Been meaning to pick up shapez 2, or just missed out on the launch discount? You can now pick up the game with 25% off, the deepest discount so far! shapez 2 uses many of the game elements of shapez, but with tons of new features and ways to play. Build in 3D on space platforms and connect everything by Space Belt or Train. See exactly what's going on inside the buildings and make a larger factory than ever before! There are many options for difficulty and map generation, an all-new Hexagon mode and big updates in the works. Check it out! Discount is available until November 25th. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

It's here! Shapez 2 is officially available!

What to expect from Early Access

Questions? Check out the FAQ!

Reporting bugs/issues

Giving feedback & suggestions

Connect with us and the community!

Hello everyone! Weve shared a lot of information the last couple months, so wed like to recap everything you should know for the Early Access release of shapez 2 tomorrow.

Launch time

What to expect

Steam Deck Support

Getting the game

Changes to regional pricing

Connect with us

Hey guys! Before shapez 2 releases on August 15 (thats less than a week!) I wanted to do a personal post about the history of shapez 2 and what to expect during early access. Weve been super transparent in the development process so far, and thus I thought it would be a great opportunity! This post is a bit longer, but I tried to include a bunch of images and interesting insights! If you'd like to skip to the Early Access expectations part, click here.

TL;DR

• Shapez 2 releases August 15, 13:00 CEST
• It should be polished & enjoyable and basically bug-free
• No roadmap; Instead we will survey after the release what you want us to actually work on
• First update might take a few months

Why shapez 2?

Researching

The Discord

• Straight Stacker vs Bent Stacker (spoiler: [spoiler]both made it in[/spoiler])
• Art Style (CPU Theme vs Space Theme)
• Floating shapes (aka Level 20 Logo Shape from shapez 1)
• Cutters always cutting from north to south, regardless of orientation
• RGB vs RYB color scheme (now a setting)
• The name of the new Diamond shape

The move to 3D

Growing the Team

Iterating and iterating

Game Design Challenges

Performance

Future roadmap

Early Access Duration

First / Future Update Timing

• Major Updates: Every few months with big changes that justify picking up the game again and fit our quality standards (localized, well tested, etc.)
• Beta Branches: Irregular updates anyone can opt into, with previews of upcoming updates that might not be finalized yet
• Closed Betas: Irregular (but more frequent) builds for our patrons to try out bleeding edge features (untested and possibly broken)

Hello everyone!

Were super excited and proud to announce that shapez 2 will release into Early Access on August 15th, 2024!

Watch the shapez 2 Gameplay Trailer here:

Join the community:

Whether youre looking for something similar to shapez or just cant decide between shapez and Mini Metro, we have something for you. Weve partnered up with our friends over at Dinosaur Polo Club to bring you the Subways and shapez bundle, allowing you to pick both games with a sweet discount. After all, why not get both? Mini Metro is all about seeing to the needs of your citys commuters. As more stations appear, its up to you to connect them by subway with the limited resources available. Youll need to adapt and redesign the system with the new assets you unlock every week. Its in your best interest to keep everything running efficiently: if your transit network clogs up and commuters spend a long time waiting, your subway-building privileges may just be revoked. Interested? You can now get both shapez and Mini Metro in a bundle with a nifty 10% off until August 13th! This stacks with other sales, so if you're reading this at the time of posting, you get 10% off the total price after the 90% discount on shapez and 50% discount on Mini Metro. If you already have yourself a copy of shapez, you can still get Mini Metro with the discount through the bundle. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/42865/Subways_and_shapez/

Hello everyone! Were getting very close to wrapping up development on the shapez 2 Early Access release build. At the end of last week we released Alpha 23 with 23.1 and 23.2 the last Patreon-exclusive Alpha build following shortly after. Were moving to Beta builds where Patreons can test the release candidate and report any remaining issues they find. In two weeks, well officially reveal the exact release date (which is set in August) of shapez 2. If you dont want to miss out, be sure to follow and wishlist the game here on Steam and join the Discord! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ If you really want to get your hands on this build before the release, be sure to check out our Patreon! Youll also get access to the betas to help us iron out the last couple bugs, the first of which released today! Your savegame will be compatible with the Early Access build from Alpha 23.2 onward, barring any unforeseen issues. This devlog will be a bit shorter as were currently very busy, but lets walk you through what Alpha 23 brought to the game. Final note, even at this stage everything is technically still subject to change. [hr][/hr]

New Content

Hexagonal Scenario

• H Hexagon
• G Gear
• F Flower

Train loop & Twister

Other new things

• Added train speed and capacity upgrades, as well as an upgrade to allow you to dunk a train directly into the Vortex to deliver all its cargo at once.
• Rebalanced fluid buildings to be more intuitive and added more information in the panels.
• Supplying a different fluid to fluid buildings now makes them slowly drain and eventually consume the new fluid instead of waiting for the previous fluid forever.
• The same system also applies to trains loading a different shape or fluid.

Visuals

Development

UI / UX

Join the community:

Check out the previous devlog:

Hello everyone! With the Early Access release of shapez 2 set for August, were creeping ever closer to finishing development. Our current focus lies on remaining visuals and polish, especially when it comes to the UI. However, we still have some exciting new content additions to show you, so today well walk you through what weve been working on lately. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

News

Alpha 22

Disclaimer

Gameplay

New Scenarios

Operator Level

Blueprint Icons

Other new things

Visuals and Graphics

Development

Lore

UI & UX

• Cleaned up train toolbar & icons
• Added new 'conflicts' visualization: Whenever an issue is detected like belts moving in opposite directions an exclamation mark will appear at the location. Theres a button in the bottom right of the UI to toggle conflict warnings, though we suspect turning the warning off wont fix the problem.

• Merged Upgrades and Shop into one shared tab: Allows you to shop for upgrades

• Added the option to clear all fluids in all fluid buildings
• Added setting to disable chromatic aberration
• Added setting to disable vignette: there will still be some vignette, but a lot less
• Added setting to choose the target display: for your sextuple monitor setups
• Added setting to reduce input latency: this may make the game feel more responsive, but will increase CPU load and may result in a lower frame rate.
• Disabled auto-rotation for large buildings, like the Painter
• Added setting to disable custom cursor (will make us sad)
• Splitters and Mergers are automatically placed when connecting or disconnecting belts or pipes.
• Added glow indicator for shapes that are actively being delivered
• Improved difficulty & scenario selection screen (see related section above)
• Youre no longer required to hold 'Shift' to replace conveyor belts / transport structures
• Transitions between waypoints or moving to the vortex are now animated
• Added placement indicators for fluid & wire buildings to better show inputs / outputs
• Improved fluid miner placement indicators
• Updated game logo: we gave it a real good scrub

• Added a button to take you directly to the relevant knowledge panel entry while placing or selecting a building
• Updates to the wire icons
• Improved & fixed belt launcher placement indicators & logic
• Added a setting to toggle toolbar selection mode between deselect and cycle, with deselect being the new default.
• Improved space belt & pipe placement, now should behave similar to belts but at a much larger scale (more improvements coming)
• Removed confirmation when purchasing speed upgrades: We know you got a need for speed
• Indicators for wrong connections are introduced for Buildings, Wires, and Pipes: These are the checkered blockers and separate from conflicts, though currently serve largely the same purpose.

Join the community:

Check out the previous devlog:

Hello everyone! Put it in your calendar, our Early Access release should be in Mid-August! Were 97% sure well make that, so while the odds are very good its not completely impossible that well still need to reschedule. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ What can you expect from the Early Access version of the game? Were glad you asked!

