This page traces the evolution of Chesapeake Studios and its games, with a particular focus on Oath of Office, the U.S. government simulation that debuted in August 2024. It offers a chronological record of updates, new features, and important milestones through 2024.
August
- August 3rd: v1.0 - Initial Release
- Players take on various roles in the Executive Branch.
- Issues are presented daily.
- Reputation with interest groups is crucial.
- National statistics are impacted by players.
- Elections occur between the two longest-serving players.
- Social features allow alliances.
- August 5th: v1.1.0 - Service Secretaries
- New offices include Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Air Force, etc.
- Expanded National Gallery of Art and Pentagon maps.
- Added issues, outfits, hairstyles, and a "reset camera" button.
- Issue GUI now specifies its type.
- Doors and hallways with "fade out" sections now prompt the Travel GUI.
- August 6th: v1.2.0 - Election Tracker
- Election Tracker GUI shows candidates and compares their reputation.
- Chairs in the Cabinet Room are locked to designated officials.
- Spectator chairs are added to the Cabinet Room.
- Bugs related to USECSTATE and USECTREAS are fixed.
- August 7th: v1.3 - Four More Years
- Presidents can now be re-elected twice.
- Error message displayed when players try to sit in unauthorized seats.
- Teleport destinations are locked based on office.
- Bug related to term/day loading is fixed.
- Added Roosevelt Room and White House Lobby maps.
- "An Officer and a Gentleman" expansion pack is introduced.
- August 7th: An Officer and a Gentleman (Expansion)
- Focuses on the White House Military Office.
- New roles include Military Aide to the President and Marine Sentry.
- August 9th: v1.4 - Civil Service
- Redesigned GUIs and fixed elections.
- Players unlock political roles by demonstrating social participation.
- Added civil service roles (advisory only) for any player.
- Added WHCOS office map.
- August 12th: v1.5 - Presidential Debates
- Social GUI displays featured social events.
- Presidential Debates occur during social hour on Day 4.
- Passive reputation impact from global statistics is capped.
- Added Presidential Debate Hall, Hay-Adams Ballroom, White House East Room, and Green Room maps.
- August 13th: v1.6 - Interior
- Losing an election reduces prestige by half.
- New Department of the Interior with Environment statistic.
- Environmentalists and Resource Industry interest groups added.
- Removed "Political Dynasties" names.
- Reduced civil service roles and server size.
- Added Main Interior Building map.
- August 16th: v2.0 - In the Line of Fire (Expansion Release)
- New Department of Homeland Security roles: Director of the Secret Service and Director of CISA.
- Added St. Elizabeths West Campus map.
- August 16th: In the Line of Fire (Premium)
- Expansion focuses on the Secret Service and other security agencies.
- Added Secret Service Agent role.
- August 16th: Other Changes
- Small/new servers run in "cabinet-only" mode.
- Moderation system implemented.
- "TP to Protectee" GUI added.
- Nuclear football]] and prop gun added.
- Cover added to Marine Sentry role.
- No longer possible to stand on the table in the Cabinet Room.
- Global statistics and opinion polls naturally trend towards neutral.
- WHCOS is now impacted by global statistics.
- ADC and other White House officers start the day in the Oval Office.
- Potentially fixed intro camera issue.
- "Urban" name set added.
- Added outfits, hairstyles, and faces.
- August 24th: v2.1 - Diplomatic Security
- Added Character Backstories.
- Election GUI now shows prestige.
- You can now fire 1 person per term.
- Cabinet can remove the President.
- All issues were re-written.
- New roles: Deputy Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury]], Deputy Secretary of Defense]], Deputy Secretary of the Interior]], and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
- Added Situation Room, and Press Briefing Room maps (not yet functional).
- August 24th: In the Line of Fire (Premium)
- Added Diplomatic Security Service role.
- August 24th: Other Changes
- Red & green colors on issue impact now correspond to good and bad.
- Time passes slightly slower.
- Disabled collisions on nuclear football.
- Updated military aide and marine sentry uniforms.
- Added USSS pin for the Secret Service director.
- Only cabinet+ can stand on the stage at events.
- Fixed issue with buying gamepasses in-game.
