shapez 2 News

[p]Hi there![/p][p][/p][p]We've been more quiet than usual since we're working really hard on the 1.0 update of the game right now! [/p][p]I have to admit that with all the workload, I haven't found enough time to keep up the devlogs at a more regular pace. However, I have some ideas that might vastly improve this, but that's something for the next devlog.[/p][p][/p][p]Anyways, I wanted to give you an update how things are progressing and what you can expect for 1.0![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Our current plans[/h3][p][/p][p]Right now, the team is 120% focused on the 1.0 release of shapez 2. We're making really good progress, so I'm hopeful we can give more updates on it soon-ish! The 1.0 update, especially with the new game mode, grew way more than we initially planned, which is why it also took much longer than expected. Some of the improvements you can already find in this devlog :)[/p][p][/p][p]After the 1.0 release, shapez 2 will move into a "Live-Ops" mode, where we will provide regular updates and also have some ideas for DLCs - the first one being a shapez 2 adaption of the puzzle DLC (this time with more built-in puzzles though - sorry again for that!).[/p][p][/p][p]In parallel, we're also sketching out some ideas for a potential future project, another factory game, which will be less abstract than shapez 2 and a bit more ambitious. So there will be 2 teams in the company - one working on shapez 2, and one prototyping this new project. Which brings me to the next point:[/p][p][/p][h3]We're hiring![/h3][p][/p][p]We're currently hiring for 3 new positions, and more in the future - If you'd like to work with us (why wouldn't you! right?) this is your opportunity![/p]

• [p]Game Designer: https://8bitplay.com/jobs/game-designer/[/p]
• [p]Executive Producer: https://8bitplay.com/jobs/executive-producer/[/p]
• [p]Senior Technical Artist: https://8bitplay.com/jobs/senior-technical-artist/[/p]

[p][/p][p]Even if those don't fit you, if you are generally interested I recommend to follow our Company LinkedIn Page to get notified when new positions arise![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]1.0 Progress Update[/h2][p][/p][h3]Manufacture Mode[/h3][p]The now-called manufacture mode is progressing nicely and we've started to do some really early testing with our patrons already. However there are still a lot of issues and it's not fully playable yet. Once we make more progress, we'll slowly move towards closed beta tests, and then an experimental branch on Steam.[/p][p]The key change of the manufacture mode is the introduction of 'converters', which require one specific shape and give you another shape that you can not produce.

We have a specific devlog planned for just the manufacture mode, so I won't go too much into detail here.

However, I have a few spoilers for you at least:

[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Achievements[/h3][p][/p][p]We already added most planned achievements to the game, so these will be in for 1.0!
[/p][p]We started with the more simple achievements, so these are the ones we have currently implemented:

Spoiler: ...........[/p][p]
On top of that, we hope we can add a few more unique achievements if our dev team has some time left!
[/p][p]Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments about anything that seems off or missing, or numbers that don't match![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Modding Support[/h3][p][/p][p]The modding support now is almost finished, and Lorenzo is working on the last bits so we can finalize it - we'll follow up once a beta is available, to give early access to interested modders!
[/p][p]Modding will use the steam workshop, as after our testing with mod.io we weren't really satisfied with the integration. We've also learned from feedback in shapez 1, so the modding system is a lot more elaborate, supporting dependencies between mods for example.
[/p][p]Be sure to join the shapez 2 discord if you want to get notified once we're ready!

Work in progress screenshots:

[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Onboarding[/h3][p]Dimitri is working on restructuring the onboarding so it works for both the manufacture and classic mode - and so far it looks very promising in our playtests![/p][p][/p][p]The new onboarding gets you into action much quicker, and instead of throwing a lot of videos and tooltips in your face, you get contextual hints that you can access on demand:[/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]We are also currently restructuring the knowledge panel into categories, to make it easier to find articles and content (the content is a placeholder - but you get the idea). Especially for newer players we've noticed that otherwise it can be really hard to find what you are looking for.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]'Window' Experiments[/h3][p][/p][p]We're also experimenting a bit with introducing windows to the game:[/p][p][/p][p]However, we've run into a few technical challenges with them, which means we might not be able to get this actually sorted out for 1.0. Be sure to share your thoughts though, on whether you think this would be a good feature we should invest time in![/p][h3]