Early Access Release Status Update

• Multi-layer factories
• Trains
• New research system
• Fluids
• Blueprint library & toolbar
• Lots of quality of life improvements
• Crystals
• Pins
• Multiple progressions,
• Customizable map generation,
• Mirrorable buildings,
• Platforms
• Undo/redo
• So much more!

Launch Month!

Our Plans for Early Access

Whats looking good for Early Access

Game Design, Progression & Balance

Usability

Technical Systems

Performance

Reusability of Factories

Wires

• Update order is not deterministic, so you might run into issues when you build memory cells or attempt to build a CPU with wires.
• The art is placeholder, so dont expect anything fancy - and there are issues like buildings not showing where exactly which output goes (i.e. where does the fluid input go and where does the shape go) making them harder to use than they should be.
• There is no tutorial or knowledge panel entry for wires yet, so you are a bit more on your own on them. However, they are also in no way required to complete or enjoy the game.
• The Vortex does not output the current shape signal yet, so if you want to build a MaM you have to manually input a signal.

To Be Improved During Early Access

Vertical Inputs / Outputs i.e. for Pipes & Wires

Artwork

• Pin pusher
• Crystal generator & Crystal shapes
• Space pipes (They just re-use the space belt visuals for now)
• 2-Layer Conveyor Lifts
• A rare visual glitch with shapes on splitters - this one is actually a tricky logic issue, but were working on it

Blueprints

• Blueprints dont support icons yet, and there is no preview in the library, making it harder to distinguish than necessary.
• The blueprint toolbar configuration is not saved when you exit the game (a minor issue, but still).
• Blueprint placement indicators of platforms could be further improved, for example computing & showing arrows on notch inputs / outputs to make them feel more like buildings again.
• Placing huge blueprints is slower in performance terms than required right now - once placed, they should run fine though.

Sound

Modding

We hope to see you there!

Join the community:

Check out the previous devlog:

Hello everyone! We got quite a few requests in our devlog feedback survey to talk about Fluids! It's a subject we haven't really talked about much before, mostly in passing and progress. So, let's have a look through what we're working with right now! As always, a lot youll see in the devlog is work in progress. The mechanics are there and almost at 100%, but the visuals are in various stages of development. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ [hr][/hr]

What are fluids?

Gathering & Transporting Fluids

• Fluid Miner instead of Shape Miner
• Fluid Miner Extension instead of Shape Miner Extension
• Pumps instead of Extractors
• (Space) Pipes instead of (Space) Belts
• Fluid Wagons instead of Shape Wagons

Painter

Mixing

• RGB: Additive color mixing, works like light
• RYB: Subtractive color mixing, works like paint
• CMYK: Subtractive color mixing, works like printer ink
• Colorblind: RGB with textures, with additive textures (dots mixed with lines becomes dots with lines)

Crystals

Other tidbits

Join the community:

Check out the previous devlog:

Hello everyone! It's been a little while since we've done a progress devlog! We have a couple of bigger changes and various small improvements across the game, so let's take a look. As a side note, thank you to everyone who filled in the devlog survey! Based on the responses, we've made two changes to this devlog. First up, more images! We'll try to show off as much of the game as we can in blog format, though gifs didn't make much sense for today's topics. Secondly, we've tried to keep our writing a bit more to-the-point. Let us know what you think! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ [hr][/hr]

Game Customization

Difficulty Presets

• Normal: Copy/Paste is free once unlocked, but theres a limit to how many platforms you can place.
• Chill: Copy/Paste is free once unlocked and theres almost no limit to how many platforms you can place. Research goal costs are decreased slightly.
• Classic: Copy/Paste costs blueprint points, but theres a limit to how many platforms you can place. Research goal costs are decreased slightly.
• Logistics: Copy/Paste costs double the amount of blueprint points and theres a limit to how many platforms you can place. Research goal costs are quintupled. Will require you to move a lot of shapes around!
• Puzzle / Fast: Copy/Paste is free once unlocked and theres almost no limit to how many platforms you can place. Research goal costs are minimal. Little need to optimize production or throughput.

Scenario Presets

Colors

• RGB (Default): Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & White
• RYB: Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Green, Purple & Black
• CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Blue, Red, Green & Key (Black)
• RGB (Colorblind): Increases contrast of the default RGB colors and adds a texture

Other changes

Gameplay

Visuals

User Interface

Join the community:

Check out the previous devlog:

Hello everyone! Last devlog we talked about trains, so let's look at your other option today: Space Belts. You'll likely be using these a lot, so let's take a look at what we're working with. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

News

Devlog survey

Fill out the survey here!

Alpha 20

Disclaimer

A brief history

Just build it yourself!

Space Tunnels

Hyperbelts

Space Belts

Merging with Tunnels

Whats next?

Join the community:

Hello everyone! It's finally time to talk about possibly the most anticipated feature of shapez 2: Trains! We'll keep the intro short, but please remember to wishlist shapez 2! There's a high chance you already have (in which case, thank you very much!), but every single wishlist helps out! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

Disclaimer

Our goal for trains

The basics

Lines

Crossings

Balancing

Costs

Throughput

Future possibilities

Collision avoidance

Colorblind features

• Side swapper track: Special track segment that will flip the track and allows trains to swap to the other side while continuing in the same direction, without slowing down.
• Locomotive recoloring platform: Change a locomotives line color and reroute them on the fly with a special platform.
• Vortex train launch: Launch trains directly into the Vortex to deliver a large amount of shapes at once.

Join the community:

Hello everyone! We have something a little bit different for you today! Our topic for this devlog is the future more specifically, where we are with the development of shapez 2, what still needs to be done and how were looking at the Early Access release. In general, it should give you a better insight of how we work. You could technically call it a roadmap, though all the information wed like to be included is a bit too wordy to be put into a single fancy image. Youll have to do with a 5-page devlog again. Sorry!

Demo reception

Shapez 2 today & the road ahead

Phase 1: Game Mechanics

• Fluids
• Wires
• Crystals
• Research
• Building layers
• Blueprint library
• Pin mechanics
• Space belts & tunnels
• Shape types (including the reworked Windmill shape)
• The majority of buildings
• Colorblind mode (see below!)
• ...and many more smaller features and improvement to tie everything together

• Trains
• Chain miners & Fluid Extractors
• Infinite Research (not yet started)
• MAMs (Make Anything Machines): Everything you need to make a MAM is in the game, but there currently is no incentive to make it without the Infinite Research goals.

Phase 2: Production

Phase 3: Polishing

Early Access

Join the community:

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

shapez 2 Demo feedback survey

Find the survey here!

Alpha 18 release

Devlog 017

Production

Transportation

Mechanics

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:

Hello everyone! A popular point of feedback on the demo was the research system. It's kinda a hassle to navigate and you couldn't really play how you want to play, unlock what you want to unlock. We went back to the drawing board and took another look at the research system, There's a new system now, and we'd like to explain it to you! However, we think it would be interesting to walk you through the history of the research system. If you'd just like to read about the newest system, feel free to skip to design #4. So to get where we are now, we had to make a number of iterations of the research system, see what elements worked and which didnt and then improve upon that iteration by making a new, hopefully better one. Lets walk you through these iterations, so you have a good idea of our progress!

Design #1: The initial research tree

Design #2: Main progression line with categorized subtrees

Design #3: Milestones & Side goals

Design #4: Evolving milestones & Side tasks progression

Be sure to wishlist shapez 2 and play the demo!

