Welcome to the Idol Manager beta!
over 5 years ago – Tue, Nov 20, 2018 at 09:49:47 PM

Today, Idol Manager officially enters beta!

If you were already in the alpha program, head over to your Steam library to find the latest update. If you were one of the people who pre-ordered for beta access via Backerkit, you should have already received an email with your access key and instructions for how to enroll.  If you're not currently part of the beta program, you can buy the game now on itch.io to join!

Beta participants are welcome to join us in the beta testers forum to report bugs, provide feedback, and share ideas and suggestions for features or improvements.  (The alpha testers forum will remain open for alpha participants who would like to continue providing feedback there.)

Here's a list of what's been added to the game with the launch of the beta:

New features:

New Content:

• Story intro has been added.
• 3 new random events have been added. Random events have social media reactions. The in-game social media feed gives a glimpse into how different fan demographics are responding to your decisions
  
• 3 new music tracks (and a bunch of new sound effects) have been added

New System: Loans

When you have a negative cash balance, the game no longer allows you to perform activities that require spending money, like build rooms, release physical singles, and hire new people. (Passive spending from salaries for staff/idols and building maintenance can cause your balance to become negative, and will still continue to be paid even if you have a negative cash balance.) Spending 30 days with a negative cash balance will result in an automatic "game over."

If you need to spend money you don't have, you can take out a loan. To borrow money, click on "loans" in the producer's context menu. Outstanding loans (owing more money than your current cash balance) doesn't count as having a negative cash balance.

You can borrow money from Fujimoto or the bank. The interest rate on loans from Fujimoto is 0%, but come with an assigned task, like producing a single in a specific genre, or getting a photoshoot in a specific magazine. You can't take out a new loan with Fujimoto until you finish the task for the previous loan.

The amount you are able to borrow depends on your group's fame level. Applying to receive a loan from the bank requires the producer (player character) to spend 1 week developing an application. If you need cash for an immediate emergency and don't have time to develop an application, you can accept a loan with more predatory terms.

New System: Policies

The policies is introduced and explained in a story segment that triggers after you hire a business manager and a dance staffer. After viewing this story event, you can make changes to your policies from the policies tab.

New System: Pushes

You can select up to 3 idols to get "pushed."

Pushed idols are more likely to receive business proposals, and they get more fame from singles and shows. The group as a whole will still receive the same number of business proposals and total fame points, which means that the pushed idol receiving more business proposals and fame points result in fewer proposals and fame points for the rest of the idols in the group.

Pushing an idol will improve your relationship with her, but other idols might get resentful if they feel the push is unfair and undeserved.

New Event Type: Concerts

Unlock concerts by releasing 5 singles.

Concerts are an event with a 1 month cooldown.  For details on how concerts work, read the description in the events tab and the tooltips that pop up when creating a concert.

Improvements

• Options menu allows you to set sound/music volume and toggle "Run in background"
  
• You can give nicknames to yourself and staffers
  
• Staffer buttons now show what they're working on
  
• Idol tooltip shows what they're currently doing
  
• Right-clicking on a staffer portrait will cycle the staffer tooltip
  
• In story sequences, hovering the cursor over a staffer or idol's name will show their tooltip
  
• Singles and other media that are in development now have a tooltip that shows their genre, marketing strategy, etc.
  
• After producing an audition, you can right-click to cancel it (useful if, for example, you don't have enough money to launch it.)
  
• "Tasks" widget added (used for tasks you're assigned when receiving a loan from Fujimoto)
  
• You can't drag-and-drop staffers if they're already assigned to a room. (Prevents staffers from being removed from their assigned task if you accidentally clicked the wrong one.) Remove them from their existing assignment to allow them to be placed into a new room.
  
• "Fans" tooltip in the bottom bar now shows their opinion points explicitly
  
• Salary satisfaction now affects your relationship with idols whose fame level is >1. Idols' satisfaction with their current salary level is shown in their tooltip. You can set a policy for idol salaries to update automatically to meet a certain satisfaction level.
  

Bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where clicking on a staffer portrait while they were training an idol caused the interface to stop responding
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would freeze after recruiting an idol with the "thick skin" trait during her introduction

Idol Manger beta starts in 3 days, last chance to order physical rewards!
over 5 years ago – Sun, Nov 18, 2018 at 01:52:00 AM

Last month, we rolled out our third (and final) alpha update, and on November 20 we'll finally be moving into beta, allowing those who pre-ordered the beta through Backerkit to join us as we continue to add and test new features of the game.

