version 0.4.18 - Equipment, Bigger Factory, and Cold Storage Expansion

[p]Hi everyone, 😄[/p][p]Thank you so much for the incredible support you’ve been giving Food Processing Simulator during Early Access. We really feel the enthusiasm from everyone who has bought the game, shared feedback, and taken the time to write detailed reports or suggestions.[/p][p]This weekly update continues our iterative approach: we’re focusing on improving day-to-day factory operations, giving you more control over logistics and storage, and responding directly to the pain points many of you have raised. Some of the larger requests (like deeper economy balancing and bigger late-game expansions) are still in development, but we want to keep shipping meaningful improvements every week.[/p][p]Here are the key changes in this new version.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Main Updates[/h2][h3]1. New Equipment Purchase Menu[/h3][p]A new Equipment purchase category has been added to support your factory layout, with several new items:[/p][p][/p]

[p]Trash Bin
You can now buy additional Trash Bins and decide exactly how many you need in different areas of the factory. This should make it easier to keep workspaces clean without relying on a single bin.[/p]
[p]Box Carrier A new piece of equipment that helps you carry more boxes at once especially for indoors, available in two sizes:[/p]
- [p]Up to 4 boxes[/p]
- [p]Up to 8 boxes
  Box Carrier can be used for Commodity Boxes, Label Boxes, Packaging Boxes, Machine Boxes, and Equipment Boxes, making it much easier to move bulk supplies and machines around your factory.[/p]
[p]Cold Storage Rack
New racks specifically for the Cold Storage Room, available in three sizes, from up to 16 boxes up to 48 boxes (depending on the model you choose). These help you neatly organize cold products and make better use of your limited cold storage space.[/p]

[carousel][/carousel][p]Each piece of equipment unlocks at different Tiers, so as your progression increases, more tools become available to support larger and more complex factories.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]2. Focus Product Setting for Cold Storage Racks[/h3][p]Cold Storage Racks now support a Focus Product configuration:[/p]

[p]Each rack can be assigned to focus on a specific product menu type.[/p]
[p]Employees will try to place boxes in racks according to the product type shown on that rack’s display, rather than placing items randomly.[/p]

[p]This helps keep Cold Storage organized and makes it easier to visually track where certain products are stored.[/p]

[p]Note:[/p]
[p]For players with existing saves, employees will not automatically re-organize any boxes that are already messy in racks or around the monitors.[/p]
[p]By default, all racks start configured as “Any Product Menu”, so you will need to set Focus Product manually if you want stricter organization.[/p]

[p][/p][carousel][/carousel][hr][/hr][h3]3. Expanded Starting Factory Area[/h3][p]Many players mentioned that the initial factory area felt too cramped, making it difficult to build a comfortable production pipeline early on.[/p][p][/p][p]So in this update:[/p]

[p]The starting factory area has been extended to roughly 50% longer.[/p]
[p]The starting position, supply area, and commodity box pickup area have been shifted to match the new layout.[/p]

[p]Note:[/p]
[p]For players with existing saves, we do not move your placed machines. Only the starting area and related factory surroundings are adjusted, so your existing production lines remain intact.[/p]
[p]Before moving the machine, make sure the entire processing line has fully finished and nothing is running. Otherwise, items may spill out, or fall off the conveyor.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]4. Cold Storage Expansion – Phase 1[/h3][p]We’ve also started expanding Cold Storage to better support growing factories:[/p]

[p]A new expansion area for Cold Storage can now be unlocked after reaching a certain Tier.[/p]
[p]By interacting with the additional door in the Cold Storage area, you can enlarge the room and place more Cold Storage Racks.[/p]

[p]This is Phase 1 of Cold Storage expansion. We understand that even more space will be needed at higher progression levels, and larger expansions are already in our backlog for future development. Thank you for your patience as we roll this out gradually.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][hr][/hr][h3]5. Additional Employees[/h3][p]We are introducing 3 new employees:[/p]

[p]2 Production Assistants[/p]
[p]1 Loading Operator[/p]

[p]We’re adding them gradually because having too many employees at once still raises some technical and performance concerns that we want to improve first. This step-by-step approach helps us monitor performance while still giving you more support options in your factory.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]6. New Employee Stat: Supplying Speed (Production Assistant)[/h3][p]We’ve added a new stat for the Production Assistant role: Supplying Speed.[/p]

[p]This stat affects how quickly Production Assistants supply commodities, labels, and packaging to machines.[/p]
[p]It only appears on and affects Production Assistants, making their role feel more impactful as you upgrade or manage them.[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]7. Loading Operator Behavior Update[/h3][p]Based on your reports, we’ve refined the Loading Operator behavior to better match expectations around pallets and truck loading:[/p]