Join the community:

Hello everyone! The demo period has been very insightful for us, so today wed like to talk you through some of our learnings from the demo and our plans leading up to the Early Access release. Though, theres something else wed like to tell you first!

Demo extension

General feedback

Known issues and plans to fix them

Moving forward

• 73% of players reached the Stacker milestone, with a median time to complete at 15 minutes
• 48% of players reached the Blueprint milestone, with a median time to complete at 49 minutes
• 29% of players finished the demo, with a median time to complete at 2 hours and 49 minutes
• 6,7% of players finished the extra demo challenges, with a median time to complete at 5 hours

Be sure to wishlist shapez 2 and play the demo!

Join the community:

Hello everyone! Thank you all for playing the shapez 2 Demo! As a little thank you gift, we have a small content update for you. This update adds pins to the game alongside some new demo challenges to go with it! Be sure to read on, as the update wont automatically install.

New content

How to install

To install the new update, follow these steps:

Wait for the game to fully update and play the game! [/olist]
Please keep in mind that this update does not fix the known issues of the demo. We are actively working on fixing these, but this most likely wont be ready before the end of the demo period. Additionally, the new pin branch hasnt been tested as much as the main branch, so please report any bugs you may find! We recommend you play the base version of the update first before diving into the update, though theres nothing stopping you from going with the pins version immediately. Hope you enjoy the update! ~ Tobias & the shapez 2 team

Join the community:

X / Twitter YouTube Discord Reddit TikTok Patreon

Hello everyone! Today is the day! You can officially play the shapez 2 Demo, right now! We wont keep you any longer, you can download the Demo straight away below: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ The Demo is available for Windows, Mac and Linux systems and requires a 2-button mouse with scroll wheel to play. Controllers are not supported right now, but will be in the future.
Please note that Demo save files will not be compatible with the Early Access version of the game, planned for later this year. Blueprint save file compatibility is likely but not guaranteed. Got a question for us? Be sure to check out the FAQ below in case we already answered it: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2162800/discussions/0/4148445959734030278/ Want to get in touch with us about your feedback or a bug you encountered? The best way is to join the shapez 2 Discord server, and head over to the dedicated Demo feedback channels. You can join here. If you're not on Discord, you can instead head over to the Steam forums and make a topic on your issue. Well check the forums regularly, but support can be slower than through Discord. Additionally, well keep an eye on the shapez subreddit and our X (Twitter) mentions, but the two ways we mentioned above are much preferred.

What to expect

• Half Destroyers
• Rotators (90 CW & CCW, 180)
• Second building layer
• Stackers
• Cutters
• Trash
• Blueprints
• Swappers
• Space Platforms
• Speed upgrades for belts and many of the buildings above

Join the community:

Hello everyone! Were incredibly excited and proud to finally announce that the shapez 2 Demo will become available this very month! Starting from January 25th, youll finally be able to play shapez 2 to your hearts content. The demo will be part of Februarys Steam Next Fest and will run until February 26th. In case you need a refresher, check out the shapez 2 Reveal Trailer here: [previewyoutube=0VO_52LJ268;full][/previewyoutube] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

What to expect

Join the community:

Hey everyone! Before we get into this progress devlog, I, the tobspr team and everyone else involved with Shapez 2 would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and an amazing 2024. It's been a wild year and were super proud of what we have achieved so far. We can't wait to show parts of it to you with the upcoming demo! We will be taking some time off these holidays, but well be back next year to deliver you the Shapez 2 Demo to everyone in February. More news on this next year! If youd like to stay up to date with all the news and development of Shapez 2, be sure to wishlist and follow the game here on Steam! It helps us out a ton. Click the button below or click here. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

Giveaway

Participate here!

News

Shapez Mobile Release

Alpha 15 release and Demo Early Access

Devlog 015

New content

Game Design & Balancing

Visuals

Development

Audio

UI/UX

Join the community:

Hey everyone! Ever had your thoughts wander off to shapez while on the train, at work or at a boring family gathering? What if you could take shapez with you at all times? We are super excited to announce that, in collaboration with Prismatika & Playdigious, shapez is now available for Android and iOS! [previewyoutube=QJAxyd8jifI;full][/previewyoutube] Experience everything shapez has to offer up to level 20 on your phone or tablet! Play in portrait or landscape mode and switch between the two with a flip of your phone. You can pick it up and try it for free by pressing either button below.

You can play through the first 7 levels for free, no strings attached. The full version of the game is available for $4.99/4.99. If you're quick, you can benefit from the 10% launch discount! Shapez Mobile includes all features you unlock in the PC version, except wires. Additionally, cross-platform saves are not yet supported at launch, but do let us know if this is something you'd like to see! We hope you enjoy shapez Mobile! ~ Tobias, Prismatika & Playdigious

[hr][/hr]

FAQ

Hey everyone! Its time for another progress devlog! Last month weve been hard at work nailing down the details of the upcoming Shapez 2 demo. To get into the upcoming Steam Next Fest, we have to submit the demo early January. With the holidays coming up, that means theres a lot to do! We would like to humbly request you to add Shapez 2 to your Steam wishlist. It helps you, it helps us, and its completely free. Sounds like a fair deal! Just press the blue button below, or click this bit of text. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

News

Alpha 13

Steam Next Fest Demo

Looking for testers

Devlog 014

New content

Game Design & Balancing

Visuals

Development

UI/UX

• Zoom sensitivity
• Invert zoom
• Mouse panning
• Mouse panning speed
• Invert vertical angle
• Lock cursor to window
• Move camera with floors

• Entire Toolbar has been reworked & reorganized
• Selection is no longer undo/redoable and also less permanent
• First polishing pass on english translation
• Default keybinding rework: - Knowledge panel is now 'G' - 'Space' now toggles between buildings / islands mode - New: Switch between toolbars ('' and 'Shift + ') - Toggle layers: 'L' -> 'V' - Delete: Can now also use 'X' - Pipette / Clone: 'G' -> 'F' - Center on HUB: 'Space' -> 'H' - Create waypoint: 'M' -> 'L'
• Allow replacing catapults with belts
• Mirror inverse (SHIFT + F) now works again
• Reworked all translations
• Tooltips for research nodes now show the actual speed changes
• Less suggestions are now shown when you have lots of pins
• Contextual keybinding hints have been moved next to the toolbar, also show some "standard" keybindings when nothing is selected
• Removed icons for keybindings since they were confusing -> Now text is always shown (i.e. "SHIFT" instead of arrow icon)
• Show future milestones in research tree for demo builds
• UI adjustments, cleanup & polishing, for example moved buttons into panels
• Cleaned up layer manager, consolidated UP/DOWN buttons into keybinding hints
• Compass now shows a west half indicator together with the current milestone shape
• Fixed hover animations being dependent on simulation speed and not disappearing when game is paused
• Added toggles instead of dropdowns for on/off settings
• Moved research button to the top right of the screen
• Fixed research nodes not being clickable and thus not unlockable
• Removed screenshot-without-ui feature since you can press F2 and then F4
• Reworked tooltip & cursor info
• Improved island grid visuals & add indicator around cursor while placing an island
• Removed unused "focus on selection" / "convert path to blueprint" feature
• Fixed tutorial videos not loading on Linux / Steam Deck
• Allow replacing extractors with an extractor that is differently rotated
• Shape packers/unpackers now show shapes per crate in details
• Fluid packers/unpackers now show liters per crate in details
• Rework camera indicator (lower left), now also show zoom level & zoom stages in camera indicator
• (Re-) Aligned HUD elements and reduced padding to the screen borders
• Reworked layer display & moved to right lower side of screen
• Reworked hotkey display on right side screen panels
• Reworked visualizations panel and moved to lower right as well
• Updated research tree UI, now showing the names of upcoming milestones
• Fixed completed research nodes not having tooltips, also show tooltips in suggestions & pinned research
• Hover effects for buildings now fades in / out
• Increased speed of main menu animations
• Input / output indicators when placing now have different sizes depending on the layer> i.e. Stacker input on layer 2 has a smaller arrow while placing
• Streamlined panels -> Clickable panels now have the border, "background" panels are just a flat panel (i.e. blueprint currency)
• Updated style of icon buttons to be more holo
• Allow saving selection with Ctrl + S already (to avoid having to press Ctrl + C and then Ctrl + S)
• Decreased UI blur amount
• Research unlock notification now has a short 5 second timer on the continue button to avoid accidentally skipping it
• Fixed jump to hub not actually jumping to the hub & also it now resets the zoom level (but not the rotation anymore)
• Show CPU & GPU info in settings menu to make it easier to see if the game is running on an integrated GPU
• Decreased opacity of toolbar "locked" indicators to avoid looking like they could be clicked
• Fixed "pending" selection looking like it would be above buildings
• Fluid resources visualization has been removed
• Fixed island grid visualization being "below" the islands making it a bit confusing
• Fixed train station visualizations being too big
• Fixed stacker output preview being shown at wrong location

