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Devlog 017 Our work since the Demo
The demo will soon be coming to a close. It will remain available until Monday, March 25th, 10 AM CET. This gives you the entire weekend to give the demo a go and see what shapez 2 is all about, or finish the projects youre currently working on! Pick up the demo here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/
A ton of you have already given us your feedback and thoughts on the demo and its system. As always, thank you so much for your time! We have a couple more specific questions wed love you to answer.
We just released Alpha 18, which includes all of the changes mentioned in the blog and a little bit more. If you'd like to test it and share your opinions with us, consider subscribing to our Patreon! [hr][/hr]
The Windmill shape has been reworked. The previous design was the only shape type that was asymmetrical and always looked a bit awkward because of this. The new design is symmetrical, allowing for better looking shapes in our opinion. The shape goals with Windmill quadrants have also been changed to make better use of the new design. It may take a bit of time to get used to it, but let us know your thoughts!
We have a new design for the Pin Pusher youve seen in the bonus build of the demo. Before, it only placed one pin in one quadrant, but it now places a pin under every existing quadrant. This changes where in your production line it would be best to use the Pin Pusher, as you may need to utilise a couple more cutters if you don't want pins under everything.
A grey circle after going through a Pin Pusher Inspired by the original shapez, weve added Chain Miners and Chain Fluid Extractors that youll be able to connect to your main extraction platform. This saves you from having to go through the trouble of having to set up multiple platforms and connect them all. It also allows you to use all nodes of a cluster if one of the nodes is completely surrounded by other nodes without blocking any of the adjacent nodes. The map generation has seen some changes to allow for better usage of these chain miners and extractors.
Visuals are still WIP
The old hyper belts (single platforms with four belts on them) were replaced with Space Belts. These new belts work similar to regular belts in that you can split and merge them, but a space belt carries four regular belts on three layers and can split the load into different directions. They are quite a bit more versatile than tunnels, but move shapes at a lower speed. Use them for short-distance connections between platforms or train stations. Trains now travel along a solid set of rails, instead of the old rainbow ones. This makes the rails look a lot more weighty and inline with platforms. You can place a station platform along any set of rails. Connect the station with your factory using your second-favorite mode of transport, load them on a train and watch your shapes go off into the sunset.
You can build centralised train stations and connect them with your factory using space belts We are still determining what role exactly trains should fill in shapez 2, but we've been getting some good feedback from the Patreon testers in the Discord. We hope we can share more about trains soon! The first prototype of the 3-way splitter is here! While its still missing the visuals to make it make sense, we know its been a highly requested feature and are glad its making its way in.
We are working with a new Fluid Simulation system that should be more accurate and intuitive. To make sure the pipes feel good to use and keep the simulation running smoothly, were essentially working with a signal-like system. If theres any fluid anywhere in a continuous pipeline, any connected building will be able make use of it. There will not be any fancy liquid simulations or advanced pumping mechanics. Additionally, Fluid Tanks are now directional to prevent back flow. You now start with a new Vortex platform layout. Its a 3x3 platform with a Miner on every side, supported by Chain Miners. These will pump up the shape output of the Miners so you have enough shapes to keep you busy until you unlock Chain Miners yourself.
There has been some progress on the wiring content for the game. We now have functioning Buttons, Displays, Virtual Rotators, Virtual Analyzers and Virtual Unstackers! Its still early days for wiring so theres still a lot of progress to be made.
Alpha 18 has the brand new Blueprint Library design. Essentially, it works just like the files in your operating system. Youll be able to organise all your blueprints into separate folders by simply dragging and dropping them as you wish. If youd like to use a blueprint, you can drag the file into the hotbar for quick access. Want to organise your blueprints without launching the game? Just head into the blueprint folder using something like Windows File Explorer and youll find everything exactly as you left it in game. Your library is synced between save games and devices.
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[ 2024-03-21 15:16:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hello everyone! Its been a while since you last had a look into our progress. In fact, we havent really updated you since the release of the demo! While we already did a deep dive into the evolution of the Research System (which you can read here), its time we show you what other parts of the game weve been working on and what will be available in Alpha 18.
News
End of the shapez 2 Demo
The demo will soon be coming to a close. It will remain available until Monday, March 25th, 10 AM CET. This gives you the entire weekend to give the demo a go and see what shapez 2 is all about, or finish the projects youre currently working on! Pick up the demo here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/
shapez 2 Demo feedback survey
A ton of you have already given us your feedback and thoughts on the demo and its system. As always, thank you so much for your time! We have a couple more specific questions wed love you to answer.
