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Learning Factory News

Relaxed factory automation sim Learning Factory 1.0 is out now

A few years in Early Access and it's now complete. Luden.io have released the 1.0 update for Learning Factory, a chilled factory building automation sim about supplying cats on Mars with everything they need.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/01/relaxed-factory-automation-sim-learning-factory-1-0-is-out-now/

Last chance to buy Learning Factory cheap!



Hey, engineers,

Here's but a quick reminder: Learning Factory will be on sale until February 10. After that, we will raise the price for the base game and the soundtrack!

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

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1545760/Learning_Factory_Soundtrack/

If you're looking for a great deal, today's the day (yes, today)!

Until we meet again.

Grand Re-Re-Opening - Major Update, v1.0.194



Hey, engineers!

So, here we are. The great release, v1.0! We won't bother you with flowery words (scroll below for that). Instead, let's get right to the new content because, naturally, we have some goodies for you in this very important update!

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

But first, here's a little summary of what will be happening these days:
  • The game will have an extended launch discount for 2 weeks. After that, we will raise the game's base price, so it's probably the best time to buy Learning Factory
  • The price for soundtrack will also go up, because it has been enriched with a whole new selection of tracks, composed by Broadcast of Variants collective
  • In a matter of days (or maybe even hours!) we will release a new DLC with a collection of printable posters, for our biggest supporters. We'll let you know once it's out there
  • If you haven't seen it already, check out our big screenshot retrospective - the game has changed a lot
  • We have also created a new art for the game to celebrate this glorious day!


Finally, here's the list of new features that v1.0 brings along!

[h2]v1.0.194 Released![/h2]
[h3]Content[/h3]
  • 2 new comics, including story finale
  • Added in-game comics voiceover
  • Added more voiced over phrases for Dr. Katz
  • 3 new music themes for the default biome
  • New main menu theme

[h3]Gameplay[/h3]
  • Increased speed of Hill Manipulators
  • Improved campaign map

[h3]QoL && Interface[/h3]
  • Improved sounds
  • Improved tutorials
  • Improved contextual hints
  • Added a new tutorial about item quality
  • Added a new tutorial about Catopia and its' Milestones
  • Improved copywriting in English, Russian and Chinese versions
  • Improved searching in the backpack, buildings' panel and crafting window (additional help can be toggled on and off in the Settings)
  • Faster comics frame skipping with 'Esc' button (suggested by CosmicImplosion)
  • Improved Twitch Integration
  • Added a new accessibility option: voiceover in neutral tone for English, Russian, Chinese and some others (please not that this is not an official game voiceover)
  • Improved copywriting for Steam Deck
  • Improved tooltips for Steam Deck
  • Improved control tips for Steam Deck
  • Lots of minor UI/UX fixes
  • Performance optimization
  • Bug fixes (kudos to Glidercat, CosmicImplosion, s50114, Flymaster, HyDyrk, Frutchy)

[h3]DLCs[/h3]
  • New images added to Art Pack DLC
  • New tracks added to Soundtrack DLC


[h2]Re: Factory[/h2]

In this section of patch notes, we answer the questions from the 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: Allow further zoom out -xxxxyyyzzzz A: You can increase the limit for zooming out in the Settings.

Q: It would be nice to add the option to reset my position. Thank you -caucau.caucau A: There's a dedicated button next to the mini map, that teleports you right back to the Monument.

Q: I find the hybrid layer mode very hard to read at a glance, especially when there are a lot of things on screen. The colored squares might be fine for conveying generic landscape features, but they aren't very helpful for things like belts or splitters. Perhaps showing them as tinted ghosts of some sort would be clearer? -Sunsphere11 A: Good point, and we have it planned for the future. It's a complex task to accomplish, especially when it comes to performance optimization. We hope to get back to it one day.

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!

3, 2, 1... Catopia! - Learning Factory Retrospective


Hey, engineers,

As promised, we're back with some more nostalgic Learning Factory content.

This week is special because (a friendly reminder) Learning Factory goes to v1.0 release on January 27! If you have the game on wishlist, you'll get an email once it's out there. And if not - it's about time to add it!

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

If we count the pre-release stage, the development took almost 5 years, which is… wow. To be honest, we just wanted to make a nice little tycoon-like game with cats in it, but then our players asked for more content, one thing led to another - and here we are.

