Learning Factory News

Hey factory workers,

We honestly thought that the last update from a week ago would be the final one in 2023. But one thing sort of let to another, so... we released a hotfix and an update, and there's this update today, too!

It's gonna be the last one this year, honestly! (Or so we hope) Besides, it was worth the effort: this update brings some beatiful new animation and cheerful voice of Dr. Katz to the game*:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

*this version is not final, and will be improved later on

[h3]v0.25.166 Released![/h3]

• Chewing Gum Mixer animated
  
• Voice cues for certain in-game events - in English with subtitles
  
• Zeppelin menu shows estimated time on route (suggested by reogal)
  
• Added search field in the Dormitory
  
• Roadside Boutique sends data to connected ML Models even when it's in Sales mode (suggested by reogal)
  
• Subtitles can be toggled on and off in the Settings
  
• Bug fixes (kudos to Zydox, reogal)
  

[h3]Re: Factory[/h3]
Q: "It's been a long time since I saw any wild growth in my world, trees or cotton spreading... is that intentional or is something broken? ()" -(Zydox79)
A: New plants stop emerging after 50% of the map is occupied.

Q: "I don't get cats to enter Schrodinger's chamber, they just stand outside looking... I had the same issue before the patch as well... One cat went in and got cloned but after that no other cats wants to get cloned... I think you might need to work on education for the cats so that they aren't scared of quantum physics..." -(Zydox79)
A: It seems that you just got lucky with that first cat: normally cats can't be dragged into a service/tasting building or a Boutique. Instead, there's a chance that they decide to stroll into one of those buildings by themselves.

Q: "肥料生产效率能高点吗，或者按照按照生效时间也可以呀，我现在使用大量的地块来生产苹果制作肥料，如果想要缩小地块，就只能使用肥料来加速苹果再生时间，但是就会导致我的肥料越来越少，无法使用在其他地方，玩到现在发现目前再生时间较长只有仙人掌，感觉其他的使用肥料来再生是非常吃亏的
Can the efficiency of fertilizer production be improved, or alternatively, can it be based on the effective time? Currently, I use a large number of plots to produce apples for making fertilizer. If I want to reduce the number of plots, I have to use fertilizer to speed up the regeneration time of apples. However, this leads to a shortage of fertilizer, making it unavailable for use elsewhere. As I progress in the game, I've noticed that the only plant with a longer regeneration time is the cactus. Using fertilizer for other plants seems to be a significant disadvantage." -(mezese)
A: There're many ways to boost the overall efficiency of plants' growth and harvesting at the end of the Research Tree. If you want to save Apple Boxes, you can also use an alternate recipe to produce Fertilizer from Fish and Milk. Make sure the tiles for growing Apple Trees are of 100% efficiency, too. But we do not have plans to add modifiers for base Fertilizer efficiency: it's up to you to decide which plants to fertilize to maximize the efficiency of production, it's part of the gameplay. We'll think of how to make it more comprehensive in this case in future updates!


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:



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

Don't forget to follow Learning Factory on Steam to get the news about new updates as soon as they're out there



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

Going to Early Access is but the first step to glory (and eternal cat happiness). Wanna be part of what happens next? Head to this blog post and learn how to help make the game even more awesome!

[h2]Share Your Gameplay and Become Part of KOTOVOD History[/h2]
Learning Factory needs your help! Record a 10 or more minutes of you playing the game, share a video using any way you see fit, write your name into Learning Factory credits and get a promo cat! Make history here

Hey factory workers,

The Holidays are upon us, which means more festive work for you, of course: there're lot of cat wishes to be fulfilled! This update will help you do so even more effectively - and in style, too!

[h3]v0.25.165 Released![/h3]

• Chillout Space animated
  
• Cable Crafter animated
  
• Trade Ports are now surrounded by an area of shallow water tiles (available upon starting a new game) for placing Bridges
  
• 'Nanoproduction' infinite research project, increasing manual work speed, now works 5 times as slow for buildings, to prevent accidental removal (suggested by Zydox79)
  
• Additional Inventory hotkey ('I' by default) doesn't open crafting window anymore
  
• Middle mouse button now serves as an alternative button for Pipette tool (suggested by Brewski-Casegod)
  
• UI/UX fixes
  
• Bug fixes (kudos to Zydox79)
  

[h3]Re: Factory[/h3]

Q: "Unable to rotate trade port to place it again" -(shinjikun34)
A: Trade Ports cannot be rotated, alas, they're always facing backwards the edge of the map

