Hello, Store Owners!
Before releasing v0.1.2, I wanted to share what I’m currently working on and what you can expect from the next update.
I read your feedback very carefully, whether it comes through Steam, Discord, email, or elsewhere. Your ideas, criticism, suggestions, and bug reports are extremely important to me, and several of the changes below are being worked on directly because of the feedback I’ve received from you.
Please keep in mind that the things mentioned in these "What’s Next?" posts are not necessarily everything that will be included in the next update. These are simply the main areas I’m currently focusing on. Alongside them, I will continue fixing the bugs you report, working on smaller improvements, and reviewing your suggestions whenever possible before the update is released. Think of these posts as an early preview of the main things currently being worked on.
Stock App Overhaul
The Stock App is being completely reworked for v0.1.2.
With the updated app, you will be able to track your inventory in much more detail and clearly see the available stock both in your store and your warehouse.
You will also be able to quickly see which products are currently out of stock in your store and order those products directly from the app. The goal is to make stock management much faster, clearer, and easier as your store grows.
More Dynamic Customer Traffic
I’ve received a lot of feedback about the number of customers arriving each day, especially that the daily customer count can currently feel too similar from one day to another.
I’m changing this system for v0.1.2.
Customer traffic will become much more dynamic and will be influenced by multiple factors. As you expand, improve, and develop your store, I want you to actually feel the difference in the number of customers visiting your business.
Growing your store should feel meaningful, and increased customer traffic should be part of that progression. This system will continue to be developed and balanced based on your feedback.
Staff System Improvements
I also know that some of you have experienced frustrating or strange behavior with employees, especially Restockers and Unloaders.
For v0.1.2, I’m going back through these systems in detail rather than only fixing individual problems one by one.
I will be reviewing how Restockers and Unloaders make decisions, how they select and complete tasks, and how they react to different situations. I’ll also go through the systems carefully to identify potential edge cases, make the necessary changes, and run more detailed tests before releasing the update.
The goal is to make employees much more reliable and reduce frustrating situations where a worker behaves unexpectedly, gets confused, or fails to complete a task properly.
Why I’m Starting "What’s Next?" Posts
From now on, before major updates, I plan to publish a "What’s Next?" post like this one.
There is a simple reason for this. Sometimes you report a problem and I start working on it almost immediately, but unless I reply directly to you, there is no easy way for you to know that it is already being worked on.
From a player’s perspective, that can understandably make it look like an issue has been ignored or that nothing is being done about it, even while I may already be actively working on a solution behind the scenes.
I want these posts to make the development process more transparent. When you encounter an issue or see something that needs improvement, I want you to be able to look at these announcements and know: "The developer is aware of this, it is being worked on, and our feedback is being heard."
These posts are only meant to give you an early look at my main priorities. Development will continue beyond what is listed here, and your bug reports, suggestions, and feedback will continue to be reviewed and worked on alongside these larger changes.
I think this will also make it much easier for us to shape Home Store Simulator together throughout Early Access.
Thank you again for all of your feedback, bug reports, suggestions, and support. I’m reading what you write, taking notes, and continuing to improve the game step by step.
See you in v0.1.2!