Little Rocket Lab News

Hi all!

Exciting news - we're back, and we're bringing you a brand new demo for Little Rocket Lab as part of Steam's Next Fest, which you can download and play right now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3729870/Little_Rocket_Lab_Demo/
Little Rocket Lab is a cozy, machine building RPG adventure, where you play as Morgan, an aspiring engineer! You’re heading home to the town of St. Ambroise to help complete your family’s dream project of building a rocket ship. But before you can get there, you need to brush up your mechanical skills and start building some crazy contraptions! Help the locals with new machines, be creative with your resources, and become the ultimate engineer!

Bring out your building and creative side, enjoy the charm and coziness of the town and its people, and get immersed in a wholesome story! We've got a rocket to build!



You'll be able to play the entire first chapter of the game, and get a sneak peek on what we've been working on! There's no time limit on the demo, so if you want to hang around for longer, take your time in finishing the chapter, and explore the town & its locals!

For those of you who are returning from the previous playtest, we've added some more content since you last played! You can expect to find brand new interiors and exteriors for some buildings, new UI changes, quality of life changes & loads of bug fixes!



Be sure to join our Discord to keep up-to-date with the latest on all things Little Rocket Lab! We can't wait to bring the full game into your hands - thank you all for your support, and we'll see you in-game!

Hey again, everyone! We’ve got something a little different for you this week. St. Ambroise is packed with quirky townsfolk and curious characters, but four in particular are always ready to go the extra mile. Meet Morgan’s loyal companions!

🎮 Want to meet them yourself? The playtest is live now—come say hello!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2451100/Little_Rocket_Lab/

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[h3]📺 Pico – The TV[/h3]

Morgan built Pico from her aunt’s old television when she was just a kid, he might not pick up many channels anymore… but what he lacks in reception, he more than makes up for in personality. Ever the optimist, Pico’s a positive, encouraging friend who’s always cheering Morgan on. He’s not much of a long-term planner, but he’s 100% here for the journey. You’ll usually find him hanging around the courtyard of the old factory, watching Morgan work. Just try not to make him too involved in the factory itself.


[h3]🧺 Scrubs – The Washing Machine[/h3]

Once destined for the scrap heap, Scrubs got a second chance when Morgan spotted a little life still left in this beat-up old washer. After all, if she could build one cheerful companion, why not another?

Well… turns out Scrubs may have spent a bit too long cleaning other people’s dirty laundry. Fairly grumpy, definitely rude, and happiest doing his own thing... though his own thing seems to involve making Morgan’s socks go missing. He may not be the warmest spin cycle on the block, but he’s part of the team.


[h3]🍞 Toasty – The Toaster Utility Vehicle[/h3]

Standing at a mighty eight feet tall, Toasty is exactly what it says on the label: a walking toaster with a love of bread recipes and a knack for destruction. He’s been missing for a bit, but this toaster packs a serious punch, being able to tear up old factory equipment to make way for new plans, or just tearing across the landscape. He’s a true friend, and a sweet ride. Though auntie really does wish Morgan would stop building robots out of her appliances!


[h3]🐶 Leo – The Good Boy[/h3]

Leo can’t seem to find his way home, but he did find his way to Morgan’s doorstep, and that’s all that matters. The bond was instant, and now this very good boy is by Morgan’s side through thick and thin. Whether it’s sniffing out townsfolk, chasing a ball, or enjoying some well-earned ear scritches, Leo’s everyone’s best friend. Except for birds. The birds know what they did.


That’s all for now, but we’ll be introducing more of St. Ambroise’s residents soon... maybe even a few with just as much personality as this lot! Got a favourite already? Come tell us over on Discord! We’d love to know who’s claimed your heart (or your socks).

—

Teenage Astronauts and No More Robots

xoxo 🚀

Hey everyone! Our "How to Get Started" series may be wrapped, but we’re not done showing you around just yet. Come take a tour of St. Ambroise as we head off the beaten path and explore everything this delightful town has to offer.

🎮 Want to see it all for yourself? Join the playtest now and see if you can track down all these spots!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2451100/Little_Rocket_Lab/
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[h3]Oh, We Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside[/h3]

We’re kicking things off at the docks, where the lighthouse (like much of the town) has definitely seen better days.


It will definitely take a little elbow grease and some good old-fashioned hard work, but we reckon you could have this beauty up and running again in no time.

The port’s looking a little empty for now, but if only the waters were safer... maybe there’s hope for incoming shipments yet.


[h3]Back to Town[/h3]

We could easily spend a whole post talking about all the houses in town (and hey, maybe we will!) but for now, here are a few must-see highlights:

🕍 Head down south to check out the church! Maybe take a moment to reflect before you go back to your mad science and factory chaos.


🎓 The university might just become your second home. This is where you’ll do your research by supplying the team with materials to cook up shiny new tech.

What do you mean it's closed on Sundays?! Don’t they know we’ve got research to do?


🍰Jamie’s Cakes & Confectionaries is the perfect place for a quick break, and it’s fully stocked with caffeine-filled wonder drinks for a much-needed boost. Priorities, right?


[h3]On the Peripheries[/h3]

There’s plenty to see just outside of town too. Here are a few of our favourite spots:

⚡ The Hydro Dam – Looks like there might be some potential here... Maybe we won’t need that 50th wind turbine after all.


