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Learning Factory is 34% off, because it's Farming Fest!



We know Learning Factory is mostly about machinery, logistics, and cats, of course! But it's also about chains of production, as you're mostly craft goods from your locally harvested resrouces.

And we have added so many farming tools throughout these years, that Learning Factory now qualifies as a legitimate farming game! You can sow, you can fertilize, you can harvest, you must mind the quality of soil... Sounds pretty farmey to us!

Which is why we were honored with an invitation to Valve's Farming Fest this year. And for you it means an awesome deal on Learning Factory and the DLCs, which are 34% and 13% off, respectively.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1150090/Learning_Factory/

Shake that old wishlist or make a gift to someone special! Have a fruitful sale.

The next frontiers - Learning Factory Dev Diaries, April 2024



Hey factory builders!

Time goes by, v1.0 release is getting closer, and Learning Factory is becoming more polished, more complete, and more… alive? We suppose one could say so: there's obviously more action around the KOTOVOD campus, so let's talk about that.

If you want to read the extended version of these Diaries with more images, subscribe to out mailing list

Sometimes one factory is just not enough. Good that we now have the New Game+ mode to fix that! After you send out your first Catopia Ark expedition, you will be able to move to a planet it lands on.

The planet surface may be rather quirky (because it's generated), but you can prepare in advance: upgrading your Ark modules and fueling them with appropriate items provides you with significant bonuses, including additional buildings, better relations with Trade Guilds, extra terraforming tools, and much more! A great way to start a new game with new, unpredictable challenges.



If you head over to your Tavern, Dormitory, or one of your Labs, you'll notice that residing cats have a lot to say to you now! The official version is that cat-to-human transmitter, that was supposed to be working this whole time, was set to mute instead. Seriously though, we saw it in one of the YouTube videos about Learning Factory, and decided that we need that in the game! Another excuse to add more cat-related puns and references, too.



And while that thing is just for fun, animated Transporters that we're working on now, serve a greater purpose of making your factory look alive. Here's an example of how they look now, in beta mode:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

You can turn it on and see for yourself in the game right now, but they will emerge in full glory within the next couple of weeks. We can't say for sure how long will it take, but conservative scenario is to release them in late May.

There are many iterations, because Transporters are one of the main structures in the game, and we want them to look real smooth when they're done, so we're taking this part of the game very seriously!

Among the changes in the past few updates there were a couple that do not sound very impressive, but do make game experience so much better. For example, many steps were made to optimize various parts of the game. Now the Zeppelins, Transporter laying, the growth of plants, and many other things run smoother than ever before.

Our in-game wiki has gone through a bunch of transformations as well. In the beginning, it was just describing objects at the Factory and provided some basic information about data science in real life. But now it also serves as your compendium for knowing how items are produced and sold around your factory. Use it at any time:



Of course, there were more fixes and fine tuning, and this is how it will most likely be in the upcoming months: all big things are in place, and now it's all about small details - which is where the proverbial devil is! These next months are going to be full of exciting grind.

With that in mind - we'll be back in a month, with more Learning Factory news! Or we can chat earlier - on our Discord server, for example. Until we meet again!

Hotfix v0.31.179



Another handful of kilobytes that make Learning Factory better:

  • Zeppelins' highlight transparency decreased while they are in mid-air
  • Zeppelin shadows transparency decreases while Zeppelins are high from the ground
  • Decreased size of all Zeppelins (suggested by Milarky)
  • 1 new hidden achievement
  • Lots of bug fixes (kudos to Milarky, S'Kleer)

Talking cats, moving Transporters - New Update, v0.31.178



Hey factory workers!

So, apparently cat-to-human transmitter was turned on mute this whole time, but it is now fixed, and you will be able to know everything your cat researchers have to say about you and your Factory!

