Greetings, 👋

This week, we’d explore the worker 🧑‍💼 and vehicle 🚚 management aspects of the game’s redesign. You’d also get to see the latest version of the pricing user interface. 💰

While many players easily caught on to the different aspects of worker management in the initial design, some missed important values nested within the tooltips.💬 Some of such values include the impact of training 🏫 and salary 💵 on worker performance.

We’ve now improved the worker management view to show more important data. 🔢

Now, insights like the effects of training and salary on the worker’s performance are prominently displayed, facilitating more informed decision-making. 🤓

An interesting modification for worker management is the fact that training is now researchable, allowing for enhanced resource allocation decisions. 🤔

Vehicle Management 🚚

Another gameplay aspect where a number of players struggled during the playtest was with stand movement within and across localities.

To improve the experience, we introduced the vehicle management section into the new design. The upgrade ⬆️, movement, and sell stand functions are now grouped into one section.

While we were at it, we redesigned the stand movement function too. Here’s how the wireframe currently looks:

Now, whether it’s relocating your stand within a locality or branching out to a new one, the move is clearer and easier to complete.

And that’s not all. Due to popular request, we’ve also added the function to move your stand directly from the environment by clicking on an empty stand spot.

Finally, as promised, here’s how the pricing UI will look when all its core features are unlocked. 👀

For those who aren’t fans of the slider, you’ll also be able to set prices by typing your desired figures directly into the price bubble.

Pretty neat, right? 😊

As always, we are eager to read your contributions and get your feedback on these changes. You can share your thoughts by replying to this email 📧 or joining us on Discord. 👍

And that’s a wrap for today. Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team

Greetings, 👋

As mentioned at the end of our last episode 📰, this week, we’re unveiling a significant update in the product management process – a revamped ordering section 🛒.

But before we get into that, we’re excited 😊 to present a sneak peek of a nearly finalized UI version. Harmoniously integrated with fleshed out components to enhance your experience.

Taadaaa! 🎉🎉🎊🎊

While there might be minor tweaks with testing 🧪, the above broadly represents the final look and feel of the UI.

Moving on to this week’s update – the ordering section.

Ordering 🛒

This section has undergone a transformation to facilitate a smoother and more intuitive gameplay experience 🕹️.

Apart from separating inventory and ordering management, here’s a breakdown of the standout improvements:

• Explicit Quantity Indicators: Determining the exact quantity of ingredients needed has never been more straightforward 📏. We relocated quantity details from within tooltips to more prominent positions to avoid oversight and facilitate informed decision-making 🧠.
• Distinct Ordering Button: In the previous version, replenishing your inventory required you to start a new day 🌅. Now, we’ve separated the ‘Order’ function from the ‘Start Day’ button, enabling a more logical and intuitive end to your ordering process.

• Researchable Inventory Calculator: As the intricacy of your business grows 💹, you’ll find the inventory calculator indispensable. Newly incorporated as a researchable item 🔬, it automates the purchase orders based on your planned burger production, significantly reducing the time spent on manual calculations ⏱️.
• Storage Capacity Indicator Cues: This improved feature now employs visual cues to display the current storage utilization and the anticipated storage space the forthcoming order will occupy 📦. The goal is to make it even easier to manage your orders adeptly.A distinctive red highlight alerts you to potential overstock 🚨, with detailed insights accessible via a simple hover over the different sections of the indicator 🖱️.

We hope these enhancements will equip you with the tools to grow and master your burger empire more efficiently, balancing creativity 🎨 and strategy ♟️.