🔭 The Observatory – Make the trek up the mountain past the dam and you’ll find this gorgeous spot. A great place to look out over the countryside, and who knows, maybe we can get that telescope working again!


🚂 The Railyard – It’s a bit run down at the moment, and we can’t quite figure out what all that machinery is for… But with a little time, maybe we’ll finally get our hands on all that ore rolling through.


🚀 The Rocket Silo – We couldn’t end this tour without stopping by the silo. It’ll take a heap of time and a mountain of resources to bring this giant back online, but we believe in you. Just… maybe don’t tell Auntie what you’re up to. We’re looking at you, Pico.


And that’s it for our whistle-stop tour of St. Ambroise! What would you like to see next? Let us know by joining the Discord! We’d love to hear from you and see what you’ve been building!
—
Teenage Astronauts and No More Robots
xoxo 🚀

Hey Everyone!

We’re back with our final getting started guide for Little Rocket Lab! Today, we’re upgrading our setup and branching out, splitting resources into multiple production lines so you can make a little bit of everything without breaking a sweat.

🎮 Want to try it out yourself? The playtest is live right now! And don’t forget to wishlist while you’re there so you’re all set for takeoff!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2451100/Little_Rocket_Lab/

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We’re heading back to our trusty build site just next to the university, and this time we’re bringing upgrades. Let’s get those Level 2 furnaces running hot and start expanding our production lines.


💡 Wondering how we set those up?

Catch last week’s news post for the full breakdown!

By now, you’ve probably noticed that basic resources like plates and gears are essential building blocks for more complex items… buuuut you still need those basics for other recipes too.
So what’s the trick to sharing resources without duplicating every single line?

Item receivers and splitters to the rescue!

Let’s look at bearings and gears, two key ingredients in small motors, which you’re already producing anyway.


Set a splitter to grab every second item off the belts and send it down a new conveyor for further crafting, while the rest keeps heading toward your receiver. Easy!


Now is also a great time to start automating the production of your commonly used factory parts.

We’re adding lines for conveyors and assemblers, both of which use steel plates as a base.

The setup is super simple, just remember, splitters should be configured to leave items on the belt, otherwise you'll find yourself coming up short somewhere else! Play around with the splitter ratios and see what works best for your situation!


Is this the most efficient layout? Absolutely not.
Is it a solid starting point you can improve on and optimise later? You bet!

[h3]That’s a Wrap on Level 2![/h3]

Don’t stop there! Add in more splitters throughout your factory to divert other resources like copper wire and heatsinks into storage. That way, you’ve always got the parts you need, when you need them!


Is it tidy? Nope. Does it work? Heck yeah, it does.

Thanks for sticking with us through the early game! We can’t wait to see what kind of logistical wizardry you’ll build next.

As always, come hang out with us on Discord and show off your factories, we’d love to see them!
—
Teenage Astronauts and No More Robots
xoxo 🚀

Hey Everyone!

Time for another quick guide to Little Rocket Lab’s early game! Today, we’re diving into Level 2 Furnaces and how to keep them fueled with coal and ore like a pro.

Don’t forget, you can play Little Rocket Lab right now by joining the Playtest!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2451100/Little_Rocket_Lab/

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[h3]No More Shoveling![/h3]

With your small motor line chugging away, it’s time to upgrade your factory and kick your automation game into high gear. And how do we do that?

Say hello to Level 2 Furnaces! These beauties let you feed in both ore and coal via conveyor belts, which means no more running around manually inputting coal.

You’ll want at least three furnaces each for both iron and copper bar production. And unless you fancy setting up mini-factories all over town, that means grouping them together in one sleek, central spot.

All that in one place?!

We get it. Lining up multiple furnaces with ore and coal inputs can look a bit... intense. You’re imagining criss-crossing belts, overlapping lines, chaos at every turn. But don’t panic! We’ve got a simple setup to get you going without the headache.

You’ve already met your new best friend, the underpass, but now it’s time to add splitters to your repertoire (aka robot arms for the old-school crowd).



First up: coal. Bring it on separate lines, and use underpasses to leave a gap in your layout, trust us, you’ll need it.

Pro tip: underpasses can’t feed machines directly, so leave room for at least one conveyor to drop off the goods.

Next, run your copper belt through that lovely gap. Nice and tidy. But wait! It’s only feeding the last furnace in the row. Not ideal.


[h3]Enter: Splitters[/h3]

Add two splitters to pull from the copper belt and distribute the goods evenly to all three furnaces. One belt, three machines, no problem.

Just remember: like underpasses, splitters also need a bit of room—they drop items onto a belt, which then carries them into the furnace. So don’t cram them too close!


To ensure that our splitters aren’t stealing too many of the resources, we need to configure them!

Start by setting the first splitter to grab every third item, this lets two copper ore cruise past it on the main belt. Then, set the second splitter to grab every second item. That way, one copper ore gets through each time for the final furnace.

With that setup, your ore gets split evenly between all three furnaces, no bottlenecks, and no sudden lack of copper on one of your production lines.


From here, go wild. See how far you can push your setup, add more furnaces, spin off extra production lines, or go push yourself to limit and optimise every machine down the line.

Here’s a little extra set up we made earlier!


Most importantly: have fun, and don’t forget to share your creations with us! We love seeing your factory masterpieces and mad hat creations!

Teenage Astronauts and No More Robots
xoxo