Dog Sled Saga news & patch notes

http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/7296891/5388620d76666dcec222ebe2336441541cfc0246.png The version 1.0 update went up, and we're clicking the "Publish" button to leave Early Access right now! We'll be posting a proper changelog shortly (there's a lot...) and we hope you enjoy the new content. Thanks for playing Dog Sled Saga! dogsledsaga.com

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-7-header_x2.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

September is a huge month for us - we'll be in the Indie MEGABOOTH at Pax West Sept. 4th & 5th, and in the inaugural Google Indie Games Festival Sept. 24th! This is the seventh and final in a string updates themed around major changes to the game. On September 22nd, 2016, we're releasing the 1.0 version of Dog Sled Saga to Steam, Google Play, and the Apple App Store! http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/release-date-update-social-x2-1.png View this update on our website Previously: 5) Star & Support Update 5) Employee Update 4) Informed Decisions Update 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Changes

The release date is the big news, but this final update has got some tricks up its sleeve as well.

• New Options Menu
  • Added resolution selection
  • Gamepad remapping

• New save file system
  • Multiple save file switching
  • Steam Cloud Support

• Dog Petting Petting Favorite Thing type added (or you can just do it to be nice)http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/petting_x2-1.gif

• Music cycling in menus

• Software OpenGL rendering allowed May allow the game to run on certain problematic hardware

• Various polish and fixes

 

What's coming in 1.0?

Lots of new features are already completed for the full release, plus a few that are still coming together...

• Breeding Train your new teammates from the day they're born - influence their unique traits to be just what you need! http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-7-breeding-1.png

• New Scenes
  • Embarkment Lodge - the go-to tourist hub for Mount St. Something http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/screen3.png
  • Monument to Aurora - an age-old statue honoring the subject of Mount St. Something's favorite campfire story http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/monument-to-aurora.png

• Rival (and other story elements) Look out for this jerk on the trails... http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-7-rival.png]

 

The future

Version 1.0 won't be the last you'll hear of Dog Sled Saga! There are a number of ideas we had during our Kickstarter campaign that we would still like to develop as major post-release updates to the game.   We hope you're as excited as we are for the final release! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. -  Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-7-header_x2.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

September is a huge month for us - we'll be in the Indie MEGABOOTH at Pax West Sept. 4th & 5th, and in the inaugural Google Indie Games Festival Sept. 24th! This is the seventh and final in a string updates themed around major changes to the game. On September 22nd, 2016, we're releasing the 1.0 version of Dog Sled Saga to Steam, Google Play, and the Apple App Store! http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/release-date-update-social-x2-1.png View this update on our website Previously: 5) Star & Support Update 5) Employee Update 4) Informed Decisions Update 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Changes

The release date is the big news, but this final update has got some tricks up its sleeve as well.

• New Options Menu
  • Added resolution selection
  • Gamepad remapping

• New save file system
  • Multiple save file switching
  • Steam Cloud Support

• Dog Petting Petting Favorite Thing type added (or you can just do it to be nice)http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/petting_x2-1.gif

• Music cycling in menus

• Software OpenGL rendering allowed May allow the game to run on certain problematic hardware

• Various polish and fixes

 

What's coming in 1.0?

Lots of new features are already completed for the full release, plus a few that are still coming together...

• Breeding Train your new teammates from the day they're born - influence their unique traits to be just what you need! http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-7-breeding-1.png

• New Scenes
  • Embarkment Lodge - the go-to tourist hub for Mount St. Something http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/screen3.png
  • Monument to Aurora - an age-old statue honoring the subject of Mount St. Something's favorite campfire story http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/monument-to-aurora.png

• Rival (and other story elements) Look out for this jerk on the trails... http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-7-rival.png]

 

The future

Version 1.0 won't be the last you'll hear of Dog Sled Saga! There are a number of ideas we had during our Kickstarter campaign that we would still like to develop as major post-release updates to the game.   We hope you're as excited as we are for the final release! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. -  Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

We've decided to increase the base price of Dog Sled Saga to $9.99 USD on next Monday, August 29th around noon CST. Just two days after that, we'll have a big announcement. Read more about our reasoning in this thread, and please feel free to continue letting us know what you think there or in the comments here.

