To play this version, right-click the game in your Steam Library and choose Properties. From the Betas tab, choose the Godot Public Beta option. Steam will then start downloading the beta version. If you've already opted in, Steam will update it automatically.
Update notes:
Added the latest products of an update to the conveyor on the main menu screen
Increased size of boxes of stuff on conveyor belts
Removed status lights from construction placement ghosts
Fixed machine details window showing options for auto-import belts that shouldn't have options
Reduced size of machine details panel
Added option to remove machine details panel
Added incomplete icons over incomplete product tokens
Added option to remove incomplete icons
Minor Update - Godot Beta 2.1.2.0
uFactory Godot Beta has been updated to v2.1.2.0.
To play this version, right-click the game in your Steam Library and choose Properties. From the Betas tab, choose the Godot Public Beta option. Steam will then start downloading the beta version. If you've already opted in, Steam will update it automatically.
Update notes:
Fixed issue preventing mechanical arm from appearing in tool menu
Camera will no longer respond to input while a window/menu is open
Added animation for placing new machines
Fixed performance issue when placing large numbers of new machines
Paused factory while pause menu is open
Decreased time to paint license plates
Fixed bug that prevented sorter belts from copying settings when pasted
Added missing descriptions to a few processes
uFactory 2.1 Beta Released
A number of big improvements have come to the Godot Beta of uFactory today!
The second version of the new uFactory (v2.1.1.0) is now available via an opt-in Steam Beta. To play the new version, right-click the game in your Steam Library and choose Properties. From the Betas tab, choose the Godot Public Beta option. Steam will then start downloading the beta version.
What's included?
First, the new stuff:
Liquid Pipes! Run liquid pipes beneath the floor to connect your machines and transfer liquid without conveyor belts.
Gas Vents! Run gas vents above the ceiling of your factory to vent exhaust to smokestacks or deliver gaseous commodities between machines.
Process Diagrams, to help you figure out the overall manufacturing processes you need to achieve.
New tools to make life easier, like a Copy Settings Only tool, or a Draw Belts With Corners tool.
Mouse panning and edge-scrolling for those who don't care for WASD.
Advanced conveyor belts, like sorters, two-way, U-turns, and bridges.
Two new levels: Beer Brewing and License Plates!
Large Text mode, that makes all text larger. Great for those who have trouble reading small text as well as those who have ultra-high-def displays.
What has been improved:
Mod Tools have been upgraded and improved, most notably by unifying their interface into a single program (Windows x64 only)
Improved interface for commodity and machine windows, with much more information interlinked and available.
Many, many bugs fixed.
What's next?
First, I'll be fixing bugs as they're reported (visit our Discord community!), and then will ultimately continue down the path laid out by the Roadmap.
The plan is to release a patch very soon that addresses the possible performance issues of larger factories and placing many conveyors.
uFactory DevLog: February 2024
Hi everyone! Progress continues on the new Godot version of uFactory! Coming up in the next version is one of the biggest features of the original, the liquid and gas systems!
In the new version, these systems are looking better than ever, with new UI to help you identify their contents and diagnose problems with your layout.
As you can see, the new version is much cleaner and easier to read than the old one. In the gas view, you can see the chimney connections to the machines below. (The liquid pipe system will also have a similar feature for easily identifying machines above, but it just wasn't ready at time of posting.)
A mouseover of any pipe or vent will reveal its contents. If there's a mixture, you'll get a pie chart to show what's mixed in:
Getting these systems running smoothly and efficiently and cleanly has taken up most of the month, but they're all about 90% done now, so I can wrap them up and start moving on to the other major tasks for this next version, namely Process Diagrams, new levels, and some quality of life improvements and bug fixes.
The hope is still to have the latest update out around the end of February. The extra day this year helps!
As always, thanks for supporting uFactory!
uFactory DevLog: January 2024
Hi everyone! Well, the first beta is out, and feedback is already starting to flow in. In addition to our Roadmap, I've also added an Issue Tracker. If you'd like to submit feedback or bug reports, you can do so in-game by pressing F9 during factory gameplay, on the Steam Discussions board, or in our Discord server.
Most of the latest news has been covered in launch announcement posts, so this devlog will be short and sweet.
Progress is already being made on the next major update, which will include more advanced belts, liquid and gas piping, new levels, and a bunch of usability improvements.
I've also started updating some of the store and library assets. But the Godot version will remain an opt-in beta until it hits v2.4 feature parity.
If any major game-breaking issues are discovered, I'll put out a patch, but otherwise, expect fixes to come with the next major update. The goal is to release every month or two, and this one is big, so expect a drop sometime in February.
As always, thanks for your support of uFactory!
Minor Update - Godot Beta 2.0.2.0
uFactory Godot Beta has been updated to v2.0.2.0. This updated is intended to improve the readability of conveyor belts and the items on them, as well as making the belt graphics more reactive to dark mode option and simulation speed.
