Barfender Halloween Update: Dishwashers, Handcart & a Spooky Carnival!

Hello Everyone!

The nights are getting darker, the pumpkins are out, and something strange has set up shop in the neighbourhood...

Our Halloween Update is here! It isn't just a spooky makeover, though. It also brings two of your most requested features: the Dishwasher and the Handcart. On top of that, there's a whole Halloween carnival to explore, new furniture and a big round of fixes.

Let's take a look!

Dishwashers Are Here!

You asked for it more than anything else, so we moved it up. No more spending half your shift at the sink!

• Load your dirty dishes into a dishwasher one by one, or drop a whole tray in at once, then start it with a press.
• Look at a running dishwasher to see its progress. When the cycle ends, the door pops open and your dishes are sparkling clean.
• Your waiters use dishwashers too! They'll load an idle dishwasher before heading to the sink.
• Four models to choose from: the trusty Old Dishwasher, the Faster Dishwasher 3000, the Bigger Dishwasher 3000 and the top-of-the-line Dishwasher Ultra 7000. Upgrade as your bar grows!

The Handcart

Moving stock one box at a time is over.

• Every bar now has its own Handcart, waiting next to the backyard delivery zone. Existing saves get one too!
• Stack your delivery boxes onto the cart, then push the whole load inside in one trip.
• Boxes are packed neatly onto the cart and stay put while you push it around.

You Asked for Weapons...

Weapons have been one of your most requested features since launch. You asked, and we delivered: weapons are finally in Barfender!

...Toy ones. With foam darts. For shooting ducks.

• Grab the toy gun at the carnival's Shoot the Duck booth and show those ducks who runs this neighbourhood.
• Pay the entry fee, hit as many ducks as you can before time runs out, and get paid for every hit. The more you hit, the more each one pays!
• Land a big enough score and you'll take home the exclusive Dracula Duck!

Hussein and his brothers can relax... for now.

Halloween Has Arrived

• The neighbourhood is dressed for Halloween: pumpkins, candles, cobwebs, spooky lights and decorations all around the streets, the bar and even the main menu.
• Customers are in costume! Around 40% of your guests now show up wearing Halloween masks.
• A new Twerk emote, because why not.

The Halloween Carnival

A carnival has popped up in the neighbourhood, with games, prizes and one very mysterious lady.

• Madame Zora, the Fortune Teller: visit her and she'll read your bar's fortune. Whatever the cards say will come true, today or tomorrow. It might be a king's tip, a sudden crowd or a bar that cleans itself... or a power cut, an early visit from Hussein, or every guest getting sick on your floor. Sweet or bitter? Even she can't tell.
• Mystery Box: some fortunes leave a mystery box in your bar. Open it and you might find goodies to serve... or it might go KABOOM.
• Shoot the Duck: put your brand-new "weapon" to the test (see above!).
• Lucky Spin: spin the prize wheel for a chance at shop items, with a fresh prize lineup every day. Jackpot or bust?
• Spooky carnival music and lively carnival crowds to set the mood.

Jukebox Vinyls

• Two new playlists, "Halloween Pumpkin" and "Luxury Life", are waiting to be found... literally.
• Their vinyl records are hidden somewhere around the neighbourhood. Find one to unlock its playlist on your jukebox for the whole bar.
• Each playlist on the jukebox now has its own colour, and locked playlists hint that there's a vinyl out there to find.

New Furniture & Better Storage

• 5 new storage pieces: Arched Cupboard, Steel Cupboard, Red Cupboard, Industrial Cupboard and the Back Bar Cabinet, which has a countertop you can work on. The classic Cupboard also has a fresh new look.
• New Bottle Holder and Long Bottle Holder that snap onto your cocktail station. The cocktail station and its bottle holder are now separate pieces at the same total price, and existing stations are converted automatically.
• Shelves, cupboards and the drinks cooler now store items in neat, aligned rows, with capacities that match their real size. The drinks cooler now opens with its lid.
• When you take something from storage, you now get the item you put in most recently.
• Dirty dishes can no longer be put into regular storage. The game now tells you to wash them first.

Twitch: New Poll Events

Your chat has a lot more ways to mess with your night!

• New poll options include an early visit from Hussein, a thief sneaking in, a power cut, everyone fainting, bartenders getting drunk and a mystery gift.
• Health Inspector: if chat calls the inspector, you'll have a few seconds to clean up. A messy bar gets fined, and a spotless one earns a bonus!

More Improvements & Fixes

• Customers now tell you why they won't sit down: no free tables, a dirty table, not enough chairs, or a bar that's too filthy to enter.
• Characters' mouths now move while they talk in dialogues, and the dialogue screen has been improved.
• Staff now have a proper wiping animation when they clean tables.
• Multiplayer bandwidth reduced: the game now sends a lot less data between players, which should help co-op on weaker connections.
• Clearer message when joining a friend fails a version check. It now shows both game versions and where to find them.
• Improved compatibility with older Steam clients.
• Lower memory usage thanks to optimized textures.
• Fixed the Loss Leader and Highway Robbery achievements. Highway Robbery now also counts Overpriced prices.
• Fixed the menu price slider showing absurd numbers when dragged off-screen.
• Pasting the same colour code again in the character creator now applies it.
• Fixed customers taking odd routes from the back door, and several other pathing issues.
• Fixed staff getting stuck trying to put away a tray they couldn't reach.
• Fixed the drum kit's ride and crash cymbal sounds being swapped.
• Lots of smaller fixes and polish.

You Asked, We Listened

• "Please add a dishwasher!": it's here, with four models, and your waiters use it too. Thanks to everyone in the Dishwasher thread. You're the reason we sped this one up!
• "Moving boxes one by one takes forever": meet the Handcart.
• "We need weapons!": technically done.
• "Loss Leader / Highway Robbery won't unlock": both achievements are fixed. Special thanks to Lunar Jellyfish for helping us track this down!
• "Co-op lags on my connection": this update brings our first round of bandwidth reductions, and more are on the way.

What We're Working On Next

• Cleaners are still coming, so even fewer chores will land on you. Bouncers are also on our roadmap to help with all those fights, especially for solo players.
• More multiplayer network optimizations.
• An option to choose which side your fridge door opens on (yes, we heard you!).
• Still in the works: furniture colours at Mikea, a bucket for puking customers and changing your bar's floor textures.

Keep the Feedback Coming!

Your feedback, suggestions and bug reports shape every update. We read every thread, review and Discord message.

If you run into a crash, please send us your Player.log through our Discord or at support@protodivision.com.

Happy Halloween, and see you behind the bar!

Proto Division & Rock Paper Publisher