It's been a long way. The game has evolved tremendously. Just one example: do you know what capsule art on Steam is? It's that picture you see just above a game's description, it's the ‘face’ of the game, in a way. Check out how this image was changing throughout the years, as we were fine-tuning our vision of Learning Factory:









We won't bother you with too much text today - there will be time for words later. As for now, we're still heads-down busy, making the final preparations for the release.

So we'll let the screenshots talk. Take a moment and look at how Learning Factory was evolving in every possible way:



























We wouldn't let you go without sharing another portion of weird facts about Learning Factory though! Enjoy.

[h3]Learning Factory Trivia, Part 2[/h3]
  • The original plan was to allow cats visit multiple stores, like in theme park tycoons
  • We discussed a concept in which a player would have to manage a huge storage unit and plan the amount of goods to order according to the demand
  • There were no plans for adding an underground level, initially
  • However, the game now supports an almost unlimited amount of levels. We wanted to have more than just two, but it turned out to be madness in many ways
  • The idea of Learning Factory was first drafted because the players of while True: learn() were asking for gameplay in which real-life machine learning could be applied
  • while True: learn() players were asking for real-life programming gameplay, which resulted in us making Craftomation 101. But that's a whole different story.

Come join us in celebration of Learning Factory release this Monday! Catopia won't build itself, you know.

Until we meet again!

Learning Factory Goes v1.0 on 01/27/2025 - Cats go to Mars!



Hey, engineers!

You've seen the title, haven't you? The big day is on the calendar. Our palms are shaking while we're typing in these words.

Learning Factory goes out of Early Access on January 27!

We even got ourselves a professional trailer, that's how committed we are:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And here's how it all started - Learning Factory's first teaser, February 2021:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

You'll see a lot more Learning Factory nostalgia on the upcoming week. We've started drafting the game back in the spring of 2020, so there's a lot to remember.

But today, we'll be looking into the future, namely, that release day of ours. Here's a short summary of what's going to happen:

  • On January 27 we will release the final v1.0 update. It will feature extended voiceover, the final part of the story, and many improvements in QoL and UI/UX parts.
  • There will be an extended release discount
  • After the discount ends, the price will be increased, as we stated in our Early Access manifesto

Here's another retro Learning Factory trailer for you to enjoy while digesting the information above:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Now, here's a checklist of actions you can take right now to ensure that you don't miss the big v1.0 celebration:

  • Add Learning Factory to your wishlist, if it's not there yet - this way you'll get an email from Valve once the game and the discount go live
  • If you have a friend who might like the game - spread the word!
  • If you know a content maker on YouTube, Twitch etc., who might enjoy covering the game - let us know in the comments, we'll reach out to them!
  • Buy the game on January 27, obviously. If you're sincerely enjoying our work, we are preparing a special DLC with exclusive materials, for our biggest fans

Oh look! Here goes another retro trailer of Learning Factory! Sereiously, the excuse of posting them again was one of the main reasons for this post:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Did you know we were updating the footage for those trailers every half a year or so? Well, there's a lot of stuff about Learning Factory that you might not've known! We'll start fixing it today (and continue in the next couple of posts):

[h3]Learning Factory Trivia, Part 1[/h3]
  • The game was initially meant to be a tycoon in which cats would choose which stores to attend
  • Data and coins initially were in-game objects, moving on the Transporters as any other item
  • There used to be a day and night cycle in the early versions of the game
  • We had our regrets about naming the game ‘Learning Facotry’ (search it on YouTube to see the ridiculously irrelevant results), but it was too late
  • We created an educational version of Learning Factory in collaboration with Games for Change foundation
  • Learning Factory continues the story of while True: learn() in which a software engineer invents a cat-to-human translator device

We wouldn't let you go without suggesting another selection of old trailers! In the next posts, there will be more ancient art, screenshots, and whatnot!

This is August '22, when the new art style emerged. We also tried experimenting with the narrative:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Narrative-shnarrative, we had it discarded by the end of that year. Who needs narrative, when you have Zeppelins:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Until it finally came to this last in-housee iteration. We'll miss you, buddy:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

You won't find this on YouTube anymore, fellas (we unlisted those old-timers)! Which one you like better? Let us know in the comments.

Until we meet again!