To play this version, right-click the game in your Steam Library and choose Properties. From the Betas tab, choose the Godot Public Beta option. Steam will then start downloading the beta version. If you've already opted in, Steam will update it automatically.
Update notes:
Added outlines to commodity tokens
Enhanced belt appearance
Added belt blur at high sim speeds
Improved anti-aliasing
Fixed window positioning bug
uFactory 2.0 Beta Released
Ready to try out the new Godot build of uFactory? Well, you finally can!
The first version of the new uFactory (v2.0.1.1) is now available via an opt-in Steam Beta. To play the new version, right-click the game in your Steam Library and choose Properties. From the Betas tab, choose the Godot Public Beta option. Steam will then start downloading the beta version.
What's included?
First, the new stuff:
Streamlined tools. No more toggling of area modes or obtuse UIs. The tools should just work as you expect them to. Want to rotate something? Press the rotate key while hovering your mouse over it. Want to delete, copy, or move an area? Just drag & drop.
Multi-stage factories: A single level can have multiple stages now, starting simple and expanding as it grows in complexity. This is particularly used in the new tutorial level.
Inline tutorial. While it's still underdeveloped at the moment, the game is designed to introduce you to concepts gradually, instead of forcing you to read walls of text in dedicated tutorial levels. When you don't use a feature by the time the game expects you to, it'll pop up a hint to do so.
Proper container handling. Containers can contain fluids/gasses and be emptied by machines that need those fluids/gasses. Just remember to deal with the empties!
Mod support. uFactory now supports custom mods! It's in dire need of documentation, but the base game ships with mod tools so you can start building your own content today!
Dark mode, for those who shun the light
Status lights on every machine, alerting you to possible problems early.
What transferred over from before:
Three levels, two old and revamped (Child's Play and Woodworking) and one new (Toothpicks; a tutorial level)
Straight, corner, and splitter belts, as well as configurable mechanical arms.
Conversion and assembly processes. Don't forget to run the assembly steps before inserting that product into a more complex one!
Serialization for maximum efficiency
Custom factory colors
Copy, Move, Destroy, and Empty Belt tools, to help you manage your factory space efficiently
What's next?
First, I'll be fixing bugs as they're reported (visit our Discord community!) with some rapid-fire patches, and then will ultimately continue down the path laid out by the Roadmap.
Development Roadmap Released
You can now follow along with uFactory's new Godot-engine revamp's development.
The roadmap will be updated as each feature is added. Once all features for a milestone are finished (and some testing is done), a new beta will be publicly released.
I'll still be posting monthly devlogs that summarize updates added during that period.
And, of course, this roadmap is subject to (and likely to) change in the future.
uFactory DevLog: December 2023
Hi everyone! I've made a lot of progress this past month moving everything over to Godot. While doing so, I managed to make some improvements to the core engine behind uFactory's simulation, and I want to describe some of those upgrades in this post:
Content Architecture + Mods!
One of the most-requested features for uFactory, the new Godot version is built with modding in mind from the ground up. Most machines, all commodity types, and all factory scenarios (levels) are now defined in external JSON files. uFactory's core content will just be an open-source "core" mod. That means if you want to tweak the game's balance, you can do so! If you want to add your own machines and processes and levels, you can do so!
In addition, I've built separate editors for each of these types (machine, commodities, scenarios), which makes both modding and core development way easier! I've also created a number of placeholder graphics for machines and commodities that allows me to rapidly prototype factory processes, and will make it easier for you to create mods with no art skills needed! I'm hoping to release the editor tools open-source as well once the Godot demo drops. Right now, the editor tools are Windows-only, but editing the JSON directly can be done on any platform.
Once the Godot version becomes the main version of the game (i.e. not a Steam Beta), I'll open up Workshop support, and offer the editor tools as a separate download through Steam (probably as a free DLC, but I haven't figured out the details yet).
Visual Overhaul
An overarching theme of this rebuild is simplicity. Remove the unnecessary cruft and keep things simple and easy to read at-a-glance. While most of the machines you're used to will retain their general form, some other parts of the game have been given a significant facelift. For example, check out the new factory structure and conveyor belts!
It should now be much easier to see exactly what will happen with stuff on your conveyors before it gets there.
User Interface
As I said, an overarching theme of this rebuild is simplicity. The UI is no exception to this rule:
And the in-game menus are designed to have extra data if you want it, but to also show you at-a-glance what is happening in your factory. Those red bars mean you're losing money!
This new style is very bright, though, isn't it? Good thing Godot has a robust Theme system! For those who prefer a darker approach, uFactory will have a comprehensive Dark Mode toggle from the first beta:
What's Next?
So, you may be asking "when do we get to try this out?" And the answer is before the end of the year! I don't have an exact release date yet (it'll probably be a drop-when-it's-done kind of thing), but I do expect to have a beta demo with three levels released before the end of December 2023!
uFactory DevLog: November 2023
Hi everyone! uFactory has been in development hell for a while and I'd like to take this opportunity to discuss what happened, what's changing, and what will be coming in the future.