But there's also a bunch of important new/improved features in this week's update. Check it out:



[h2]v0.31.178 Released![/h2]
[h3]Gameplay[/h3]
  • Changed conditions for unlocking selected customization items
  • All kinds of Dynamite now have slightly different delay times before blowing up
  • Plantastic Cloning infinite research project is now 50% more efficient
  • The first Catopia Ark to be launched by you will be upgraded to the max (courtesy of Dr. Katz, suggested by Milarky)
  • Due to technical reasons Telemanipulator can no longer transfer items into Tunnels, X-Switchers, Priority Mergers and Balanced Mergers

[h3]Graphics[/h3]
  • Cats in the Tavern, Dormitory, and Labs will now occasionally talk and make cat sounds
  • Certain plants now visually react when a player passes them over on a hoverboard
  • Animated Transporters (beta feature, turned off by default)

[h3]QoL && Interface[/h3]
  • Improved UI
  • Improved tutorial
  • Updated interface for Data Storage window
  • Added a context warning when there's a chance of a Linear Regression overfitting
  • New accessibility option: more intense building highlighting (the color is also adjustable)
  • New accessibility option: bigger interface elements for visually impaired players
  • Added an option to turn off automatic cloud saves synchronization, for users with many saved games and slower internet connection
  • Improved Steam Deck interface

[h3]Techie Stuff[/h3]
  • Performance optimization
  • Optimization of Transporter laying
  • Optimization of Storage units display
  • Optimization of Neural Network training
  • Optimization of plants' growth and multiplication
  • Optimization of Zeppelins
  • Optimization of game saving
  • Decreased saved game file size
  • Bug fixes (kudos to S'Kleer, GabboGero, Milarky)

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Re: Factory[/h2]

In this section of patch notes, we answer the question from community that were submitted via the in-game feedback form and/or seemed especially interesting to us, You can always contact us directly in the comments or join our Discord server

Q: "could you add a resize option for the UI-toolbar?" -GabboGero A: You can switch building categories to limit the amount of displayed buildings and make the icons bigger. Scaling of the interface is not planned at the moment, as it is too complex to implement, and we'd like to focus on polishing other aspects of the game

Q: "I think there is a hard lock because of a cyclic dependency regarding producing laser+. I can't make a laser+ without gems+ but to make a laser collider where i would make gems+ i need a laser+ first" -slash A: You can get Gems+ in a variety of ways, including mining them with Dredge under the ground or exchanging them for other items in one of the Trade Ports. You can see a list of all available and unavailable recipes in the Wiki.

A friendly reminder: you can always chat with us directly on our Discord server. We're using Discord for work, so you'll find many of us there most of the time, don't be a stranger!

An even friendlier reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:



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[h2]How to Get More Involved[/h2]

At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:
  • Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peek of the upcoming features and events
  • Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you in the game's credits for doing this
  • Come say hi to our Discord server, or Twitter
  • Check out some other games by us!

SPAAAAAACE! - Major Update, v0.31.176



Hey factory builders! This update finally brings the core part of New game+ mode, that allows you to travel to weird and mysterious places. And if you upgrade your Catopia Ark, it will pay off with awesome bonuses to help you build on the new site!

[h2]v0.31.176 Released![/h2]

Update highlight: New game+ mode now available! Upon launching your first Catopia Ark expedition, you will be offered to move to another (randomly generated) planet, and start another factory there. Researching upgraded modules for Catopia Ark will provide you with additional bonuses. Have fun exploring the Universe!



  • Re-rendered Transporters
  • Added more variety for generating maps in Freeplay mode
  • Improved speed of generating maps in Freeplay mode
  • In-game wiki interface redesigned for your convenience
  • Improved Zeppelin interface, increased space for route names
  • Performance optimization
  • Saved game loading optimization
  • Improved Steam Deck text input
  • Updated ChatGPT-made localizations
  • Mass removal of trees optimized
  • Bug fixes (kudos to Czekoloczek, Malindara, bloom16night)
  • Improved Steam Deck interface
  • Minor changes in Steam Deck button layout


Please don't forget to add Learning Factory to your wishlist, it's very important for us, and brings the 1.0 release closer:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1150090/Learning_Factory



A friendly reminder: you can always chat with us directly on our Discord server. We're using Discord for work, so you'll find many of us there most of the time, don't be a stranger!

An even friendlier reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:



----------------------

[h2]How to Get More Involved[/h2]

At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:
  • Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peek of the upcoming features and events
  • Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you in the game's credits for doing this
  • Come say hi to our Discord server, or Twitter
  • Check out some other games by us!