Modulus News

[h3]Welcome back to our Dev Deep Dive, in which we’re chatting to the team about everything that goes into bringing Modulus to life. Last time we took a look at the trickiest systems to get right and today we are diving into ways in which the community has surprised us. The Modulus community has been the backbone of development, helping us to fine tune systems, to understand what we need to improve, remove or add, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their ongoing support. So without further adieu:[/h3][h3]Has there been a feature that surprised you in how players used it?[/h3][p]Preet (QA Lead):  In a recent playtest I saw players using storage depots in ways we never expected. They were storing resources in them, then moving the operators to different islands so those resources could be retrieved and reused later. I only discovered it yesterday, and it honestly never occurred to me that players would do that. It was a really nice surprise.[/p][p]Antoine (Art Director):  For me, the big surprise was seeing how players approached the game artistically. At first, I thought people might try some voxel or pixel art within a single module. But then I saw them using conveyor belts as tiles, snapping multiple modules together and building massive pixel art creations, sometimes 20x20 in scale. Watching them use conveyors to align and place every detail blew me away. I’d never even considered that possibility.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Mick : I like how our Art Director was surprised by the artistic element, \[laughs]. [/p][p]For me though, I had a moment of feeling like I was bad at my own game. Players figured out right away that if you combine shapes into the biggest possible form and paint them before cutting, you save loads of paint and resources. Back in the early builds, before we had a max size, that tactic was really powerful, and I never thought of it myself! Seeing players immediately grasp that logic actually changed how I play. It wasn’t just paint, either; their approaches to the order of operations completely shifted how bottlenecks move across production lines. It was a real lightbulb moment for me.[/p][p]Jarvs :  I love those moments. I’m not a factory game aficionado, so I often think I’ve figured something out, and then I watch someone like Thomas play and realize I’ve been doing things the least efficient way possible. It’s humbling, but also inspiring. Seeing how players (and teammates) solve problems differently is part of what makes developing and testing Modulus so exciting.[/p][p]Getting to see the way the community take the game’s mechanics and run with them to make the most spectacular things is a real privilege for me. They are so creative and clever. My brain just doesn’t work that way and how they manage to make the art they create in a factory game just blows my mind. We are so lucky to have such an amazing community. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]From using operators in interesting ways to creating total masterpieces, our community never fails to surprise us. We can’t wait to see what they do with all the tools in the full version of the game.[/p][p]In the next part of our Dev Deep Dive, the team digs into one of the toughest design challenges: how to give players creative freedom in Modulus without breaking performance or stability.[/p][p]Don’t forget to wishlist the game, and give it a follow whilst you're there. Every follow the game gets, helps Steam recognise that people are excited for Modulus! It also means that you will be notified when we drop the next part of this series.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Catch you soon Module Makers.[/p]

• [p]Team Happy Volcano. [/p]

[h2]In this part of our Dev Deep Dive series, the team looks back on the trickiest systems to design in Modulus, and how we overcame the challenges. If you missed part one head here first to check it out!
[/h2][p]Jarvs (Head of Comms): Welcome back to our deep dive interview let’s get right into it:[/p][h3]What has been the trickiest system or feature to get right?[/h3][p]David (Game Director): For me personally, balancing the building system has been one of the biggest challenges. All of the buildings in Modulus are constructed using the same blocks you produce in your factories. So, if a block is two by four by eight, that exact block may be used twenty times in a single building.[/p][p]That’s really cool, but also really difficult. Not just from a design perspective, but also for Antoine (Art Director), who then has to actually make these buildings work with the available blocks and colours.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The production cycle of a building requires a precise percentage or amount of those exact modules. That was tough to figure out, but it’s worth it, because it means the game truly respects what players create. Instead of just magically placing a building, we’re honouring the shapes you’ve already built. It all connects logically, and that’s something I’m really proud of.[/p][p]Jarvs: Yeah, it’s also really nice that what you’re making is actually being used, not just sent off into a void. When I first joined the company and played the game, I was blown away by that loop. I’m not a factory-game player by default, but even I found it incredibly satisfying.[/p][p]In other games, I’d sometimes wonder, “Why did I even make that?” But here, you see your creations being used, and it feels rewarding. And honestly, it still amazes me that Antoine manages to turn random shapes into such beautiful buildings. He’s a wizard.[/p][p]If you want to dive deeper into how Antoine and Thomas make the magic happen, we already have a great interview with them on Steam. Definitely worth checking out here.

