v0.5.50 - Vendor Truck Expansion & Reputation System

[p]Hi everyone, 😄[/p][p]Thank you so much for all the feedback, ideas, and discussions based on last week’s update. This week, we’re introducing a new feature that aims to answer a few common needs we’ve seen from players:[/p]

[p]A new challenge type besides Client Projects[/p]
[p]An optional side progression you can work on during downtime[/p]
[p]A faster way to reduce storage stock when it starts piling up[/p]
[p]A way to recover value from unlabelled or low-grade products instead of just throwing them away[/p]

[p]Because our main focus this week is shipping this new feature in a good, stable state, some non-urgent bug fixes and improvements are being held for later patches. This feature also opens doors for future systems we’re already planning in the background.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Main Update[/h2][h3]1. Vendor Truck Expansion[/h3][p]The Vendor Truck is a new system that lets you sell your products directly to end customers at specific sales locations, instead of only through Client Projects. This feature unlocks from Tier 8, so even newer players will be able to experience it fairly early in their progression. You can unlock this feature by interacting to the gate of the yellow building in the east side of the factory building.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Once you pay to unlock access to the Vendor Truck, you will receive:[/p]

[p]1 Vendor Truck[/p]
[p]2 new employees as Sales Operators, who help you run sales at chosen locations[/p]

[p][/p][p]Before your employees head out to sell products, you need to move items from your storage and load them into the Vendor Truck. After that, you can interact with a Sales Operator to continue the process. By interacting with a Sales Operator, you can:[/p]

[p]Plan a sales trip to a selected location[/p]
[p]Check your loaded items along with the sales estimation[/p]
[p]Head out and sell directly to customers[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Each location has different product popularity, so Popular and Preferred products with higher grades will earn better income and reputation. On the other hand:[/p]

[p]Lower grade products will still sell, but with reduced income and reputation gain[/p]
[p]Unlabelled products can also be sold, but they only generate a small payout and no reputation, making the Vendor Truck a softer alternative to simply discarding mistakes or leftovers[/p]

[p]This turns your old stock, production mistakes, and low grade products into an optional gameplay loop instead of pure waste. However, the total payout and bonus potential from Vendor Truck sales is intentionally lower than what you can earn per unit through Client Projects. Client Projects remain the most profitable way to sell well prepared, high grade products.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]2. Reputation Level[/h3][p]Alongside Vendor Truck, we’re introducing a new Reputation Level system specifically tied to Vendor Truck feature:[/p]

[p]Reputation Level is a separate progression track that increases as you successfully sell to customers.[/p]
[p]Reputation is used to unlock new content related to Vendor Truck, such as:[/p]
- [p]New sales locations by buying permits[/p]
- [p]Increased truck capacity, letting you bring more products per trip[/p]

[p]For this update, Reputation Level is capped at Level 10. Just like Tiers, we plan to expand this gradually in future updates as we add more content and destinations.[/p][p][/p][h3]‼️Current Limitation‼️[/h3][p]For now, you can access up to 2 Vendor Trucks.[/p]

[p]A potential third truck is being held back until we’re confident the current design feels solid and readable based on player experience and feedback.[/p]
[p]We first want to see how you use the system, how often you run sales trips, and how it interacts with Client Projects and storage management.[/p]

[p]One design question we’re intentionally leaving open to community discussion:[/p]

[p]Should Loading Operators help load products into Vendor Trucks?[/p]
[p]Or should Loading Operators stay fully focused on Client Projects, leaving Vendor Trucks as a manual player-driven activity?[/p]

[p]Both directions have pros and cons. For now, Vendor Truck loading is manual without the help of Employee, but we would really like to hear your thoughts:[/p]

[p]Would you prefer automation here, with clear controls for what is allowed to be sold? and what kind of control do you prefer?[/p]
[p]Or do you like the idea of Vendor Truck being a more hands-on, “side mission” style activity that you plan and execute yourself?[/p]