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-6-header-alt_x2-1.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the sixth of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 5) Employee Update 4) Informed Decisions Update 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Changes

We've always felt that some skills, especially those that provide a speed boost, overpower all of the other ones. We enacted a long-planned change to help bolster the other skills. Introducing Star & Support skill classes! Also introducing the German Shepherd breed!

• Skill Class
  • http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/dog-skill-star-icon_x3.png Star skills only apply to the dog whose skill triggers
    • Star skills include: Speed Boost, Competitive, Charge Up, Block Speed Drop
  • http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/dog-skill-support-icon_x3.png Support skills apply their effect to all dogs on the team for the duration of their dog's skill trigger
    • Support skills include: Light Eater, Good Catch, Tangle Free
• German Shepherd breed added http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/7296891/4e4f95aa5a992f840e10bb3b183f55564acedce8.gif

• Journal screen reworked
  • Unified Journal and Mentor screen with mode switching
  • Improve navigation UI
  • Added journal entries per dog breed
  • Fixed a few journal prompt triggers
  • Edited some journal entries and prompt
• Various other fixes and improvements

  This looks to be the last or second to last of these updates before the final release! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. -  Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-6-header-alt_x2-1.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the sixth of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 5) Employee Update 4) Informed Decisions Update 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Changes

We've always felt that some skills, especially those that provide a speed boost, overpower all of the other ones. We enacted a long-planned change to help bolster the other skills. Introducing Star & Support skill classes! Also introducing the German Shepherd breed!

• Skill Class
  • http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/dog-skill-star-icon_x3.png Star skills only apply to the dog whose skill triggers
    • Star skills include: Speed Boost, Competitive, Charge Up, Block Speed Drop
  • http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/dog-skill-support-icon_x3.png Support skills apply their effect to all dogs on the team for the duration of their dog's skill trigger
    • Support skills include: Light Eater, Good Catch, Tangle Free
• German Shepherd breed added http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/7296891/4e4f95aa5a992f840e10bb3b183f55564acedce8.gif

• Journal screen reworked
  • Unified Journal and Mentor screen with mode switching
  • Improve navigation UI
  • Added journal entries per dog breed
  • Fixed a few journal prompt triggers
  • Edited some journal entries and prompt
• Various other fixes and improvements

  This looks to be the last or second to last of these updates before the final release! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. -  Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-5-header_x2.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the fifth of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 4) Informed Decisions Update 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Changes

Ever feel like you can't keep all your growing kennel of dogs practiced and rested? Now you can hire one or two extra pairs of hands! Employees can let you multitask (or just regimen more dogs,) and some of them have perks to do tasks better than you can. You'll have to pay for employees on hire and with your monthly expenses. http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/employees.gif

• Employees
  • Can hire employees for additional regimen capacity
    • 1 employee slot after reaching League 3
    • 2 employee slots after reaching League 6
  • Employee perks increase Caretaking and Training effectiveness at additional monthly cost
    • Lvl 1 perks available in League 4 or higher
    • Lvl 2 perks available in League 5 or higher

  http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/employee-hire.gif  

• Behind the scenes - Preliminary Localization support
  • Reworked external strings
  • Partially removed existing hardcoded strings

• Various bug fixes and improvements

  http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/employee-regimen.gif This is a smaller update post than the past few, but we're excited to release a nice new management feature and cool employee art that's been queued up for a while! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. -  Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-5-header_x2.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the fifth of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 4) Informed Decisions Update 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Changes

Ever feel like you can't keep all your growing kennel of dogs practiced and rested? Now you can hire one or two extra pairs of hands! Employees can let you multitask (or just regimen more dogs,) and some of them have perks to do tasks better than you can. You'll have to pay for employees on hire and with your monthly expenses. http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/employees.gif