As always, we are eager to read your contributions and get your feedback on these changes. You can share your thoughts by replying to this email 📧 or joining us on discord. 👍

And that’s a wrap for today, Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team

Greetings, 👋

This week, we’d be going over the latest updates to the Product Management aspect of the game. During the playtests, we noticed that navigating the product management process turned out to be trickier than we’d anticipated for players. 🤔

Most players seemed comfortable crafting basic recipes 🍔, but many couldn’t predict how those changes would affect next-day inventory. 📦

As a result, players frequently ran out of stock sooner than expected, ⚠️ particularly if they’d adjusted their recipe just before the day started. ▶️

The latest design aims to iron out these wrinkles by giving you more of the info you need right where you need it. 🎯

Product Management Overview 📋

The first thing we did was to rethink the product management process flow. Initially, we had three management screens—one for your recipe and pricing, another for burger inventory and ordering, and a third for drinks inventory and ordering. 📋

This flow made it easier to overlook essential connections 🔗, like the one between the recipe and the remaining stock. 🍔📦

So, what’s changed? We’ve revamped the product management process to feature four distinct sections:

• Recipe 📜
• Prices 💵
• Inventory 📦
• Market 🛒

Recipe Management 📜

The recipe section now has a nifty little feature: it shows exactly how many burgers you can make based on the amount of each ingredient used 🍔🧮.

Change the amount of an ingredient? You’ll see the burger count update in real time. 😍

Also, we added a save and load recipe feature 💾 so you can easily switch between different recipes depending on your strategy 🔄.

Pricing 💲

For pricing, we introduced purchase probability insights 📊 to help you fine-tune your pricing strategy and appeal to different customers 👥.

Previously, players could only see the impact of pricing changes on their sales after the day started 🌅.

With the addition of the purchase probability section, you’ll see an estimated purchase probability for each customer segment based directly on your food’s pricing 🏷️.

Inventory management 📦
The inventory section is where we’ve rolled out some of the most comprehensive changes yet 🔄. In the previous version:

• We had separate screens for normal and cold storage 🌡️, split between burger and drink inventory. 🍔🥤
• Players could not see which ingredient was eating up their storage space 🤷‍♂️, making stock optimization and profit maximization challenging.😤
• Product expiry dates had been removed to keep things uncomplicated. 🗓️

In the latest design, normal and cold storage are united in a single view 👀. The ingredients are sorted based on their preservation needs ❄️🌡️.

Cold storage ❄️ extends the shelf life of your patties and cheese.🍔🧀 If you don’t own cold storage, your patties and cheese will simply go into normal storage 📦, but keep an eye on them; their expiration dates will come up sooner. ⏳

Also, we’ve jazzed up the storage bars with a splash of color 🌈. Now, they are color-coded to instantly show you which ingredients are gobbling up the most space.

This visual cue will hopefully help you optimize storage and make better decisions when reordering supplies. In our next update, we’d show you what we’ve done with the market section.🛒

We hope you’d love it! 💝

As always, we are eager to read your contributions and get your feedback on these changes. You can share your thoughts by replying to this email 📧 or joining us on discord. 👍

And that’s a wrap for today, Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team

Greetings, 👋

Our last newsletter presented two new wireframe sketches for the game. Each with its unique appeal – one detailed and player-centric, the other minimalist yet dynamic.

We’ve now crafted a blend that captures the best of both designs. As Henry Ford aptly said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.“

A Glimpse at the New! 🤩

We focused on improving your gameplay by decluttering the interface and prioritizing interaction and decision-making.

Some immediately apparent changes from the previous UI 🔄:

1. Environment Shift: After careful analysis, we’ve shifted it to the right to achieve more natural eye movement and smoother navigation.
2. Icons Get Labeled: Icons are great, but labels are better because they provide clarity. No more guessing games – you’ll now know exactly where each icon will lead you.
3. Tabs Galore: We’ve transitioned from mere buttons to horizontal tabs for main action items and vertical ones for sub-actions. Tabs help improve data presentation and usability while ensuring everything’s within a few clicks’ reach.
4. Nested Data: We get it; information overload is a real thing. By nesting data like population and weather information within dropdown buttons, you get to see only information you absolutely need, decluttering the User Interface.