November 20 is also when we'll be locking down Backerkit pre-orders, which means that if you still want to order the physical edition or physical artbook (or the "design an event" and "design a substory" options), this is your last chance to get your order in! If you'd like to check on the status of your Backerkit survey or an existingpreorder, you can do so here.

A quick preview of what's coming in the beta:

As we transition from alpha to beta, our focus shifts from simply testing out gameplay systems to starting with a "new player" experience, beginning with a series of story events that more closely reflect the experience of starting a new game.

One of the story events introduces the new "policies" system.  The beta also includes other new features and systems, including concerts (a new event type), more new random events, and an in-game's social media system that allows you to see fan reactions to your group's activities.  We'll have a more detailed rundown of everything that's changing when we roll out the update on Tuesday!

We'll also be including numerous quality-of-life changes and interface improvements, along with bug fixes for issues that were reported during the most recent alpha, and several systems that have been reworked or rebalanced.

The beta will continue to be available for purchase after November 20 via itch.io.

FAQ:

I'm an alpha participant. What does this mean for me?

If you backed the game for the $25 reward tier or higher during the Kickstarter and received alpha access, you don't need to do anything! You're already set to receive the beta update automatically, and you'll continue to receive updates to the Idol Manager pre-release build that is already in your Steam library.

I pre-ordered the beta. How do I get access to the beta?

Once your credit card is charged on November 20, you'll receive an email containing instructions on how to download and install the beta via itch.io. If you pre-ordered the Steam version of the game, you'll receive a Steam key for the full game once the beta is over and the full game is released.

I have a question about my Backerkit pre-order or Kickstarter rewards.

If you'd like to review your Backerkit pre-order or the survey you filled out as a Kickstarter backer, you can check the status of that here. You're free to make additions to your pre-order until November 20, and if you're paying with a credit card, your card will not be charged until pre-orders are locked down on November 20. For questions specifically related to Backerkit pre-orders, see the Backerkit FAQ, or use the contact form at the bottom of the page.

If you need to make modifications to your Backerkit survey after November 20 (for example, if you pre-ordered physical rewards and need to change your shipping address), contact us using the Contact form on Backerkit.

What's the status of the "design an event" and "design a substory" rewards?

Once we've locked down pre-orders for these items on November 20, we'll begin working with backers who selected these rewards and begin developing these events and substories. If you're one of those backers, expect to receive an email with more details after we've officially launched the beta!

Final alpha build (now featuring Mac support!)
over 5 years ago – Thu, Oct 04, 2018 at 09:12:47 PM

For alpha backers, we just pushed out an update which you can download now.

This will be the final alpha update -- with our next update (coming early November), we'll be moving into beta, which means that all Backerkit beta backers will be invited to help us test the game at that time.

We'll also be locking down Backerkit pre-orders when we enter beta, which means that this month is also the last chance for you to order additional rewards through Backerkit -- if you missed out on the Kickstarter but still wanted to pre-order physical rewards or the "design an event" or "design a substory" items, make sure to get your order in before we lock down Backerkit pre-orders!

If you haven't already done so, be sure to complete your Backer survey on Backerkit so we can collect all of the information we'll need to deliver your Kickstarter rewards.

When we move into beta, Kickstarter alpha backers will continue to receive updates through Steam. People who ordered the beta through Backerkit will be able to download the beta through itch.io, with Steam keys being given out upon the game's release to those who pre-ordered the Steam version. (The beta will also continue to be available for purchase through itch.io until release, even after we lock down pre-orders for physical rewards and the "design an event" rewards on Backerkit.)

New features in the latest alpha:

Mac support: Mac users can now download the alpha through Steam. One of the purposes of the alpha is for us to get testing feedback so that all versions of the game run well, so if you're a Mac user, your feedback is especially helpful during the testing period -- if you encounter any bugs or other issues, please drop by the forum to let us know!

Traits: Each idol now has a different "trait," a defining aspect of her personality that will have impact on certain parts of gameplay.

Introductions: Idols will stop by your office when recruited, and deliver a brief message introducing themselves

Special event added: World tour. Plan a tour of multiple countries with a 3-month cooldown. Save on production costs by touring multiple countries in the same geographic area, and unlock new venues depending on how well-attended your events are.

