Learning Factory News

Hey factory workers!

Here's yet another nice little update, providing you more (optional) challenge, adding some new content, and improving QoL a great deal.

[h2]v0.30.174 Released![/h2]

[h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• Added an option to move to a more logistically challenging region shortly after finishing Tutorial; all items an buildings will be packed and moved along with you, the same goes for your hired cat scientists. This option is available when playing on the default map in Campaign mode
  
• Hill Manipulator is an upgrade for regular Manipulator, and can be placed exclusively on hills
  
• In Trade Relays, deals are conducted each minute
  
• When selecting a place for a plant to grow, mouse pointer will turn yellow if hovered over a tile that will apply 50% growth rate penalty for that plant
  
• Trade Relays and Trade Ports now have different capacity of items per deal
  
• Hard Rock Dynamite no longer creates lava pools in the Arctic biome, and leaves Underocean upon blowing up instead
  
• Graphic Card crafting cost decreased
  
• High Quality (++) Graphic Cards now require High Quality (++) Copper for crafting
  

[h3]Graphics[/h3]

• Re-rendered Advertising Cat Gate
  
• Animated water
  
• Plants visually react when player passes by them
  
• Selected plants display a special visual effect when passed by a player on a hoverboard
  
• Improved visualization of auto-fertilizing plants
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]QoL && Interface[/h3]

• Added a new wiki article about adverising
  
• Running is turned on by default
  
• Setting up trade deals is easier now
  
• Added context warnings for the Laboratories
  
• Advertising Cat Gate interface updated
  
• Blueprint Library interface updated
  
• Interface improvements
  
• Steam Deck interface improvements
  
• Smoother Zeppelin movement on the mini map
  
• New accessibility options in the menu
  
• April Fool's Day cat jokes added
  

[h3]Techie Stuff[/h3]

• Performance optimization
  
• Bug fixes (kudos to Koshae, Nameless98, Janibot, EdoX)
  
• Optimized performance when collecting all buildings from the map
  
• Saved games loading optimization
  
• Added several performance options for less powerful computers
  
• Small UI/UX fixes
  

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!
  

It's been a long time, how have you been? We, as the title suggests, have been rollin’!

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

We've rolled out a whole new game to Early Access: Craftomation 101 had a very nice start, and you're very welcome to check it out, be it the free demo, or the full game.

We've rolled out a demo for Learning Factory too! Got a friend who doesn't own the game yet? Let them know, they can now try it and, hopefully, fall in love with it. Because we have cats, automation, and machine learning, who could resist the temptation?!

And we keep rolling out updates for the game every two weeks, of course. Since we were not in touch for the whole two months, lots of things happened.

[h3]Steam Workshop is (mostly) open for business![/h3]

We always develop our games with mods on our minds, and in-game ways to share your works - such as map keys and scenarios - have been there for years. But now you can conveniently upload the fruits of your creative genius to Steam Workshop - as well as access the works of other players.



It is still in beta, but already you can upload your factories, blueprints, map generation keys, researcher bios and ruins (decorations that appear on any map upon generation and selected randomly from the pool).

If you need just a little push to start, some very simple and graphic instructions on making and uploading mods can be found here. Happy modding!

[h3]Meowengers: Endgame[/h3]
Although we're still working on the New Game+ mechanics, the framework for setting Catopia Arks all over the Universe is already in the game. After you launch your first expedition to space, a whole new set of upgrades for the next Arks: you'll be able to equip them with Copycat Deck, Creative Assembling Machine, Battlestar Gun Deck, Interstellar Store, Dune Terraforming Deck, Warp Storage, and Negative Mass Effect Generator! Here's an ‘old vs. new’ image, so you could appreciate how badass they are:





For the moment they don't do anything, except for being an eye candy. But come the next updates, unlocking these tech New Game+ mechanics will introduce you to the New Game+ mode, in which you won't have to start from scratch… Follow the news, or even better, join our Discord, where you can get instantly notified when the new stuff is out, and discuss it with us in the same place.

In that very same update, we introduced a huge list of QoL changes, as part of our ultimate pre-release polishing program. There are improved bits of tutorial, new stats, new contextual warnings, and new little features all over the game. Even Steam Deck, though officially not yet supported, got some attention!

We won't list all the changes here, you might not even instantly notice them if you haven't played the game for a while, but they're certainly there to make your life better! Oh, but if you do want to see that list, it is to be found here.

[h3]Something old, something new[/h3]
Even at this time of meticulous polishing, we are not stopping to add new content to the game. Sometimes ideas are coming from us, trying to add more depth to Learning Factory - quite literally at this time! Behold Lava Pump, that is capable of extracting precious metals straight from the molten core of Mars!

In the video below you might also notice the newly added Underground Storage units, which might not seem like a big deal, but it doubles potential storage space by extending it under the surface of the red planet:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And sometimes, our players inspire us: we noticed that some players hardly ever use Trade Ports because they're located at remote parts of the map. It happens that players establish their own production of goods that Ports offer by the time they unlock one of them, thus rendering Trade Ports obsolete. So, we made a smaller version of them.

Enter Trade Relays! They get unlocked significantly earlier and closer to the center of the map but have limited deals to offer. Naturally, all 5 Trade Guilds have their own relay design:





The remaining three are for you to discover in the game. We can't spoil everything, can we (though we would love to)?

We're also experimenting with visual effects for the environment, to make a game look lively. It's just one of our early efforts, but what do you folks think?

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The older buildings are also getting updated looks. Remember Data Storage? Here it is now:



And this is its partner, Linear Regression:



[h3]What’s next?[/h3]
The main highlight of the upcoming patch (scheduled for the upcoming week) is the option to migrate to another map shortly after finishing the tutorial. You will keep your research progress, and your buildings will be packed into your Inventory for your convenience.