Wireframing the Research View 🔬

Research is the backbone of many strategy games, and in this episode, we talked about why we added it to Business Heroes.

The current design is a comprehensive research tree with 3 tiers and 7 tantalizing research paths that cover various operations and business management functions:

• Customers: Provides customer segment access and insights.
• Menu: Contains all you need to perfect your recipes.
• Money: Everything related to financial strategy.
• Promotion & Forecasting: For predicting and planning, the two Ps of success.
• Supplies & Storage: Your stock management improvement path.
• Stands & Speeds: For better vehicles and speed.
• Team & Queue Control: Workforce management path for maximum output.

How does it work? 🤔 Well, you can choose to research one item in each research path per turn. A turn is one night and day cycle. Items in Tier 1 unlock after 1 turn, Tier 2 after two, and Tier 3 after three. Your research choices can now set the tone for your business’s trajectory.

From Breaking News to Boost and Bust 📰

The game’s events mechanic has also evolved. Recall that the Events Mechanic is our way of infusing the game with unexpected twists and turns, often inspired by surreal news headlines.

Players experienced a mix of ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ events, dictated by randomly generated numbers and chosen news channels, spanning five impact levels. You can catch up on how the previous mechanic worked here.

While the old mechanic had its charm, we recognized the need for a mechanic that infuses more strategic considerations into your gameplay. With this in mind, we’ve transitioned to the “Boost and Bust” system.

This system gives players more agency, allowing them to align their event experiences with their risk appetite.

Here’s how the three news channels now work:

• Free Option: Outputs a random Level 1 or 2 event, designed for those who prefer minimal risk with low returns.
• Moderate Price Option: Outputs a random Level 3 event, offering medium risks with medium rewards. This option is designed for players who like to keep things exciting yet under control.
• High Price Option: Designed for the Go big or go home, high stakes lover, this option outputs a random level 4 or 5 event. It promises potentially grand rewards but at a greater risk.

Achievements and Icons 🎖️

For all you achievement hunters, we’ve also started designing the in-game achievements and their icons. Here’s a preview of some of them:

We currently have over 95 in-game achievements on the list, and it’s only going to get bigger.

Suggest Achievement Ideas 💡

We’d love to include your ideas, especially for Hidden Achievements. Here are a few things to remember as you brainstorm:

Reflect on achievements you’d love as a player.

The best suggestions will be creative yet easy to implement.

Ready to bring your innovative suggestions to the table? Contribute your ideas under the ‘Suggestion Header’ on this sheet. ✍️

As always, we are eager to read your contributions and get your feedback. 😉

And that’s a wrap for today, Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team

Greetings, 👋

Today, we are exploring two distinct wireframe versions we’ve designed for the game’s new User Interface (UI). Everything’s still a work in progress, but we’d love your thoughts on these wireframes and couldn’t wait to share them with you.

Version 1

The first version employs a detailed yet intuitive home screen, showcasing the primary action sections and the environment in a fixed view. With tab-like functionality and a mix of new and existing features, the design focuses on user-friendliness.

Navigation and Gameplay 🗺️

The primary tabs for actions, research, finances, marketing, etc., reside on the left. These tabs automatically adjust to accommodate new functions as more technologies are unlocked.

The operating income, date, and game controls are at the bottom.

The Action tab contains all stand management functions. It improves readability with better information grouping and a straightforward panel design that offers a user-friendly approach to handling game actions.

The city view on the right displays the Map and weather data at the top, and the feedback and activity notifications at the bottom.

A map button houses all the localities within an expandable arrow, making it easy to navigate localities from the locality view. Exclamation icons indicate stands and localities requiring action.

The activity notifications and news buttons expand into the environment on click.

From the personalized name card at the top left to thoughtful navigation cues, this version presents a player-centred approach that supports an engaging and intuitive gaming experience.

Version 2

The second version utilizes a minimalist approach with a larger environment view. It focuses on essential navigation elements that guide players into the heart of the game.