September
- September 3rd: v1.3 - Re-reference to Four More Years update.
- September 3rd: Jack Jennings releases a statement on several updates planned through October.
- September 4th: v2.3 - Bless This Mess
- Aiguillette for Military Aide to the President.
- Reporters have microphone props.
- Suggested social events for the mid-day.
- Added Navy Mess, VP's office, and Secret Service operations room maps.
- New roles: Navy Steward, Army Protective Services Battalion, Secret Service Uniformed Division, and Secret Service Counter Assault Team.
- September 6th: v2.4 - Four Eyes 🤓
- Expanded the Executive Residence.
- Ability to buy glasses at the LensMaster store.
- Equip glasses from the new Accessories menu.
- Re-added Director of the Secret Service.
- September 6th: Chesapeake Studios begins seeking a new developer.
- September 6th: The Abel Chinchilla Story releases.
- September 10th: The issue suggestion channel is removed from Discord and replaced with a Google form.
- September 10th: Jack Jennings announces a community watch party for the presidential debate.
- September 12th: Oath of Office Philippines enters testing, featuring the new working groups feature.
- September 13th: v2.5 - Get to Work
- Working Groups replace Office Hour for most officials.
- Added new outfits and issues.
- Meeting Rooms for the Department of Treasury, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense.
- Offices for Deputy Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, and Deputy Secretary of the Interior.
- Presidential Debate prioritizes paid news roles.
- Added IRS Commissioner, ASECINT Indian Affairs, and USCIS Director.
- September 13th: Jack Jennings announces the states included in Oath of Office.
- September 19th: Testing begins for the "Advice and Consent" feature.
- September 20th: v3.0 - Advice and Consent (Expansion Release)
- Added bills and laws passed by the new Legislative Branch.
- Senate and House of Representatives hold daily sessions.
- President must sign or veto laws.
- Day is now 5 blocks long.
- Pop-up GUI asks if you want to run for President or be considered for VP.
- Newly elected President chooses a Vice President.
- New moderation system.
- President can fire an unlimited amount of White House Staff.
- Cabinet and sub-cabinet gain passive prestige.
- New roles: Vice President of the United States, Speaker of the House]], President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Senators, Representatives Capitol Police protective agents, Vice President's protective detail, and the Legislative Director..
- Added the House Office Building, Senate Office Building, and Senate Floor maps.
- September 23rd: Oath of Office rules are updated.
- September 24th: Public impeachment update enters testing.
- September 26th: Nominations are added to the public impeachment update for testing.
- September 27th: Final pre-update testing takes place.
- September 27th: v3.1 - High Crimes and Misdemeanors
- President appoints cabinet officials and Vice President.
- Added ability to impeach the President and vacate offices of the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
- Added Sergeant at Arms of the Senate and Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives roles.
- Gavel added.
- Added Simple and Concurrent Resolutions.
- September 28th: v3.1.7
- Various changes/bug fixes.
- Vacant Secretary roles are auto-filled.
- Fixed issue where impeachment was possible on day 1.
- Impeachment is now only possible once per presidency.
October
- October 3rd: Mod applications reopen.
- October 3rd: Press and social media update enters testing.
- October 4th: Oath of Office Brazil releases.
- October 4th: v3.2 - Meet the Press
- Added new Y (formerly known as Ritter) system for posting Reets.
- T.V. news roles can host television programs and invite guests.
- October 10th: Jack Jennings announces that the full economics update will be delayed.
- October 11th: The partial economics update enters testing.
- October 11th: v3.3 - Full Faith and Credit
- Added the Department of Commerce with 5 new freely-joinable roles.
- Added new Inflation and Unemployment statistics.
- Added the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
- October 15th: Chesapeake Studios announces a long-term public update plan.
- October 17th: The planned UI overhaul is delayed until further notice.
- October 21st: Chesapeake Studios/Oath of Office merch releases.
- October 25th: Party leaders for the legislative branch enter public testing.
- October 25th: v4.0 - Party Politics
- October 29th: A generic mug and insulated bottle are added to the merch store.
- October 31st: The Electoral College enters public testing.
November
- November 1st: v4.1 - 270 to Win
- Added a dynamic Electoral College map.