[p]Improved pallet filling checks
Loading Operators now check pallet fill status more carefully to avoid overfilling or continuing to stack boxes unnecessarily.[/p]
[p]Better handling of extra boxes during truck deliveries
When delivering to a truck, any excess boxes that don’t fit the current delivery conditions are now placed next to the truck instead of being lost in the process.
These extra boxes will then be returned to Cold Storage by employees.[/p]
[p]Mixed grades on the same pallet (with constraints)
Pallets can now hold boxes of the same product menu but with mixed grades, as long as the minimum grade requirement of the active project is still met.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Other behavior issues, such as forklifts crossing into places they shouldn’t or interacting strangely with pallets, are still being worked on and will be addressed in future updates.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Improvements & Fixes[/h2]

[p]Employee Not Supplying Starter Machine[/p][p]Fixed an issue where employees sometimes did not automatically supply Starter Machines after they were set up under certain conditions.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Loading Operator Not Filling Newest Truck Correctly[/p][p]Fixed a logic issue where the Loading Operator would not load the newest truck when items for the earlier truck were not yet available. Now, employees prioritize earlier trucks first, but if the required products are not available, they will switch priority to the next truck.[/p]
[p]Tablet Exit Fix[/p][p]Fixed an issue where the tablet could not be closed from anywhere after accessing the Employee Menu while renaming or upgrading an employee.[/p]
[p]Forklift Access Signage[/p][p]Added clear indicators at doorways to show that forklifts cannot enter indoor rooms. Forklifts and pallets are designed for use in outdoor or loading areas.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Forklift Employee Settings[/p][p]Forklifts now have an Employee Settings menu. You can choose:[/p]
- [p]Which employee is allowed to operate the forklift, or[/p]
- [p]Disable employee use entirely so only the player can drive it.
  Interact with the forklift using F (default on keyboard) to open this menu.[/p]
[p][/p][carousel][/carousel]
[p]Forklift Taking More Than One Pallet[/p][p]Fixed a bug where forklifts could sometimes pick up more than one pallet at once.[/p]
[p]Forklift Falling Out of the World[/p][p]Fixed an issue where the forklift could fall below the world. If this happens, it will now automatically return to its parking position when you load the game. In this update we choose to make the forklift back to its starting position after load game process.[/p]
[p]Forklift Speed Increase[/p][p]Forklift movement speed has been increased, so forklift-based tasks feel faster and more efficient.[/p]
[p]Bigger Doors to the Loading Zone[/p][p]Doors leading to the loading zone are now wider double doors, making it easier to move pallets and boxes through these areas.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Machine Usage Descriptions for Splitter and Filter Machines[/p][p]Splitter and Filter Machines now show clearer descriptions of what they do inside the Machine Settings menu.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Box Carrier & Pallet Direct Delivery[/p][p]Box Carriers and pallets carried by the player can now be used to deliver directly to the truck, including system that will reject boxes that do not match the truck’s active project requirements.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Performance Improvements Around Box-Dense Areas[/p][p]Improved performance when moving or looking towards areas with many boxes, such as Cold Storage and Supply Area, especially when they are heavily stocked.[/p]
[p]Double Force End Day[/p][p]Fixed a bug where players could trigger Force End Day twice.[/p]
[p]Hover Information Disappearing Too Quickly[/p][p]Fixed an issue where tooltip information when hovering over objects could disappear too fast.[/p]
[p]Overtuned Project EXP Rewards[/p][p]Fixed certain projects that granted too much EXP compared to others.[/p]
[p]Translation Fixes[/p][p]Corrected translations in several areas, including:[/p]
- [p]Machine settings menus[/p]
- [p]Machine screen displays[/p]
- [p]Truck information[/p]
[p]Floating Box Visuals in Trucks[/p][p]Fixed an issue where boxes could appear to float inside the truck instead of resting correctly.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Machine Jamming After Loading a Game[/p][p]Fixed a condition where some machines could become jammed or stop processing correctly after loading a save. If your save is already affected, please remove the jammed goods manually using a Commodity Box, then process them again.[/p]
[p]Cold Storage Wall Collision[/p][p]Fixed a wall in the Cold Storage area that could be passed through.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]What We’re Working on Next[/h2][p]Some of your most requested features and changes are still under active development, including:[/p]

[p]Recurring / operational costs to better balance income over time[/p]
[p]More than two concurrent projects[/p]
[p]Manage/control number of productions[/p]
[p]Employee pause / control options[/p]
[p]Larger Box Packer machines[/p]
[p]Additional forklift-related bug fixes (such as moving through walls), and more[/p]
[p]More Tier, product menus & project type to explore[/p]

[p]We’ve noted many other suggestions beyond this list as well. Not seeing something listed here does not mean it is ignored as it might be in a different queue or require more design and testing time. Likewise, anything mentioned here is not guaranteed to be completed immediately, but it is on our radar and being explored step by step.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll continue to improve Food Processing Simulator in an iterative and incremental way, guided by how you actually play the game and your feedback.[/p][p]Thank you again for all your feedback, patience, and support during Early Access. If you encounter issues or have ideas to make the production flow smoother, please keep using the in-game report tools or Steam Discussions to let us know.[/p][p][/p][p]See you in the next update! 🥗🚚[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]