Space Building UX Improvements[/h3][p][/p][p]Dimitri is currently working with Noah on some improvements on the Space Floor Building. One of my favourite experiments is automatically switching the space layer while zooming towards a platform:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This is still quite experimental, so let's see if we can make it work![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Fluid (-Launcher) Visuals[/h3][p]Max, Nigel and Natane are working hard on replacing all of the placeholder assets, and their recent changes included the fluid launchers! They now finally are on par with the other visuals in the game:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]They are also working on other stuff in the meantime - including a space pipe visual rework and generally improvements to the visual fidelity - but more on that in a future devlog!
[/p][p]To set expectations though: Unfortunately we ran out of time to rework the space pipe mechanics, so for now they will have to work with just a visual rework instead of a functional change (i.e. consistent liquid flow). However we'll make sure they at least look different enough from space belts and try to make them look more fluid-ish.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Wire Building Visuals[/h3][p][/p][p]Max started to make some drafts for new visuals for the wire buildings - but those are still WIP and we are not really certain we can get them reworked before 1.0 still. Anyways, I wanted to give a little teaser:

[/p][p][/p][h3]Map Generation Experiments[/h3][p][/p][p]We're also experimenting a bit with the map generation - for example:[/p][p][/p][p]We don't know if this is fun to play, but we'll keep experimenting! Starting from 1.0, this will be an option in the map generation as well:

[/p][p]



That's it for today! Unfortunately I can not give any release date for 1.0 yet, but I can say that with all the work remaining, it will definitely not be this year anymore - we want to make sure the 1.0 release is really great and meets your expectations![/p][p][/p][p]~Tobias[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks to Avernar on Discord for the shot used in the cover art![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Join the community:[/h3][p]
Discord Reddit Suggestions Portal X / Twitter YouTube TikTok [/p]

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p][/p][p]Alice here again for this little status update whilst the rest of the team are still recovering from Gamescom and working hard on 1.0. Let’s jump right in :)[/p][p][/p][h2]Gamescom recap[/h2][p][/p][p]As mentioned in our last devlog and across socials, the tobspr team was at Gamescom last weekend. They manned the stand in the Indie Arena Booth, where so many of you visited and had a go at shapez 2. It was a massive motivation boost to hear your positive comments and compliments about the game, as well as getting some much-appreciated feedback on where we can improve.[/p][p][/p][p]You also seemed to love the merch we had to give away (you could have at least left some for me…). We had 500 stickers, 300 pins, and 200 keychains and you guys snapped them all up like they were going out of fashion. So, one of our biggest learnings for next year is to triple the amount of merch we have on offer…[/p][p][/p][p]Also, people LOVED the magnets. Stay tuned, because although these aren’t available to order yet, they will be soon! We've now got a newsletter you can sign up for below, where we'll be keeping you updated when the magnets are ready. We expect them to sell out fast, given the interest you guys have shown so far.[/p][p][/p][p]Sign up for newsletter[/p][p][/p][p]Check out some snaps the team took:[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][h2]shapez 2 in orchestra![/h2][p][/p][p]I teased this in the last devlog (just couldn’t hold my excitement), but we were waiting on the HQ video to share it fully with you.[/p][p][/p][p]A few weeks ago, something wild happened: shapez 2 was performed by a full symphony orchestra![/p][p][/p][p]We teamed up with Dyson Sphere Program for their Cosmic Harmony of Light and Strings over at the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall. The fact a whole live orchestra learned and played one of our OST tracks still blows my mind. It’s one thing to hear a cool piece of music in game (thanks to Peppsen for putting it together), it’s another level to hear it with live instruments in a concert hall with an audience.[/p][p][/p][p]Check it out here:[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]1.0 status update[/h2][p][/p][p]Of course, the team is still hard at work on the 1.0 update. Here are some updates for you.[/p][p][/p][h3]New game mode[/h3][p]One of the main, most exciting things we’re bringing to 1.0 is the new game mode (currently called ‘Factory Mode’). Basically, it focuses on building huge, permanent factories, in contrast to the current mode where the build > demolish > rebuild mechanic takes precedent. This is something that’s been requested the most above all else, and we’re super excited about what we’ve got so far. It’s progressing well, but there’s still a lot to be done. We hope to get some beta builds out soon for early testing.[/p][p][/p][p]As a little teaser, here’s some WIP footage of the rocket animations (pls don’t tell Max I’ve shared this):[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Modding support[/h3][p]We’ve mentioned this previously, but ICYMI: 1.0 will have modding support! After gathering feedback from our community, mods will use the Steam workshop. If everything goes to plan, we’re hoping we can do some sort of closed beta around October.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re considering holding a modding contest with prizes up for grabs - let us know if this is something you’d be interested in.[/p][p][/p][h3]Achievements[/h3][p]Taking in your feedback on achievements (as well as a pretty rigorous in-house approval process), we’ve got a decent shortlist and we’re making good progress with the technical implementation.[/p][p][/p][h3]Release date[/h3][p]Now for a bit of disappointing news I’m afraid. I know we’ve said previously that we aimed to release 1.0 in November this year, but that’s looking more and more unlikely. We want to make a game that’s worth the 1.0 label, and we just don’t feel it’s up to par yet. Especially with the new game mode - this has to be worth the wait.[/p][p][/p][p]Whilst we can’t give a definitive date yet, we’re now aiming for somewhere around early April 2026. Of course we’ll keep you updated every step of the way.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch ya in the next one.[/p][p][/p][p] - Alice & the tobspr team[/p][p]
[/p][h3]Join the community:[/h3][p]
Discord Reddit Suggestions Portal X / Twitter YouTube TikTok [/p]

