Staff improvements
For starters, it'll be possible to level up your staff directly from the staff management window.
A single click and bam - levelled up!
By default you can continue to level up your staff via the message log as well. However, you can toggle this off and do all your levelling up in the staff window if you like. Very useful in big aquariums!
Next we have a balance change. Currently all staff skills start at 10 and increase 10 every time you level them up. This is simple and easy to understand but leads to a bit of a strange improvement graph. At level 2, they are twice as quick, then gain another 50% at level 3. From there on it's diminishing returns.
This has made the first couple of level-ups much more important than subsequent ones, which I think is a missed opportunity.
With the new update, skills will start at 15 and improve by 30% each level. This makes every single level up important.
In addition levelling all the way to 10 now rewards you with a base skill of 159 (+60% compared to current build). This should go some way to alleviating feeding bottlenecks in huge aquariums.
Salaries will adjust for the changes in skill, so it won't change the economic balance of the game.
Shoaling animations
This one has been on players' request list for a long time! Some animals will now form groups in the tank.
This is a purely aesthetic change. I'm really pleased with the variation it creates in the display. As an added bonus I've made animals with the 'wingman' tag follow a large animal in the tank, just like symbiotic pilotfish do in the wild!
Improved podium UI and balance
You will be able to schedule different talks on different days at a single podium thanks to its updated UI.
In addition I've tweaked the simulation/balance a bit: The more valuable the talk, the higher the skill required to give it. Any staff can attempt any talk but if they are not skilled they will take a lot longer to give the talk.
What's more, guests will get bored and wander off mid-talk, leading to less points. On the flip-side, skilled talkers will complete talks in less time while generating their full value.
Basic divider
Since the release of the Architect's Collection I've come to rely on dividers (half walls) to create soft divides in the aquarium. I've decided to make the basic divider part of the vanilla game while all the fancy ones still remain part of the Architect's Collection.
Skill level/task icon combined
The 'requires skill' icon will appear on top of the task icons, rather than separately. This small change makes it easy to grasp all the important info without looking in multiple places.
Passive mode
This is quite big news! Passive mode is a new sandbox preset which turns off care requirements and equipment breakdowns. You can build an aquarium almost like you're painting a picture. It's up to you whether you let guests in or if it's a private creation for your eyes only!Latin names
Ever wanted to pin down the exact species featured in the game? All official animals will have their latin name listed when you hover over their (i) icon.Range highlight
The range of an object will be highlighted by hovering over it e.g. Tanks, vending machines, seating, toilets, posters. This can be very helpful when planning your aquarium layout!
Believe it or not, there are still many more improvements I didn't get a chance to mention. Discover them all when the update goes live next week!
Until next time,
Tim Twice Circled