What Happened
The answer to this is complicated and based on a number of factors. Some are very simple (uFactory just never made enough money to be able to reinvest in it). Others are more complex (despite 74% positive reviews, only 33% of the top 6 shown on our store page are positive; the other negative ones describe problems that don't even exist in the current version of the game.)
Ultimately, the problem boiled down to two major factors: (1) uFactory wasn't making money and (2) continued development of uFactory had become painful.
The first issue is pretty simple. Due to a lack of marketing and initial negative reviews, uFactory simply didn't get the discoverability or momentum an indie game needs. Because of this, the revenue never got to the point where it could support even a single full-time developer, and that's after the many costs of initial development. That meant that uFactory development had to take a back seat to paying the mortgage.
The second issue is a bit more complex. Part of it is due to the massive changes made in response to user feedback after the initial Early Access launch of the game. So many fundamental things changed while retaining backwards compatibility that the code base was riddled with tech debt. This was exacerbated by the choice of engine. uFactory was built on Unity, which, since its IPO in 2020, has gotten steadily worse as a platform to develop on. Near the end, it would take literal minutes of waiting after every code change before I was able to test the change. This meant that even the fun parts of development (adding features and content) became and absolute slog, and the less fun parts (like bug fixing and refactoring) were nightmares.
What's Changing
Some of you may have heard the scandal that the Unity engine was recently involved in, regarding royalties demanded of developers. If you haven't heard about it, it's interesting reading, but the short version is this: Unity demanded a new pricing model and tried to force it on all customers, new and old. The backlash was so severe that they not only walked back the scheme, but the CEO was forced to resign. Unfortunately, though, the company lost the trust of indie game developers and might never recover. Given that this scandal seemed to be caused by Unity's merger with an ad/spyware company, that loss of trust may be well-deserved.
So, due to the poor management at Unity, as well as the technical issues described above, I've made the difficult decision to move uFactory to a new engine. I tried out about 10 different options to see which would work best for a logistics game such as this. The things I was looking for are: (1) reasonable pricing model or free, (2) unlikely to be screwed over in the future for profit, (3) easy to use and well-documented, and (4) good community for when documentation isn't enough. After reviewing the major high-end engines (like Unreal and CryEngine), I found they failed conditions 1 and 2. So, I started gravitating towards FOSS (or "Free and Open Source Software").
Ultimately, two engines rose to the top of the list: Stride3D and Godot. As a .NET developer at heart, I really liked Stride a little more, but it, unfortunately, has an inscrutable and poorly-documented shader system that was a major roadblock. I look forward to trying it again in a couple years for new projects.
But that left us with one: Godot. Godot is a free and open source engine that has become the new home for many ex-Unity developers, and for good reason. The latest versions are very well-done and the engine is slick and lightweight and efficient. Those multi-minute pauses in Unity? So far, they've never broken 10 seconds in Godot.
So, the future of uFactory will be built with Godot.
That said, however, I have come to believe in the promise of FOSS game engines. As such, Lucid Silence Games has become an official contributor to both the Stride3D and Godot engines. You can find this studio name listed on their respective websites. LSG is a Gold Strider sponsor of Stride3D, and is a Titanium contributor to the Godot Development Fund. You can rest assured that your support of this studio is indirectly supporting the entire FOSS indie gamedev community.
What's Coming
uFactory in Godot is already a work-in-progress. It's less of a port and more of a rewrite designed to fix some of the problems deep in uFactory's original code base. Already, code that was confusing in the previous version has been made simple by having a clearer plan up-front. More importantly, I'm taking a back-to-basics approach. Extraneous features are being cut to make sure the core game is as tight and fun as possible. Tools are being built to help balance the game automatically and speed up the time it takes to add new content. Speaking of content, it's being built, from the start, in a modular way. Yes, modular as in mods. Right out of the gate, the factory scenarios come from simple JSON text files... so you can write your own and add them to the game. That's just the start, though, as the game will also come with built-in placeholder machines and commodity token graphics so you can design your own manufacturing processes without needing artistic skills.
There will also be a couple other new features added that truly complement the existing gameplay, like multi-stage factories, where you have to complete one section's goals before you unlock the floor plan and machines for the next section. This will have multiple benefits, but mostly it will make the tutorials more seamless (and less onerous), and will make the mid-game levels feel less overwhelming at first. Plus, it will increase replayability, because once you beat the level once, you can try it again with everything unlocked from the start!
So, when will all this be available, you might ask? The goal, not a guarantee, but the goal, is to have a basic demo with a few levels available in a Steam beta branch by December 1.
In addition, I'm going to try to make it a point to release a new devlog on the first of each month. If I fail to do so, come yell at me in our Discord server. Also, I occasionally post more frequent updates and videos of WIPs in that Discord server too, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
In Summary
I've always said uFactory *will* be finished, even if I couldn't say when. And I still stand by that. Let's hope Godot continues to be such a pleasure to work with and a new era of regular content and feature updates ensues.
Thanks for sticking with uFactory all this time. We'll get out of Early Access someday.