[p]Hey everyone! Alice here for this devlog.[/p][p][/p][p]Whilst the team is hard at work with 1.0, here are some updates. We’ve had a lot going on lately, including an unexpected musical twist![/p][p][/p][p]First of all:[/p][p][/p][h2]shapez 2 & the tobspr team are heading to Gamescom![/h2][p][/p][p]From August 20-24, shapez 2 will be in the Indie Arena Booth (Hall 10.2, Booth F010g - E019), at Gamescom in Köln. We’ll have playable stations where you can try out the game, take part in activities, and get your hands on some veryyyy exclusive merch.[/p][p][/p][p]We'll also have previews of the shapez 2 x roons kits that a lot of you backed, and the 3D-printed magnets which will be available to preorder soon! Come grab some swag, find out more about 1.0, and say hello :)[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][h2]shapez 2 is one year old![/h2][p][/p][p]It’s crazy writing this, but one year ago this month, shapez 2 released in Early Access! We had an incredibly successful launch, with a peak CCU of almost 19,000! Since then, with your help, shapez 2 has grown in ways we could never have imagined.[/p][p][/p][p]Over the past year, we’ve released patches, squashed countless bugs, held community contests, and the game has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide… and that’s only scratching the surface of what we’ve accomplished with your help.[/p][p][/p][p]We can’t thank you enough for playing, wishlisting, and sharing our game. We really appreciate all the support and we feel honored to have such a dedicated community quite ready to share just yet. Stay tuned for the next devlog where we’ll have more info on this.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s all from me for now! Sit tight for more updates on 1.0 soon.[/p][p][/p][p]Until then, the vortex is hungry.[/p][p][/p][p]- Alice & the tobspr team[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks to mari on Discord for the screenshot used in the cover art![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Join the community:[/h3][p]
Discord Reddit Suggestions Portal X / Twitter YouTube TikTok [/p]