Does anyone else have something that was tricky to design?[/p][p][/p][p]Thomas (Senior Tech Artist): Also, I think it might sound obvious, but honestly, every operator. Take rotation, for example. It was there in the prototype, then we completely removed it, and instead added orientation to every operator. Suddenly they all felt overpowered. You could just take two shapes, assemble them however you wanted, and skip half the logistics.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Finding the balance was really tricky. Too simple, and the game felt shallow. Too powerful, and one operator could do everything. We went through a lot of iterations to land where we are now; operators with clear, limited abilities, and more advanced ones introduced later that push the boundaries without breaking the fundamentals.[/p][p]Mick (Lead Developer): Yeah, I still miss the old rotation operator sometimes! I loved chaining them together; cut, rotate twice, assemble, and the satisfaction of setting that up. But that was one of those crossroads moments. We had two equally valid options and had to commit.[/p][p]It was the same with cranes. Early buildings worked almost like one giant operator; every input slotting neatly into the structure. My instinct was to keep it that way. But David had this vision of production lines with cranes swooping overhead to grab things off conveyors. At first it felt “too 2D” in my head, but once I let go of that, I realised cranes added a whole new layer of depth. Now I love them.[/p][p]David: Exactly. Rotation was removed, cranes were added, both to reduce logistics complexity. I enjoy the hardcore challenge too, but at conventions we saw players really struggling with what we thought were simple modules. That feedback told us it was just too complicated, so we streamlined it.[/p][p]Maybe in the future we’ll bring back a “challenge mode” with stricter logistics and orientation. But for the main game, we needed to give players creative freedom without forcing them into frustration. That’s also why advanced operators exist; they expand possibilities later, once players have the fundamentals down.[/p][p]Jarvs : And that’s the beauty of playtesting. Something that feels totally obvious to us can be completely baffling to new players. So I want to give a genuine thank you to everyone who’s playtested Modulus so far. You’ve had a huge impact on where the game is today.[/p][p][/p][p] The beauty of playtesting your game is that you are able to get feedback as you go, meaning players truly help to shape the final product. Sometimes they surprise you, and things go in a new direction as a result. Next time we dive into the ways in which the community has surprised us so far.[/p][p]Don’t forget to wishlist the game, and give it a follow whilst you're there. Every follow the game gets, helps Steam recognise that people are excited for Modulus! It also means that you will be notified when we drop the next part of this series.[/p][p][/p][p]Catch you soon Module Makers.[/p]

• [p]Team Happy Volcano. [/p]

[p][/p][h3]Welcome back Module Makers. It's time for another Dev Log series!