Q: "It would be nice to add some simple filter checkboxes for the backpack, something like
* Display the basic goods
* Display the + goods
* Display the ++ goods
* Display the highest available version of each goods typeAnd then the user would be able to set the checkboxes to whatever is needed for the moment, should remember the setting for the next time the backpack is opened" -(Zydox79)
A: Inventory filters are in development already, along with interface re-imagining. They're expected to emerge in the game in January (sorting items by quality included)

Q: "Could you make concrete pourable? So we can have a nice clean floor"
-(manofthemonkey)
A: Feel free to research and use Concrete Flooring, that can be found at the end of terraforming branch of the Research Tree

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:



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

Don't forget to follow Learning Factory on Steam to get the news about new updates as soon as they're out there



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

Going to Early Access is but the first step to glory (and eternal cat happiness). Wanna be part of what happens next? Head to this blog post and learn how to help make the game even more awesome!

[h2]Share Your Gameplay and Become Part of KOTOVOD History[/h2]
Learning Factory needs your help! Record a 10 or more minutes of you playing the game, share a video using any way you see fit, write your name into Learning Factory credits and get a promo cat! Make history here

Hey factory workers,

This update wasn't part of the initial plan, but it does make the game better, so here goes:

[h3]v0.25.164 Released![/h3]

• Added a new perk: 'Illuminated' cat researchers have a chance of adding half of the value of a science article to a random research, upon finishing an article. Dr Katz has it by default
  
• Certain existing perks re-balanced
  
• By default, time in the game is now displayed in seconds. You can switch it back to be displayed in ticks in Gameplay Options
  
• Interface fixes
  
• UI/UX fixes
  
• Bug fixes, especially Zeppelins-related bugs (kudos to Zydox79)
  

[h3]Re: Factory[/h3]
Q: "Adding the storage piles "Storage" to the underground layer would be a nice addition instead of having to misuse the cargo platforms as underground storage, perhaps even having them as extended underground storage to allow for storing larger quantities underground" -(Zydox79)
A: Underground Storage will be added to the game at some point, when we get to fixing certain aspects of the regular Storage

Q:: "For the achivement ""The technocrat"" (craft highest level of all items), it would be nice if it would be possible to see which ones you have/haven't completed... I've had stock of everything in gold quality but still not gotten the achivement." -(Zydox79)
A: You can go to the Monument and switch to the Statistics tab to see what items are you producing - that'll help you figure out what's missing. Please keep in mind, that only producing items is counted towards this achievemnt (e.g. you can't trade or get an item as a reward to get this achievement). If everything seems to be fine with your production, there might be a bug there, please send us your saved game file.

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:



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

Don't forget to follow Learning Factory on Steam to get the news about new updates as soon as they're out there



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

Going to Early Access is but the first step to glory (and eternal cat happiness). Wanna be part of what happens next? Head to this blog post and learn how to help make the game even more awesome!

[h2]Share Your Gameplay and Become Part of KOTOVOD History[/h2]
Learning Factory needs your help! Record a 10 or more minutes of you playing the game, share a video using any way you see fit, write your name into Learning Factory credits and get a promo cat! Make history here

Hey factory builders!

As we promised a couple of weeks back: this update is quite grand, especially for those of you who have played it into the later parts of the game! With no further ado...



[h2]v0.25.162 Released! [/h2]

• The GREAT INTERFACE UPDATE officially began! In the upcoming weeks, we'll keep bringing Learning Factory windows to a new, lighter, leaner style
  
• Catopia Ark space mission - Learning Factory final challenge - is added to the game. Research, build and equip an expeditionary ship and send it to the stars, to teach the cats of the Universe the secret of living in abundance! NB: this is but the first iteration of Catopia Ark, expect more gameplay in the future!
  
• Added an upgrade for Cable Crafter, increasing the crafting limit
  
• Mouse grid now becomes available along with unlocking 'Manual operations on area' Multitool upgrade
  
• Changed conditions of unlocking certain upgrades to make them more comprehensive
  
• Increased item capacity for Fixed Price Store and Smart Cat Store
  
• Starting from the fourth milestone on the Research Tree, each milestone is also accompanied by a quest, which provides reward upon completion
  
• Added an option to generate a random map in the list of presets when generating a map for a Freeplay Mode game
  
• Crafting window opens on the same tab that's active on the buildings placement panel
  
• Improved tutorial
  
• Added an option to reenable watched tutorials, in case you forgot/missed something
  
• Performance optimization
  
• Bug fixes (kudos to sdgsdfsdf, Zydox79)
  

How do you like it? Don't hesitate to let us know: we're available for direct chat on out Discord server!