[p]Hey everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]Game Designer Ce here![/p][p][/p][p]I happily joined the tobspr team this April, still catching up on the long history of shapez 1 and 2 though.[/p][p][/p][p]Before we go into the meat of this Devlog, we have an announcement:[/p][p][/p][h3]Games Forged in Germany[/h3][p][/p][p]Shapez 1 & 2 will be part of the Games Forged In Germany Steam Event! We're proud to be an indie studio from Germany, and this kind of recognition means a lot to us. There's some really cool titles in this event, so make sure to check it out.[/p][p][/p][p]An honourable mention for Star Birds from Toukana Interactive! It's a relaxing asteroid base-building and resource management game. If you like shapez, this is probably up your street too. It's a chill, no-pressure game with beautiful visuals and unique 360° building, and scratches that automation/optimization itch I know you have.[/p][p][/p][p]The demo is currently available for testing on Steam, so give it a go and let us know what you think![/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]Psst: their other title, Dorfromantik, is currently 40% off - check it out :)[/p][p][/p][p]Okay, now into the actual Devlog.[/p][p][/p][p]As promised in the last Devlog, I bring you more details about Achievements.[/p][p][/p][h2]Retroactive achievements[/h2][p][/p][p]A few of you had questions like this:[/p][p][/p][p]For achievements to become active, you will likely need to start a new game. More info about this can be found in Devlog 031:[/p][p][/p][p]Even if that should change and for additional achievements after the 1.0 Release, only those achievements based on already existing stats will have progress retroactively (and it might be some effort preventing that). I am very interested in for how many of you that might be a big issue, and for how many not so much. Would you prefer retroactive achievements, or would you prefer to start fresh?[/p][p][/p][h2]Workflow[/h2][p][/p][p]Now I’d like to share how I went about designing the achievements. First, I collected our requirements for Achievements and investigated priorities. It’s one thing if only a few people making the whole game have ideas. But for the increased team it takes more to align our visions.[/p][p][/p][p]Saving effort for other improvements makes us consider what we need to prioritize for the 1.0 release, and what we can postpone to a future update. For example, we decided to not implement an in-game Achievement screen for now, and instead make use of the Steam achievement system as much as we can. Using the actual shapes as achievement icons is another time-saving trick we decided for now, which I find quite fitting.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]With the 1.0 release, we want to give you at least 30 meaningful achievements but avoid any rather complicated or high effort cases. We expect to at least add some of those in future updates though, so regarding feedback and ideas from your side the sky is the limit.[/p][p][/p][p]We've already had quite a few suggestions, like this one:[/p][p][/p][p]This achievement made it onto the “Extra for Release or after Release” list:[/p]

• [p]"MAM (Make Anything Machine)" - Complete any random operator level without modifying your factory[/p]

[p][/p][p]For clarification on the “Extra for Release”: we are usually pretty pressed for time, BUT all in the team are so passionate about the game that ever so often, someone (especially Tobias) either finds time, or takes time (don’t ask about his weekends - he promised to behave better :D ). That’s how several features and improvements from wishlists still made it. Though you may not always want to inquire the other developers about the consequences. ;)[/p][p][/p][p]Part of the next step - Research - included refreshing general Achievements lessons from articles like Achievements 101. In short, for every achievement I need to consider your resulting game experience with it. How interesting would it be to just run the game without doing anything, for the sake of that achievement? And that’s how game design works. This would change the above achievement to this:[/p]

• [p]"MAM (Make Anything Machine)" - Reach random operator level 200 Complete any random operator level without modifying your factory[/p]

[p][/p][p]We went through lists of achievements for shapez 1 and other factory games for inspiration and potentially homage ("good artists copy, great artists steal"), considering all existing shapez 2 objects and player actions, and of course devouring anything you might have dropped related to achievements on the shapez 2 Discord server, like this:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I think the same. How about:[/p]

• [p]Finish milestone W or higher, in mode X or Y/or any mode, in difficulty Z (/any difficulty except custom)[/p]
  • [p]“I’m Gonna Be” - Milestone 9, in any mode, in any difficulty except custom[/p]
  • [p]“Lucky number Slevin“ - Milestone 7, in Hard or Insane mode, in any difficulty except custom[/p]
  • [p]"As you wish.” - Milestone 6, in any mode, in difficulty challenge[/p]
  • [p]“Hex hex“ - Milestone 5, in Hexagonal mode, in any difficulty except custom[/p]
  • [p]“Life is pain, Highness.” - Milestone 4, in Insane mode, in any difficulty except custom[/p]

[p][/p][p]The names and numbers are placeholders and can be changed. But more on that later - first we need to decide what the achievements will actually be ;)[/p][p][/p][p]My research quickly resulted in a long basic list of potential achievements. There were and still always are different cases and player types to consider. Some achievements support new players to bridge the gap between the visible milestones and onboarding steps, for example:[/p]