• Employees
  • Can hire employees for additional regimen capacity
    • 1 employee slot after reaching League 3
    • 2 employee slots after reaching League 6
  • Employee perks increase Caretaking and Training effectiveness at additional monthly cost
    • Lvl 1 perks available in League 4 or higher
    • Lvl 2 perks available in League 5 or higher

  http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/employee-hire.gif  

• Behind the scenes - Preliminary Localization support
  • Reworked external strings
  • Partially removed existing hardcoded strings

• Various bug fixes and improvements

  http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/employee-regimen.gif This is a smaller update post than the past few, but we're excited to release a nice new management feature and cool employee art that's been queued up for a while! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. -  Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/header-852-480-1.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the fourth of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Major changes

This update is all about giving you better information about your team before you make decisions, and after the consequences of your decisions have occurred. We don't want you to need to jump in and out of different menu screens to answer the questions you might have about your situation in the game.

• Kennel Screen menu flow
  • Fewer resets of kennel screen (when you leave and come back it will be as you left it)

• Pre-race screen changes
  • New topic boxes on dog columns
    • Group scrolling for easy comparison
    • Extra info popups upon clicking topic boxes
  • Access to full dog detail cards by clicking a dog's name
  • Swap in off-duty dogs by clicking the top of a dog card, instead of backing out of the screen
  • Improved polish and animations

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/pre-race_x2.gif  

• Post-race screen
  • Shows stat changes resulting from a race for each dog
  • Animations per dog followed by overview array

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/post-race_x2.gif  

• Skill triggering reworked
  • Fixed some mistakes in the skill system so they trigger at the intended frequency per skill level

• Lighting technical changes
  • Should improve loading times between some screens
  • Allows for real time lighting scheme changes (coming soon!)

• Improved loading times
  • Loading time at launch greatly reduced
  • Loading on lighting scheme changes reduced (see above)

• Minor bug fixes and improvements

    While this update is about improving and clarifying what's already in the game, the next ones are going to be more about new features. Keep an eye out! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. - Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/header-852-480-1.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the fourth of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 3) Sponsorship Update 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Major changes

This update is all about giving you better information about your team before you make decisions, and after the consequences of your decisions have occurred. We don't want you to need to jump in and out of different menu screens to answer the questions you might have about your situation in the game.

• Kennel Screen menu flow
  • Fewer resets of kennel screen (when you leave and come back it will be as you left it)

• Pre-race screen changes
  • New topic boxes on dog columns
    • Group scrolling for easy comparison
    • Extra info popups upon clicking topic boxes
  • Access to full dog detail cards by clicking a dog's name
  • Swap in off-duty dogs by clicking the top of a dog card, instead of backing out of the screen
  • Improved polish and animations

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/pre-race_x2.gif  

• Post-race screen
  • Shows stat changes resulting from a race for each dog
  • Animations per dog followed by overview array

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/post-race_x2.gif  

• Skill triggering reworked
  • Fixed some mistakes in the skill system so they trigger at the intended frequency per skill level

• Lighting technical changes
  • Should improve loading times between some screens
  • Allows for real time lighting scheme changes (coming soon!)

• Improved loading times
  • Loading time at launch greatly reduced
  • Loading on lighting scheme changes reduced (see above)

• Minor bug fixes and improvements

    While this update is about improving and clarifying what's already in the game, the next ones are going to be more about new features. Keep an eye out! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter, or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. - Dan and Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-3-header_x2.png  

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the third of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update  

Major changes

We've greatly changed the way sponsorships are offered to you and the rewards you'll get from them. Gone is the array of unceremonious, confusing checkboxes!

• Sponsorship offers
  • Any sponsor upgrades you had in an existing save will be removed in this update, but hang tight...
  • Sponsors may now approach you every 5 to 10 days to offer you a specific sponsorship upgrade according to the cumulative Fame level of your team.
  • Sponsorships come in 3 types: Standard, Major, and Exclusive. You have 3 slots for sponsorships, and the types take 1, 2, or 3 slots, respectively.
  • More fame will get you better upgrades as a lesser sponsorship type (fewer slots required).