There will be more updates in the art department, and then New Game+ will be just around the corner!

Stay tuned! Until we meet again.

Is it this time of the year again, folks?

Apparently, it is!

There are discounts on games! Go get yourself some awesome stuff:

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

https://store.steampowered.com/app/619150/while_True_learn/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/588560/VRobot_VR_Giant_Robot_Destruction_Simulator/

Have a great sale :)

Hey factory workers!

This update's main feature is Trade Relays: these are Trade Ports' younger siblings.

They appear closer to the center of the map, and are available earlier on the research tree. Our goal was to provide more alternative options for getting more advanced goods at the earlier stages of the game, along with providing an opportunity for the players to get acquainted with trading mechanics earlier on.

Oh, and as opposed to Trade Ports, Trade Relays can be removed with Dynamite, if you don't need them and/or they interrupt your factory-building plans.

Important note #1: this is an experimental feature, the mechanics might change in the future
Important note #2: Relays will appear on new campaign/freeplay maps only

[h2]v0.30.172 Released![/h2]

[h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• New building type: Trade Relays!
  
• Loom now requires Yarn Balls for crafting
  
• Rope Maker now requires Yarn Balls for crafting
  
• Research costs for Cargo Zeppelins decreased
  
• Changed the recipe for crafting Trade Ports
  
• New trade deals added
  
• Selected trade deals rebalanced
  
• Minor improvements in Trade Ports working logics
  

[h3]Graphics[/h3]

• Linear Regression building re-rendered
  
• Data Storage building re-rendered
  

[h3]QoL && Interface[/h3]

• Interface improved
  
• Improved context warnings for Stores
  
• Improved context warnings for ML Model buildings
  
• Added hotkeys for switching between previous/next categories
  
• Added an alternate hotkey for accessing search field
  
• Added an option to add custom pins on the map (suggested by 硫酸銅, LoadRunner, Евгений Рымарев)
  
• Updated interface of the Trade Ports window
  
• Localizations updated (special thanks to ホワイト(WHITE), Kohsae, Dragocuore, Marcapus)
  

[h3]Techie Stuff[/h3]

• Those who were helping us with community translations can now find their names in the credits
  
• Bug fixes (kudos to S'Kleer)
  

[h3]Steam Deck[/h3]

• Improved interface, added contextual hints for hotkeys
  
• Full list of hotkeys for Steam Deck can be found below
  

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!
  

Hey factory builders! As you might know, we have mostly finished adding new content to the game (although there're still aces up our metaphorical sleeves!), so most of the work these days is about making the game more comfortable and appealing to you!

This is why this update has a very long list of QoL improvements! This will probably happen again. Update the game, enjoy the new stuff, and please share your impressions in any form that is convenient to you.

[h2]v0.30.171 Released![/h2]

[h3]Graphics & Audio[/h3]

• Re-rendered Cat House Maker
  
• Animated Hammock Weaver
  
• Cotton Gin animated
  
• Improved sounds
  

[h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• New building: Lava Cooler extracts metals straight from the molten core of Mars
  
• 2 new upgrades for Underground Zeppelin (suggested by Lord Neodym)
  
• New mod type: create your own cat researcher
  
• 2 new hidden achievements
  
• Crafting Zeppelins now requires Ropes, but fewer Manipulators
  
• Increased rewards for selected Dr. Katz requests
  
• Catopia Ark modules can now be upgraded: invest precious resources to equip your space mission with a Copycat Deck, Creative Assembling Machine, Battlestar Gun Deck, Interstellar Store, Dune Terraforming Deck, Warp Storage, and Negative Mass Effect Generator. In the future, they will provide you with perks for 'New Game+' mode (to be introduced later)
  

[h3]QoL & Interface[/h3]

• New stats: shows the share of loaded Transporters (with cats, or items, or both), the share of objects (items or cats) moving on Transporters (suggested by Hana), the share of occupied space in Zeppelins and Cat Zeppelins, and the share of working crafting and service buildings
  
• Stats on money now also displays the average amount of revenue per purchase (suggested by Prism1974)
  
• Stats on satisfied cats also shows stats on average loyalty of a cat served
  
• Optimized graph display in the stats
  
• Roadside Boutique now can display sales reports (as seen in Stores)
  
• The navigation of Zeppelins after moving/dismantling a Dock is slightly improved
  
• Added an option to automatically load buildings/item slots with respective items with a hotkey ('Y' by default) or a button (in buildings)
  
• Improved tutorials
  
• Improved interface
  
• 2 new mouse pointer types (cat paw-shaped!)
  
• Steam Deck support (partially) added: keyboard auto-calling, improved help & interface
  
• Added a pause button, located by the mini-map
  
• Configuration of buildings is copied when a Blueprint is created (suggested by Lord Neodym)
  
• When a cat increases their Loyalty in a service building, it is visibly displayed in a bubble
  
• The size and type of the mouse pointer on Steam Deck is independent from PC
  
• Contextual warnings for Docks
  
• Contextual warnings for crafting buildings
  
• Improved contextual warnings for Zeppelins
  
• Added an option to sync category of buildings in Construction window with the one currently selected on a player's building panel upon opening the former
  
• Added an optional visual panel for copying and saving Blueprints (turned off by default)
  
• Increased array of colors for marking ML clusters
  

[h3]Techie stuff[/h3]

• Mod loading time decreased
  
• Performance optimization
  
• Bug fixes (kudos to Hana, Lord Neodym, S'Kleer)
  
• Localizations updated
  

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!