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
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Hi there!
We\'ve been more quiet than usual since we\'re working really hard on the 1.0 update of the game right now!
I have to admit that with all the workload, I haven\'t found enough time to keep up the devlogs at a more regular pace. However, I have some ideas that might vastly improve this, but that\'s something for the next devlog.
Anyways, I wanted to give you an update how things are progressing and what you can expect for 1.0!
Our current plans
Right now, the team is 120% focused on the 1.0 release of shapez 2. We\'re making really good progress, so I\'m hopeful we can give more updates on it soon-ish! The 1.0 update, especially with the new game mode, grew way more than we initially planned, which is why it also took much longer than expected. Some of the improvements you can already find in this devlog :)
After the 1.0 release, shapez 2 will move into a \"Live-Ops\" mode, where we will provide regular updates and also have some ideas for DLCs - the first one being a shapez 2 adaption of the puzzle DLC (this time with more built-in puzzles though - sorry again for that!).
In parallel, we\'re also sketching out some ideas for a potential future project, another factory game, which will be less abstract than shapez 2 and a bit more ambitious. So there will be 2 teams in the company - one working on shapez 2, and one prototyping this new project. Which brings me to the next point:
We\'re hiring!
We\'re currently hiring for 3 new positions, and more in the future - If you\'d like to work with us (why wouldn\'t you! right?) this is your opportunity!
Game Designer: https://8bitplay.com/jobs/game-designer/
[/*]Executive Producer: https://8bitplay.com/jobs/executive-producer/
[/*]Senior Technical Artist: https://8bitplay.com/jobs/senior-technical-artist/
[/*]
Even if those don\'t fit you, if you are generally interested I recommend to follow our Company LinkedIn Page to get notified when new positions arise!
1.0 Progress Update
Manufacture Mode
The now-called manufacture mode is progressing nicely and we\'ve started to do some really early testing with our patrons already. However there are still a lot of issues and it\'s not fully playable yet. Once we make more progress, we\'ll slowly move towards closed beta tests, and then an experimental branch on Steam.
The key change of the manufacture mode is the introduction of \'converters\', which require one specific shape and give you another shape that you can not produce. \n\nWe have a specific devlog planned for just the manufacture mode, so I won\'t go too much into detail here.\n\nHowever, I have a few spoilers for you at least:\n\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/41d2aeca28ccd291570c4588337ebce09337a523.png\"][/img]
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/fa1e4a438ad074506ae0f243255bec551b83965f.png\"][/img]
Achievements
We already added most planned achievements to the game, so these will be in for 1.0!\n
We started with the more simple achievements, so these are the ones we have currently implemented: \n\nSpoiler: [spoiler]...........[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/4e854cf3e1c792f3883544f992a165379ca2895f.png\"][/img][/spoiler]
\nOn top of that, we hope we can add a few more unique achievements if our dev team has some time left! \n
Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments about anything that seems off or missing, or numbers that don\'t match!
Modding Support
The modding support now is almost finished, and Lorenzo is working on the last bits so we can finalize it - we\'ll follow up once a beta is available, to give early access to interested modders!\n
Modding will use the steam workshop, as after our testing with mod.io we weren\'t really satisfied with the integration. We\'ve also learned from feedback in shapez 1, so the modding system is a lot more elaborate, supporting dependencies between mods for example.\n
Be sure to join the shapez 2 discord if you want to get notified once we\'re ready!\n\nWork in progress screenshots:\n \n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/f4247e8d48f50c2edd323a01b5f1aafc20ff5ef6.png\"][/img]
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/d2c2a95e83a4f123c4078da3065cd3b9812d4ecd.png\"][/img][img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/e7032b09a337b56df934db03227429efe57d1634.png\"][/img]
New Onboarding
Dimitri is working on restructuring the onboarding so it works for both the manufacture and classic mode - and so far it looks very promising in our playtests!
The new onboarding gets you into action much quicker, and instead of throwing a lot of videos and tooltips in your face, you get contextual hints that you can access on demand:
[carousel][img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/c98db30ff8adf5b66fd42692656f5f9bc012979a.png\"][/img][img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/d1b2e19f68b638c0a269f4de421b983971570237.png\"][/img][/carousel]We are also currently restructuring the knowledge panel into categories, to make it easier to find articles and content (the content is a placeholder - but you get the idea). Especially for newer players we\'ve noticed that otherwise it can be really hard to find what you are looking for.
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/babbe99dddeaba43fee711649aed6e2921bbfb0e.png\"][/img]
\'Window\' Experiments
We\'re also experimenting a bit with introducing windows to the game:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/ef5084cb22ca5c22b2b1adb4a9b6c41cc36c7b5f.png\"][/img]
However, we\'ve run into a few technical challenges with them, which means we might not be able to get this actually sorted out for 1.0. Be sure to share your thoughts though, on whether you think this would be a good feature we should invest time in!
\n\nSpace Building UX Improvements
Dimitri is currently working with Noah on some improvements on the Space Floor Building. One of my favourite experiments is automatically switching the space layer while zooming towards a platform:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/4c743290d83780bd34882783f1943930bfeb6dd5.gif\"][/img]
This is still quite experimental, so let\'s see if we can make it work!
New Fluid (-Launcher) Visuals
Max, Nigel and Natane are working hard on replacing all of the placeholder assets, and their recent changes included the fluid launchers! They now finally are on par with the other visuals in the game:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/f57236513f4f1698907489c63643f4b590586f9c.png\"][/img]
They are also working on other stuff in the meantime - including a space pipe visual rework and generally improvements to the visual fidelity - but more on that in a future devlog!\n
To set expectations though: Unfortunately we ran out of time to rework the space pipe mechanics, so for now they will have to work with just a visual rework instead of a functional change (i.e. consistent liquid flow). However we\'ll make sure they at least look different enough from space belts and try to make them look more fluid-ish.
Wire Building Visuals
Max started to make some drafts for new visuals for the wire buildings - but those are still WIP and we are not really certain we can get them reworked before 1.0 still. Anyways, I wanted to give a little teaser:\n\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/e2409804ddbe59882027387ac425f23af3dd8c9f.png\"][/img]
Map Generation Experiments
We\'re also experimenting a bit with the map generation - for example:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/c3a16d3077715000166a1eb691ad2f15679753d9.png\"][/img]
We don\'t know if this is fun to play, but we\'ll keep experimenting! Starting from 1.0, this will be an option in the map generation as well:\n\n[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/43169810/3f57f9fe1632321af4747ee4e61ad6bbc8087a60.png\"][/img]
\n\n\n\nThat\'s it for today! Unfortunately I can not give any release date for 1.0 yet, but I can say that with all the work remaining, it will definitely not be this year anymore - we want to make sure the 1.0 release is really great and meets your expectations!
~Tobias
Thanks to Avernar on Discord for the shot used in the cover art!
Join the community:
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Minimum 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
Recommended Setup
- Processor: 3Ghz+ quad coreMemory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 11 capable GPU with 2048 MB VRAM
- Storage: 2000 MB available space
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