Navigation and Gameplay 🗺️

The primary actions at the left corner provide access to the stand management view, research tree, dashboards, forecasts, finances, etc.

More buttons will appear on the left side as technologies are unlocked.

The primary action buttons dynamically expand on click to reveal panels containing various functions and data.

The environment view collapses into a minimized display on clicking any primary action while maintaining the city and district navigation buttons on the right.

Stand shortcut buttons appear upon hovering on each district, making it easy to jump between stands.

The bottom right hosts the gameplay controls, integrated calendar, feedback notifications, and news. The feedback notifications are displayed as an expandable panel, providing real-time customer feedback updates.

The bottom left holds the operating income and feedback summary information, which is also expandable on click.

This version provides essential information from population details to alert notifications without overwhelming players. It also replaces the large population matrix with numerical representation to save space.

Challenges

Both wireframes offer unique perspectives, with the first focusing on user-friendliness while the second explores minimalist design with dynamic functionalities.

Our challenges include balancing simplicity with detail and ensuring accessibility for visually impaired players.

The questions we are tackling:

• How can we improve navigation without sacrificing detail?
• How can we improve the UI to cater to dynamic font sizes for visually impaired players?

Your insights, opinions, and ideas are crucial to the final design. You can tell us what you think by responding to this email.

As always, we are eager to hear your feedback. 😉

And that’s a wrap for today, Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team

 

Greetings, 👋

There’s no denying that User Experience (UX) plays a huge role in video gaming. But when it comes to PC strategy games, its importance skyrockets 🚀 to a whole new level!

Why so?

Because strategy games demand a fascinating mix of careful planning, insightful decision-making, and a deep understanding of intricate game mechanics.

A well-crafted UX is the only way to turn this complex dance into an engaging challenge, making the experience of victory even more satisfying. 🏆

That’s why we decided to overhaul the game’s UX after noticing it was a pain point for alpha testers.

Our goal was simple but difficult:

Design a UX that welcomes all skill levels, combining intuitive design with the depth and complexity loved by expert players.

Our task was to present ample information and diverse functions clearly, while guiding players through complexity without overwhelming them. 🤯

Formulating UX Design Principles💭

Our first step was to establish a set of UX design principles. Inspired by all the invaluable feedback we received from players 💪, we brainstormed 🧠 four cardinal principles to guide our current and future design efforts. Here’s a summarized version of the principles:

• Enriched Engagement: Foster player agency and optimal interaction by providing comprehensive data for informed decision-making, and an intuitive, predictable interface.
• Immersive Feedback & Aesthetics: Use pleasing audio-visual elements with immediate, clear feedback mechanism to create a deeply resonant and immersive player experience.
• Seamless Performance & Navigation: Ensure a stable gaming experience across diverse platforms, with intuitive navigation and quick load times to maximize playtime.
• Universal Inclusivity & Community: Make the game universally enjoyable with a focus on cultural sensitivity, accessibility, and diverse gameplay styles to cater to varied demographics.

You can see the list of questions in HD here.

Ranking Game Mechanics ⚙️

The game 🎮 spans a wide range of player skill levels. Hence, reviewing all game mechanics was crucial to understand their impact across the various skill levels.

We began this process by listing all the game’s mechanics and collectively ranking 🔢 them to achieve a smooth progression curve. 📈

Here’s a cross section of some of the mechanics along with how different team members ranked them.

On aggregate, we ranked mechanics like basic recipe changes, inventory cost, stand range effects, pricing, etc., for beginner players.

More complex mechanics like Expiry, perfect recipes, service speed, employee absence, branding, and so on were ranked for intermediate to advanced players.

User Flow Analysis and Review ↙️⬇️↘️

A vital part of our redesign process was the user flow analysis. We analyzed how players navigated through the game, pinpointing 📍 areas where they struggled and areas they found most engaging.