• Moved layer switch buttons to layer manager again
• Moved skill academy above toolbar to be more noticeable
• Show cost while placing space belts, and better show when running out of platform blocks
• Added continue button to main menu
• Show platform limit increase in research tooltips
• Allow deselecting building/island selection with right click
• Show warning on first game start when playing with integrated / low end GPU
• Swapped hotkeys for delete - default is now X with Del being the secondary key
• Improved delete-area icon
• Show space belts also on extractor tab now
• Improved clarity/sharpness of mouse icons
• Reworked preload / splash screen, improved game startup time
• Last selected variant (i.e. rotator) is now stored and re-selected
• Do not show train visualizations when trains are not yet unlocked
• Hide main button panel when none are visible
• Show incompatible savegames in menu (i.e. outdated version, or Demo vs Full edition)
• Updated credits
• Updated game mode selection
• Added header for pinned shapes (Active Sidegoals)
• Added hint on blueprint library when there are no entries on how to save a blueprint to the library
• Flipped halves destroyer icon to align with the building functionality
• Disallow binding windows key
• Improved sharpness & Clarity of icons on lower resolutions
• Added hint in research unlock notification that you can find more information in the knowledge panel
• Made toggle buttons look less like they have been disabled
• Fixed invalid mouse sprites
• Added popup when changing language to require restart

Join the community:

Hello everyone! One of the biggest differences between Shapez 1 and Shapez 2 is, of course, the visual upgrade. The transition from 2D to 3D is an enormous task, and we spare no effort to guarantee we will ace this step forward. For this devlog, we asked Nils, our 3D artist at tobspr Games to take you through the process of how we settled on the design philosophy of Shapez 2 and what we have to keep in mind whenever we design something. Before we get started, please make sure you have Shapez 2 wishlisted! We have some exciting times ahead of us, and it would be a shame if you were to miss out on future updates! :) https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

News

Alpha 12

Nils here!

Getting started

Pinpointing our vision

Designing buildings for Shapez 2

Four pillars of design

Design pipeline

Polishing (Quality Assurance) [/olist] Of course, this is a very simplified look at the entire process. It makes sure we dont miss any crucial oversights, like animation clipping between adjacent buildings or concepts not adhering to the aforementioned design pillars.

Logistic versus processing buildings

We differentiate between logistic and processing buildings. Belts, mergers, splitters and lifts are logistic buildings; they move shapes around. Buildings like cutters, stackers, painters and swappers are processing buildings; they make changes to the actual shapes, producing different shapes. The function of a building will also determine their design language. Logistic buildings have lightweight, open designs that clearly display what theyre transporting. They have unique designs per build layer to differentiate them, and have one central orange element that does something, like the pusher element in a splitter. Processing buildings should stand out and really look like buildings. They have very boxy designs and have thick, orange borders, yet should retain a unique look to differentiate them. With these differences, players should easily be able to tell the difference between the two types of buildings, even from far away.

Design limitations and rules

With all this in mind, we face a handful of limitations when it comes to designing buildings, the design pillars aside. [olist]

Shape supports should be handled in some way, they may not just spawn in or magically disappear [/olist]
One issue were still actively working on are the supports for multi-layer buildings. As you can place buildings below these belts, the belt supports can conflict with the building below. Not having any supports looks weird, but theyre technically not relevant for gameplay.

Casus 1: The (full) cutter

Anyone familiar with Shapez 1 will probably recognise the cutter:
This building works well in the Shapez 1 style, but it doesnt translate well to Shapez 2. Tobias created a basic model for the cutter, which gave me a rough idea on how it should work in 3D as an open design. However, the visuals needed a complete rework. This presented quite the challenge, since in Shapez 2 the building operations are not dependent on camera rotation, but tied to the world as it were. This is necessary, as blueprints wouldnt work if the buildings would change the axis they work on. If the cutting angle would be baked into the building itself, said angle would change if the rotation of the blueprint would change. This also means youd get a different output every time you rotate a blueprint. You can see the solution below. The blue half circle indicates which part of the shape is manipulated. The same principles extend to the Swapper as well.

Casus 2: Lifts

To introduce a completely new problem to developing this game, we decided to add layers. You have to be able to move a shape from one layer to the layer above or below. Lets go through all the boxes it has the mark off, shall we? Lifts should

• not clip
• not use baked animations
• support a fully upgraded belt
• be able to stop if the output stalls
• not use more than 2 moving parts
• support corner and backward delivery options
• make sense when viewed from above
• fit the general style of the game
• not take up too much space (open design)
• look solid and sturdy
• have visible support for moving parts
• have a looping animation

Thats quite a lot of requirements to work with, but were very happy with how it turned out. The current design is almost a year old by now, yet its still one of my personal favorites. Not to mention you can make stuff like this:

Its in the details

As we mentioned before, we went for a very polished, yet stylized look. Almost every building currently has one or two little details that you can discover if you zoom in close enough. Lets have a little peek:
The belts were made to emulate the look of real conveyor belts, including a bit of suspension that holds everything in place. We made sure the UVs and textures arent stretched and decided on handling the change of direction of belts in a way where they feed into each other instead of warping.
Or take a look at the painter, which is admittedly still very much a work in progress as far as shaders are concerned and will get another overhaul later. We wanted the painter to adapt to the height of the shapes coming in. So, we added a hinge and allowed the roller to move up and down as shapes of different heights are fed into the machine.
[hr][/hr] We hope this devlog showed you a complete picture of our design process for Shapez 2. Of course, we also hope you enjoyed it :) If you have any questions, be sure to join the Discord server.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ See you again in two weeks! ~ Nils & the Shapez 2 team

Join the community:

Twitter / X YouTube TikTok Discord Reddit Patreon

Hey everyone! Happy progress blog day! Weve been working a lot on the visual presentation of Shapez 2. This includes everything from making the game easier to navigate, as well as making the whole factory-building aspect (which is quite important in Shapez 2, Id say) smoother and a bit faster. As always, these blogs are bi-weekly! One week, it's all about the progress we made developing the game. Two weeks later, we do a deep dive into one specific mechanic or feature that warrants some explaining. We plan to keep this cadence going until the full release of the game, and probably even after! While youre here, make sure you have Shapez 2 wishlisted! Not only does it allow you to stay up to date with the latest know-how on the game, it also gives Shapez 2 a better shot at getting featured by Steam. It would help us out a ton, thanks! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

News

Alpha 11

Devlog 012

Game Design

Visual Updates

UI/UX

Balancing

Join the community:

Hey everyone! We get a lot of questions about performance, so we thought it would be a good idea to take you through our progress of optimizing Shapez 2 to run as smoothly as possible. We asked Lorenzo, one of our developers, to take you through everything. This is a very technical blog, so if you're not experienced with this stuff, feel free to skip this one. Before you dive in, be sure to wishlist Shapez 2 if you haven't already! It helps us out massively. Thanks! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ [hr][/hr]

Lorenzo here!

