Hey factory builders! Time goes by, v1.0 release is getting closer, and Learning Factory is becoming more polished, more complete, and more alive? We suppose one could say so: there's obviously more action around the KOTOVOD campus, so let's talk about that. If you want to read the extended version of these Diaries with more images, subscribe to out mailing list Sometimes one factory is just not enough. Good that we now have the New Game+ mode to fix that! After you send out your first Catopia Ark expedition, you will be able to move to a planet it lands on. The planet surface may be rather quirky (because it's generated), but you can prepare in advance: upgrading your Ark modules and fueling them with appropriate items provides you with significant bonuses, including additional buildings, better relations with Trade Guilds, extra terraforming tools, and much more! A great way to start a new game with new, unpredictable challenges.
If you head over to your Tavern, Dormitory, or one of your Labs, you'll notice that residing cats have a lot to say to you now! The official version is that cat-to-human transmitter, that was supposed to be working this whole time, was set to mute instead. Seriously though, we saw it in one of the YouTube videos about Learning Factory, and decided that we need that in the game! Another excuse to add more cat-related puns and references, too.
And while that thing is just for fun, animated Transporters that we're working on now, serve a greater purpose of making your factory look alive. Here's an example of how they look now, in beta mode: [previewyoutube=D8scPyWsuc4;full][/previewyoutube] You can turn it on and see for yourself in the game right now, but they will emerge in full glory within the next couple of weeks. We can't say for sure how long will it take, but conservative scenario is to release them in late May. There are many iterations, because Transporters are one of the main structures in the game, and we want them to look real smooth when they're done, so we're taking this part of the game very seriously! Among the changes in the past few updates there were a couple that do not sound very impressive, but do make game experience so much better. For example, many steps were made to optimize various parts of the game. Now the Zeppelins, Transporter laying, the growth of plants, and many other things run smoother than ever before. Our in-game wiki has gone through a bunch of transformations as well. In the beginning, it was just describing objects at the Factory and provided some basic information about data science in real life. But now it also serves as your compendium for knowing how items are produced and sold around your factory. Use it at any time:
Of course, there were more fixes and fine tuning, and this is how it will most likely be in the upcoming months: all big things are in place, and now it's all about small details - which is where the proverbial devil is! These next months are going to be full of exciting grind. With that in mind - we'll be back in a month, with more Learning Factory news! Or we can chat earlier - on our Discord server, for example. Until we meet again!