Find the survey here!
Alpha 18 release
We just released Alpha 18, which includes all of the changes mentioned in the blog and a little bit more. If you'd like to test it and share your opinions with us, consider subscribing to our Patreon! [hr][/hr]
Devlog 017
Production
The Windmill shape has been reworked. The previous design was the only shape type that was asymmetrical and always looked a bit awkward because of this. The new design is symmetrical, allowing for better looking shapes in our opinion. The shape goals with Windmill quadrants have also been changed to make better use of the new design. It may take a bit of time to get used to it, but let us know your thoughts!
We have a new design for the Pin Pusher youve seen in the bonus build of the demo. Before, it only placed one pin in one quadrant, but it now places a pin under every existing quadrant. This changes where in your production line it would be best to use the Pin Pusher, as you may need to utilise a couple more cutters if you don't want pins under everything.
A grey circle after going through a Pin Pusher Inspired by the original shapez, weve added Chain Miners and Chain Fluid Extractors that youll be able to connect to your main extraction platform. This saves you from having to go through the trouble of having to set up multiple platforms and connect them all. It also allows you to use all nodes of a cluster if one of the nodes is completely surrounded by other nodes without blocking any of the adjacent nodes. The map generation has seen some changes to allow for better usage of these chain miners and extractors.
Visuals are still WIP
Transportation
The old hyper belts (single platforms with four belts on them) were replaced with Space Belts. These new belts work similar to regular belts in that you can split and merge them, but a space belt carries four regular belts on three layers and can split the load into different directions. They are quite a bit more versatile than tunnels, but move shapes at a lower speed. Use them for short-distance connections between platforms or train stations. Trains now travel along a solid set of rails, instead of the old rainbow ones. This makes the rails look a lot more weighty and inline with platforms. You can place a station platform along any set of rails. Connect the station with your factory using your second-favorite mode of transport, load them on a train and watch your shapes go off into the sunset.
You can build centralised train stations and connect them with your factory using space belts We are still determining what role exactly trains should fill in shapez 2, but we've been getting some good feedback from the Patreon testers in the Discord. We hope we can share more about trains soon! The first prototype of the 3-way splitter is here! While its still missing the visuals to make it make sense, we know its been a highly requested feature and are glad its making its way in.
We are working with a new Fluid Simulation system that should be more accurate and intuitive. To make sure the pipes feel good to use and keep the simulation running smoothly, were essentially working with a signal-like system. If theres any fluid anywhere in a continuous pipeline, any connected building will be able make use of it. There will not be any fancy liquid simulations or advanced pumping mechanics. Additionally, Fluid Tanks are now directional to prevent back flow. You now start with a new Vortex platform layout. Its a 3x3 platform with a Miner on every side, supported by Chain Miners. These will pump up the shape output of the Miners so you have enough shapes to keep you busy until you unlock Chain Miners yourself.
Mechanics
There has been some progress on the wiring content for the game. We now have functioning Buttons, Displays, Virtual Rotators, Virtual Analyzers and Virtual Unstackers! Its still early days for wiring so theres still a lot of progress to be made.
Alpha 18 has the brand new Blueprint Library design. Essentially, it works just like the files in your operating system. Youll be able to organise all your blueprints into separate folders by simply dragging and dropping them as you wish. If youd like to use a blueprint, you can drag the file into the hotbar for quick access. Want to organise your blueprints without launching the game? Just head into the blueprint folder using something like Windows File Explorer and youll find everything exactly as you left it in game. Your library is synced between save games and devices.
Various other changes
- A lot of rendering refactoring & performance improvements
- Various improvements and extra visuals for the UI in many parts of the game
- Further changes to simulation ticks & steps per unit to fix (some) precision issues
- The shader of the shape viewer has been improved. Shapes now reflect some light.
- We brought back larger platform layouts as optional unlocks.
- The max range of tunnels has been changed from 3 chunks to 4. Their entrances now input and output shapes on 3 layers, with 4 belts on each layer.
- Platforms are now one tile bigger in every direction. This has decreased the gap between platforms and belt launchers had their range reduced to match this change.
