shapez 2 News

shapez 2 - Update 0.0.8

Hello everyone,

We just released update 0.0.8, which includes a bunch of improvements and fixes based on your initial feedback already. Thank you for taking the time to help us out!

This does not yet include anything from the Roadmap Survey. We just started going over the 13,000 responses (!) so that will take a while ..

If the update doesn't automatically download, be sure to restart steam. It should show '0.0.8-rc3' in lower right of the main menu.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]

[h3]General[/h3]

Updated Unity version to resolve various issues with DirectX 12, Wayland, sound on Linux and many more.

[h3]Balancing & New Content[/h3]

Added Pipe Gate, allowing you to control the flow of fluids with logical signals.
Added Virtual Pin Pusher

[h3]Visuals[/h3]

Improved train loader / unloader package icon meshes

[h3]UI/UX[/h3]

Space Belts / Pipes and Train Rails now automatically place tunnels while dragging.

Added 'Save As' option as well as 'Replace' for an improved blueprint editing workflow

Added visualizations for Trains.

Added visualization for map markers in Overview Mode.

Dragging a Rail towards the Vortex now automatically places a Train Launcher (once unlocked).
Allow pasting blueprints directly in the library with 'Ctrl + V'.
Added setting to control animation quality/fps when zooming out.
Properly display conflict indicators for Rails if blocked by an adjacent Platform.
Disable research points 'flashing' reminder for 15 minutes when clicking it.
Added 'Invert Y Axis' option.

[h3]Localization[/h3]

Improved Bent Stacker description to mention it's faster than the normal Stacker (now you know).
Fixed inconsistent names between 'Halves Swapper' and 'Swapper' as well as 'Halves Destroyer' vs 'Half Destroyer'.
Fixed inconsistent wording for Train upgrades.

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

Fixed Space Belts / Pipes sometimes not accepting / delivering items at expected throughput.
Fixed Train Unloaders producing a small gap when switching packages.
Fixed Fluid Catcher not transferring fluid to other launcher when the former is on a platform edge.
Fixed blueprint toolbar not updating when changing folder contents.
Fixed crash when connecting item producer directly to Trash.
Fixed research progression statistic showing 100% during tutorial.
Fixed overriding blueprints with different case not working as expected.
Fixed invalid Space Pipe throughput display.
Fixed various pipe/wire path placement issues.
Fixed Fluid Launchers not always displaying throughput / contents.
Fixed screenshots being stored in wrong folder, now saved in user pictures folder.
Fixed some specific space belt loops crashing the game.
Fixed blueprints drag-n-drop in library not working when folder list was scrollable.
Fixed rare crash when analytics failed to init.
Fixed incorrect fluid providing flow.

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[h3]Join the community:[/h3]

Discord Reddit Suggestions Portal X / Twitter YouTube

shapez 2 - Roadmap Survey #1

Hello everyone!

As we mentioned before, we didn't want to start Early Access with a static roadmap. As a developer, it can be easy to focus on things that we think might be super important, but are actually minor while there might be other severe topics that we should look into first!

While we are still overwhelmed with the reception of the game as well as the amount of feedback we got (Around 1.700 feedback form responses, 10.000 new discord members, 600 bug reports and over 1000 Suggestions), we thought it would be a good time to now ask what we should prioritize for the next major update!

[h3]Roadmap Survey[/h3]

So, please fill out our first Roadmap Survey:

[h2]➡ Fill out the survey here! ⬅[/h2]

[h3]The next steps[/h3]

Currently we are finalizing 0.0.8 and we are aiming for roughly this Thursday or next Tuesday if everything goes as planned (fingers crossed!). It improves blueprint editing, adds auto-tunnel-placement for space belts & rails, marker visualizations & much more! You can already give it a try on the experimental 0.0.8 branch on Steam (although please backup your savegames!).

Automatic Tunnel Placement coming in Update 0.0.8

For the first major update, we want to introduce some bigger changes & content, so it's unlikely we'll finish it this year. Our current prediction would be Q1 2025, so 0.0.8 would probably stay around for a while (unless severe issues arise).

We want every major update to make it worth picking up the game again. You can expect every major update to include new content, quality of life improvements as well as bug fixes & performance improvements. We also want to make sure it's exciting enough to pick up the game again; while we plan to add more endgame content, we are also aiming to add new scenarios that let you experience the game in a different way again or new mechanics that add a twist to the game.

We are aware that the current shapez 2 experience might be shorter (50-150 hours depending on your playstyle) compared to other long-established factory games. In order to create shapez 2, I had to cut one of these: content, quality or time. To launch shapez 2 within a reasonable time into early access, we decided it's better to focus on creating a very solid baseline for the game that we can then expand for many years.

Over the course of time, our goals is to increase the amount of content within the game, until we reach the point were you can just constantly keep playing between the updates.

That's it! Thank you for taking the time to fill out the survey - We're very excited to see what exactly the roadmap will end up looking like!

~ Tobias & the shapez 2 Team

[h3]Join the community:[/h3]

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shapez 2 is a big hit with over 150,000 copies sold in less than a week

At least for some smaller teams, things are looking pretty good, with shapez 2 from tobspr Games only launching into Early Access on August 15th and it's sold really well.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/08/shapez-2-is-a-big-hit-with-over-150000-copies-sold-in-less-than-a-week

Steam Global Top Sellers for week of 13 Aug — 20 August 2024

* excluding free to play games
View top 100 on SteamDB

Unique, abstract building game sells 150,000 copies in only three days

Things don't have to be complex, either in the real world or in gaming. Sometimes all you want is to make a colored shape into another colored shape, and then toss that shape into a hungry maw. Simple. Where Shapez 2 makes its mark, however, is by taking that idea of combination, re-coloring, and transport and letting you expand it almost without limits - creating colossal creations that span huge distances. It turns out plenty also want to toss shapes into the void, because it has hit a huge sales milestone mere days after its release.

Read the rest of the story...