Learning Factory is 34% off, because it's Farming Fest!
We know Learning Factory is mostly about machinery, logistics, and cats, of course! But it's also about chains of production, as you're mostly craft goods from your locally harvested resrouces.
And we have added so many farming tools throughout these years, that Learning Factory now qualifies as a legitimate farming game! You can sow, you can fertilize, you can harvest, you must mind the quality of soil... Sounds pretty farmey to us!
Which is why we were honored with an invitation to Valve's Farming Fest this year. And for you it means an awesome deal on Learning Factory and the DLCs, which are 34% and 13% off, respectively.
Shake that old wishlist or make a gift to someone special! Have a fruitful sale.
The next frontiers - Learning Factory Dev Diaries, April 2024
Hey factory builders!
Time goes by, v1.0 release is getting closer, and Learning Factory is becoming more polished, more complete, and more… alive? We suppose one could say so: there's obviously more action around the KOTOVOD campus, so let's talk about that.
Sometimes one factory is just not enough. Good that we now have the New Game+ mode to fix that! After you send out your first Catopia Ark expedition, you will be able to move to a planet it lands on.
The planet surface may be rather quirky (because it's generated), but you can prepare in advance: upgrading your Ark modules and fueling them with appropriate items provides you with significant bonuses, including additional buildings, better relations with Trade Guilds, extra terraforming tools, and much more! A great way to start a new game with new, unpredictable challenges.
If you head over to your Tavern, Dormitory, or one of your Labs, you'll notice that residing cats have a lot to say to you now! The official version is that cat-to-human transmitter, that was supposed to be working this whole time, was set to mute instead. Seriously though, we saw it in one of the YouTube videos about Learning Factory, and decided that we need that in the game! Another excuse to add more cat-related puns and references, too.
And while that thing is just for fun, animated Transporters that we're working on now, serve a greater purpose of making your factory look alive. Here's an example of how they look now, in beta mode:
You can turn it on and see for yourself in the game right now, but they will emerge in full glory within the next couple of weeks. We can't say for sure how long will it take, but conservative scenario is to release them in late May.
There are many iterations, because Transporters are one of the main structures in the game, and we want them to look real smooth when they're done, so we're taking this part of the game very seriously!
Among the changes in the past few updates there were a couple that do not sound very impressive, but do make game experience so much better. For example, many steps were made to optimize various parts of the game. Now the Zeppelins, Transporter laying, the growth of plants, and many other things run smoother than ever before.
Our in-game wiki has gone through a bunch of transformations as well. In the beginning, it was just describing objects at the Factory and provided some basic information about data science in real life. But now it also serves as your compendium for knowing how items are produced and sold around your factory. Use it at any time:
Of course, there were more fixes and fine tuning, and this is how it will most likely be in the upcoming months: all big things are in place, and now it's all about small details - which is where the proverbial devil is! These next months are going to be full of exciting grind.
With that in mind - we'll be back in a month, with more Learning Factory news! Or we can chat earlier - on our Discord server, for example. Until we meet again!
Hotfix v0.31.179
Another handful of kilobytes that make Learning Factory better:
Zeppelins' highlight transparency decreased while they are in mid-air
Zeppelin shadows transparency decreases while Zeppelins are high from the ground
Decreased size of all Zeppelins (suggested by Milarky)
1 new hidden achievement
Lots of bug fixes (kudos to Milarky, S'Kleer)
Talking cats, moving Transporters - New Update, v0.31.178
Hey factory workers!
So, apparently cat-to-human transmitter was turned on mute this whole time, but it is now fixed, and you will be able to know everything your cat researchers have to say about you and your Factory!
But there's also a bunch of important new/improved features in this week's update. Check it out:
v0.31.178 Released!
