Scrapping Simulator News

Scrapping Simulator Major Patch Notes v0.41 - Now Available on [Testing Branch] for Public Testing

Accessible via Right Clicking Scrapping Simulator in Steam > Properties > [Game Versions & Betas] > Testing Branch
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G'day Scrappers 👋
It's here! The biggest update in Scrapping Simulator's History! 🚀
A massive thank you to everyone who jumped into the v0.40 Testing Branch to help crush the Disassembly bugs 🐛💥

There is quite a bit to break down with this update so let's get straight into it;



[h2]Save System 💾[/h2]
Save Slots: Added 3 Saveable Slots + 1 invisible Autosave slot.

• Load Last Save button loads the most recent Auto or Manual save.
  
• Legacy (pre-v0.41) saves are auto assigned to Slot 1; shows as "Save File Found - No Meta Data" until saved on v0.41.
  
• Autosaves are fully managed by the game; manual slots are fully player-controlled.
  
• Aim: Allow risk-free experimentation, testing new approaches, trying new things, stress testing, etc.
  

[h2]Life (Energy) System ⚡☕[/h2]

• Reworked Energy system; Free Floating Energy re-introduced.
  
• Energy depletion attached to major actions; Actions consuming energy include disassembly, running, heavy hauling.
  
• Sleep animation smoothed with randomized player looking angle and small Bug/Easter Egg.
  
• Coffee Shop: Owned by Kaz, opens 1PM-11PM. Coffee can be stockpiled, and reheated via Microwave.
  

[h2]New Items & Components 📺[/h2]
CRT TV: Introduced a new Mid-Tier E-Waste Item weighing ~5kg & packed with Copper.

• New Components: Flyback Transformer, Speaker, Deflection Coil (unique to CRT TV)
  
• Dual Coil Transformer added to CRT TV and numerous other E-Waste Items.
  
• Wheelbarrow: Added to the Hardware Store as an alternative to the Trolley.
  

[h2]NPCs & Dialogue 💬[/h2]

• Fully reworked NPC dialogue system; speech bubbles, randomized greetings, unique character dialogue.
  
• All street NPCs interactable; provide status on street E-Waste items.
  

Power System 🔌

• Reduced Light power draw; idle appliance draw increased.
  
• Base weekly power bill ~$200; max ~$500 with full (unrealistic) usage.
  
• Overdue fees increased 10% → 25%.
  
• Solar profit first applied to overdue bills.
  
• Power draw values now somewhat realistic and visible per device (no more phantom 10kW draw).
  

Disassembly System 🛠️

• Fully rebuilt core system; frame-specific error handling.
  
• WATCHDOG system tracks every action, logs issues, fixes errors on-the-fly.
  
• Desk handler now keeps player attached, preserves camera/zoom.
  
• Sub-components queued properly; UI shows next component up.
  
• Dummy items no longer auto-added to parts box to prevent freezes.
  
• Queue notifications and overlays adjusted for clarity.
  

Interaction Improvements 🎮

• “Click to Pickup / Click to Drop” default enabled. Holding LMB and Scrolling can be awkward.
  
• Dynamic text now reflects selected pickup method.
  
• Interaction script split: Main Interaction, Active Interaction, Disassembly Interaction (from 3000+ line original to ~1000 lines each, being far more manageable).
  

Scrapper Joe & Task Manager 📋

• Items accepted in any state; materials pay-out correct values including bonuses.
  
• Side panel added to show detected requested items.
  
• Re-roll increased from 1 > 3 per day.
  

Hardware Store & Item Handling 🏪

• Items in Hardware Store at closing are scattered to the back by the disgruntled cashier with notification.
  
• NPCs move faster during Sleeping Time Lapse for realism.
  
• Scrap Yard hovering quote UI less transparent for readability.
  

Transportation & Storage 🚧

• Trolley & Wheelbarrow: Reduced speed reduction by weight; 5kg threshold added.
• Wheelbarrow added as requested variant; easier stacking, climbs gutters.
  
