apps.

  • The inventory now displays native 3D previews of your items.

  • The HUD now shows useful reminders for opening the phone and inventory.

  • Checkout payment and action buttons are now larger and easier to understand.

Gameplay
  • Businesses now follow opening hours, closing routines and more believable staff behaviour.

  • Customers now move through shopping queues, doorways and local streets more reliably.

  • The bakery now has expanded staffing, office management, delivery, storage and production workflows.

  • Supermarket staff workflows, stock labels, product pictures and delivery handling have been improved.

  • Furniture placement is now more reliable and furniture can be rotated using the mouse wheel.

Performance
  • Level of detail models and distance based detail culling have been added throughout Millbank.

  • Static scenery has been consolidated and environmental textures have been optimized.

  • Staff, NPCs, appliances and distant displays now use less processing time.

  • Dedicated servers no longer load unnecessary visual assets and now provide clearer startup diagnostics.

Fixed

25 changes
World
  • Fixed pedestrians attempting to enter locked shops or inaccessible construction areas.

  • Fixed several kerb, road marking and junction alignment problems.

  • Fixed gaps, overlapping geometry and misplaced details around the apartment block.

  • Fixed street furniture, signs and lights obstructing doors, roads or parking spaces.

  • Fixed several exterior and civic lights failing to activate after dusk.

  • Fixed missing or inconsistent collision on doors, furniture and environmental props.

Multiplayer
  • Fixed cases where world saves or recovery data could become invalid.

  • Fixed reconnect issues affecting homes, money, needs, employment, inventory and furniture.

  • Fixed remote players being able to perform invalid or unauthorized actions.

  • Fixed some businesses and gameplay objects appearing in the wrong state for players who joined late.

  • Fixed several NPC interactions and movement states failing to synchronize correctly.

  • Fixed multiplayer state issues affecting casino tables, machines and seating.

Businesses
  • Fixed players and NPCs becoming trapped when businesses closed.

  • Fixed business entrances remaining locked during trading hours.

  • Fixed bakery staff abandoning active work during closing routines.

  • Fixed bakery workers losing their assigned targets or failing to reach upper shelves.

  • Fixed closing stock and empty trays not being returned correctly.

  • Fixed solo shop assistants being left without a stock worker.

  • Fixed customers blocking one another in doorways.

  • Fixed customers remaining inside the supermarket or bakery after closing.

  • Fixed the bakery work area light not responding to its kitchen switch.

Player Experience
  • Fixed Escape not consistently cancelling an action or returning to the previous screen.

  • Fixed the running animation not returning after leaving casino seating.

  • Fixed several cash, card and checkout state problems.

  • Fixed furniture purchases and ownership not working correctly on dedicated servers.

Known Issues

10 changes
Alpha
  • Performance may vary in the busiest parts of Millbank, particularly around detailed interiors and large groups of NPCs.

  • Wages, prices, needs and career progression are provisional and will continue to change during playtesting.

  • Some menus, prompts and controller interactions still need additional polish.

  • Brief visual or state differences may occur while a player joins a busy dedicated server.

  • NPCs may occasionally hesitate or take an unusual route around crowded doorways.

  • Some distant scenery, lighting transitions and environmental assets remain unfinished.

Not Yet Included
  • Personal vehicle ownership and driving are planned for a later release.

  • All playable businesses are currently owned and operated by NPCs.

  • Formal shifts, lateness and absence systems are not part of this alpha.

  • Renting, purchasing and owning multiple homes are not yet available.