Hello everyone! 👋

I'm excited to share with you the latest update for Mall Craze - version 0.2.6. While it might not seem like a big deal upfront, this update is actually pretty significant for the game's future, thanks to some important background work that's been done.

Let's dive into what this update includes and what I'm talking about!

The main focus of this update is seating. Previously, there were benches in the game, but customers couldn't actually sit on them. The good news is, if you already have benches in your mall, customers can now use them without you needing to do anything extra.

Additionally, there are 6 new benches being added into the game. Some of these are even modular, which means you can get really creative with them. I'll talk more about that later.

Up until now, the interactions between customers and objects have been pretty basic. It was mostly just "Go somewhere -> Look at it -> Go somewhere else." But to introduce more complex shop types and objects, the game needed a more dynamic system.

That's where the Activity Slot system comes in, allowing for better communication and interaction between customers and objects. That is the exact thing that I've been working on for the past couple of weeks, and benches are just the first objects that utilize this system. In the future, this exact (or slightly modified) system will be used for objects such as vending machines, trash cans, info maps, or in shop classes such as fast foods or services. It'll even come into play for staff activities.

In Mall Craze, building philosophy for most objects is simple: you can build things however you want, as long as it doesn't directly block people's movement (customers can usually navigate through spaces that are at least 40cm / 16 inches wide). It was important to me to keep this philosophy true even as more complicated object interactions are added into the game. Let's take a look at what I mean by this in action:

The bench shown above has 3 seating slots accessible from both sides. If one side is blocked by an object like a wall, instead of preventing you from building the bench altogether, you can still build it. However, people will only use the unblocked side of the bench, just like they would in a real mall.

To extend the previous example, let's say we block 2 of the remaining slots as well. Even in this case, you can still build the bench, and people will still be able to use at least the one available spot.

The key advantage of this system is that it offers much greater flexibility for creativity and combinations than would be possible without it.


When placed alone, this tabouret can be approached from all four sides. When placed next to other tabourets in a creative way, in can still be used.

Similar to the example above, this tabouret can also be placed next to other benches or sofas in various ways.

This bench made of pallets can be decorated in many different ways.

Here's a small gif of customers moving to their seats:


As the number of objects grew, it became increasingly difficult to find exactly what you needed.
To address this, I've implemented an object category system to better organize things in the build menu.

Thank you everyone for your support, and I will see you in the next update!
- Milan, developer

• Customers can now sit on benches.
  
• 6 new benches added.
  
• Build object categories added to Mall build menu.
  
• AI avoidance and navigation slightly improved.
  
• Notifications are now shown at the end of Marketing Campaigns and Bank Loans.

• Fixed: Customers are still trying to use the escalator after it's been deleted.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1223530/