• Storage Container Upgrade: Stores up to 100kg per selected material. Base price $399.95, purchase limit x4. Materials can also be added/removed from carried Buckets via [E]/[F].
  

UI & Tutorials 📘

• Removed “More Coming Soon” from Player Stats.
  
• Tutorial streamlined: fewer bulk messages, extra individualized steps added.
  
• Tutorial now guides Camera Movement, Zooming, Queuing Components, Tool Changes, Inventory integration.
  
• $50 starting cash removed; players now instructed to purchase Radio (funded) and receive bonus CRT TV as first-day item.
  

File Path & Cross-Platform 🌐

• Removed hardcoded directory paths; now uses %appdata%\LocalLow\DefectGaming\Scrapping Simulator for saving/loading.
  
• Should work across Windows, Linux, and Steam Deck.
  
• Note: Explorer-based buttons [Gen Logs/Save Directory] may not function outside Windows.
  

[h2]Improvements & Fixes 🔧[/h2]

• Improved addition/removal of raw materials; shows material popup.
  
• Improved cash handling methods.
  
• Updated some older components (GPU, Heatsink, etc.) to fix scale/flicker issues.
  
• Crucible metals and stats UI improved.
  
• Bill buttons updated: “Available in x Days” instead of “Due in x Days”.
  
• Min Power bill $200/week; Rubbish Bin weekly cost added.
  
• Scrap Yard ingot panel fixed: shows 0/24 correctly.
  
• Trolley/Wheelbarrow interaction bugs fixed.
  
• Hardware Store box spawn area, shop colliders, and other minor environment fixes.
  
• Radio spawn rotation fixed.
  
• PC RAM removal fixed (chips stationary).
  
• Weather randomization RNG fixed; street lights activated correctly.
  
• Pawn Shop buy/sell pricing rebalanced; Rob’s daily balance increased $100 → $200.
  
• Mine Sweepin’ now costs 10 Scrapper Tokens; hint costs 5; rewards Tokens in regards to the points earnt for the game.
  
• Achievements fixed; Steam API now tracks correctly.
  
• Tutorial DVD Player duplication bug fixed.
  

[h2]Graphics & Audio 🎨🔊[/h2]

• Furnace UI colours clarified; flame effects improved.
  
• Kitchen updated for Coffee heating functionality.
  
• Sleep animation smoothed.
  
• LODs and visual improvements across map and props.
  

[h2]LODs & Performance ⚙️[/h2]

• Improved LODs for trolley, NPC houses, trees, props.
  
• Some performance trade-off for reduced pop-in, especially on lower graphics settings.
  

[h2]Bug Reporting 🐛📨[/h2]

• In-game Bug Reporting UI refactored; accessible from Main Menu and [F5] In-Game at Any Time.
  
• Supports screenshots and logs; temp files cleaned after submission.
  
• Now Includes Feedback and Suggestions Sections.
  

[h2]Miscellaneous 📦[/h2]

• Updated to Unity Engine 2021.3.45f2.
  
• Interaction text handling reworked to prevent overlap.
  
• Hardware Store hover UI enlarged for readability.
  
• Street LCD TV E-Waste colliders aligned properly.
  
• Culture-based “comma” bugs fixed (decimal separators no longer break systems).
  
• Disassembly colours adjusted to be easier on the eyes.
  

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NOTE; With such massive changes to many core systems, new additions & system tweaks, the likelihood of encountering Bugs, Save/Load Issues, Performance Issues, etc, is very high despite countless hours of stress testing.

It is highly advised that players make regular backups of Save File(s) when testing on the v0.41 Testing Branch as some severe issues may only arise after multiple saves.

A clear warning that backward compatibility from v0.41 > v0.39 will not be supported. Once overwritten, there is no going back — ensure backups are made if unsure about testing.

