Schedule 1's Rival Cartel update solves its biggest problem, and the beta is available now

I didn't foresee spending almost 50 hours with Schedule 1 earlier this year, and I'm a tad embarrassed by how much of that I accumulated in just a couple of weekends. It was the go-to for my friends and I in early April, and then we just… fell off hard.

The 50 hours playtime in just a short window probably explains why we stopped, but Schedule 1's biggest point of friction starts to show when you really beef up your drug dealing infrastructure. And well, that's the problem—there is no friction. At least nothing beyond the same handful of obstacles the game introduces early on. Outside of a few annoying cops standing around on street corners, there's not much to worry about despite your status as a kingpin.

The Rival Cartel update changes that, adding the Benzies family to Schedule 1's beta branch for anyone to try. I hopped in not really expecting much, but after making a few rounds selling homemade goodies, two guys jumped out of the bushes near my place in Westville and shot me. I've never even fooled with the weapons in Schedule 1 since there was no immediate need, so of course I couldn't do anything but run.

I thought I'd gotten lucky and escaped, but the commotion caused the cops to come snoopin' around and that's how I wound up busted. I also lost the $5,000 or so in cash I had, plus the thousands in product I was lugging around.

You would think that'd be enough damage to my druglord ego for the day, but no, it didn't stop there. Shortly after making it home from jail, one of the dealers I employ, Brad, sent me a text explaining the Benzies robbed him of everything. Apparently you can get the rival dealers to agree to a truce, but man, they're awfully hostile in the beginning.

I've just gotten started, so I've got no idea what else my new neighbors have in their arsenal, but that's already several more layers of conflict than Schedule 1 had before and I can already see this version of the game stealing more weekends from me. If you want to pop in too, you can—the Schedule 1 update beta is available to anyone with the game on Steam.

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How to access the Schedule 1 beta build

Fortunately for anyone eager to play updates in progress, there's not a whole lot to accessing the Schedule 1 beta branch. Before getting started, I recommend exporting your save file from the in-game menu, but afterward you can access the Schedule 1 beta by following these steps:

• In your Steam Library, right-click Schedule 1 and select Properties
• Select the Betas tab
• Under Beta Participation, select beta from the dropdown
• Swapping branches typically queues a small download
• Once the Play button is ready again, you're good to go

Developers don't always remove the beta branch when updates are stable enough for the main branch, so I recommend keeping your eye on Schedule 1's Steam newsfeed for those changes. If the beta branch gives you any troubles, or if it's time to move on from the test build, follow the same steps as above but select None from the dropdown in step three.

What's new in the Schedule 1 beta?

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The Schedule 1 beta build gives you access to its Rival Cartel update before it moves on to the current public branch, so you won't find anything on the major Police or Shroom updates just yet. So far we've seen a few updates to the beta, but the highlights include:

• The Benzies family - Unlocked through customers in Westville
  • Cartel deals, ambushes, deal robbings, dead drop theft
• Hyland Manor - Available after completing the Benzies family quest
• Graffiti system - Tagging surfaces around town reduces cartel's influence
• Spray paint - Available at Gas Mart
• Hotbox - Vehicle available for $30,000 at Hyland Auto
• Weapons - Pump Shotgun, Shotgun Shells
• Hairstyles - Close Buzzcut, Tony, Long Slicked Back
• Additional console commands
• Several QoL tweaks and bug fixes

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