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:

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~

• OS: 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

• OS: 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