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A massive thank you to everyone continually showing support, reporting bugs, giving feedback/suggestions and helping the game progress through its toughest stages ❤️

Happy Scrapping! 💚

G'day Scrappers!

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the delays with the v0.41 Major Update.

The update is very close to release and is currently going through finalization and testing, but I wanted to give everyone a quick update on what’s been happening behind the scenes.

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[h3]🔧 Disassembly System Rebuild[/h3]

While working on the update, it became clear there was no reliable way to eliminate the desync and state bugs in the previous Disassembly System.

Because of that, the entire core system has been rebuilt from the ground up.

This rebuild is the main reason for the delay, but the good news is:

• Disassembly is now fully functional again
• No known bugs so far (after some pretty heavy testing)

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[h3]⚙️ A Much More Reliable System[/h3]

The new system is significantly more robust than the previous version.

Everything now runs in a strict sequence, meaning it should never desync or break state, even with player interaction happening in the background.

On the rare chance something does go wrong, a new system has been added:

WATCHDOG System

• Monitors the entire disassembly process
• Automatically attempts to fix issues if they occur
• Provides clear debugging logs to help track down problems quickly

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[h3]🚀 What This Means for v0.41[/h3]

v0.41 is expected to become the new stable baseline for Scrapping Simulator.

Once testing is complete (both internally and on the Testing Branch), the update will be pushed to the default branch as soon as possible.

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Thank you all for your patience and support!

Happy Scrapping! 💚

[h3]G’day Scrappers![/h3]

Happy New Year! 🎉

This hotfix addresses recent bug reports and announces a Main Branch rollback. This separates casual players looking for a stable experience from those who want to help test and improve the game.

Patch Notes – v0.40 Rev 4

• Tutorial Fixes: Fixed starting in a paused state, refined prompts to be more instructional where needed, and relaxed guidance elsewhere.
  
  
• Gameplay Fixes: Scrapper Joe now accepts PlusBox 2000s.
  
  
• Bug Reporting:
  
  The new in-game reporting system is working wonderfully—screenshots, detailed descriptions, and mandatory logs make bug tracking faster and more accurate. Thank you, and keep them coming!
  
  Please use the bug report feature for actual issues only; venting or insults add noise and slow fixes. Steam and Discord are for general feedback and discussion, not the Bug Reporting System.
  
  
• Branch Rollback:
  
  Due to persistent disassembly bugs and growing frustration around them, the Main Branch has been rolled back to v0.39r1 for a more stable, bug-free experience.
  
  If you want the latest features and don’t mind bugs, a Testers Branch v0.40r4 is available to opt into.
  
  The v0.40+ build will return to the Main Branch only when it’s ready and up to a satisfactory standard.
  
  
• Reporting Item Bugs:
  
  When reporting issues with items, always include the item name causing the problem.
  
  Example: "PC can’t be sold at Pawn Shop" vs. "Nothing can be sold at Pawn Shop" are different bugs. Specific details, such as Items tried etc, help us fix issues faster.
  
  
• Thanks again to everyone submitting detailed reports—they’re helping us tackle the toughest bugs and improve the game overall.
  

Happy scrapping! 🧰

[h3]G’day Scrappers![/h3]

Happy New Year! Here’s to a more focused and productive year for Scrapping Simulator ːhandywrenchː

After a long journey — and yes, nearly five years in Early Access Alpha — it’s clear this project needs to move forward and be finished. That point has been made clear, and I completely agree. As a result, I’ll be taking a more direct and streamlined approach to the game going forward.

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For anyone curious about just how far Scrapping Simulator has come over those 5 years:
Check out Scrapping Simulator from 5 years ago (v0.05) - FREE DEMO

This is the original pre-Steam build — no disassembly queues, no fancy accessibility features, no tool progression, no city, no levelling or perks, and not even screws in the earliest versions. What started as a basic prototype slowly grew into what you see today through constant iteration, rewrites, and a lot of trial and error.