Our goal was to identify opportunities for improvement and eliminate potential roadblocks in the user journey. The analysis helped us uncover parts of the game where players could potentially experience confusion or frustration.

One key 🗝️ revelation was that the decision-making process for new players was often overwhelming.

To counter this, we streamlined the game’s initial stages and minimized the number of choices to encourage a smoother learning curve.

Player Progression Paths 🐾

The insights from our User Flow Analysis became a foundation for developing player progression paths for new and expert players.

The main challenge we faced here was to balance complexity with accessibility. We wanted to ensure that the game was easy to pick up for beginners yet offered depth and complexity for our more seasoned players.

As we considered the needs of both beginners and expert players, we posed critical questions at each stage, such as:

• How can we ensure beginners easily grasp the game mechanics while providing room for strategic depth that expert players crave?
• How can we design the early game stages to be engaging and rewarding while keeping it challenging and intriguing for experienced players?
• How can we implement an adaptive difficulty system that responds to the player’s skill level, ensuring an optimal challenge for all players?

In trying to answer these questions, we stumbled upon the idea of a Technology Tree.

Conceptualizing the Technology Tree 🎄

Hongjing, our lead developer, was the one who recommended the Technology Tree as a solution to balance ⚖️ the complexity and accessibility of the game.

It presents a clear progression path to players while letting them strategize their advancement according to their play style and preferences. It also significantly streamlines the presentation of information in such a way that beginner players are not overwhelmed.

Drawing inspiration from the research trees in games like Civilization VI and Oxygen Not Included, we adapted the concept for Business Heroes.

You can see the live Tree on Miro.

We settled on a design that had a logical flow and offered meaningful choices to the players. Players can now choose to specialize in various aspects of their food truck business, like customer service, Sales & Forecasting, Finance, and more.

It’s an ongoing Journey ✈️

Redesigning the UX for Business Heroes is a journey full of creative problem-solving and a relentless focus on our players’ experience.

We invite you to explore our Technology Tree and, as always, we’re eager to hear your feedback. 😉

We hope you’ll enjoy this new dimension of strategy in the game as we continue to make Business Heroes a game that is truly tailored for and loved by you and all our players.

And that’s a wrap for today, Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team

Greetings, 👋

Welcome to today’s burger-flipping episode! 🍔 We are exploring how capitalism takes center stage in Business Heroes. While it’s easy to start, the game quickly transforms into an intricate capitalist playground.

To triumph, you’ll need to get into your customers’ heads, gauge market conditions, efficiently manage resources, and make shrewd business decisions. So, if you are ready to dive headfirst into your virtual wealth, let’s go!

Customer Segment Analysis 👥

Capitalism thrives on diversity, and so does Business Heroes! Different groups within the game have their own preferences for burgers and stand appeal.

Aligning your offerings with these preferences—akin to real-world market segmentation—improves customer satisfaction, boosts sales, and keeps your virtual business trucking on. 🚚💨.

Pricing Decisions 💰

The game’s pricing strategy mimics real-life capitalist markets. It’s all about finding that sweet spot—price too high and you’ll scare off customers; too low and you risk profit margins. Nailing the right pricing is a crucial aspect of any thriving business.

Product-Market Fit 🍔

Discovering the perfect recipe for your target market? That’s your product-market fit, a crucial success element in capitalist economies. You can tweak your recipe based on customer feedback and create a perfect burger for each customer group.

A perfect burger for each segment means a reputation boost and a growing customer base—every capitalist venture’s dream!

Cashflow Management 💼

You can think of this as a crash course in capitalist financial discipline. 📚 You must monitor your inflow and outflow of money, making crucial decisions about inventory purchases, marketing, employee training, and stand upgrades.

It’s a taste of managing a real business where too much or too little spending could lead to bankruptcy…and introduce you to Baine.😲

Financial Analysis 📊

The financial reports serve as a treasure trove of insights. They allow you to gauge your business’s performance, spot trends, identify areas of improvement, and make data-driven decisions—all of which are the heartbeat of any capitalist enterprise.