Introduction

Overview of the rendering workflow (CPU-GPU)

Culling

What we have been doing

Game Object avoidance

GPU instancing

Material combination

Mesh combining

Level of Detail (LOD)

What's the problem, then?

Enter DOTS (or part of it)

• Entities the entities, or things, that populate your game or program
• Components the data associated with your entities
• Systems the logic that transforms the component data from its current state to its next state

Burst Compiler

• Limited C# Subset: Burst Compiler operates on a constrained subset of C# and does not support, by design, inefficient patterns.
• No Garbage Collection: Manual memory management eliminates the need for garbage collection, reducing time spikes.
• No References, Just Plain Data: Data is stored without references, facilitating faster memory access.
• Adjacent Memory: Most jobs are written reading/writing to contiguous memory, making it possible to use vectorization (SIMD) and efficient use of CPU caches.
• Parallelism with Job System: Enhanced parallel processing capabilities.

Job System

• It can be challenging to split the workload between multiple threads;
• Most games are not coded with that in mind and have data dependencies everywhere;
• Race conditions, deadlocks and complicated issues might arise
• Most games do not have a lot of processing to do (generally the rendering is the performance culprit)

Restrictions

C# memory management

Managed vs. Unmanaged

Garbage collection

How to render with DOTS?

Space Background Decorations

• Persistent GPU
• Scriptable layout
• DOTS instancing shader variant
• Compatible with DOTS

• Due to the nature of a culling algorithm, vectorizing the code is very challenging, but we believe a part of it could still benefit from the AVX set;
• You can see that each decoration is culled sequentially in a single thread. Each decoration could dispatch one job per thread, or the jobs could be scheduled to run at the same time. For higher numbers of cores, both could be combined to achieve even more parallelism.

Mesh combiner

In-game results

Now what?

Join the community:

Hey everyone! Its time for another progression blog. These past two weeks were all about visual improvements to the shapes, building and various menus & UI! As per usual, make sure you wishlist shapez 2 here on Steam to support the development of the game! Following the game will also make sure you stay up to date with the latest news. Thanks! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

News

Alpha 9

Devlog 010

Visual update to shape designs

Progression Rework

Building design updates

Skill Academy

UI updates

Blueprinting

Performance Improvements

Various other changes

Join the community:

Hey guys! While we are currently super busy working on Shapez 2, we have partnered with Prismatika & Playdigious to bring shapez 1 to mobile devices! Shapez Mobile will release on December 5th on iOS and Android.
Be sure to pre-register so you get a notification when it releases (You can also just search for "shapez" on the app store):

You will be able to play the first 7 levels for free, and then you can unlock the full game until level 20 for a price of $4.99, with a 10% launch discount! The game will be feature par with the desktop version until level 20, so basically everything except wires. Cross platform saves will not be supported on launch unfortunately - but let us know if this is a feature you'd like to see! We are super hyped, and hope you are too! ~Tobias

Hey everyone! Were working on a new shape type thats coming to shapez 2: Crystals. These crystals will massively shake up the endgame and come with a couple of handling instructions. Before we get into it, be sure to wishlist shapez 2 if you havent already! It really helps us out with the release of the game. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ [hr][/hr]

Devlog 009 - Crystals

What are crystals?

Creating crystals

Handle with care

A brand new challenge

Join the community:

Hey everyone! Its been a little while since the last devlog. Weve been very busy with the Gameplay Reveal trailer from two weeks ago, which was then followed up by Gamescom. However, were back now! So lets discuss what weve been working on since devlog 007.

News

Reinforcements

Alpha 7 Build

Devlog 008

Rendering & graphical performance

Trains progress

Barreling

Auto pinning side goals

Visualisation layers in overview mode

• Islands grid
• Shape Patches
• Fluid Resources
• Shapes
• Explored Areas & islands
• Tunnels
• Train Items
• Train Lines
• Train Stations

Island selection toolbar

Packer Building

Graphical Improvements

Join the community:

Hey everyone! Its been a long time coming, but its finally here: we now have a Reveal Trailer for shapez 2!

Watch it on YouTube:

Thank you for your support

Help us test the game

Follow us on our socials:

Hey guys! First of all, I apologize for the short break on devlogs. We are super busy working on the reveal trailer right now (which we want to showcase somewhere in August) which is why I simply lacked the time to do those detailed devlogs!

News

New Team Members

Alpha 6 Builds

Devlog #007

New HUB effects & indicators

Progression

Overview Mode Improvements

Megafactories

Tunnels

New Placement UI

Improved Research UI

New shape patch visuals

HUB Island Improvements

Updated pipe meshes

Updated Shape Miner + Extractor Visuals and Animation

Updated Main Menu

Wishlist Shapez 2

Hey everyone! Today I wanted to give you some insights about the fluids in Shapez 2! As always, be sure to wishlist & follow Shapez 2 to get a notification on important updates: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ Alright, so let's dive into the devlog!

Devlog 006 - Fluids & Painting

Recap - Shapez 1

Fluid Extraction

Fluid Transport & Simulation

Mixed Pipes

Secondary & Tertiary colors

Cross-Layer Transport

Buffering

Painting

Fluid Packing & Cross-island transport

Color Blind Support

Wishlist Shapez 2

Hey everyone! First of all, I want to apologize for the late devlog. A lot of stuff is happening right now, and it's hard to find time in between!

News

New Soundtrack

Wishlist shapez 2

Devlog - Research, Progression & Blueprints

Recap - shapez 1

What we tried - and didn't work

New approach - Categorizing upgrades

Milestones

QoL Upgrades

"Flat" Upgrades

Organizing the upgrades

Random Goals - Replayability

Blueprints

Wishlist & Follow Shapez 2

Hey guys! In this devlog I wanted to share some insights how the map in shapez 2 works, which is mainly based around the concept of building space stations platforms. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ Here's a quick screenshot of how the islands look like, although it is already outdated:
However, to understand why the concept ended up the way it is, we need to look at how shapez 2 evolved: IMPORTANT NOTICE: This devlog includes a lot of old screenshots, alpha footage and placeholders. The final game will look very different!

How it started

Infinite map?