Gameplpay
Changed conditions for unlocking selected customization items
All kinds of Dynamite now have slightly different delay times before blowing up
Plantastic Cloning infinite research project is now 50% more efficient
The first Catopia Ark to be launched by you will be upgraded to the max (courtesy of Dr. Katz, suggested by Milarky)
Due to technical reasons Telemanipulator can no longer transfer items into Tunnels, X-Switchers, Priority Mergers and Balanced Mergers
Graphics
Cats in the Tavern, Dormitory, and Labs will now occasionally talk and make cat sounds
Certain plants now visually react when a player passes them over on a hoverboard
Animated Transporters (beta feature, turned off by default)
QoL && Interface
Improved UI
Improved tutorial
Updated interface for Data Storage window
Added a context warning when there's a chance of a Linear Regression overfitting
New accessibility option: more intense building highlighting (the color is also adjustable)
New accessibility option: bigger interface elements for visually impaired players
Added an option to turn off automatic cloud saves synchronization, for users with many saved games and slower internet connection
Improved Steam Deck interface
Techie Stuff
Performance optimization
Optimization of Transporter laying
Optimization of Storage units display
Optimization of Neural Network training
Optimization of plants' growth and multiplication
Optimization of Zeppelins
Optimization of game saving
Decreased saved game file size
Bug fixes (kudos to S'Kleer, GabboGero, Milarky)
Re: Factory
In this section of patch notes, we answer the question from community that were submitted via the in-game feedback form and/or seemed especially interesting to us, You can always contact us directly in the comments or join our Discord server
Q: "could you add a resize option for the UI-toolbar?" -GabboGero A: You can switch building categories to limit the amount of displayed buildings and make the icons bigger. Scaling of the interface is not planned at the moment, as it is too complex to implement, and we'd like to focus on polishing other aspects of the game
Q: "I think there is a hard lock because of a cyclic dependency regarding producing laser+. I can't make a laser+ without gems+ but to make a laser collider where i would make gems+ i need a laser+ first" -slash A: You can get Gems+ in a variety of ways, including mining them with Dredge under the ground or exchanging them for other items in one of the Trade Ports. You can see a list of all available and unavailable recipes in the Wiki.
A friendly reminder: you can always chat with us directly on our Discord server. We're using Discord for work, so you'll find many of us there most of the time, don't be a stranger!
An even friendlier reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:
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How to Get More Involved
At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:
Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peek of the upcoming features and events
Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you in the game's credits for doing this
Hey factory builders! This update finally brings the core part of New game+ mode, that allows you to travel to weird and mysterious places. And if you upgrade your Catopia Ark, it will pay off with awesome bonuses to help you build on the new site!
v0.31.176 Released!
Update highlight: New game+ mode now available! Upon launching your first Catopia Ark expedition, you will be offered to move to another (randomly generated) planet, and start another factory there. Researching upgraded modules for Catopia Ark will provide you with additional bonuses. Have fun exploring the Universe!
Re-rendered Transporters
Added more variety for generating maps in Freeplay mode
Improved speed of generating maps in Freeplay mode
In-game wiki interface redesigned for your convenience
Improved Zeppelin interface, increased space for route names
Performance optimization
Saved game loading optimization
Improved Steam Deck text input
Updated ChatGPT-made localizations
Mass removal of trees optimized
Bug fixes (kudos to Czekoloczek, Malindara, bloom16night)
Improved Steam Deck interface
Minor changes in Steam Deck button layout
Please don't forget to add Learning Factory to your wishlist, it's very important for us, and brings the 1.0 release closer:
A friendly reminder: you can always chat with us directly on our Discord server. We're using Discord for work, so you'll find many of us there most of the time, don't be a stranger!
An even friendlier reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:
----------------------
How to Get More Involved
At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:
Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peek of the upcoming features and events
Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you in the game's credits for doing this
Here's yet another nice little update, providing you more (optional) challenge, adding some new content, and improving QoL a great deal.
v0.30.174 Released!
