- Animation Studio Manager has been released! - 8 April 2022
Hello Animators - It's time! Animation Studio Manager is fully released and is launching with a week-long sale! Grow your Studio from making Short Webisodes to Award-Winning Feature Films where you can compete against your mentor-turned-nemesis, your Mother! She might not have any confidence in you, but I do! Prove her wrong, and I'll see you at the Awards Show. With a little luck and a corrupted Soul, maybe you can be the one to sweep the whole show and win all the Awards! Just don't go bankrupt and prove she was right all along! Updates: Players can no longer acquire the Early Bird (Early Access) designator on their Nametag since the game has transitioned out of Early Access. SaveGame files that are older than 2 weeks old (prior to build 78) will be deleted to ensure everything works with level 9 Final Perk & the level 10 endings. Minor text updates throughout.
- Animation Studio Manager Full Release on Friday - 5 April 2022
Hello Animators! In case you missed the level 10 update last week, the game is now content complete! Hurray!! Celebration! Today I updated the store page with a new trailer, screenshots and GIFs to make sure everything is up-to-date and accurate and ready to go for Friday's official launch. Minus any final balancing and polishing over the next few days, the full game is now done. Of course, if you don't want to wait for Friday, you can pick up the Early Access copy of the game now, which will be updated on Friday to the full version - the choice is yours! Good luck winning the Golden T-Pose Award Show!!
- Hot Fix - 5 April 2022
Fixed a glitch when you hover over "Catch a Break" during an active Perk where the text would repeat infinitely. Production Employee Award Upgrades at level 7 & 9 now take a day of training just like the level 5 training does. When you get a match in the Entourage Matching game, a Check Mark appears over the matching cards Fixed a glitch where at level 10 before the T-Pose Awards, when Mom says "Good Luck", the banner wasn't always updating to say "T-Pose Awards".
- Quick hotfix: - 2 April 2022
Quick hotfix: Fixed a layering issue on the Office Computer where Tic-Tac-Toe would layer incorrectly over other apps and block the button to close the Apps. Minor text/graphics clarifications Minor changes to Mom Level 1 tutorial for clarification "Pure"/"Corrupt" choice page is much more informative now. It shows your Current Corruption Level and the Final Level 9 Perk options are, so you know what you're going for. Added a photo of "You and Mom" in your office.
- Level 10! - 30 March 2022
Hello Animators! Level 10 is here! Minus any final balancing, bug fixing, polishing, this is the full game! Let me know in the Steam forums if you run across any issues, so I can fix them prior to the full release next month!! I hope you enjoy! Level 10 Mom has watched your performance as you've grown from a beginner to a competitor. She doesn't want this dance to continue, so she is ready to challenge you to an Award Show Brawl - whoever loses must quit! Once you accept her challenge, level 10 begins. Skip to Friday is disabled for Level 10 because mom wants you to suffer through her weekly sabotages! Each week, you'll get a Paparazzi update that explains this week's sabotage. You'll also be able to earn Bonus Award Points each week based on how well a particular Production Department is doing that week. Sabotages In addition to unleashing daily attacks of either P.R. Disasters, Hacker…
- Late-Game Balancing - 19 March 2022
Hello Animators - The game is nearly complete! Level 10 is on the test sever undergoing final balancing with Mom's Challenges and final 3 minigames before the final Award Ceremony! Additionally, I've done a graphics optimization and cleaned up a bunch of assets, so even with all the level 10 stuff I've added, the game is now nearly 2 GB smaller! I've done some late-game balancing and other fixes, listed here: Switched the new game starting month to April to reflect the new April final release date. Minor text/graphic fixes/clarifications Adjusted how the Inventory Rewards of Risky Business payout so it's more useful early on without going overboard in the late game. Did a complete overhaul of the Hint Popup system to prevent any issues if multiple hints try to pop up at the same time. Made the clickable region larger for upgrading each Entourage member. You can now click anywhere on the…
- Hot Fix for today's small update - 6 March 2022
Fixed a glitch where you would get locked in the level 8 Producer Tutorial if you didn't have enough Ads/Deals to initiate a Fan Convention.
- Small Update - 6 March 2022
There was a glitch that was crashing the game, so I am posting an update that fixes it. There are a few other little balances as well: Fixed an issue that would crash the game during the Paparazzi game if you played in Easy Mode, had both Writer upgrades, and waited until the timer ran out on a question. Clarified some wording throughout. 3 new Level 9 Achievements Fixed a glitch that prevented some of the Barista Extras & Sweeteners from being impacted by the Catch A Break Coffee Perk boost. Fan Convention - Ads/Deals were not being properly deducted when you used them for a Fan Convention. Added the character vocals (like when you click on a desk or office door) when you enter the Barista area, or when Chad pulls you into a Meeting. Extra Credit - Approvals have been reduced to match the previous adjustments that were made to balancing. Entourage Added some clarity about using your En…
- Quick Hot Fix - Level 8 Producer Tutorial - 26 February 2022
Fixed an issue with the Level 8 Producer Tutorial where you could launch the Fan Convention before Chad finished explaining it, which would result in the game hard-locking.