Modular Designs

Art Style Change

Island Layouts

Inter-Island Transport

Island costs

Further topics

Follow to get updates

Hey everyone! As promised in the last devlog, I wanted to cover the changes and new mechanics regarding item stacking in Shapez 2! However, I wanted to also quickly mention that we have a new logo for Shapez 2:

New Logo

Devlog - Stacking

Recap from shapez 1 - The old system

The reason to change

Stacking in Shapez 2

Pin Pushers

The algorithm

Further mechanics

Wishlist & Follow Shapez 2

Hey everyone again! The response to the latest devlog was super positive, so I thought I'd try to give you more regular updates now! This devlog is covering the topic of cutters, rotationally dependent shapes and much more. Enjoy the read! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

Why cutters are difficult

How it started

Making the cutter 'open'

Camera Rotation / North indicator

Belt Relative Rotation

Rotation for Research Goals

Operation Previews

Simplifying the onboarding / "Light" Cutter

Follow & Wishlist!

Hey everyone! I wanted to give you an update on the development of Shapez 2, our current plans and more! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

News

Funding Secured

We are hiring!

Alpha Gameplay & Screenshots

Devlog

Simulation Updates

Belt Simulation

Visualization of Items

+3000% Simulation Performance

Graphic Requirements

Hey everyone! We wanted to give you an update about the current state, plans and roadmap of Shapez 2. First of all, if you haven't wishlisted and followed the store page yet, this is the best way to get notified about updates, giveaways, release dates and more! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

Roadmap & Funding

Game Theme & Features

Surveys

Giveaways

FAQ

Hello together! First of all, we are still waiting for the answer of the funding for Shapez 2, which we expect in January or February. So, since the funding is not settled right now, we can't guarantee that Shapez 2 will ever be released. Since the prototype is finished (reminder: you can try it out in the Discord server!) and we can't start production yet, it will be a bit quieter around Shapez 2 for the next months. Nevertheless we wanted to show you the concept art we had in mind for Shapez 2. At first glance, Shapez 2 looks completely different from Shapez 1, and I understand if that seems unexpected. However, we are very keen to keep the gameplay (what shapez is largely about), and of course expand it. That is, it will still be about processing abstract shapes, resources are infinite, buildings are free, there are no enemies and the focus is on building the factory. However, we believe that we can make the game much more interesting and tangible by introducing a new visual theme. This will also allow us to introduce new gameplay mechanics, like asteroids and space station modules (more on this when we get the chance). Please let us know what you think in the comments! PS: Be sure to wishlist and follow Shapez 2 on Steam, if you haven't yet! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/
~Tobias

Hey all! As some of you might have noticed, we just launched the Steam store page for Shapez 2! Please wishlist the game, follow and share it on social media! This really helps us incredibly, and shows that we are on the right track! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/
If you're curious what the current state of the prototype is: Waffle did a live stream of the game's prototype, which you can watch here - even though there's no real progression yet and the art style isn't final, it already gives a good first impression, and we are pretty happy with the results so far! And if you want to actively participate in the development process: We make regular polls and accept suggestions in the shapez 2 discord! Finally, a disclaimer: We won't get the answer from the funding until February. That means, even if we are optimistic, that we can't guarantee at all that the prototype will become a finished game (But again - wishlists help!). In case you want to generally support us, we launched a Patreon Page though, which also gives you a special discord role! Enjoy your weekend! ~Tobias

Hey all! You might have noticed that it's been a bit quieter around shapez lately. That's mainly because I'm already working on shapez 2! Unfortunately, the basic structure of shapez 1 is such that it is very difficult to add new features. So it makes more sense to work on shapez 2 - in a new engine, with new features, and much more! I also have a lot of ideas for shapez 2, and to summarize them all, I have prepared a website - you can find everything about shapez 2 there, and it will be constantly updated to match the current status of the development: shapez 2 About Page I'm really excited to hear what you think about the new features - feel free to let me know in the comments, and don't forget to follow us on social media! ~Tobias

Hey all! Since I was asked very often, I just released a new update for shapez that allows you to play the full version of shapez in your browser, completely without downloading Steam! All you need is the Full Edition of shapez (base game + Puzzle DLC (!), see below). Then go to shapez.io and click on "Sign in via Steam" in the bottom left corner. As soon as you are logged in you can play the full version in your browser, including the Puzzle DLC! Currently mods still only work in the Steam version, but I'm currently looking if there are possibilities to integrate mods in the browser version. Furthermore there are some improvements to the base game: - The tutorial for the first levels has been significantly improved - General cleanup of the UI (more to come!) - More sound effects - Fix that some saves could not be deleted anymore Have fun with the update! ~Tobias PS: In case you're wondering, the reason you also need the Puzzle DLC is because the web version requires the Puzzle DLC backend for authorization. I wanted to make it separate at first, but then it got complex very fast - and then I thought better this way than not at all! PPS: I am working on a small side project - Kiwi Clicker - Wishlist it now to get notified about updates!

Hey everyone, As you might have seen, the logo has changed a bit overnight, as well as the name of the game - "shapez.io" is now just called "shapez". I decided to do this because ".io" games have a relatively negative image, and because shapez is anything but an .io game. As part of that, I also took the time to improve the artwork a bit - I hope you like it, especially the new store page capsule! In the course of this I also just released the 1.5.2 update: Probably the most interesting for many players is the "VRAM glitch", where the map background would not update anymore, mostly in fullscreen. It should hopefully be fixed now - If not, please contact me in the discord server! There are also some performance improvements, a bit of UI cleanup and updated translations. PS: We also have started working on shapez 2, but more on that soon! Wish you a lot of fun! ~Tobias

Hey all! From now on shapez.io is also available on macOS. There is currently only an x64 build but ARM builds are planned (The x64 build runs fine on M1 though). I wish you a lot of fun! Also, please report any issues in the discord server! PS: You might have to restart steam first :) Unrelated: If you haven't yet, be sure to check out the Compact Machines mod - it's awesome!

Hey guys! It took a bit longer than expected, but I'm happy to announce the winners of the the $1,200 Modding Contest! Since there were so many great mods, I have decided to introduce an additional 4th and 5th place, each valued at $50. So, here are the results!

Contest Winners

1st - $500 - Shapez Industries by Sense_101

2nd - $250 - Multiplayer by DJ1TJ00

3rd - $125 - Shapez Expanded by WaffleDevs & Crimbusjimbus

4th - $50 - Buy Land by StealthC

5th - $50 - Packaging by zoidran

Most game changing - $100 - Hexagonal by Dimava

Most creative - $100 - Cursed Shapez by Crimbusjimbus

Hey there! I just released the 1.5.1 update on Steam, which adds official support for Mods!

Installing Mods

Modding Contest

Mod Recommendations

Hi all! After a long break I finally found time to work on shapez.io again, and I've taken the opportunity to add official support for mods! The 1.5.0 update adds support for mods, and it will be released on February 25th 2022. (Save the date!) Since mod support without mods is no fun, I have decided to host a contest, so that there are enough interesting mods at the release of the modloader! So here it is:

Modding Contest

Conditions of participation

Mods Tutorial - Getting Started

Hey guys! First of all, congrats to the winners of the Puzzle Contest! I am preparing the 3D Printing now, and hope to be able to start shipping the prizes within the next weeks. However, I have good news - I just released an update, both for the base game and the Puzzle DLC! Here's whats new:

Building Outputs

More Zoom & Better Map Overview Performance

Puzzle DLC: Next Puzzle Button

Puzzle DLC: Search Function

Further changes

• Edit signal dialog now has the previous signal filled (Thanks to EmeraldBlock)
• Further performance improvements (Thanks to PFedak)
• Improved puzzle validation (Thanks to Sense101)
• Input fields in dialogs should now automatically focus
• Fix selected building being deselected at level up (Thanks to EmeraldBlock)
• Updated translations

What's next?

