The highly anticipated “Rival Cartels” update for Schedule 1 has officially launched on the main branch, following several weeks of beta testing. This patch introduces a new competitive element to the game with the arrival of the Benzies family from Hyland Point, alongside a new purchasable property, a new vehicle, and a host of other exciting additions.
Schedule 1, the popular game where players build a drug-dealing empire from scratch, now presents new challenges and opportunities. The Benzies family will emerge once the player has secured a certain number of customers in Westville. Once on their radar, they will actively disrupt your operations through ambushes, theft, robbing your dealers, and poaching your clients. However, players will also have the option to form a truce with the Benzies, unlocking exclusive cartel-player deals.
Upon completing the rival cartel`s storyline, players will gain the ability to purchase the luxurious Hyland Manor property. The update also brings several unique features, such as a graffiti system that can be used to reduce cartel influence in specific areas and earn experience points. Cartel influence becomes a crucial factor in Schedule 1; regions on the map will now be locked if cartel dominance is too high, requiring players to diminish their control to unlock new territories.
Beyond new properties and gameplay mechanics, the update expands the range of items and customization options. New additions include the Hotbox vehicle, a powerful pump shotgun, and a selection of fresh hairstyles to personalize the player character.
Despite its rapid success, Schedule 1 is the brainchild of a single developer, operating as Tyler`s Video Game Studio (TVGS). Tyler has apologized for recent updates taking longer than initially planned and stated in his latest Steam announcement that he will no longer specify release dates. The solo developer also expressed his hope to soon establish a dedicated office space and bring on board a few full-time developers to assist with Schedule 1`s ongoing development.
Below are the complete patch notes for Schedule 1 v0.4.0:
Schedule 1 v0.4.0 Patch Notes
Additions
- Introduced the Benzies family – a powerful rival cartel in Hyland Point. They will appear after unlocking a number of customers in Westville. Interactions include:
- Cartel-player deals (only when truced)
- Ambushes
- Dealer robberies
- Dead drop theft
- Cartel-customer deals
- Added new purchasable property – Hyland Manor. The Benzies family storyline must be completed before it can be acquired.
- Added new vehicle: `Hotbox`.
- Implemented a graffiti system. Spraying graffiti on various surfaces across the map reduces cartel influence and grants XP.
- Added `Spray Paint` item. Purchasable at Gas Mart. One can can be bought each time you rank up.
- Added graffiti cleaner.
- Added pump shotgun.
- Added shotgun shell.
- Added new hairstyles: `close buzzcut`, `Tony`, `long slicked back`.
- Added console commands: `setgravitymultiplier`, `setregionunlocked`, `forcesleep`.
- Introduced an automatic save game backup feature. This automatically creates a backup of your save file upon its first load on a new game version (enabled by default, can be toggled in Settings).
- Added more loading screen hints.
- Added achievements: `Urban Artist` and `Finishing the Job`.
Tweaks & Improvements
- Revised the region unlocking system. Each region now has a `cartel influence` level that must be reduced to a certain point before progression.
- Stan now uses a shop interface instead of dialogue for selling weapons.
- In multiplayer, other players` dialogue with NPCs is now visible.
- Deals are now cancelled if the assigned dealer is dead or unconscious.
- Unconscious NPCs falling into the ocean are now killed.
- Dead or unconscious NPCs can now be pickpocketed.
- Police can now be pickpocketed.
- Attacking a customer will prevent them from ordering for 72 hours.
- Adjusted braking properties for all vehicles.
- Non-police NPCs can now use ranged weapons.
- Police and NPCs in combat will sometimes predict future target positions instead of pathing directly.
- Optimized flashlight brightness.
- Disabled JSON pretty-print for the trash save file, reducing its size.
- Reduced the resell multiplier for all weapons.
- Incremental reloads (revolver + shotgun) can now be interrupted by clicking the LMB.
- Customers now carry the cash required for an upcoming deal.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed various mislabelings in employee tutorial quests.
- Fixed two light beams being visible when the flashlight is equipped.
- Fixed issues with NPC ragdoll LODs/culling.
- Fixed some missing walls at Hyland Medical.
- Fixed third-person recoil animation for the M1911 and Revolver.
- Fixed the net worth calculator algorithm not factoring in some item quantities.
- Fixed vehicle impacts causing excessive damage to NPCs.
- Fixed some missing fonts.
- Fixed texture z-fighting on the northern waterfront.
- Fixed dealer/supplier recommendation dialogue starting even if the customer was already served by a dealer.
- Fixed a bug where item stock limits could be ignored using the custom amount selector.
- Fixed missing colliders at the car wash.
- Fixed a misspelling in Tobias` name.