- Character Creator, Employee Entourage & Red Carpet Dash - 23 February 2022
Hello Animators! It's time for some exciting news: With this update, Levels 1-9 are complete (pending any final balancing)! Over the next few weeks, I will be heavily testing and balancing these levels as well as getting Level 10 on the test branch of the server for final testing. Because with Level 10 - where you'll face off against your Mom as she wages all-out War on your Animation Studio - the game will be complete! So, that's exciting and coming very soon! Okay, so let's dive into what's new with this update: New! Player Builder Now when you start a new game, you create your own Avatar before creating your Mom Avatar. Your Avatar appears on your OMBd page now instead of the silhouette. Your Avatar now is the one at the level 8 Awards minigame instead of the Animator. Your Avatar is also the one playing the new level 9 Awards minigame as well. Entourage You can now unlock the Entour…
- Small Update: Level 7-9 Balancing & Fan Convention Overhaul - 6 February 2022
Hello Animators, I've got a small balancing patch for you here! Small Fixes: Renamed the Blue Clipboard "Studio" instead of "Crew" to more accurate describe it. Ensure that Mom doesn't win the same Sub-Award twice in a row during the T-Pose Awards Balancing for Levels 7-9 Lowered the Instant and Royalty Payouts for the two big TV series. They were a bit OP after the last update. Increased the punishment for failing to win anything at an Awards Show. Added better indication that "Entourage" is coming in the next big update. Fan Rating starts to Decay in Level 8, based on the difficulty level and your Corruption You must create one of all three sizes of Fan Conventions (see next section) Fan Convention Revamp To start a Fan Convention, first you make a few selections. You choose size of the venue, the quality of the food and entertainment, how much you will spend on Ads & Deals and how ma…
- Major Update: Level 9! Rebalancing! Tutorials! - 31 January 2022
Hello Animators and welcome to the GREAT BIG UPDATE!! When Animation Studio Manager first entered Early Access a few months ago, I got lots of feedback from streamers and players. They liked the potential of the game, but it was rough. Over the last several months, I've been working hard to add tutorials, rebalancing and add lots of depth to the first 8 levels. Additionally, level 9's initial rollout has begun! There are a couple level 9 features that aren't finished yet and will be included in another update coming in a few weeks - in fact, I'll be releasing a "Road Map to Completion" next week! But for now, let's dive into the full list of updates: Level 9! Now when you finish level 8 and click on the To-Do list, it continues on to level 9! Mom pops up to note that you two are now rivals and enemies. Instead of choosing a normal Corruption Perk, you are given a final Perk based on you…
- Level 8 Awards Minigame and Office Computer Overhaul - 10 January 2022
Happy New Year, Animators! Today I have one more, big update to balance out the first 8 levels before I start getting into Level 9 in the next update! Office Computer Your Office computer is now more functional as a computer and has different Apps. These Apps include some features that were previously just in the office as well as some new ones. New App - Swag Bag This Allows you to use Ads and Deals to directly boost your Fan Rating and your Rotted Potatoes You can also use the big Fan Swag Bag if you are dealing with a Fan Demand, but in that case, you won't get the Fan Rating boost. New App - OMBd (Online Media Bulk Data) This keeps track of all the Media your Studio creates. Total Webisodes, TV Episodes, and Films Currently Airing TV Notable Media (finishing TV Seasons, and Award-Nominated Films) Revised as an App - Soul Perks Still unlock at level 3 as an App Some Soul Perk values…
- 50% Off - Steam Winter Sale - 22 December 2021
This year has flown by so fast! I've been working hard on improving the game and player experience, guided by current player's feedback, and I hope you enjoy all the changes and story immersion! Here are some of the recent updates: Story / Tutorial / Pacing Create your Mother character, a big-shot industry Producer, who initially act as your guide but will turn to your nemesis if you start to succeed. Level 1 is now a proper Tutorial, with your Mom guiding you so you don't embarrass her. She walks you through your first hires, creating some Media, and upgrading your Studio. The tutorial is also much quicker and can be completed within about 5-10 minutes - in early playthroughs, the first few levels lasted way too long! She also guides you through levels 2-3 but does so from a distance and gives you more freedom. Mom then sends her Executive and Producer friends to help guide beyond that…
- Executive & Corporate Update - 20 December 2021