Hey guys, I'm pleased to announce a super cool contest!

Challenge

Prizes

Duration

Hey guys! This is the first update for the Puzzle DLC since the release on Tuesday! Here are the included changes:

Changes

• Added button to clear all buildings / reset the puzzle
• Allow copy-paste in puzzle mode
• Fixed level achievements being given on the wrong level
• Fixed blueprint not properly clearing on right click
• Updated translations

Future Plans

I'm happy to announce that the Puzzle DLC for shapez.io is NOW available on Steam! The Puzzle DLC adds a new game mode where you have to build shapes with limited space and buildings. There are pre-made puzzles, but the biggest feature is sharing puzzles with the community - You can tackle puzzles from players around the world or create your own puzzles with the puzzle editor! In addition to this, there is a new soundtrack created especially for the DLC by the original artist! I think the Puzzle DLC turned out super cool, and I'm looking forward to your feedback! Here you can find the DLC: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1625400/shapezio__Puzzle_DLC/ ~Tobias PS: If you enjoy the soundtrack and want to support the Artist, the soundtrack will be released within the next few days, including the new music from the puzzle DLC! Be sure to check it out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1573840/shapezio_Soundtrack/

The Puzzle DLC is now available to Wishlist! The Puzzle DLC introduces a new Puzzle Mode to shapez.io, in which you produce one or more shapes with restricted space and buildings. Solve hundreds of puzzles with different difficulties or create your own and share them with the community! > More Information & Wishlist it here! < The Puzzle DLC will be available for purchase starting June 22nd for $4,99. Initially I planned a lower price, but there's quite a lot of stuff, and I think it got really, really cool! [previewyoutube=-KEKTvuP_Cg;full][/previewyoutube] PS: I also released a new game, schoolbreak.io! It's about creating chaos in school. I'ts very different, but be sure to give it a try, I spent a lot of time on it! Stay safe, Tobias

Hey guys! While I was working on the Puzzle DLC, I wanted to build something completely different, and here it is - schoolbreak.io!
The game is about either creating chaos in the school as a student, or protecting it as a teacher. So schoolbreak is also my first real multiplayer game! If you are wondering now if there will be a multiplayer version of shapez.io I have to disappoint you, unfortunately the engine and the type of the game doesn't allow it :( But you can look forward to the Puzzle DLC! The store page for it will go live soon, but when exactly I can not reveal yet :) So - if you'd like to try something new and silly, I'd be really happy if you gave schoolbreak a try, I put a lot of work and love into it! ~Tobias

This update is only a bugfix update while I am working on the Puzzle DLC :) Unfortunately, in the past there was the occasional case that a save was corrupted, for example if the computer crashed while saving. The 1.3.1 update now makes a backup before each save, and saves the file first to a temporary file, and then moves it. This means that a lot would have to go wrong for a save to be lost, and even then the game still keeps a backup of the save. I hope that now no saves are lost and I apologize for all lost saves so far!

Hello everyone! After a long time there is a big update for shapez.io - Achievements! There are now 45 Achievements you can unlock. Also the Steam Overlay and screenshots work now (on Windows)! I am curious if you will find the hidden Achievements ;) Furthermore you can welcome a new member in the shapez.io team - Say hello to Greg! He is now working full time on shapez.io and will provide you with updates in the near future! Speaking of updates - Soon (until mid 2021) the first DLC for shapez.io will be released: shapez.io Puzzles! This will introduce a puzzle mode where space, resources and buildings are limited. There will be predefined puzzles, but also a level editor and community area where you can create and publish your own puzzles. It might also introduce new buildings. As soon as I have more information, you will hear from me! You might be wondering why there is a new publisher listed - I am very happy to announce a partnership with Doyoyo Games! It's incredibly hard to publish a game in China, and they will stand by my side. This will greatly improve the experience for Chinese players: - Improved translations by native speakers - Building a Chinese community - Answers to your questions & support in Chinese - Special content adapted to the unique Chinese cultural background Thank you for your support! And look forward to the next updates, it will be really cool :) ~Tobias

Hey guys! Here's another update with fixes and quality of life updates, a lot of them come from the community (you!) actually. I took a bit of a break after the wires update since that was really a huge update, but I really like working on shapez, so be prepared for a few upcoming updates! (For the roadmap check the last post). This update includes:

Fix item readers and some other buildings slowing up belts, especially if they stalled (inspired by Keterr's fix)

Added the ability to edit constant signals by left clicking them

Prevent items from being rendered on each other when a belt stalls (inspired by Keterr)

You can now add markers in the wire layer (partially by daanbreur)

Further changes

Hey guys! This isn't a huge update and contains mostly community fixes and translations. However, I thought this would also be a nice spot to talk about future (big updates): My roadmap looks roughly like this: - Puzzle Mode (E.g. have a fixed amount of space to produce an item, etc.) - Blueprint library - Steam Achievements - More Game Modes (e.g. Sandbox) and customizable map generation - (Maybe?) a Minimap - Mods (This will take a while though) I can't promise when the next big update will happen, but it is planned and I'll keep you updated! PS: There is a speedrun challenge running in the discord which ends this evening - be sure to check it out! :) Have a nice Halloween! ~Tobias

I'm excited to announce that after several months of work, the Wires update is FINALLY ready! Besides an impressive amount of new content, the update also brings significant performance improvements and a lot of Quality-Of-Life features. Since the update is really HUGE, I created an an extra page for it, which summarizes all changes - I highly recommend to read it before playing the update, it will (hopefully! :D) answer most of your questions: shapez.io/wires You can download the update now - it should update automatically. If it doesn't try restarting Steam! Thanks to everybody who has supported me for this update, be it testing, contributing or giving feedback! Stay Safe, and I'm really excited towards your feedback!

I have awesome news, the wires update will be released on October 9th, 10 AM CEST! All information can be found here: shapez.io/wires/ PS: It's super cool! :D Looking forward to your feedback!

The wires update will be coming very soon and I'll announce an exact date later this week! In the meantime, here's a spoiler (Don't mind the gif compression):
(PS: The core gameplay actually won't change. This is all optional lategame content. And it's not as complicated as it might look)

Hey guys! First of all, I apologize again for no devlogs the past month, but I have been super busy again. However I have a lot of cool new stuff to show! Disclaimer: All this stuff is not final, meaning it can change until the release. Also a lot of artwork ist still dummy artwork! PS: All content in this post is already available to be tested in the alpha! If you are interested in trying it out - Join the discord server! Alright, let's get to the content!

Summary

Logic wires

Generating Signals

Constant Signal

Button

Hub

Storage

Item Reader

Using signals

Logic gates

Shape processing

• (Un-)stack a shape
• Cut a shape
• Rotate a shape
• Read the color and shape type of a given quadrant
• Maybe: Paint a shape
• Maybe: Mix colors

Item Filter

Display

Wiring / Insulation

Use Cases

FAQ

• Shape processing with wires
• Migration of old savegames
• Re-Balancing the upgrades
• New levels
• Performance improvements
• Testing!

Final words

Hey guys! I'm sorry for not writing a devlog for about two weeks, I have been super busy in real life because I'm currently moving and also have a lot to do on my main job!

New way to submit feedback, bugs, suggestions

Warning: Spoilers!

