Hydro News

v1.28
-Small but important bug fix to resolve a recent issue that was causing Hand Oiler to become virtually impossible to be picked up by the player during the Guided Tutorial after the recent changes to the interact dot precision. This bug was only encountered during the Guided Tutorial. Re-positioned the default position of the Hand Oiler during the Guided Tutorial. All fixed! :)

[p]Hi everyone! [/p][p]I trust you are well. I can't believe it's the middle of March already! [/p][p]Here is another 'regular' update which brings a slew of cool new enhancements to the game.[/p][p]This takes the game to v1.27 (check the version on the Main Menu of the game).[/p][h2]Improved (precise) interaction with 'pickup' items[/h2][p]Most items that you can pickup now sport a much more precise interaction system, where you must point the interact dot directly at them, before you can pick them up - and not just stand near them as before. This small (but mighty) change means that you can now pickup items in close proximity of one another, with much more precision![/p][p]Note: the Generator Grid Fuse unfortunately misses out on this improvement (for now), due to the way it needs to work with the Grid Fuse Holders. I will however review this in future and endeavour to apply this more precise interaction logic to the Generator Grid Fuse, too. [/p][p]In addition to the above, ALL pickup items now have their collision disabled, meaning that you can no longer get tripped-up by items such as the oil cans, etc. This also means if you pickup some of these bigger items when standing very near them (or directly on top of them), you will no longer automatically 'jump' into the air during the pickup process.[/p][p][/p][h2]Ability to refill the Oil Pump during operation![/h2][p]I know this one has been a long-requested feature, and I'm glad to announce I have finally implemented it. The only caveat is that you must have an upgraded (refurbished) oil pump, to access this feature. Enjoy![/p][p][/p][h2]Water wheel now gets 'wet'![/h2][p]I have applied some cool new material 'wetness' effects to the water wheel attached to the power station. This means that as the wheel turns, it will dynamically look 'wet', and if it stops, it will begin to 'dry'. This change is purely cosmetic, but goes a long way to increasing immersion! (pun not intended...)[/p][p]Note: I hope in future to apply these same 'wetness' effects to other parts of the power station too (such as the building roofs, exterior gearboxes, etc) when it starts to rain.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Thank you[/h2][p]Thanks again so much for your feedback and support over the past year+ as I have worked on Hydro. It means so much to me! Once again, this update was made possible through your feedback, so please keep it coming! [/p][p]Before I go - a quick moment to shamelessly plug my next current project in development; if you haven't already checked-out Empire Water Works, please do so at the link below and remember to Wishlist if you like what you see, so you can be notified once the Demo (and more) releases![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Until next time, happy generating! 🌊🛞[/p]

[p]Hi everyone, [/p][p]I have some exciting news to announce! I am currently developing a brand new game: Empire Water Works! [/p][p]Like Hydro, it will be developed using Unreal Engine 5 and also like Hydro, I will be listening to community feedback and together we can make this the best game it can be![/p][p]Needless to say, I will continue to support Hydro and continue to update it over time, so keep your feedback coming in that regard. Your support is very much appreciated![/p][p]For more information on Empire Water Works, please see the links below and Wishlist today if you like what you see 😎[/p][p]Steam Store page:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Announce trailer:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Dev Log #1:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Stay tuned to my YouTube channel for more news and updates on this game as time goes on![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Cheers[/p]

[p]Hi everyone![/p][p]I hope your New Year 2026 is off to a flying start! [/p][p]I thought I'd release a small patch for Hydro to address some recent concerns/feedback as well as drop a few quality of life updates as well. All is revealed below...[/p]

• [p]Oil consumption has been REDUCED by 25% across the board! This means both the stock gear oil pump and the upgraded gear oil pump will enjoy 25% less oil consumption (all min/max values for both upgrade states were changed). This means you'll have better chances of seeing the day through with just one oil can and in my testing, even the higher unit Township Demands (75-80 units) should be achievable on a single oil can refill (provided your Grid Power Insulators are not too dirty, causing you to continually re-sync to the grid and losing time). Needless to say, an upgraded oil pump will now enjoy a much better runtime between oil refills.[/p]

• [p]Related to oil consumption, when refilling oil from an oil can, previously an oil can could provide as little as 75% oil. Now ALL oil cans will provide a MINIMUM of 95% oil refill.[/p]

• [p]Sun speed has been reduced by 10% for both 'Daylight Savings' ON/OFF (meaning the sun moves more slowly across the sky). This is more a cosmetic change than anything (no changes were made to Fatigue rates), but it should help give the impression that the days are a bit longer and slow that sun down a little...[/p]

• [p]Increased the bounding box interact detection for the Hand Oiler, so you shouldn't have to get ultra-close to it anymore before you can pick it up.[/p]

• [p]In tutorial no. 11 (the Fuses and Sensors tutorial), I increased the bounding box for the main building area so the tutorial pop-up doesn't 'flash' in and out of view when the player is in the building doorway area (purely cosmetic).[/p]

• [p]All pickup items (such as the bucket, spare fuses, oil cans, etc) will no longer inherit oil stain textures if they are dropped over an oil stain.[/p]

[p]Thanks again for your ongoing support and feedback. I hope this small patch makes Hydro more enjoyable :) [/p][p]As always, I welcome your ongoing feedback and comments on these changes and other things in the game. My aim is to make Hydro the best it can be.[/p][p]Until next time, happy generating! ⚡[/p]

[p]Dear Hydro custodians,[/p][p]As 2025 wraps up, I want to thank every one of you for supporting me and the Hydro project this year.[/p][p]Hydro is my first-ever game and it was developed by just me. I only started learning Unreal Engine 5 in late 2024, so seeing how far the game has come since those early days has been incredible, and your support has made it possible![/p][p]Working on Hydro has been exciting and a huge learning experience and I'm happy to share that I have begun tinkering on a brand new project! I’ll share more when the time is right.[/p][p]I’ll of course continue improving Hydro, and your feedback has been essential, so please keep it coming.[/p][p]I have a feeling 2026 will be even bigger![/p][p]For now, I hope you enjoy seeing-out 2025 doing whatever you love; whether that’s relaxing indoors (maybe with some Hydro?), heading outdoors, or spending time with friends and family.[/p][p]P.S. If you haven’t tried Hydro yet, it’s currently 20% off in Steam’s Winter Sale.[/p][p]Thank you again, and season’s greetings! 🎉[/p][p][/p][p]Your tireless developer[/p][p][/p][p][/p]