[p]Please share your ideas so we can shape the next steps of this feature together.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Improvements[/h2][h3]1. Arrow Key Controls for Forklift and Hand Forklift[/h3][p]We know some of you are left-handed players, and several community members mentioned needing arrow key movement support.[/p]

[p]Forklift and Hand Forklift movement can now be controlled using the Arrow Keys, in addition to WASD.[/p]
[p]Because we don’t yet have a full keybinding system for movement, this is currently hardcoded to mirror WASD behavior.[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]2. Special Thanks Credits[/h3][p]We’ve added a Special Thanks in the credits that lists community members who have helped during the Early Access journey of Food Processing Simulator.[/p][p]This includes players who:[/p]

[p]Wrote detailed reviews[/p]
[p]Joined and active contributed to discussions[/p]
[p]Sent bug reports and valuable feedback[/p]
[p]Helped introduce the game to a wider audience as content creators / influencers[/p]

[p]Our plan is to update this list monthly.[/p][p]We’re aware this process is not perfect, and it’s possible some important contributors are missing. If you feel you’ve been involved with the game but your name doesn’t appear yet, please contact us at contact\[at]bewolba.com so we can review and correct it.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]3. Speed LED Indicator Visibility[/h3][p]We updated the speed LED indicator visuals so they now display on both main sides of machines.[/p]

[p]This makes it easier to check machine speed from different viewing angles, especially in dense or symmetric layouts.[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]4. Minimum Grade Info on Delivery Truck[/h3][p]Added a Minimum Grade indicator to the Delivery Truck information panel, so players can immediately see the required grade threshold for a project without needing to check the details through the tablet.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

[p]Extra Projects in Tutorial Phase [/p][p]Fixed an issue where players could receive regular projects during the tutorial phase when a new day started (by changing manually or force end day), which should not be possible. You should be not getting any normal project when in tutorial phase. [/p][p]For existing progress where the tutorial is stuck at higher levels and making new projects doesn't appears after this update, you can clear the tutorial by repeating the requested tutorial step manually (without employee help). For example, if the tutorial asks you to supply lettuce to a Starter Machine, place one Starter Machine and manually supply lettuce again to complete that step.[/p]
[p]Pallet Position Save Fix[/p][p]Fixed an issue where pallet positions were not saved after being moved with the forklift or Hand Forklift. Pallet locations now persist correctly after relocation.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Splitter Machine (Mirrored) Screen Display[/p][p]Fixed an issue where the mirrored Splitter Machine screen did not update correctly and could show placeholder images or text. The display now reflects the proper machine state and information.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Hold Interaction Triggering Move[/p][p]Fixed a bug where hold interactions on some objects could trigger move interactions, even when the move input was not pressed.[/p]
[p]Same Product Name Showing as Different Items[/p][p]Fixed an issue where products with the same name could appear as different entries in the Cold Storage display and during pallet organizing. Items with the same product type now group correctly.[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]This week’s update is heavily focused on this new Vendor Truck feature and its surrounding systems. After this, we’ll go back to reviewing the broader list of improvements and ideas shared by the community, while also planning new content for future patches. We would really like to hear what you think about this new optional challenge loop and how it fits into your day-to-day factory routine.[/p][p][/p][p]Once again, thank you very much for all the feedback, suggestions, and support you’ve given so far. They play a huge role in how we prioritize and shape Food Processing Simulator during Early Access. We are also working on several other updates in parallel. We need to prioritize changes that are both feasible to implement and impactful for many players, but this does not mean that other suggestions are being ignored. Many of them are queued for future iterations as we continue to improve the game step by step.[/p][p]If you encounter any issues, bugs, or strange behavior with the Vendor Truck, Sales Operators, or anything else in this update, please let us know through the in-game Bug Report Menu and/or the Steam Discussions. Every report helps us move closer to a smoother and more enjoyable experience for everyone.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]