Energy

Energy > What's missing

Logic

What you can do with logic wires

Hey guys! While I was working on the wires thingy I also did a lot of performance improvements. Originally I planned to release both together, but I figured that it would be cool to already have those improvements out! (Also feels bad to have no update for a week :P) So, this update adds huge performance improvements to your factories, which have the potential to double your fps!

Performance Improvements

Further changes

Earlier Blueprints

• Level 8: 1250 -> 1000
• Level 9: 1750 -> 1400
• Level 10: 2250 -> 1600
• Level 11: 3000 -> 1800
• Level 12: 4000 -> 2000 (here you get the blueprints)

UX Improvements

Belt Animations

Extractor-Pipette

Rotation per building

Further changes

What's next

Hey guys! You might have been wondering why there have been no updates for 4 days (Well, never thought I'd write something like this ... :D) however that's because I am still working on the wires update plus some performance improvements! Since this will take a while I thought it'd be cool to stream the development, so you can still see whats going on! So, I will be streaming on twitch.tv/yorg_io occasionally now! If you are interested on how this will look, you can also look at todays stream recording. PS: In this stream I've been working on performance updates which have the potential to double your framerate! If you are interested on how your current savegames will perform with the update, you can already test them on the shapez.io beta (Please note that the beta will be broken regulary though). Looking forward to meeting you in the stream! ~Tobi

You might have noticed there haven't been any updates the past two days, which is because I was very busy on working on the wires update! I am currently running a huge survey and I would recommend you to join it! First, read my summary and ideas about wires (spoiler!): https://gist.github.com/tobspr/c3cbc5fd3d4d254711ec3574cf6db19d Second, join the Discord Server and vote for the ideas in the `#surveys` channel! I'm looking forward to your feedback!

Hey guys! Another daily update for you! :)

Color blind mode

Shape Explorer

Configurable Autosave

Updated smart-tunnel placement

Fixed blueprint bugs

Further changes

Hey guys! I'm back from my vacation and already have an update prepared for you! I'll give you a quick summary and then tell you a bit about my future plans as always!

Changes

Pipette

New soundtrack

(Almost) unlimited marker names

Compact Building Infos

Dark theme everywhere

Improved Keybindings Panel

Further changes

What's next?

Hey guys! I thought it'd be worth to make a separate post on what I'm currently working on and what is on my mind. (Probably will do more dev-logs in the future). First of all - I will be in vacation until Monday, 22th. I won't respond on discord, steam, reddit and E-Mail. Hope you will survive that! :P (This also means no daily updates within that time - sorry!) Now that we have the bad news out, here's what I am planning with the new wires update!

Wires Update

Upcoming Price Changes

Belt Planner

Further Changes

What's next?

Hey there! I just pushed another update with a lot of cool stuff!

Reworked Markers

Mirrored Painter

Tunnel Placement

Performance Improvements

My Strategy Game Bundle

Hey guys! Finally got the 1.1.11 update out (Thats a lot of '1'!), which includes a lot of minor changes as well as quality of live improvements! Additionally it includes 3 user contributions, so let me go through all changes!

Changes

Reworked pinned shapes

Cutting and pasting areas (Community contribution)

Exporting your base as image

High-precision mode

Further changes

• Improved upgrade number rounding, so there are no goals like '37.4k', instead it will now be '35k'
• You can now configure the camera movement speed when using WASD (by mini-bomba)
• Selecting an area now is relative to the world and thus does not move when moving the screen (by Dimava)
• Fix bug regarding number rounding
• Fix dialog text being hardly readable in dark theme
• Fix app not starting when the savegames were corrupted - there is now a better error message as well.
• Further translation updates - Big thanks to all contributors!

Whats next?

Hey guys! So, I spent some time on getting the linux builds to work and just published them! Please give me feedback if everything works properly, because admittedly I'm not a linux expert! :) (So, even if everything works, feel free to leave me a message in the #feedback discord channel so I know everything is good!) While I was on it, I figured it would be easy to also integrate steam cloud saves - so those are also available in this update now! Besides of that, I'm currently working on a fix for broken savegames, this has the following reason: - The game saves your progress automatically and asynchronous, to make sure it doesn't lag - This process can (especially on larger bases) take up to 5 seconds or more. - If you exit the game within that time, the write-process will be disrupted and thus you will end up with a corrupt file - Unfortunately its not possible to restore the file, once corrupted. The fix here is to implement a mechanism which many programs already have: Write a secondary file, and once written rename it to the original file. This ensures that the content is written as whole. It's not easy to integrate and takes some time, but I'm giving my best! Be sure to also check the Roadmap Announcement to see what I'll be working on! PS: If you are interested in helping with the translations, check out the Translations on GitHub! PPS: Northernlion played shapez.io! This is so cool! Check out the video PPPS: I'm so overwhelmed by all this positive feedback! Love you guys! (And I can hardly keep up, please don't be mad if I don't respond instantly!)

Hey guys! First of all, HUGE thanks to this insane crazy positive feedback towards the game! Steam is currently even featuring the game on the front page and there has not been a single negative review yet! This is really overwhelming and I'm super motivated on pushing out updates to improve the game! I have a lot planned, be sure to check out the roadmap post! :) So, lets get to the actual content - I used my free day today for an 1.1.9 update: TRANSLATION SUPPORT The game is now available in different languages! For now there are English, French, Portuguese, Czech and Spanish (Latin America) - But everybody can contribute! If you would like to help out, you can check out the documentation here: Translations on GitHub FURTHER CHANGES This update only includes a few small adjustments and fixes - I need more time for a big content update (Hopefully this weekend!). - Update stacker artwork to clarify how it works - Update keybinding hints on the top left to be more accurate - Make it more clear when blueprints are unlocked when trying to use them - Fix pinned shape icons not being visible in dark mode - Fix being able to select buildings via hotkeys in map overview mode - Make shapes unpinnable in the upgrades tab (By hexy) Big thanks to all of you for this amazing support!

Hey guys! First of all, thank you for all the positive feedback on the game! I really appreciate it and it shows me that this game has potential, as well as motivating me to push it even further! I am trying to be in constant contact with the community (you!), especially on discord - I'm usually available there the whole day and trying to respond to everything (Although this can get hard at some point). I'm also doing surveys there (Like the circuit survey) - So I really recommend to join the discord if you want to know whats going on! I also appreciate all the pull requests I am getting (Those are community contributions), although there are just too many - Reviewing and testing them takes time, and not every PR does add an immediate value, and might even break the game. So - I'm trying to catch up, but please notice that it might take a long time until your PR is merged / commented on! :) So, getting to the point - Here are my plans on what I want to implement. Not all of those are finished ideas and might drastically change, but I thought it'd be worth mentioning so you can see how this game will evolve! PS: If you are interested in more details, check out the Trello Page - It also lists known bugs and stuff. PS2: I'm working on the game in my free time (I still have a full-time job) - This means it will take some time for everything to be implemented and updates will take a bit longer. I'm trying to keep you constantly updated though! My long term goal is to be able to work on shapez.io full time.

Roadmap / Planned Features

Wires

More buildings

Color blind mode

Story mode

Customizable Maps

Mods

More types of shapes

Even more ...

shapez.io will launch on steam on the 7th of June - Be sure to add it to your wishlist! The steam version will be and stay feature equal with the itch.io version for a while - I don't want to give people a disadvantage for buying it on itch.io. This doesn't mean I don't have plans for integrating steam achievements or cloud saves though :) Looking forward to your responses and I hope you'll enjoy the game!