UI and performance improvements:

• Support for 16:10 resolutions
  
• Lots of big and small optimizations that should result in better framerates
  
• Click right mouse button to close or open the side tab
  
• Click middle mouse button or press Tab to open the next side tab
  
• Press Esc to close the side tab, or open settings if no tabs are open
  
• See tips on rooms when moving anything with drag-and-drop
  
• Singles, shows and special events in production now display a checklist of tasks you need to complete
  
• Increased the size/visibility of the "back" button in the research tab
  
• "Sort" and "View" (normal or minimized) options for Idols and Staff tabs
  
• Clicking on a staffer in the Staff tab shows their context menu
  
• Minimized staffer icons also display clickable actions when ready - audition, business proposal
  
• Added "Remove from room" and "Fire" to staffer context menu
  
• Clicking staffers no longer removes them from the room they are in. Clicking on the portrait cancels the task they are currently doing.
  
• Changed stamina from "%" to "pt"
  
• Added more info to idol tooltips, e.g. amount of stamina points they use on business proposals and shows
  
• When hovering minimized idol button: click right mouse button to display the other tooltip
  
• Idols tab shows tip on how to do auditions if you don't have any idols

Gameplay:

• Changed the way single formation stats are calculated from a weighted average to a weighted sum. Using formations with many idols is now more beneficial.
  
• Idols' stats start to deteriorate after they reach their peak age (the peak age is assigned randomly from 16 to 25)
  
• Staffers can only train idols' stats up to their current "coaching" level
  
• Changed revenue per physical CD sale to ¥500 and digital sale to ¥200
  
• Nerfed the amount of fame points you get from the first episode of a new show

Bugfixes:

• Fixed: you could sometimes release a single with no idols
  
• Fixed: if a demographic really hated your single they could buy a negative number of CDs
  
• Fixed broken transparency on some face sprites
  

Alpha update 2
over 5 years ago – Thu, Aug 30, 2018 at 01:28:09 AM

Hey, folks! It's been a little over a month since the initial alpha release. Our goal for the alpha was to allow our backers to participate in the process of playtesting the game and giving us feedback, so thanks to the many of you who have already downloaded the alpha and been active in the forums -- we read everything posted there, and we'll continue listening to your feedback as the alpha continues.

We've just rolled out a new version of the alpha -- if you've already enrolled in the alpha on Steam, you should have received this update automatically. (If you're eligible for the alpha but still haven't claimed your key and activated it on Steam, check the email you you should have received back in July, and contact our team directly you're having trouble locating your key.)

Also, to clarify our sharing policy: our request to our backers is that you please do NOT stream or share recorded videos of the game while the game is in alpha. We appreciate the enthusiasm from those of you who have expressed interest in streaming and sharing the game, but we'd like to add more features and content to the game before we fully unveil it to broader audience outside of our alpha backers.  Once the game moves out of alpha and into beta, we'll allow streaming and video sharing. In the meantime, if you're itching to share your experiences with the Idol Manager alpha, you can feel free to publicly share screenshots of your gameplay.

Features new to Alpha 2: 

Miscellaneous:

• Produce three different types of shows: radio, TV, and internet shows
• "Salaries" listing: click player's room and select "salaries" to view everyone's salaries in one handy pop-up
• Quick-access "details" widget that shows some gameplay info and can be used to execute and level up daily activities without needing to open the activities 

Reworked research system:

• Staffers will automatically collect research points when they're not busy with anything else 
• Spend research points in the research tab (click and hold on an item to unlock it if you have enough points)
  

Relationship system (current implementation is basic, but we'll be greatly expanding it in future updates):

• Idols that are put on a show will improve their relationship every episode that they spend together 
• Putting idols together in the same row of a formation will improve their relationship 
• Placing an idol at the center of the formation may worsen her relationship with other idols if they feel she doesn't deserve it 

Room updates:

• New room: "break room."  Each break room restores 5% of physical stamina for 5 idols with the lowest physical stamina every day. (If you have two break rooms, 5% stamina will be restored to 10 idols, three break rooms will restore 5% stamina for 15 idols, etc.)
• Idols will automatically move to the break room to hang out. Right now there are three break room animations, with lots more animations planned to be added in future updates. Animations may reflect parts idols' status and give a hint of things like how their relationships are going.
  
