Road to Dog Sled Saga 1.0

This is the third of several upcoming updates themed around major changes to the game. We've mapped out the rest of the game's development looking towards exiting Early Access and releasing our mobile versions. We'd love your feedback as we go! Keep your eyes open for the rest of the final stretch.

View this update on our website

Previously:
2) Operating Cost Update
1) Dog Dynamics Update

Major changes

We've greatly changed the way sponsorships are offered to you and the rewards you'll get from them. Gone is the array of unceremonious, confusing checkboxes!

• Sponsorship offers
  
  • Any sponsor upgrades you had in an existing save will be removed in this update, but hang tight...
    
  • Sponsors may now approach you every 5 to 10 days to offer you a specific sponsorship upgrade according to the cumulative Fame level of your team.
    
  • Sponsorships come in 3 types: Standard, Major, and Exclusive. You have 3 slots for sponsorships, and the types take 1, 2, or 3 slots, respectively.
  • More fame will get you better upgrades as a lesser sponsorship type (fewer slots required).
    

• Sponsor upgrades
  
  • Effects:
    
    • Foodbag upgrade slot count reduced from 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 / 12 to 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 slots by level of upgrade.
      
    • Sled upgrade now reduces sled friction by 1 Snow Quality level per level of upgrade. Friction influence on acceleration/deceleration has been tweaked.
      
    • Rope upgrade now reduces the count of recent rope snags by 1 per level of upgrade, effectively delaying tangles by a snag.
      
    • Funding upgrade now reduces total monthly expenses by 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 % by level of upgrade.
      
    
    
  • Visuals:
    
    • Unique sled body per Sled Upgrade level
      
    • Company logos for sledpack according to Funding Upgrade
      
      
      Various sled upgrades, funding logos, and sledpack colors!
      

• Fame
  
  • Fame no longer compounds based on existing fame level prior to a race
    
  • Fame level thresholds have been lowered
    
  • Some fame is granted to all dogs in a 1st place finish
    

• Color customization
  
  • Dog harness color, which was previously randomized at hire, is now customizable.
    
  • Sledpack color is also customizable
    
    

• UI updates
  
  • Revised notification system - notification instances (e.g. "Race Today" popup in the Kennel Screen) will not be repeated in a single play session
    
  • Fame level and breed added to dog cards
    
  • Other small tweaks
    

• Technical: New bundled Java runtime
  
  • The game will no longer prefer your installed JRE over the bundled one
    
  • Executable files changed on all platforms
    
  • Windows 64 bit users will now use a 64 bit JRE
    
  • Let us know if these changes affect your ability to play the game!
    

Have fun trying to score the best sponsorship configuration for your team!
Let us know in the comments, forums, Twitter or Facebook if you have any feedback on this update.

- Lisa & Dan