Hey there!
We can finally reveal what we've been working on these past few months!
Because we've partnered exclusively with Triple-i to bring you this news, we couldn't share it in advance as we usually do.
[h3]TL;DR: The next BIG shapez 2 update will be released on
June 2nd. Save the date![/h3]
(Challenge: Can you spot the 22 new features/changes we've hidden in this trailer? Let us know in the comments!)[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
On the bad side, we suffered from massive scope creep for this update, which caused it to take much longer than originally expected. On the good side, it means this update is
HUGE.
Let's take a look at what's coming :)
Dimension Update Contents
[h2]3D Platform Building[/h2]
This one's a biggie. You will be able to build platforms, rails, space belts, and space pipes on
multiple levels, just like buildings! This means that our already infinite game is (somehow) getting even bigger.
We thought it made a lot of sense, as you learn 3D construction with normal buildings, then move on to platforms and suddenly it's 2D again. This way, there's a whole new axis to play with, allowing you to build bigger, more compact, and more efficient factories.
The controls work similarly to normal buildings - in fact, we refactored the placement so that the building and platform placement share almost the same code. This means that Q/E works just as expected in platform mode, and so on.
We can't wait to see what kind of spaghetti you will make with this (although we can't condone inefficiency...).
[h2]Trains Rework[/h2]
We have reworked the trains, both functionally and visually! Here are some of the changes we've made.
[h3]Visual Rework[/h3]
Trains and rails have been completely redesigned visually!
[h3]Transfer Stations[/h3]
This new buidling will allow you to transfer shapes and fluids from one wagon to another almost instantly, without having to unload and reload them!
[h3]Quick and Wait Stops[/h3]
There are now two types of train stop that allow you to customise the behaviour of your trains.
A
quick stop will only stop a train if it can load or unload something immediately.
At a
wait stop, a train will wait for up to 30 seconds.
Trains are also much smarter now, so they will not stop or continue waiting at stop if, for example, they are already full.
[h3]Unloader Configuration[/h3]
You can now configure which layers a train unloader should unload. This also works well with the new quick/wait station logic.
[h3]Smaller Packages[/h3]
Instead of having one package per layer, which gets larger as you upgrade your research (and therefore takes longer to accumulate and load, slowing throughput), you can now have multiple packets per wagon layer. These packs have a fixed size (currently 180 shapes / 1800 Liters) and instead you upgrade "Packages per layer".
[h3]More Train Colors[/h3]
We have added 3 new train colours to unlock, bringing the total to 7.
[h2]Variable Belt Launchers (+ Pipes & Wires)[/h2]
Belt launchers, fluid launchers, and wire transmitters now have a variable range, allowing you to densify your layouts even more!
This also means you can now much more easily cross a belt (in fact, it happens automatically if you drag 'over' it):
[h2]Faster Space Belts[/h2]
Right now, many of the advanced factories look like this:
However, this is not what we intended. We wanted the platforms to feel more like buildings - i.e. 4-6 per space belt. With these highly condensed platforms, processing 12 belts at a time, it ended up being more like a 1:1 ratio in the late game.
We've increased the throughput (not the speed!) of the space belts by 400%, which means you can now carry 4 times as many forms on them as before, building more like this:
[h2]Overflow Splitter[/h2]
We have added a new version of the splitter that prioritises one output, and only outputs to the other side if the output stalls.
[h2]Searching Shapes[/h2]
You can now search for specific shapes on the map! No more searching endlessly in infinite space.
[h2]New Platform Layouts[/h2]
We have added the old T, Cross and L platform layouts along with some new ones!
[h2]UI Improvements[/h2]
You can now see the operator shapes on the main screen:
We have also reorganised the shop into categories:
You can now also see the contents of a wire under your cursor:
And we have made the throughput of buildings such as the cutter and stacker clearer:
Also global wire transmitters / receivers now have 2 inputs - one for the ID, one for the signal, so you have almost unlimited channels now.
In addition, you can now use the TAB key to toggle buttons under the cursor, and speaking of the cursor, there is now a 'Zoom to Cursor' setting (disabled by default).
[h2]Other[/h2]
The above are just the big changes. There are so many smaller changes, fixes, and improvements that it would be impossible to list them all here.
Please also note that we are still finalising this update, so some things might still change.
[h2]Note on savegame and blueprint compatibility[/h2]
Savegames from 0.0.9-rc7 (the current version) are partially compatible, but might load with issues (i.e. Tunnels will be gone etc.).
Savegames from previous versions (i.e. if you played on 0.0.8) are unfortunately not compatible, but we will make the current version of the game available as a branch on steam, so you can continue playing. Loading an old game into 0.0.9 and then into this update should make it load (with issues).
However, I
strongly recommend that you consider starting a new playthrough with all these changes to get the most out of this update (have you tried hexagonal yet?), rather than fixing your existing factories. There are so many new ways to be efficient now!
Thank you for your continued support (and patience), and see you on
June 2nd!
~Tobias
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