• Also added teasers for rooms planned to be added in future updates

Technical improvements and other changes: 

• 60 fps cap
• Keyboard shortcut: press "M" to toggle mute on music and ambient sounds
• Idols restore 1% physical stamina and 0.5% mental stamina every day
• "Spa treatment" activity restores 10% of physical stamina for 5 idols with the lowest physical stamina. The cost scales based on your current fame level.
• Tooltips show up on disabled buttons (for example, you can now always see tooltips on daily activities, even if they're not currently available)
• Daily activities are now manually leveled up by clicking on the "level up" button 
• Producing a single starts with inputting a title for the single first. Buttons for other options will activate once a title is entered.
• The bottom bar now displays the full amount of fans and money you have 
• Animations pause when the game is paused
• Audition animations are now faster
• You can now skip animations when releasing a single or a show
• Changes to business proposal logic (some "behind the scenes" changes that affect how the game chooses business proposals for the player
• Tooltips in the research tab now show how parameters will change after the upgrade
• Fans will now eventually "forget" old opinion changes
• Replaced "Handshake event" with "Group Handshake Event" and "Individual Handshake Event".
• "Group Handshake Event" - provides static bonus for hardcore fans; every idol participating spends 20% stamina.
• "Individual Handshake Event" - Bonus depends on the number of idols you have. Every idol participating spends 50% stamina. 
• Added "Bikini PV" marketing option

Bug fixes: 

• Fixed: Mouse wheel scroll being absurdly slow
• Fixed: Mouse wheel scroll not working when hovering a button
• Fixed: salaries not getting saved
• Fixed: staffers get bugged when the game was saved during developing a business proposal or audition
• Fixed: bug that occurred for players who accumulated more than 2147483647 yen
• Tooltips should no longer overflow the bottom of the screen
  

As always, be sure to pop in the group forums to let us know what you think, especially if you encounter any bugs or unexpected behavior from the game so that we know what needs fixing!

Idol Manager is now ready for alpha testing!
almost 6 years ago – Wed, Jul 18, 2018 at 12:50:27 AM

The wait for the alpha is over! If you're a Kickstarter in one of the eligible reward tiers ("Intern" level or higher), you should have already received your alpha key. We'll be conducting the game's alpha testing through Steam. If you backed the game with the intent of receiving a DRM-free copy of the game, don't worry -- you'll still be able to receive the game via itch.io upon release.

If you're an alpha backer, be sure to check the email you received.  In addition to delivering your Steam key, the email also includes instructions on how to join the Steam group for the Idol Manager alpha -- the Steam forum forum/discussion page is where we'll be looking to collect user feedback during the alpha. Remember to submit your Steam URL using the Google form included in the email AND visit the Steam page group and click the "Request to join" button! (It's important that you click the "request to join" button on the Steam page to get in -- Steam won't let us send you an invite unless you've requested to join.) We have to approve Steam group invitations manually, so you may have to wait half a day for your invite to be approved.

Our goal for the alpha is to allow backers to participate in testing by giving us feedback, including information about any bugs they encounter, so if you encounter anything weird, be sure to post in the Steam group forum to let us know. We've already posted info on the Steam group forum about some of the debugging tools ("cheats") that are included in the alpha, and the keyboard shortcuts you can use to trigger them, and we'll be using the Steam forum to keep track of known issues as they crop up.

Current alpha features:

The main goal of our first alpha build is to catch major bugs and performance issues; right now there is no tutorial and no structured campaign. The current alpha will allow you to get a feel for the game's UI and experiment with some basic features.

• Build rooms (4 types) and hire staffers  
• Daily activities (promotions to get fans, performance to get money, and spa treatment to restore stamina)  
• Auditions  
• Train idols  
• Research  
• Business Proposals (4 types)  
• Produce singles  
• 1 substory  
• 1 random event  

Right now, we're looking to catch big bugs or problems with how the game runs -- please be sure to let us know if the game works poorly or you encounter any performance issues.

We're constantly tweaking and changing values for things like how much certain items cost, how long they take, and so on. Once we get to beta, we'll start fine-tuning the game's balance, but for the time being, we're not looking for feedback on balance-related issues.

Likewise, certain things (like the list of genres and choreography) are incomplete in the current alpha build. We'll let you know in future builds when these things are in a state where we're ready to request feedback on the specifics, but for now we're just looking to identify bugs and performance issues.

Planned features for the next month's update:  

• Produce media (TV shows, etc)
• Research system will be reworked 
• More options for rooms and staffers
• Relationship system: idols can have relationships with other idols

Future update plans:

Over the coming months, we'll be adding content to the game, and right now we expect alpha updates to come once a month. There won't be much in the way of story content until the game's 1.0 release.

We don't have an exact date for the game's beta release (which will include everyone who was eligible for the alpha, in addition to any people who backed to participate in the beta via Backerkit), but we expect the beta release to happen around October.

If you're having any problems downloading the alpha build or joining the Steam group, be sure to reach out and let us know and we'll be happy to assist!