Gameplay
Added an option to move to a more logistically challenging region shortly after finishing Tutorial; all items an buildings will be packed and moved along with you, the same goes for your hired cat scientists. This option is available when playing on the default map in Campaign mode
Hill Manipulator is an upgrade for regular Manipulator, and can be placed exclusively on hills
In Trade Relays, deals are conducted each minute
When selecting a place for a plant to grow, mouse pointer will turn yellow if hovered over a tile that will apply 50% growth rate penalty for that plant
Trade Relays and Trade Ports now have different capacity of items per deal
Hard Rock Dynamite no longer creates lava pools in the Arctic biome, and leaves Underocean upon blowing up instead
Graphic Card crafting cost decreased
High Quality (++) Graphic Cards now require High Quality (++) Copper for crafting
Graphics
Re-rendered Advertising Cat Gate
Animated water
Plants visually react when player passes by them
Selected plants display a special visual effect when passed by a player on a hoverboard
Improved visualization of auto-fertilizing plants
QoL && Interface
Added a new wiki article about adverising
Running is turned on by default
Setting up trade deals is easier now
Added context warnings for the Laboratories
Advertising Cat Gate interface updated
Blueprint Library interface updated
Interface improvements
Steam Deck interface improvements
Smoother Zeppelin movement on the mini map
New accessibility options in the menu
April Fool's Day cat jokes added
Techie Stuff
Performance optimization
Bug fixes (kudos to Koshae, Nameless98, Janibot, EdoX)
Optimized performance when collecting all buildings from the map
Saved games loading optimization
Added several performance options for less powerful computers
Small UI/UX fixes
A friendly reminder: you can always chat with us directly on our Discord server. We're using Discord for work, so you'll find many of us there most of the time, don't be a stranger!
An even friendlier reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:
----------------------
How to Get More Involved
At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:
Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peek of the upcoming features and events
Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you in the game's credits for doing this
We've rolled out a whole new game to Early Access: Craftomation 101 had a very nice start, and you're very welcome to check it out, be it the free demo, or the full game.
We've rolled out a demo for Learning Factory too! Got a friend who doesn't own the game yet? Let them know, they can now try it and, hopefully, fall in love with it. Because we have cats, automation, and machine learning, who could resist the temptation?!
And we keep rolling out updates for the game every two weeks, of course. Since we were not in touch for the whole two months, lots of things happened.
Steam Workshop is (mostly) open for business!
We always develop our games with mods on our minds, and in-game ways to share your works - such as map keys and scenarios - have been there for years. But now you can conveniently upload the fruits of your creative genius to Steam Workshop - as well as access the works of other players.
It is still in beta, but already you can upload your factories, blueprints, map generation keys, researcher bios and ruins (decorations that appear on any map upon generation and selected randomly from the pool).
If you need just a little push to start, some very simple and graphic instructions on making and uploading mods can be found here. Happy modding!
Meowengers: Endgame
Although we're still working on the New Game+ mechanics, the framework for setting Catopia Arks all over the Universe is already in the game. After you launch your first expedition to space, a whole new set of upgrades for the next Arks: you'll be able to equip them with Copycat Deck, Creative Assembling Machine, Battlestar Gun Deck, Interstellar Store, Dune Terraforming Deck, Warp Storage, and Negative Mass Effect Generator! Here's an ‘old vs. new’ image, so you could appreciate how badass they are:
For the moment they don't do anything, except for being an eye candy. But come the next updates, unlocking these tech New Game+ mechanics will introduce you to the New Game+ mode, in which you won't have to start from scratch… Follow the news, or even better, join our Discord, where you can get instantly notified when the new stuff is out, and discuss it with us in the same place.
In that very same update, we introduced a huge list of QoL changes, as part of our ultimate pre-release polishing program. There are improved bits of tutorial, new stats, new contextual warnings, and new little features all over the game. Even Steam Deck, though officially not yet supported, got some attention!
We won't list all the changes here, you might not even instantly notice them if you haven't played the game for a while, but they're certainly there to make your life better! Oh, but if you do want to see that list, it is to be found here.
Something old, something new
Even at this time of meticulous polishing, we are not stopping to add new content to the game. Sometimes ideas are coming from us, trying to add more depth to Learning Factory - quite literally at this time! Behold Lava Pump, that is capable of extracting precious metals straight from the molten core of Mars!
In the video below you might also notice the newly added Underground Storage units, which might not seem like a big deal, but it doubles potential storage space by extending it under the surface of the red planet:
And sometimes, our players inspire us: we noticed that some players hardly ever use Trade Ports because they're located at remote parts of the map. It happens that players establish their own production of goods that Ports offer by the time they unlock one of them, thus rendering Trade Ports obsolete. So, we made a smaller version of them.
