While it did take some time (*cough* over a decade) SAS is now nearly feature complete. Well, complete may not be the proper term, SAS will of course never reach true feature completeness (does any project?), but the features that we consider integral to our mission are mostly ready to go. There are a few left that need polishing, or an overhaul. I'll discuss them in this blog.
Business and Commerce
SAS features a strong emphasis on business and commerce, and real player-to-player interaction. One such example is how shops work. Shops, just like all other assets, are completely player operated. You don't just stand in a circle or enter a command to buy an item and magic happens, you actually walk up to a real shop employee and take your goods to the cashier who will help you with your purchase.
The basic tools that make this possible are finished, but some extended functionality still needs some additional love. Just one example being the ability to couple in-game systems together, like connecting the cash register to the fuel pumps so that the gas station employee can activate the fuel pump after the customer paid for gas.
Also the transportation of larger goods, like furniture, washing machines, TV's, you name it, needs some work to make it a great experience to use.
Housing
Our current housing resembles the traditional, old-school "walk up to a house and /buy" style system. There are a couple of reasons why this conflicts with our mission. Most importantly, it violates our "no magic" principle. Money is deducted from your wallet and *poof*... it disappears in thin air. No questions asked and no papers signed. It's how we used to do these sorts of things back in the 2010's.
Time for an overhaul. Our new housing system will be quite basic upon its introduction, but it will be in line with the goals and mission we've laid out for SAS.
Interior Design
Combining the previous two features together, you get furniture shops where you can buy interior items to decorate your beach resort! While this may seem like a non-critical feature at first glance, this allows for some profound and unique Role Playing opportunities that we strive for with SAS.
Banks
Playing a crucial role in maintaining and regulating a balanced economy, as well as providing ample Role Playing opportunities, we simply cannot operate without banks. Currently, we have no banking system at all. While for some a world without banks may seem like a blessing, it's one of those aspects for which we have great plans and ideas, which will be released in steps during the closed beta and after our official launch.
Weekly development blogs
That's it for this week's development update (this was the first development news being released... ever... but let's just pretend that I have been doing these posts for years now). We strive to make this a weekly ritual. See you next time!