• [p]“Architecture”- Save a blueprint[/p]

[p][/p][p]I want players to early get on using our copy, paste, save and use blueprint features.[/p][p]Other achievements reward you for playing extensively and building up a huge factory:[/p]

• [p]“Marathon”; "Can't stop"; …; … - Reach Operator level X (or higher)[/p]
  • [p]10; 50; 100; 500[/p]

[p][/p][p]As you can see, I am not even set on all the required achievement names yet. I am looking forward for any proposals you might have.[/p][p][/p][p]A few achievements even might require some skill and special effort. Others are for fun, for example:[/p]

• [p]"The logo!" - Deliver the shapez 2 logo[/p]

[p][/p][p]At the same time, we don’t want to guide anyone into a bad game experience just following any additional goal we might set with a thoughtless achievement. For example:[/p]

• [p]“I’ll be back” - Perform 800 Redos. (or perform X redos in a row)[/p]

[p][/p][p]How would you achieve that in the fastest and easiest way possible? Spamming the hotkey 800 times in a row? Would that be fun? I don’t think so, that’s why:[/p]

• [p]“I’ll be back” - Perform 800 Redos. (or perform X redos in a row)[/p]

[p][/p][p]If you think otherwise, let us know in the comments. Alice wasn't joking when she said we're always watching...[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, we were looking for patterns among those achievements, meaning a similar mechanic but for different structures, modes, or sometimes just a progression of the same achievement. That does not only make it easier for anyone to understand, but also relieves our team from implementation effort, which results in more improvements somewhere else. Ideally, we can do many great achievements with one or a few patterns, for example:[/p]

• [p]Have (at least) X amount of X entity on single map[/p]
  • [p]“Factory day”; …; …; … - Have X platform(s)[/p]
    • [p]100; 1.000; 10.000[/p]
  • [p]…; “I need trains”; “Milky way” - Have X space belt(s)[/p]
    • [p]10; 25; 100;[/p]
  • [p]“Choo choo”; …; “Tycoon” - Have X trains[/p]
    • [p]3; 10; 25[/p]

[p][/p][p]The result so far were three lists of potential achievements: a first internal to start with for setting up the systems and workflow, extended for an MPV for the release fulfilling our requirement of at least 30 achievements, and the “Extra for Release or after Release” list.[/p][p][/p][p]The next step for me was to share the list with the rest of the team, especially the colleagues which would be responsible for implementing them, also making sure no reasonable questions or foreseeable problems were left open to discuss. They took the chance to add their own ideas, feedback as players, and there were some good reasons to strike through some more achievements. One particular example is counting anything within the simulations you might remember from Devlog 027. As you might imagine, we don’t want to ruin the shapez performance for the sake of any Achievement.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Current progress and possible changes[/h2][p][/p][p]The current state of the achievements is that we have started implementing them.Hopefully, I soon come to point to add the according data, test them, have them tested (hopefully by a lot of you players) gather all the feedback and problems, and iterate. It can already start with more ideas and feedback from you. The design of shapez 2 never ends. The factory must grow.[/p][p][/p][p]One for you hardcore enthusiasts:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Quite a “Perfectionist”. It definitely needs a condition when to check. I have to sleep at least a night over this one. Maybe I find some comments when I wake up, shining some light on your perspective how you would feel about such an achievement?[/p][p][/p][p]I dearly hope you are going to like what Achievements we end up with in 1.0. But now I am looking forward to your reactions.[/p][p][/p][p]~ Ce & the shapez 2 team[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Join the community:[/h3][p]
Discord Reddit Suggestions Portal X / Twitter YouTube TikTok [/p]

"Peerlessly satisfying," was how RPS guides editor and self-described "Anton Ego of factory games" Ollie Toms summarised Shapez 2 back at early access launch in August 2024. Throwing caution to the winds, he suggested that it had "turned the holy trinity of factory games (Factorio, Satisfactory, Dyson Sphere Program) into a holy quartet."

To tinker with such perfection is surely tempting the wrath of the gods, but nonetheless, developers tobspr Games have been meddling. They've just announced that they hope to release the automation strategy sim into 1.0 this November, together with a new mode, proper modding support, and Steam achievements.

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