If you’ve been hanging around the Hyland Point area lately, you know things are getting crowded. Honestly, the biggest gripe since Schedule 1 blew up on Steam wasn't even the police AI or the rival dealers; it was the fact that your employees were basically squatters. They took up so much floor space with those mandatory beds that you barely had room for a decent meth lab.
But the latest schedule 1 beta update just changed the geometry of the game. Literally.
Tyler (the solo dev behind TVGS who recently leveled up to a full-blown studio) finally dropped the locker system. It sounds like a small thing. It’s not. By swapping those bulky beds for compact lockers, you can finally reclaim your real estate. No more weaving through a maze of sleeping bags just to check your mixing stations.
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The Space Revolution: Lockers vs. Beds
Let's talk logistics. In the current beta branch, you aren't forced to give every new hire a twin-sized mattress. Instead, you place lockers. They have a tiny footprint compared to the old bed assets. This basically means you can fit three times the staff in the same square footage.
There is a catch, though. There’s always a catch. If you’re loading an old save, your existing employees are grandfathered into the "bed" system for "compatibility reasons"—which is dev-speak for if I change this now, the save file might explode. If you want to optimize immediately, most veteran players are just firing their entire staff, deleting the beds, slapping down lockers, and rehiring. It’s a bit cold-blooded, but hey, you’re running a drug empire, not a summer camp.
What’s Actually in the v0.4.2 Beta?
It isn't just about furniture. The schedule 1 beta update has been rolling out in chunks over the last few weeks, and the "Shrooms" expansion is the meat on the bones. You can now grow and sell magic mushrooms, which slots in right between meth and cocaine in terms of progression.
The production pipeline for shrooms is surprisingly deep:
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- You’ve got to source supplies from the new downtown supplier.
- Botanists (a specific employee type) can handle the whole process if you’ve got the management levels.
- It adds a new layer of "quality bonus" incentives that can seriously pad your bank account if you get the ratios right.
We also saw the introduction of the Benzies family. They aren't just background fluff. They’re a rival cartel that will actually rob your dealers or snatch your dead drops if you don’t manage your "influence" levels. To fight back, the update added a graffiti system. You go out, spray your tags, and literally push the Benzies off your turf. Just keep an eye on your paint levels; the Gas Mart only stocks so much.
The Technical Side of the Beta Branch
If you’re wondering why your Steam deck isn't screaming anymore, it’s because of the save file consolidation. Previously, every property and NPC had its own little data footprint that made cloud syncing a nightmare. Now, it’s all bundled. Saves are faster.
Wait. You actually have to opt-in to see any of this.
You don't just get the update automatically. You have to right-click the game in your Steam library, hit "Properties," go to the "Betas" tab, and select the beta branch from the dropdown. Just a heads-up: back up your save. This is experimental territory. If you place a bunch of beta-only items like the new jukebox or the wall-mounted shelves and then try to switch back to the stable version, those items—and potentially your whole save—will just vanish into the ether.
Managing the Chaos
The management item filters are probably the most "pro" feature added recently. You can now blacklist or whitelist specific items for storage shelves.
Basically, you can tell your AI workers, "Only put high-grade product here." No more finding a stack of low-quality meds sitting in your premium storage locker. It’s the kind of quality-of-life change that makes the mid-to-late game actually playable instead of a constant micro-management headache.
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Actionable Tips for the New Update
- Upgrade to Lockers Early: If you're starting a new run, don't build a single bed. Go straight for lockers to maximize your floor space for production.
- Watch the Heat: With the rival cartel active, your "influence" matters more than ever. Don't ignore the graffiti. If the Benzies take over a neighborhood, your sales will tank.
- Use the Trash Can Tool: The update now shows the "area of effect" when you're placing trash cans. Use this to keep your properties clean without wasting money on overlapping bins.
- Check the Voting System: TVGS is moving toward a community-driven roadmap. There's an in-game voting system now where you can pick the next major feature (usually between things like a police expansion or new product types).
The shift from a one-man show to a four-person studio in Sydney is clearly speeding things up. While some players have complained about the update pace, the sheer amount of "tidying up" in the code suggests the 2026 roadmap is going to be a lot more stable than the early days. If you haven't checked the beta branch since December, you're missing out on the most refined version of the "empire" loop yet.