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/sponsor-manage_x2.gif

• Sponsor upgrades
  • Effects:
    • Foodbag upgrade slot count reduced from 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 / 12 to 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 slots by level of upgrade.
    • Sled upgrade now reduces sled friction by 1 Snow Quality level per level of upgrade. Friction influence on acceleration/deceleration has been tweaked.
    • Rope upgrade now reduces the count of recent rope snags by 1 per level of upgrade, effectively delaying tangles by a snag.
    • Funding upgrade now reduces total monthly expenses by 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 %  by level of upgrade.
  • Visuals:
    • Unique sled body per Sled Upgrade level
    • Company logos for sledpack according to Funding Upgrade http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/sled-variety_x4.gif Various sled upgrades, funding logos, and sledpack colors!

• Fame
  • Fame no longer compounds based on existing fame level prior to a race
  • Fame level thresholds have been lowered
  • Some fame is granted to all dogs in a 1st place finish

• Color customization
  • Dog harness color, which was previously randomized at hire, is now customizable.
  • Sledpack color is also customizable http://i.giphy.com/3osxYchKZjwfdQKZ4A.gif

 

• UI updates
  • Revised notification system - notification instances (e.g. "Race Today" popup in the Kennel Screen) will not be repeated in a single play session
  • Fame level and breed added to dog cards
  • Other small tweaks

 

• Technical: New bundled Java runtime
  • The game will no longer prefer your installed JRE over the bundled one
  • Executable files changed on all platforms
  • Windows 64 bit users will now use a 64 bit JRE
  • Let us know if these changes affect your ability to play the game!

  Have fun trying to score the best sponsorship configuration for your team! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. - Lisa & Dan http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-3-header_x2.png  

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the third of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously: 2) Operating Cost Update 1) Dog Dynamics Update  

Major changes

We've greatly changed the way sponsorships are offered to you and the rewards you'll get from them. Gone is the array of unceremonious, confusing checkboxes!

• Sponsorship offers
  • Any sponsor upgrades you had in an existing save will be removed in this update, but hang tight...
  • Sponsors may now approach you every 5 to 10 days to offer you a specific sponsorship upgrade according to the cumulative Fame level of your team.
  • Sponsorships come in 3 types: Standard, Major, and Exclusive. You have 3 slots for sponsorships, and the types take 1, 2, or 3 slots, respectively.
  • More fame will get you better upgrades as a lesser sponsorship type (fewer slots required).

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/sponsor-manage_x2.gif

• Sponsor upgrades
  • Effects:
    • Foodbag upgrade slot count reduced from 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 / 12 to 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 slots by level of upgrade.
    • Sled upgrade now reduces sled friction by 1 Snow Quality level per level of upgrade. Friction influence on acceleration/deceleration has been tweaked.
    • Rope upgrade now reduces the count of recent rope snags by 1 per level of upgrade, effectively delaying tangles by a snag.
    • Funding upgrade now reduces total monthly expenses by 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 %  by level of upgrade.
  • Visuals:
    • Unique sled body per Sled Upgrade level
    • Company logos for sledpack according to Funding Upgrade http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/sled-variety_x4.gif Various sled upgrades, funding logos, and sledpack colors!

• Fame
  • Fame no longer compounds based on existing fame level prior to a race
  • Fame level thresholds have been lowered
  • Some fame is granted to all dogs in a 1st place finish

• Color customization
  • Dog harness color, which was previously randomized at hire, is now customizable.
  • Sledpack color is also customizable http://i.giphy.com/3osxYchKZjwfdQKZ4A.gif

 

• UI updates
  • Revised notification system - notification instances (e.g. "Race Today" popup in the Kennel Screen) will not be repeated in a single play session
  • Fame level and breed added to dog cards
  • Other small tweaks

 

• Technical: New bundled Java runtime
  • The game will no longer prefer your installed JRE over the bundled one
  • Executable files changed on all platforms
  • Windows 64 bit users will now use a 64 bit JRE
  • Let us know if these changes affect your ability to play the game!