Enter Trade Relays! They get unlocked significantly earlier and closer to the center of the map but have limited deals to offer. Naturally, all 5 Trade Guilds have their own relay design:
The remaining three are for you to discover in the game. We can't spoil everything, can we (though we would love to)?
We're also experimenting with visual effects for the environment, to make a game look lively. It's just one of our early efforts, but what do you folks think?
The older buildings are also getting updated looks. Remember Data Storage? Here it is now:
And this is its partner, Linear Regression:
What’s next?
The main highlight of the upcoming patch (scheduled for the upcoming week) is the option to migrate to another map shortly after finishing the tutorial. You will keep your research progress, and your buildings will be packed into your Inventory for your convenience.
There will be more updates in the art department, and then New Game+ will be just around the corner!
Stay tuned! Until we meet again.
Relay on us! - New Update, v0.30.172
Hey factory workers!
This update's main feature is Trade Relays: these are Trade Ports' younger siblings.
They appear closer to the center of the map, and are available earlier on the research tree. Our goal was to provide more alternative options for getting more advanced goods at the earlier stages of the game, along with providing an opportunity for the players to get acquainted with trading mechanics earlier on.
Oh, and as opposed to Trade Ports, Trade Relays can be removed with Dynamite, if you don't need them and/or they interrupt your factory-building plans.
Important note #1: this is an experimental feature, the mechanics might change in the future Important note #2: Relays will appear on new campaign/freeplay maps only
v0.30.172 Released!
Gameplay
New building type: Trade Relays!
Loom now requires Yarn Balls for crafting
Rope Maker now requires Yarn Balls for crafting
Research costs for Cargo Zeppelins decreased
Changed the recipe for crafting Trade Ports
New trade deals added
Selected trade deals rebalanced
Minor improvements in Trade Ports working logics
Graphics
Linear Regression building re-rendered
Data Storage building re-rendered
QoL && Interface
Interface improved
Improved context warnings for Stores
Improved context warnings for ML Model buildings
Added hotkeys for switching between previous/next categories
Added an alternate hotkey for accessing search field
Added an option to add custom pins on the map (suggested by 硫酸銅, LoadRunner, Евгений Рымарев)
Updated interface of the Trade Ports window
Localizations updated (special thanks to ホワイト(WHITE), Kohsae, Dragocuore, Marcapus)
Techie Stuff
Those who were helping us with community translations can now find their names in the credits
Bug fixes (kudos to S'Kleer)
Steam Deck
Improved interface, added contextual hints for hotkeys
Full list of hotkeys for Steam Deck can be found below
A friendly reminder: you can always chat with us directly on our Discord server. We're using Discord for work, so you'll find many of us there most of the time, don't be a stranger!
An even friendlier reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:
----------------------
How to Get More Involved
At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:
Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peek of the upcoming features and events
Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you in the game's credits for doing this
There's also a free demo that allows you to check out the base mechanics!
In any case, please share your impressions about the game in the comments, or come by our Discord server - we'd love to chat and hear how you like the game, and how we can make it better for you.
Have fun!
Community highlights: Localize this!
Hey factory builders!
So, this week's Leearning Factory update got postponed for a week, due to seasoned epidemiologic situation (some of us got sick with the flu, but we're all betteer now!)
Which might be good, because at least one, maybe even a couple, new juicy buildings now have beter chances to appear in the game! Check out this WIP lava-pumping machine:
What do you think it does? Let us know in the comments or come to our Discord server!
Speaking of which: we have changed the procedure of working with community localizations. Instead of using external services, we now rely on good old-fashined Google Spreadsheets.
If you want to help us translate the game into your native language, please go to our Discord server, we will provide you with the link and appropriate editing rights.
Just a reminder: if you aren't happy with community translations, you can always try ChatGPT translation as an alternative.
In other news: though Steam Deck is not yet officially supported by Learning Factory, it can be launched still, and we improved the controls for better access to in-game hotkeys. Let us know if it helps, portable geeks!
Another friendly reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:
Last but not least: please don't forget that we have a new game going to Early Access in less than a week! Add Craftomation 101 to your wishlist, to make sure you don't miss the release discount!
----------------------
How to Get More Involved
At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:
Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peak of the upcoming features and events
Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you into the game's credits for doing this
