Keep It Running: Together (tuxdb.com)

Work on the game progresses steadily and I'm preparing to start the Closed Beta. This means all major features are implemented and the Factory map is finished sans minor details. The Mine section of the game may require a bit more work but I want to see how people react to what I currently have made and with that feedback I can take further steps to improving the game. Closed Beta keys: Beta keys are available to content creators that want to help promote, test and improve the game. You absolutely don't need to be a QA expert, but I do expect some feedback :) Let me know if you're interested! The game is stable currently as we've done a lot of testing and bug-fixing, though no doubt there are still many (minor) bugs to fix in the Beta. I've also improved and expanded further upon many areas of the original game as well as the new game and a couple things I mentioned in my last news post have been improved further. New Main Menu: The main menu has been revamped and now looks like this:
You'll notice there's a 'Guide' section, which has scribbles made by the player character that explain the various mechanics of the game and give small hints on the various creatures that roam the Factory. New Difficulty Stages: The difficulty stages are no longer easy/medium/hard, but more stages much akin to the 6 days of the original game. The reason for this a smoother growing difficulty curve. During testing we found that the steps between easy/medium/hard were too big and jarring. Also didn't feel as rewarding.
The various difficulty stages are designed for 1 player, but the difficulty of certain elements in the game will increase if more players join the team so that the difficulty feels the same despite being with more people. Speaking of rewards, when the shift ends with a completed quota, you will greeted with a list of rewards the Boss has granted you. You will unlock new difficulty stages, new things to do, new outfits and who knows what else in the future :) I may add some fun challenges for extra special rewards too, but I'm still figuring that out. Ideas/suggestions, as always, are most welcome. New Toys: I've finished making the second toy: the cursed Teddy. These nasty critters, when awakened, will steal your tools and place them in various locations within the Factory:
Work on the final toy, the cursed Caterpillar, has begun so all three toy types will be in the Beta. Same for the Clockwork Demons. New "QTE" Minigame: One feedback I got from viewers of our testing session streams is that the repair mechanic was lacking and that a minigame may make it more fun. After some pondering I implemented a simple "QTE"-like mechanic for repairing machinery and it indeed makes it a lot more fun and stressful! It looks a bit ugly still but works great. Starting the minigame:
Succeeding makes the repair start, failing means you'll have to try again if you so choose:
Toy Parts and the Conveyor Belts: I've made a change to the end of the conveyor belts so that any toy parts that reach the end will be moved into a separate container, instead of falling onto and messing up the boxes. This fixes a rather frustrating physics issue with the boxes and the toy parts, making it really hard to properly place down a box. It also makes it easier to gather the toy parts to put them back onto the belt:

[ 2025-04-03 14:42:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Closed Beta, Next Fest and Early Access

Development Progress:

I'm making swift progress on developing the game and am happy to report that Alpha testing is going really well. I'm fleshing out features and gameplay mechanics from the first game so they work better in a co-op context and am improving them where needed. Needless to say Together will be a big upgrade from the first Keep It Running in many ways. The Factory: Of course the Factory is much bigger, now with 2 boilers, 2 engines and 7 machines on 3 production lines in total:

There's two steam engines: one to deliver power to the lights and machinery and the other to actually drive the machinery. These engines can actually break and will need fixing with the wrench, just like the production machines. Furthermore the Toys and Demons can mess things up, but players will be given ways to deter them.

Progression and Unlockables: Now with a much bigger factory and more things to deal with I've pondered hard on overall gameplay progression:

There will be a "tutorial" difficulty mode in which there is no Boss or other monsters and you are given much more time to get to grip with the basics of the game. Though most things are fairly easy to get to grips with, due to the overall improvements I've made, there will be instructions available at all times during gameplay: I'm planning to give players a little handbook which contains instructions on things like filling the boilers with coal, repairing machinery and completing the quotas. This book will possibly also contain notes the player character scribbles down on the various monsters and toys. The "custom" difficulty also makes a return, allowing players that have unlocked it to fully customize the upcoming shift to their liking, make custom challenges etc.

With every successful shift, with completed quotas, the Boss will reward players with not just harder difficulties with newly unlocked challenges but also... new outfits!