Hello and Happy Holidays! This update focuses on balancing and updating Corporate as well as clarifying a few points! More Character Immersion New Year When the New Year rolls around, either your Mom (levels 1-4) will pop up and use your Studio as a charity tax write-off, or Chad (levels 5+) will awkwardly tell you Happy New Year before telling you to get back to work! Executive Tutorial Since the Executive is a friend of mom's you get the first one for free (just like the producer). She also instructs you on two topics: At Level 4 you can start to make Full TV Seasons At level 6 you unlock your first Add-Ons Producer Tutorial The Producer now instructs you on three topics if you're having trouble: At Level 5+, the first time your Corporate Issues get above 25%, the producer pulls you into a quick meeting to make sure you notice. This replaces a previous Pop-Up At level 6+, you can star…
- Glitches, Balancing, XP and Quality of Life - 2 December 2021
Welcome Studio Managers! Let's dive into this update! We have some glitch fixes, some balancing, some new XP options, and some quality-of-life changes. Level 1 Tutorial Adjustments Did some minor changes to the Level 1 Mom Tutorial. Added Alerts/Employee Sickness to the tutorial. This helps motivate why you're learning how to earn XP for upgrades…to prevent sickness like this! Added a few more "Finger of Mom" pointing for a few items for clarity. Ambient noise now pauses when Mom pauses the during the Tutorial. When you begin level 2, Mom still pays for that first Friday - but now Text Message Alert pops up from Mom, reminding you that she is not paying for next week. She tells you to look at the Budget Board so you can be ready for what you will owe the following Payday. (This also removes the "sickness" Hint that would previously pop up with your first sickness.) Awards Show Tutorial…
- Autumn Sale! 50% Off - 24 November 2021
The Steam Autumn Sale is here, and Animation Studio Manager is 50% off, so this is the perfect time to start running your Animation Studio! What's new recently? Sound Effects, Production Employee Bays, Corruption Decisions, Mom's Tutorial and lots of balancing! Early Game Based on player-feedback, recent updates have heavily rebalanced the first 5 levels which are ready and waiting for you! Level 1 is now a tutorial. You create your Mom - your guide and nemesis through the game - who takes you on a quick tour of how to get started with the Animation Studio she bought for you, since she's pretty sure you're going to fail. This tutorial quickly gets you through the basics, including your first decision on whether to take advantage of your Employees and become Corrupt, or stay Pure and challenge yourself and your Happy Employees to a harder climb to win awards. Mom checks in on you through…
- Sound Effects & Early Game rebalance - 24 November 2021
Sound Effects Turn up the volume because the Sound Effects are here! When you make a cup of Coffee you can hear the caffeine and when you fire an Employee, they boo at you...just like in real life. In addition to sounds for when you click on things, buy, sell, etc...each room has an ambient noise so the noisy Coffee Room sounds different than the busy Production Room or your quiet Office. Payday notification and other Alerts make sounds when they pop up as well to make sure they are noticed and not missed! Music and Sound Effect volume can be controlled separately. Hopefully this all adds a level of immersion into the game as it responds to you audibly as well as visually now! Shout out to Gina Bonacquisti who did the vocals along with me! Early Game Balancing The last few updates have introduced the Mom Tutorial in level 1 and heavily rebalanced the first 4 levels dramatically. The fir…
- Builds 43/44 Quick Fixes / Quality of Life - 12 November 2021
Hello - I hope you are all well! Build 43 Hot Fix: When entering the build for the first time, the main menu wouldn't load after the "What's New" Screen. Build 44: Game Breaking: Hint Popups- Fixed a glitch that could make the Hint Popups freeze under certain circumstances. Quality of Life: Pausing The Fan Matching Minigame now pauses the game while you're matching. This prevents pop-ups or problems from interfering with the Matching is happening. The Giant fading Pause button now only appears when you manually pause - not when the game is force-paused for instructions - although the small pause button at the bottom is greyed out during the instructions. Employee Bays You can now close the Employee Bay if you want to keep the File up, but don't want to see the Bay. If you Open a clipboard, the Bay will automatically close, instead of shutting down the entire Employee File, and if you op…
- Story Update & Early Game Rebalancing - 6 November 2021
Happy weekend! There's lots of fun stuff in this update, so let's unpack it. Note - because there are so many changes to the early game, for the first time I am wiping Game-Saves. This won't impact achievements or anything, just any current games in progress. I have avoided doing this and have been able to implement new changes so far without losing save games, but at this point there have been so many changes, I felt it was better to start fresh! The Storyline The storyline of the game has been present, but fairly minimal so far - your Mother is a big-shot Producer and you are following in her footsteps...but she has no confidence in you. This update takes you a lot deeper in that story Mom Creator / Tutorial The Mom intro has been revamped and she is no longer a shadowy figure. When you start a new game, you also get to design your Mom and name her. She is your Guide and Nemesis throu…