Risk and Rewards 🎲

As in real-life capitalism, not all factors are under your control in Business Heroes. The game introduces an exciting blend of events that could be good, bad, or just plain hilarious. 😄

Each event lasts 1 to 10 days, presenting opportunities to either embrace calculated risks for potential gains or reduce spending to avoid losses.

The Events system brings a thrilling uncertainty to the game, ensuring that every playthrough is unique in your virtual food truck business. 🎢🚚

GDP Impact 💹

The GDP element adds a layer of realism to the game’s economic simulation—the game’s economy ebbs and flows, influencing customer behaviors and spending habits.

In economic upturns, you’ll see a larger outdoor population ready to make purchases. In downturns, these numbers shrink. As a savvy entrepreneur, you will need to navigate these economic rollercoasters, adapt your strategies, and keep sales up. 🎢🌐

It’s All Connected 🖇️

Every strategic choice—be it pricing, product fit, or financial decisions—forms an intricate web of interconnectedness, echoing the complexities of capitalist systems. A change in your recipe can cascade through your pricing strategy, operating costs, and target customer segment.

Mastering this interplay, and adapting to market dynamics and unexpected events, is crucial for your food truck’s success. 🚚🏆🎉

And that’s a wrap for today, Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team

Greetings, 👋

It’s great to catch up again! 😉Today, we are taking a deeper look at how Inventory management works. Inventory management is a crucial tool in securing the success of your food truck business.

Effective inventory control enhances operations and positively impacts your financial results. 🎯 Accurately predicting and meeting the demand for burgers 🍔 and drinks 🍹 is a must-have skill for every player seeking success.

The Recipe and Inventory Connection 🔗

Your recipe determines the minimum inventory you need to stock. A recipe rich in lettuce, for instance, requires a larger lettuce stockpile than usual. 🥗

Also, when testing a new recipe, it’s essential to have ample ingredients. A swift inventory check before the start of the day helps prevent stock shortages.

Understanding Demand⛅🌧️

Various in-game elements can assist you in forecasting demand trends. Weather is significant – sunny days draw more customers outdoors, while rainy days mean less customers coming out.

The economic situation also influences the outdoor population size. Many or fewer customers are willing to come out and spend depending on if the economy is in a growth phase or a downturn.

You can read more about how the economy impacts population size here.

Take note of events such as outdoor activities or national celebrations. They can increase your customer base and during these periods, ramping up your inventory can significantly boost profits and enhance your food truck’s reputation. 🚚🌟

Your stand’s location also matters – some spots naturally draw more foot traffic. 📍 Apply these insights to adjust your inventory and witness a noticeable improvement in your food truck’s efficiency and profitability.

Striking a Balance with Financial Insights

Identifying the ideal stock level is key to your business’s performance. Overstocking may seem like a smart move, but it ties up resources that could be used in other areas, like marketing or upgrades. Conversely, understocking may lead to missed sales, affecting your revenue.

Reviewing financial reports provides valuable data on sales figures and cost of goods sold (COGS). These insights are crucial in spotting trends and achieving the optimal inventory level.

Real-world Business Strategies 💼🎮

We’ve aimed to reflect real-world business strategies within the gameplay. For instance, balancing between overstocking and understocking is a real-world issue food trucks encounter when trying to boost profitability.

Also, just like real businesses, the game requires demand forecasting by considering sales data, weather, and location to determine daily stock levels.

By integrating these elements into Business Heroes, we’ve crafted a simulation that echoes the strategic thinking required in real-life businesses, optimizing operations and maximizing profits. 🌟

And that’s a wrap for today, Cheers 🥂

Don’t forget to Wishlist the game if you haven’t!

Live Long and Prosper 👋,
Kunal & Team