Players will be able to personalize their character with various unlockable clothing items, faces and hairstyles. And yes: there will steampunk outfits too :)

I'm not sure how many outfit items there will be yet, but I'm planning on at least 4 per item type to allow for a good variation of character looks. Aside from the unlockable difficulties, challenges and outfits I may also add some unlockable tools and such but I'm still pondering on that. Suggestions are welcome, of course. The Competitor Mines: There is a new area besides the Factory: the Mines. Once the Competitors start visiting the Factory to steal away players, one may find themselves kidnapped and taken deep underground.

Players will have to escape the Competitor, being chased down by it as you try to find your way out of the dark mine, with only a lantern to guide your way. if you escape you will find yourself back at the Factory so you can continue pleasing the Boss with your diligent work. At the start of March I'm hoping to have all the major elements implemented and decently tested so we can move forward to... Closed Beta testing!

The Closed Beta:

Though I can test a lot myself with the help of my partner and our main tester I want to do more extensive testing by having others play too. I know from experience that multiplayer games tend to have a lot of edge cases, often caused by different hardware and internet connections as well as different play styles. Certain bugs we may simply not find until someone else does something very specific that we'd never think to do. Now, because I want to release a demo for Steam Next Fest in June I do want to ensure a good experience. I am confident we can make this happen ourselves, but I like being thorough :) Another reason is... promo! I think it would be awesome to get some content creators to get an exclusive early preview going. I already got a few on my list that helped in the past, but am more than willing to add more to said list. So shoot me a message if you're interested, have an audience and most importantly have some experience with testing work-in-progress games!

Next Fest and Early Access release:

Yep! Keep It Running: Together is registered for Steam Next Fest in June and thus will have a demo available. I will also do one or more livestreams during the event so you can ask me questions and have a chat. Of course this will be further announced with more details when we near June. As for Early Access: I've decided to have a 2 to 3 month period in which I can further polish the game based on community feedback and make sure the full release is as bug-free and smooth as it can be. I may also add some new content or features that have been suggested either during Next Fest or during Early Access. If you have suggestions or thoughts you want to share, absolutely do so in the game's Discussions forum on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/3448380/discussions/2/

[ 2025-02-11 13:55:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Keep It Running: Together

EvilDraggie Developer

Evil Turtle Productions Publisher

2025 Release

Action Indie Strategy Casual RPG Adventure Simulation F2P Sports MMO Racing Singleplayer Multiplayer Coop EA Tags

Game News Posts: 2

🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support

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Steam Store

The Boss is back! And he has found a new, and much bigger, factory to repurpose for the production of his cursed products. You and your fellow workers find yourselves in the middle of the fierce competition between the monsters than haunt this new location. How many nights can you last?

Welcome to your new life:

In this high-stress, multitasking challenge, your day begins with fueling the two boilers to get the machinery running. You'll need to assemble robot toys on the three production lines, using a wrench to fix any machines that break down. Fail to keep up with the daily quotas and the ever present Boss will quickly show his displeasure.

Each new day brings new obstacles – from cursed toys coming to life and terrifying Clockwork Demons disrupting the machinery to the monstrous Competitors intending to snatch you away to their mines. Stay alert, stay vigilant and above all always keep the production going.

Succeed as a team, or perish in chaos:

Though you can work alone a team effort can truly make or break a successful business. There is plenty to do in the Factory after all, so everyone will be able to fill an essential role. And the Boss will be there to make sure everyone keeps working hard. No slackers allowed!

Do well and be rewarded with new outfits, new challenges and new Achievements as you unlock them! You may just make Employee of the Month~

MINIMAL SETUPOS: Debian Bullseye or Ubuntu 20 or equivalent
Processor: i3 2100 or AMD FX-4100Memory: 4 GB RAM
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX950 or Radeon HD 7970 with at least 3GB of VRAM
RECOMMENDED SETUPOS: Debian Bullseye or Ubuntu 20 or equivalentMemory: 8 GB RAMGraphics: GTX1060 or RX580 with at least 4GB of VRAM
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX1060 or RX580 with at least 4GB of VRAM

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