  Have fun trying to score the best sponsorship configuration for your team! Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update. - Lisa & Dan http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-2-header-1.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the second of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously:

• 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Major changes

This update is all about changing the way money works in Dog Sled Saga, and making it so mushers must be more selective with the dogs on their team. Operating cost

• In addition to league dues, the Dog & Driver Association now charges a registration fee per dog on your team. You might need to make some cuts… The game will walk you through adapting to these changes. http://i.giphy.com/26FPAEHtLrZH3FeXS.gif

• If you take dogs off your team, you can rehire them in the future. Some of their progress will be lost, though.
• Also, you’ll need to build expansions on your kennel if you need more slots for dogs! A big one-time cost.

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/kennel-expasion-tarp_x1.png Regimen system

• Choose whether each dog will or won’t do the day’s task with you or get rest while idle in the kennel http://i.giphy.com/26FPpUy2Xt8ioPH4Q.gif

Better error handling

• We’re happy that Dog Sled Saga’s Early Access experience has been smooth for many of you, but game development gets inevitably messy sometimes - our game has been known to crash here and there with some of our builds! Now, instead of abruptly closing, you should get an error popup, and a crash report will automatically be sent to Dan, the programmer. This should take a few steps out of the troubleshooting process we’ve used up to this point.

Difficulty balance

• Fault chance has been altered/reduced for the various Happiness levels
• Skill chance has also been altered/reduced
• Skill level can no longer go beneath your skill cap minus one
• Hunger rate has been reduced for races with 4 and 5 dogs
• Fixed aptitudes showing before Specialty Lvl 1 is reached for dogs
• Costs adjusted to accommodate new expenses
• Overall difficulty curve reduction

Miscellaneous UI changes

• Dog delta popups occur at the beginning of the next day without blocking actions
• Dog delta popups for Skill Cap Up and Fatigue Capacity Up
• Major kennel screen overhaul!
• Tons more

We hope you like the new changes, and the next big update should be around the corner! -  Dan and Lisa

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/update-2-header-1.png

Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the second of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch. View this update on our website Previously:

• 1) Dog Dynamics Update

Major changes

This update is all about changing the way money works in Dog Sled Saga, and making it so mushers must be more selective with the dogs on their team. Operating cost

• In addition to league dues, the Dog & Driver Association now charges a registration fee per dog on your team. You might need to make some cuts… The game will walk you through adapting to these changes. http://i.giphy.com/26FPAEHtLrZH3FeXS.gif

• If you take dogs off your team, you can rehire them in the future. Some of their progress will be lost, though.
• Also, you’ll need to build expansions on your kennel if you need more slots for dogs! A big one-time cost.

http://www.dogsledsaga.com/news/assets/kennel-expasion-tarp_x1.png Regimen system

• Choose whether each dog will or won’t do the day’s task with you or get rest while idle in the kennel http://i.giphy.com/26FPpUy2Xt8ioPH4Q.gif

Better error handling

• We’re happy that Dog Sled Saga’s Early Access experience has been smooth for many of you, but game development gets inevitably messy sometimes - our game has been known to crash here and there with some of our builds! Now, instead of abruptly closing, you should get an error popup, and a crash report will automatically be sent to Dan, the programmer. This should take a few steps out of the troubleshooting process we’ve used up to this point.

Difficulty balance

• Fault chance has been altered/reduced for the various Happiness levels
• Skill chance has also been altered/reduced
• Skill level can no longer go beneath your skill cap minus one
• Hunger rate has been reduced for races with 4 and 5 dogs
• Fixed aptitudes showing before Specialty Lvl 1 is reached for dogs
• Costs adjusted to accommodate new expenses
• Overall difficulty curve reduction

Miscellaneous UI changes

• Dog delta popups occur at the beginning of the next day without blocking actions
• Dog delta popups for Skill Cap Up and Fatigue Capacity Up
• Major kennel screen overhaul!
• Tons more

We hope you like the new changes, and the next big update should be around the corner! -  Dan and Lisa

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/update-1-header_x2.gif

The road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0!