Join the community:
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[ 2024-03-21 15:16:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
shapez 2
tobspr Games
Developer
tobspr Games
Publisher
Coming soon
Release
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19.99 €
Game News Posts:
46
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
Overwhelmingly Positive
(7837 reviews)
Public Linux Depots:
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shapez 2 is supposed to be the long-awaited sequel to the original shapez - an automation, management & factory-building game currently available on Steam - built for audiences both new and old.
Our aim with shapez 2 would be to create a worthy successor to our original title - one which has a much higher production value, more content, better replayability and, crucially, looks more visually pleasing - this means that we’d like to include many more features for you… And we’ve outlined some of our ideas below!
Though we're still working on the prototype, we've got a solid vision of how the game could look - one that we'd love to share with you and get your feedback on. We would also like to point out that funding for shapez 2 isn’t yet fully secured - so whilst we’ll do our best to see this project through to completion, the outline below is our vision for our ideal game, rather than a set of specific promises.
Gameplay Overview
The goal of shapez 2 is to build, automate, and scale your factory in order to process increasing numbers, types, and colours of shapes! You’d be building machines, placing conveyor belts, and designing vast networks in order to transport your goods. Whilst to begin with you’d be focused on extracting pure shapes from the ground, you would soon discover a vast array of colours - unlocking an even vaster number of combinations... And, well, then the fun begins.All sounding a bit familiar? Don’t worry, we plan to shake things up a bit this time… As you’ll see below.
2D + 3D
shapez 2 will, by default, have a 3D view. However - we know how crucial being able to build efficiently is, so you will be able to seamlessly toggle between 2D and 3D!Layers
Complementing our new 3D view, shapez 2 will also feature multiple layers! Whilst in shapez there was only one additional layer (the wires layer), shapez 2 will provide players with up to 3 layers to switch between. You'll be able to place buildings, conveyor belts, and wires on each of them! (And, don't worry if you like to keep things simple - the additional layers are completely optional!)View into the machines
Whilst shapez only had ‘closed' buildings (which could sometimes make it difficult to see what was going on!), in shapez 2, all buildings are ‘open' - allowing you to see exactly how your shapes are being processed! This is a big one for us - and we're hoping it'll make it easier for new players to get into the game. It'll be a much more visual process!New engine, better performance, better accuracy
We're writing shapez 2 completely from scratch in an entirely new engine! This'll allow us to maximise performance (using all available cores & GPU power), leading to vastly improved performance, even with our new 3D visuals. (It's actually insane to us how many different buildings shapez could handle, considering it's basically a website!)Islands
shapez had a very uniform map (which severely limited exploration) - and that's something that we wanted to change this time. In shapez 2 space will no longer be unlimited - instead you need to craft islands to expand your base!This feature works well with our next one… Mass Transport!
Mass Transport
With the addition of new biomes, you'll be needing new infrastructure to transport your resources over long distances! In shapez 2, there will be a mass transport feature unlockable through the research tree. (More on that later!)Whilst these may not look exactly like trains, they'll behave in a very similar way!
Pipes & Fluids
Another new addition for shapez 2 - pipes! Not only will there be a number of new fluids, but colors will be fluids rather than being transported on a belt. (Not to worry, though - you'll still be able to package them on belts with a new building that we're introducing!)Research Tree
On the topic of replayability, we're introducing a new research tree - featuring a number of branches designed to make progress less linear! Whilst there will still be a main branch (i.e. cutters, rotators, pipes, stackers), there will be additional sub-branches, allowing you to focus on each of the available buildings and unlock upgrades for them (for example, the 180-degrees rotator is an available upgrade after unlocking the default rotator. You don't have to unlock it, but if it looks useful to you, go for it!)Blueprint Library
This was a feature that was actually planned for shapez, but sadly never made it into the original game. We'll fix this in shapez 2 by adding a complete blueprint library, as well as the ability to load/share blueprints easily!... and more:
- Modding support
- New shape mechanics
- Multiple game modes
- Customizable game creation
- All-new soundtrack
MINIMAL SETUP
- Processor: 3Ghz+ dual coreMemory: 4 GB RAM
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 10.1 capable GPU wit 1024 MB VRAM
- Storage: 2000 MB available space
- Processor: 3Ghz+ quad coreMemory: 8 GB RAM
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 11 capable GPU with 2048 MB VRAM
- Storage: 2000 MB available space
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