- Interest groups have different strengths in each state.
- Debate is now Day 3; an election rally is on Day 4.
- Orchestra is now an alternative social event.
- Caucus Meeting now in Day 2 for Congress.
- Congressional bills now impact Inflation.
- Negative/positive impact-over-time from global statistics now depends on the President's party.
- Fixed office labels in Congress and gavels.
- Impact from issues now occurs at the end of Block 4.
- November 2nd: White House Roleplay is banned from Roblox.
- November 2nd: A new thumbnail by Lyntown is announced.
- November 3rd: Jack Jennings announces no major updates this week due to vacation.
- November 8th: Chesapeake Studios strengthens moderation.
- November 10th: Chesapeake Studios announces a job opening for a builder.
- November 11th: Mortality, an upcoming game, is announced.
- November 12th: Two new states are added: Superior and Orleans.
- Private servers become free; roleplay servers are limited in donation amounts.
- Command Authority is announced for a December 6th release.
- November 15th: The issues rewrite is removed from the update released that day.
- November 15th: v4.2 - Election Day
- Players vote on Election Day for D.C.'s electoral college votes.
- Added two new states: Superior and Orleans.
- Several new hairs and outfits.
- Added to the The House of Representatives.
- Players are informed how their Party Leader wants them to vote.
- "Morning Shows" and "Evening Shows" now exist for T.V. news.
- New African American nameset.
- Fixed bug with "Yes We Can" badge.
- Improved balancing for each state.
- November 22nd: Testing opens for a major lag reduction update.
- November 22nd: v4.3 - LAG FIX
- Major lag reduction.
- Fixed bug where the Federal Reserve gained too much prestige.
- Nomination GUI now shows secondary office.
- News "invite" GUI now shows the actual office held by players.
- Added barriers to the Roosevelt Room.
- Congressional leadership conference now rotates.
- Added a notification noise at the start of blocks.
- No longer a limit on the number of people you can fire.
- Added "party fatigue."
- Added more women hairs.
- Paid roles are no longer shown to first-time players.
- November 26th: Culain joins Chesapeake Studios.
- November 28th: Testing begins for running mates and campaign managers.
- November 29th: v4.4 - Campaign Trail
- New expansion "Party Politics" unlocks Party Chairpersons and Party Strategists.
- Presidential Candidates are locked in on Day 3.
- Can appoint a Running Mate and a Campaign Chair.
- Streamlined all Security Roles.
- Expanded the White House staff.
- Senior White House Staff must now be appointed.
- Fixed an issue where firing White House Staff counted against your daily terminations limit.
- Added new Party Headquarters location and party logos.
- Added "Party Base" interest groups.
- Primary Elections are now based on a combination of Prestige and reputation with the party's 3 base interest groups.
- November 29th: v4.4 - Campaign Trail (Continued)
- "It's the economy, stupid" and "Meet the Press" badge probably work now.
- November 29th: An important announcement on the "In the Line of Fire" gamepass details upcoming price reductions and changes.
December
- December 5th: Chesapeake Studios seeks contributors for scenario writing.
- December 6th: Command Authority Alpha releases.
- Testing opens (feature unspecified).
- December 6th: v4.5 - VP Debates and Stuff
- New mid-day social block.
- Party Convention on day 3.
- VP Debates on day 4.
- Campaign Ad credits are now spent per block.
- WHCOS now manages the White House Staff.
- Other minor changes and bug fixes.
- December 10th: New Oath of Office rule is implemented regarding toxicity and harassment.
- December 15th: Command Authority is delayed indefinitely.
- December 20th: v5.0 - Equal Justice Under Law
- New Department of Justice.
- Serve as a Judge or Justice of the Supreme Court.
- Court cases decided by judges and argued by other players.
- Various fixes.
- December 21st: Testing opens for various features.
- December 23rd: The Oath of Office Christmas update is canceled.
- December 26th: The 1st Annual Oath of Office Awards voting opens.
- December 28th: The 1st Annual Oath of Office Awards voting closes.
- December 30th: The 1st Annual Oath of Office Awards event begins
Honorable Mentions to jmapoligist, CannonObilvion, and Random Guy!