Progress has been slow, but the difference is substantial — and that evolution is exactly why the focus now is on finishing the game properly.

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This update marks an important shift in how development and support will be handled.

From here on, bug reporting will be handled exclusively through the new In-Game Bug Report System and Discord Bug Report Tickets. Anything outside these channels is not a priority.

Reports that lack meaningful information (logs, reproduction steps, or usable detail) will be ignored. Chasing missing information, repeated back-and-forth, or making assumptions about whether a complaint will become an actionable Bug Report is no longer an effective use of development time.

To keep things productive, it’s important to clearly separate general discussion, feedback, and complaints from actionable Bug Reports. Bug Reports should be submitted with the intent of helping identify, reproduce, and fix an issue once and properly, using the tools provided.

This change allows me to step back from public-facing support and focus entirely on where my skills are best used — working on the game itself. Less time spent on PR, support diagnostics, and community management means more time actually finishing Scrapping Simulator.

This project needs to get DONE.

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With that said — here’s what you’re actually here for.

Patch Notes – v0.40 Rev 3

• Furnace UI clarity improvements
  Renamed “Melting Temp; ###°C” to “Target Temp; ###°C” for clearer intent at a glance. Text colour coding has also been refined on applicable text:
  – Red = something is missing or not ready
  – Green = ready for operation
  
  
• Temporary fix for bugged Microwave
  The Microwave should no longer become stuck and un-interactable on the desk. The root cause remains unclear due to limited data, but a recovery method is now in place.
  
  
• Additional fix attempt for Pawn Shop sale issues
  Some newly spawned items may fail to generate a price, causing them to be rejected due to a $0 value.
  To guarantee a correct sale: take the item home, place it on the desk to spawn its components, then sell it for its accurate value rather than the AVG value used by dummy items. This issue will continue to be monitored.
  
  
• Tool switching cooldown refinement
  Refined the tool switching cooldown to reduce disassembly lockups. This resolves most early-game disassembly issues (pre-perks and tools).
  Perk and tool upgrade combinations can still cause sync issues, so Disassembly Efficiency perks have been temporarily disabled to ensure stable gameplay.
  Tool upgrades now behave far more reliably. The Drill in most cases remains the most sensitive tool, in terms of a reliable and repeatable trigger, but is significantly more stable without perks enabled.
  
  
• New In-Game Bug Reporting System
  A reliable in-game reporting pipeline is now live. Reports are transmitted automatically, removing the need for back-and-forth communication and follow-ups.
  No accounts, No registration required — simply fill out the form, submit, continue gaming.
  If you encounter issues with this system itself, please open a Discord ticket.
  
  Abuse Policy:
  Any attempt to attack, DDOS, or otherwise purposefully flood this service will result in an immediate ban from bug reporting. Continued abuse will lead to removal of access to Scrapping Simulator entirely. Malicious activity will not be tolerated and may result in legal action.
  
  
• Improved screw interaction
  Small and Tiny screw hitboxes have been slightly enlarged to reduce pixel-perfect clicking.
  
  
• Environmental audio balance fix
  Fixed the Rustling Leaves SFX being overly saturated. Tree audio output has been reduced by ~50% to better match other environmental sounds and provide subtle ambience rather than distraction.
  
  
• Why is it so quiet? Try the Radio!
  One of the more overlooked items in the Hardware Store is the Radio. By default, it plays a selection of royalty-free background tracks and also supports custom music, allowing you to add your own.
  This was a highly suggested feature that replaces traditional background music used in early builds and gives players more control over their experience.
  
  More broadly — take a moment to slow down and explore. The game isn’t designed to punish you for stopping or taking a break. There’s no fail screen, no death screen, and no “you’re out of money, start over” scenario.
  
  That weekly power bill certainly isn’t going to wipe your save. In most cases, a single server’s worth of materials comfortably covers it, and the game provides plenty of breathing room if you choose to play at a slower pace.
  
