One thing kept coming back from the first-minute playtests: people stayed in the backyard. The grass there grows back forever, and with enough money you could buy almost the whole tech tree without ever leaving Aunt Roos's garden. That made the first level feel like a sandbox instead of the start of an empire.
The NEXT JOB card
The HUD now has a NEXT JOB card. It shows the next area you can take on, what it still needs (your level, and your money against the price) with a progress bar, and whether that area opens a new upgrade. It does not say which one: the tech tree is a mystery map and it stays that way. Click the card and the AREAS screen opens.
Upgrades that live on the next lawn
Eight key upgrades in the first season now only unlock once their area is open. Neat Edging comes with the Front Lawn, the Mulching Kit with the Allotment Gardens, the Garden Hose with the Large Garden, and so on. A locked card tells you which area you need. The Engine branch now starts after the Electric Mower, so nobody bolts a petrol engine onto a push mower any more.
Going back to an older lawn is still fine, but finishing it pays half the completion bonus, and the banner tells you so. The tip about your new job stays on screen until you actually take one on.
New world rules
While we were at it, three small rules from the same feedback round:
- The minimap turns see-through when your mower drives under it, so you never lose the mower in the top-right corner.
- Parked cars are solid now. Trees always blocked you, cars did not, and that felt odd.
- Flower beds slow your mower to half speed, and the flowers you drive over get flattened. They stand up again after about 25 seconds.
The balance still lands where it did: a full run to victory takes just under four hours, in season 4.