This is the first of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch.

Major changes

Dog dynamics overhaul

We've made some changes to the ups and downs that your dogs will experience over the course of their career. Many stats have been altered to make managing your team more challenging and interesting. Fatigue

• Dogs gain fatigue with each speed drop during a race
• Light fatigue wears off quickly with rest
• Deep fatigue gained if all light fatigue slots filled
• Deep fatigue lingers longer and affects dogs' happiness
• Fatigue capacity increases with perfect catches

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/fatigue.gif Happiness

• Stepwise only - no longer a sliding scale
• Neutral happiness is "good," with upward and downward modifiers
• Recent Favorite Thing gives happiness up
• Different amounts of deep fatigue give happiness down
• No more happiness cap mechanic

Skill

• Skill warm-up goes up and down rapidly
• Gives increased chance of Skill triggering during races
• Warm up by training on off-days leading up to races
• Training while at max warm-up will increase skill cap
• Resting reduces warmed-up status

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/skill-bar.gif

Off-day tasks

Instead of only waiting for the next race, you now must choose what to do with your dogs on off-days. http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/day-task-image-layout.png Currently, you may train or give care to as many of your dogs as you'd like per day. In a future update, you will be more limited, but you will be able to hire additional employees to help you...

Perfect catch changes

Perfectly timed catches are even more valuable now! Effects:

• Increased skill trigger chance in race
• Brief speed boost
• Progress towards increasing fatigue capacity
• Naturally makes your food supply go further

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/perfect-catch.gif

New dog breed - Samoyed

Another long-awaited sled-pulling dog added to the roster! Even fluffier than our Malamute, but with a smaller frame beneath the fur. Hire one for your team! http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/portrait-frame-samoyed_x3.png

Thank you!

We can't say enough thanks to our players for checking out Dog Sled Saga. Your support and feedback are what pull us along the trail towards release. The game will be progressing fast now. Many elements that had not yet met our hopes for the games quality are coming together great in our eyes, and we hope it's a more fun, compelling game for you, too. Thanks for sticking with us! - Dan & Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/update-1-header_x2.gif

The road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0!

This is the first of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch.

Major changes

Dog dynamics overhaul

We've made some changes to the ups and downs that your dogs will experience over the course of their career. Many stats have been altered to make managing your team more challenging and interesting. Fatigue

• Dogs gain fatigue with each speed drop during a race
• Light fatigue wears off quickly with rest
• Deep fatigue gained if all light fatigue slots filled
• Deep fatigue lingers longer and affects dogs' happiness
• Fatigue capacity increases with perfect catches

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/fatigue.gif Happiness

• Stepwise only - no longer a sliding scale
• Neutral happiness is "good," with upward and downward modifiers
• Recent Favorite Thing gives happiness up
• Different amounts of deep fatigue give happiness down
• No more happiness cap mechanic

Skill

• Skill warm-up goes up and down rapidly
• Gives increased chance of Skill triggering during races
• Warm up by training on off-days leading up to races
• Training while at max warm-up will increase skill cap
• Resting reduces warmed-up status

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/skill-bar.gif

Off-day tasks

Instead of only waiting for the next race, you now must choose what to do with your dogs on off-days. http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/day-task-image-layout.png Currently, you may train or give care to as many of your dogs as you'd like per day. In a future update, you will be more limited, but you will be able to hire additional employees to help you...

Perfect catch changes

Perfectly timed catches are even more valuable now! Effects:

• Increased skill trigger chance in race
• Brief speed boost
• Progress towards increasing fatigue capacity
• Naturally makes your food supply go further

http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/perfect-catch.gif

New dog breed - Samoyed

Another long-awaited sled-pulling dog added to the roster! Even fluffier than our Malamute, but with a smaller frame beneath the fur. Hire one for your team! http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/portrait-frame-samoyed_x3.png

Thank you!