In this series Jarvs sits down with the dev team to talk about the vision, challenges, and creative process behind Modulus. For this first part, we’re looking at the bigger picture: how the game has evolved since its earliest prototypes and the key moments that shaped its direction. Let's dive in and find out exactly what goes in to making a fresh take on the factory-automation genre. [/h3][p]Jarvs (Head of Comms):  Hi, everyone. For this interview I wanted to shoot for a more relaxed conversation with the team, where we get to share what goes into making Modulus.  [/p][p]One of the great things about Happy Volcano is that we genuinely have a wonderful team, everyone here is just awesome and I want you to see how passionate they are about everything we’re doing with Modulus. So, let’s dive in:  
[/p][p] [/p][h2]How has Modulus evolved since its first prototype?[/h2][p]David (Game Director): When we were first building the prototype, the main question was whether this new mechanic would actually work. There are already a lot of automation games, but ours was taking a different approach; letting players build any shape they wanted in their factories. The prototype was really about testing: if we give players this freedom, does the whole system still function as a factory game? [/p][p]So the prototype was just based on figuring out if this whole thing works and we could actually make it into a factory game. At that stage, it was just the raw mechanic. Later on we added purpose and structure; things like buildings, islands, and delivery targets. That’s when it started to feel like a complete experience rather than just an experiment. [/p][p]Jarvs:   Looking back at early footage before I joined, it’s amazing to see how much it’s evolved. The game feels so different now, both in how it looks and how it plays. Watching old playtests of Thomas tinkering with earlier builds, compared to now, really shows how much progress has been made in a short time. You should all be proud; it’s come such a long way and it looks gorgeous. [/p][p]Right next question: [/p][p]
[/p][h2]Was there a moment where the game really clicked for you?[/h2][p]Oliver (Senior Engineer): For me, that moment came when we added progression; the tech tree, island unlocking, and that sense of being driven forward. Suddenly, there was flow, and the systems began working together. That’s when it felt like the game was really becoming something awesome for me.[/p][p]David: In a factory game, you have so many systems that need to interlock. If they don’t all work together, the game doesn’t feel whole. But once they do click, it’s magic.[/p][p]Mick (Lead Developer): What’s also magical is how much hasn’t changed since the prototype. Some of the core technical aspects, like how shapes are combined or split etc. are unchanged from those early days. We prototyped for quite a while, and some of that work was literally carried straight into the final game. That’s a great sign that the core mechanic was solid from the start.[/p][p]Antoine (Art Director & Lead Artist): For me, it clicked during our first vertical slice. For the first time, you could go from mining Polyrock to constructing the first building and completing the full loop. It worked, it was fun, and it looked great. That was a real proof of concept.[/p][p]Jarvs: Yeah, that’s awesome. Being able to see the full loop from start to finish must have been really satisfying.[/p][p]
Okay, moving forward:
[/p][h2][/h2][h2]Were there any early ideas that didn't survive but shaped what we have now?[/h2][p]David: Yes, there was a big one. After we proved the core mechanic, we needed a stronger sense of purpose for the game. For a long while, we explored mixing city management with factory automation; building cities, managing citizens, that kind of thing.[/p][p]It was interesting, but it didn’t really work out. There were too many systems layered on top of each other, and it became overly complex. Eventually, we realized the core factory gameplay was already rich enough. We didn’t need to mix in another genre.[/p][p]Jarvs: That would’ve been a very different game if it had stayed in![/p][p]David: Exactly. It would have been too big and trying to do too many things at once. We’re glad we focused on what makes Modulus strong.[/p][p]
[/p][p]That covers how Modulus has grown from a small prototype into the full experience the team is building today, and how some big early decisions shaped the game we see now.[/p][p]In the next part of this Dev Deep Dive, we’ll explore the challenges behind that evolution: the trickiest systems to balance, the features that took the longest to get right, and the breakthroughs that finally made everything click.

Don’t forget to wishlist the game and follow it on Steam so you are notified when we drop the next part.[/p][p]Thanks as always for your support.[/p]

• [p]Team Happy Volcano.[/p]

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[p]Hey Module Makers.[/p][p]We’ve just made an exciting change to how we gather your ideas and feedback. Instead of the old Discord forum, we’re now using a Feature Upvote board, and it’s open to everyone!
[/p][p]🔗 Check it out here: [/p][p]https://modulus-feedback-and-suggestions.featureupvote.com/
[/p][p][/p][p]Why We Have Made This Change[/p]

• [p]Popular ideas rise to the top as players upvote them, making it super clear what matters most to the community.[/p]
• [p]Anyone can contribute, not just playtesters, so if you don’t have time to test but still want to share thoughts, you can.[/p]
• [p]You can also comment on existing suggestions, adding your perspective and helping us understand the “why” behind your votes.[/p]

[p]We’ll be regularly reviewing the board and tagging ideas as Under Consideration, Planned, or Done. As well as, responding to comments and answering questions.

[/p][p]Your feedback is what is helping us to make Modulus the best it can be.[/p][p]Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

— Team Happy Volcano[/p][p]
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[p]We’re excited to share that Modulus is part of the very first Indie Fan Fest, hosted by Media Indie Exchange (aka The Mix), and you can even spot us in the official trailer!
[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]📅 When: Wednesday, September 24
🕘 Time: 9 am PT | 12 pm ET | 6 pm CEST
📺 Where: Live on Twitch & YouTube[/p][p]Indie Fan Fest is all about celebrating amazing indie games from around the world, and we’re honoured to be part of the lineup. It’s a chance for us to show off what we’ve been building together and to stand shoulder to shoulder with so many other inspiring projects.[/p][p][/p][p]Make sure to tune in, and join us in the chat to show the world what the Modulus community has been helping us to create!

Don't forget to join our Discord, signup to our NEWSLETTER and wishlist Modulus.[/p][p]— Team Happy Volcano[/p]