[h2]Re: Factory[/h2]

Q: "Fish maker bug, the research to allow Fish++ to be produced in this one requires that you first produce 500 Fish++ to unlock it... as far as I've seen there is no other way to produce Fish++ than the Fish maker.Should the research requirement have been to procude 500 Fish+ and not Fish++ or how do I produce the Fish++ without this research?" -Zydox79 A: High Quality (++) Fish can also be acquired by placing a Fishing Spot under the ground. We've specified unlocking conditions to make it more clear
Q: "Add rails you can ride on for quick travel" -family-***** A: You can use Teleports for faster navigation around different parts of the map
Q: "When you alt-tab to another program, it would be nice if the game would detect that and not switch to the hybrid view" -Zydox79 A: Not sure if we can make this happen, but we'll give it a shot

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

Don't forget to follow Learning Factory on Steam to get the news about new updates as soon as they're out there



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

Going to Early Access is but the first step to glory (and eternal cat happiness). Wanna be part of what happens next? Head to this blog post and learn how to help make the game even more awesome!

[h2]Share Your Gameplay and Become Part of KOTOVOD History[/h2]
Learning Factory needs your help! Record a 10 or more minutes of you playing the game, share a video using any way you see fit, write your name into Learning Factory credits and get a promo cat! Make history here

Hey factory workers!

Do you know what Learning Factory and black holes have in common? The game is sucking out our time and attention, just like a black hole is consuming the very fiber of the Universe around it. But most importantly: black holes are very heavy and condensed - the same way as Learning Factory is becoming a more complex and concentrated game with each update. Especially now, when the 1.0 release is just around the corner. Here, let us show you!

A question that we asked ourselves more than once in these diaries: what is Catopia? The answer is out there, but it is so deep and intricate, that human minds of the first half of the XXI century cannot contemplate it. Cats of the future know what Catopia is, but they wouldn't bother explaining it to inferior food bringers (that would be us, fellow human reader).

All we know is whenever cats’ needs are met, they reach a superior state of being in total satisfaction, and start feeling a sudden urge to make other cats happier (which is not what cats normally do). So don't bother yourself with what is Catopia, and focus on how can you spread it around the Universe!



Apparently, it implies building and equipping an expeditionary space ship (codenamed ‘Catopia Ark’), and send a mission to the stars and other feline worlds, where your enlightened cats will teach their bretheren the secret of living in abundance.



The ship will consist of several blocks. Each needs to be researched and built separately, and then packed with goods and crew members:



Building one of those ships will be the formal ending of the game, but it's not the story finale, it's just the base for it: we've got some ideas on how to expand it. And of course, the final story comics is still to be drawn - those who played games in the 90s know that no decent game ends without a cartoon or comics in the end!

But generally, it's safe to say, that after this update is released, Learning Factory will be a complete game, one that you can play from the tutorial to the credits! Hooray? Hooray indeed!

Let's make some noise to celebrate: another big leap for us towards the release is giving voice to Dr. Katz. It wasn't part of the initial development plan, to be honest, but we experimented internally with AI-generated voice, and decided that it suits the game very well, while also helping highlight key events.

So we have partnered with the very talented actor Ali Gohar, who has done a great job impersonating a mad feline scientist:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

These takes above are work in progress, though at least some of them will likely make it into the game. Our main reference was one very famous classic sci-fi character. Could you guess who it was? Let us know your best guess in the comments!

Speaking of content: some minor changes and new mechanics will continue emerging in the game - it's time for some fine tuning! In the last update, for example, we've added a bunch of new recipes and finally introduced the map-wide grid for more convenient building placement:



We also introduced a short-ranged teleport for items (known as Telemanipulator):



…along with an upgrade for Cat Gate that allows you to get rid of unused items, donating it to random cats of the Universe:



More perky little stuff like that will likely appear in the game, but it's not going to happen before we're done with re-renderig buildings and updating the game's interface. The latter will also make a partial appear in the upcoming update, here's a little teaser for you:



A (technical) story finale, new interface, and some voiceover - Learning Factory is making a huge leap towards its final form this December!

Stay tuned next week for the last major Learning Factory update of the year. We’ll return to you with the next edition of these diaries in 2024, to recap all the wonderful changes that happened at Learning Factory in the past year. Happy Holidays! Come celebrate this epic year in video games industry with us on our Discord server!