We can't say enough thanks to our players for checking out Dog Sled Saga. Your support and feedback are what pull us along the trail towards release. The game will be progressing fast now. Many elements that had not yet met our hopes for the games quality are coming together great in our eyes, and we hope it's a more fun, compelling game for you, too. Thanks for sticking with us! - Dan & Lisa http://dogsledsaga.com/dog-dynamics-update/img/dan-and-lisa.png

If you've been unable to start the game

Give it another try - might just work now! Otherwise, please check your launch options and try the following:

• Right click Dog Sled Saga in your Steam Library and choose "Properties"
• In the "General" tab, click "Set Launch Options"
• Type "-w" (for windowed) OR "-b" (for borderless windowed fullscreen) and hit ok
• Close the window and try running the game

If the game has been crashing in the middle of races

I fixed an issue in the last build (long standing, now!) that will resolve that issue. It has been a long time since we updated, but the project is picking up steam again! I experienced a long period of burnout that led to a fun side-project (FireWhip for iOS and Android) but also, unfortunately, an unproductive couple of months. Back on the horse, now - lots of substantial updates queued up! Additionally, happy birthday to half of the Dog Sled Saga team - Lisa!

If you've been unable to start the game

Give it another try - might just work now! Otherwise, please check your launch options and try the following:

• Right click Dog Sled Saga in your Steam Library and choose "Properties"
• In the "General" tab, click "Set Launch Options"
• Type "-w" (for windowed) OR "-b" (for borderless windowed fullscreen) and hit ok
• Close the window and try running the game

If the game has been crashing in the middle of races

I fixed an issue in the last build (long standing, now!) that will resolve that issue. It has been a long time since we updated, but the project is picking up steam again! I experienced a long period of burnout that led to a fun side-project (FireWhip for iOS and Android) but also, unfortunately, an unproductive couple of months. Back on the horse, now - lots of substantial updates queued up! Additionally, happy birthday to half of the Dog Sled Saga team - Lisa!

If you've been unable to start the game

With the help of a very patient Dog Sled Saga player, I got a new lead on crash-on-start issues that some users have been experiencing. If you haven't been able to run the game, try this:

• Right click Dog Sled Saga in your Steam Library and choose "Properties"
• In the "General" tab, click "Set Launch Options"
• Type "-w" (for windowed) or "-b" (for borderless windowed fullscreen) and hit ok
• Close the window and try running the game

Unfortunately, borderless windowed fullscreen doesn't behave correctly on Mac. Please let me know if this fixes or fails to fix any issues you've been experiencing!

Changes

• Preliminary revision of Pre Race Screen
• Trees wiggle when hit with food
• Popup for end of race approaching
• Changed fullscreen sequence at launch

If you've been unable to start the game

With the help of a very patient Dog Sled Saga player, I got a new lead on crash-on-start issues that some users have been experiencing. If you haven't been able to run the game, try this:

• Right click Dog Sled Saga in your Steam Library and choose "Properties"
• In the "General" tab, click "Set Launch Options"
• Type "-w" (for windowed) or "-b" (for borderless windowed fullscreen) and hit ok
• Close the window and try running the game

Unfortunately, borderless windowed fullscreen doesn't behave correctly on Mac. Please let me know if this fixes or fails to fix any issues you've been experiencing!

Changes

• Preliminary revision of Pre Race Screen
• Trees wiggle when hit with food
• Popup for end of race approaching
• Changed fullscreen sequence at launch

Small but important update - the "Main class not found" error that some users were getting when launching the game should be fixed.

• Min JRE version set to 1.7.0 in Windows executable.
• Red outline rope animation on snag and tangle
• Drag arrows outline flash on drag command

The issue was that we recently had to remove JRE6 compatibility from Dog Sled Saga, but I forgot to tell our executable. The game comes with a bundled JRE which will be used as a fallback if you don't have a compatible JRE installed on your system. The executable will no longer erroneously see JRE6 as a satisfactory JRE.

Small but important update - the "Main class not found" error that some users were getting when launching the game should be fixed.