  In saying that Scrapping Simulator is meant to be played at your pace — slow or fast. Though it could be beneficial to Browse the map (even small maps have Easter eggs), experiment, engage with some of the more overlooked systems, and enjoy the process. There’s much more to the game than the grind.
  
  

Happy scrapping — and Happy New Year! 🧰

[p]
[/p][h3]G’day Scrappers![/h3][p]
First off, I’d like to apologise for the delay with this patch. I was really hoping to have this issue 100% resolved before releasing it, but unfortunately it’s proven to be far more complex than expected and is beginning to push beyond my current skill level.

While taking a short break over the holidays, I felt it was still better to release the progress made so far rather than continue holding it back — even if the changes are relatively small.

Although the Disassembly freeze issue is not fully resolved yet, this patch does improve overall synchronisation between Disassembly systems, reducing the likelihood of freezes. It also introduces the ability to exit Disassembly if you become stuck or frozen, without needing to force-close the game.

For most players — especially early or general gameplay — Disassembly should function normally. However, once Tool Upgrades and Perks are purchased, the interaction between systems (Interaction, Disassembly, Queue, and Tools) becomes much tighter. In these cases, rapid inputs and rapid actions introduced by upgrades can still trigger freezes under certain conditions.

[/p][hr][/hr][p]
[/p][h2]⚠️ Known Issues[/h2][p][/p][p] - Under certain conditions, when the Desk was Exited in a frozen/stuck state, the Disassembly Desk may become unresponsive.
- Rapid inputs combined with Tool Upgrades and Perks can exponentially increace the chance that Disassembly systems will desynchronise.
- In rare cases, a queued eWaste “Case” object may be removed by the Bug Detector, leaving behind an invisible or non-interactable item attached to the Desk.
Video Demonstration;
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
[/p][p]
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[/p][h2]🧰 Self Remedies / Workarounds[/h2][p]
If you encounter any of the issues listed above, you can manually recover using the in-game Debug Panel.

Resetting a Broken or Unusable Desk
[/p]

• [p] Open the Debug Panel with \[F1][/p]
• [p] Enter the command: reset_desk
  - This will force-reset the Desk’s internal values, allowing it to correctly reattach the connected eWaste item and resume normal operation.
  [/p]

[p]
Invisible eWaste Item Stuck on the Desk
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• [p][/p]

[p]
- This can occur when a queued “Case” object is removed by the Bug Detector, leaving behind an invisible hollow shell of the original item.

- To fully resolve this:

[/p]

1. [p] Use the 'reset_desk' command once to remove the invisible object from the game.
   [/p]
2. [p] Use it a second time to allow new items to be attached to the Desk.
   -This process will permanently remove the broken eWaste item from both your game session and save file.
   
   Important Note:
   Apply the fix while the item is still attached to the Desk.
   The Disassembly Desk has full access to eWaste items and all their component data with many Bug Fixing functions, making it one of the safest systems for de-bugging broken items.
   If removed, this Connection is broken and the game assumes it is a Normal Interactable Item and has no way to know if its broken/bugged or not.
   
   [/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]🔧 What’s Fixed[/h2]

• [p][/p]

[p]\[] Patch notes are light for this update, as the primary focus was (and still is) Disassembly system polish and stability.
\[] Additional error checks and safeguards added across the Disassembly systems, including Interaction, Queue, and Tool handling.
\[] Addressed several oddities, such as certain random Pawn Shop items not being accepted correctly.
\[] A couple of blind fixes applied based on reports that did not include logs — these may or may not resolve the reported issues, as they cannot be reliably verified without testing data.
[/p][hr][/hr][p]
Thanks again for all the bug reports and feedback — and a reminder to please include log files with any bug report big or small. Logs are invaluable for tracking down issues accurately, effectively and swiftly. It’s always better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Happy scrapping! 🧰⚙️

I will keep you all posted on the progress with this Disassembly Bug and hope to have a resolve as soon as possible!

- Fury[/p]