• Min JRE version set to 1.7.0 in Windows executable.
• Red outline rope animation on snag and tangle
• Drag arrows outline flash on drag command

The issue was that we recently had to remove JRE6 compatibility from Dog Sled Saga, but I forgot to tell our executable. The game comes with a bundled JRE which will be used as a fallback if you don't have a compatible JRE installed on your system. The executable will no longer erroneously see JRE6 as a satisfactory JRE.

We just got back from an incredibly great weekend in Boston at PAX East! Thanks to loads of new people checking out the game in the Indie MINIBOOTH. http://www.dogsledsaga.com/assets/paxE2015-kiosk-small.jpg Leading up to PAX, we put a lot of polish into parts of the game and made it clearer for new players. Changes:

• Skill and fault starburst animation
• New story screens at career start
• Improved tutorial
• Updated Dog & Driver Association Headquarters scene
• More screen transitions
• Improved music compression quality
• Position drift frequency nerf - takes greater influence from exhaustion rate
• Changed drift adjust arrow animation

We just got back from an incredibly great weekend in Boston at PAX East! Thanks to loads of new people checking out the game in the Indie MINIBOOTH. http://www.dogsledsaga.com/assets/paxE2015-kiosk-small.jpg Leading up to PAX, we put a lot of polish into parts of the game and made it clearer for new players. Changes:

• Skill and fault starburst animation
• New story screens at career start
• Improved tutorial
• Updated Dog & Driver Association Headquarters scene
• More screen transitions
• Improved music compression quality
• Position drift frequency nerf - takes greater influence from exhaustion rate
• Changed drift adjust arrow animation

Noticed how the Good Catch skill totally ruins dog positions? Well, it doesn't anymore! We also put in some fancy screens that were designed but didn't make the initial cut for Early Access. Enjoy this small content update! More to come very soon as we prepare the game for a certain showfloor early next month...

• Good Catch skill gives tug immunity to the target dog and the dog ahead for the duration of the lunge
• League Up screen
• Improved Musher Select screen

PS - crash on launch issues seem to have died down. It's very important to us that you let us know (on our Steam forums, or wherever) if you're still experiencing any, or if you did previously but no longer!

Noticed how the Good Catch skill totally ruins dog positions? Well, it doesn't anymore! We also put in some fancy screens that were designed but didn't make the initial cut for Early Access. Enjoy this small content update! More to come very soon as we prepare the game for a certain showfloor early next month...

• Good Catch skill gives tug immunity to the target dog and the dog ahead for the duration of the lunge
• League Up screen
• Improved Musher Select screen

PS - crash on launch issues seem to have died down. It's very important to us that you let us know (on our Steam forums, or wherever) if you're still experiencing any, or if you did previously but no longer!

There was another small technical update to Dog Sled Saga today - here are the changes:

• Windows - uses system JRE if available, bundled JRE as a fallback
• Mac - New executable and install script

Please let us know in this thread if you have success with this version and you've had issues previously. Dan is still experimenting with crash errors, and we depend on your feedback to know what'ts working. Once they're resolved, there's lots of new content queued up for him to put in place! Thanks for your patience and your help troubleshooting.

There was another small technical update to Dog Sled Saga today - here are the changes:

• Windows - uses system JRE if available, bundled JRE as a fallback
• Mac - New executable and install script

Please let us know in this thread if you have success with this version and you've had issues previously. Dan is still experimenting with crash errors, and we depend on your feedback to know what'ts working. Once they're resolved, there's lots of new content queued up for him to put in place! Thanks for your patience and your help troubleshooting.

There was a small technical update to Dog Sled Saga today - here are the changes:

• Updated libGDX framework, which has added some Nvidia Optimus related fixes
• Improved shader error logging and compatibility

If you've set up any workarounds to force a certain graphics device, please return everything to default settings. If this new build helps any of you with crashes on startup that you've experienced, let us know in this thread! We look forward to growing the game with some content-filled updates soon - happy new year and thanks for your support!