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The remake is finally here!

Vectorio has officially released into Early Access! After over a years worth of work, building the game from the ground up with many new features and improvements, the game is finally ready to start it's proper Early Access phase and continue being developed alongside all of you. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2082350/Vectorio/

Release Features & Roadmap Overview

For a detailed breakdown of what is available in the early access release, and what is planned for future early access updates, take a look at the post below. This is meant as a way for you, the potential buyer, to make an informed decision on if and when you want to hop into early access. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2082350/view/3681182908896845965 A permanent free demo of the game will become available down the line as well, with a good chunk of the early game content available for you to play. This is a great opportunity to get a hands on experience without needing to purchase the game, if you're on the wall about early access!

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Please let me know! I want to work closely alongside all of you and make Vectorio the best it can be. With all the new features and expanded vision of the game, I'm very excited for what the future holds! Thanks, ~ Ben

[ 2023-08-18 18:32:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Vectorio Remake - Development Update

Hello Everyone! For anyone who hasn't been keeping up to date with development on our Discord server or through the new store page for the remake, here's a post going over the state of development for the new game! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2082350/view/3680047495738123503 It's quite a length post with lots of information and a direct look at what's to come through lots of screenshots and videos. Definitely a recommended read for anyone patiently waiting for the new game to come out that wants more info on specific features and other new content. Just a reminder that if you'd like to stay up to date with the remake and help support it, wishlisting the game and following it on Steam is VERY helpful and gets the game shown to more people in the future! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2082350/Vectorio/ As always if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to let me know below! Thanks for reading, ~ Ben

[ 2023-05-06 01:32:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

The New Vectorio

Hello everyone, I am pleased to announce that the new Vectorio (also regarded as "The Remake") is now available to wishlist on Steam! The game has been in development now for nearly 6 months, and I'm so excited to start sharing what I've been working on with it. You can check it out below... https://store.steampowered.com/app/2082350/Vectorio/

Wait... What's going on?!

For those that aren't aware about what's going on or why there's a "New Vectorio", please read the post linked below from last summer. It explains everything you'll need to know... https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1462470/view/3330988721842165583

What's going to happen to Vectorio Classic?

I know questions have been up in the air surrounding the status of Vectorio Classic and what its future is going to look like, and I'd like to spend some time talking about this to clear the air and make sure everyone is on the same page, since I don't want their to be any confusion around it. As of right now, Vectorio Classic is officially discontinued. I am no longer working on it nor do I have any plans to continue working on it. As stated in the post above (What's going on with Vectorio?), my main focus is now on the new game. I don't believe focusing any of my energy or time on the classic is going to benefit anyone, as due to underlying issues outlined in the post above, the game is never going to be able to reach its full potential. (as much as I'd like it to) I know this is going to upset a lot of people who weren't aware this was going to happen, and to that I'm sorry. I know Vectorio holds a special place in many peoples hearts, mine included, so please know this wasn't a decision that I made lightly. I want the project to succeed, and in order for that to happen the game needed to be remade from scratch.

What will happen to the Frosted Defenses DLC?

As of making this post, the Frosted Defenses DLC should no longer be up for sale. I do not feel comfortable charging anyone for something that is unfinished, and so my immediate priority was removing it from sale, and making sure no one else purchases it. For anyone who did purchase it, I am looking at options for transferring it to the new game. This may be tricky to do because of how applications are linked on Steam, but nevertheless I will find a way to make it up to everyone who purchased it. I am also fully open to any discussions surrounding this, and will happily work with those that purchased it to come up with a solution they feel is fair. If you'd like to chat about this or make a suggestion, feel free to let me know below, or on our Discord server; you will have my upmost attention until we reach an outcome that everyone is happy with.

Vectorio Remake FAQ

Will the new game be in Early Access? Yes, the new game will start off in early access, which I know may give some conflicting feelings due to how the classic panned out. Rest assured though, the issues that were present in the classic are no longer present in the remake. I have carefully planned out the game and designed the base of it to ensure this won't happen again, and have run tests consistently to back this up.
Why is the new game in Early Access? The new game is not just a "remake", it as entirely new game with new mechanics, features, and content. Because of this, the scope of the project has increased drastically, and so in order to fully flesh everything out and test it, Early Access is required. (especially since I'm a one-man team)
How long will the game be in Early Access for? My current prediction is no longer than a year. I have carefully laid out a roadmap for the game (which you can view on the new store page) which will enable me to stay on track and hopefully get a major update out every 1-2 months. However, this can of course change, and as everyone knows my predictions for release dates are usually comically wrong.
How does the new game differ from the classic? Although the new game still follows the Vectorio formula, a lot has changed! This includes an all new research system, new enemy mechanics, new heat system, new power system, way more unique buildings, a new region system, new resources, and more! There's too much to try and list or cover in a single post, so it's best to check out the store page and see some of it for yourself!
Will the new game cost money? Although I haven't put my foot down on this decision quite yet, it most likely will cost money. As much as I'd love to release it for free and continue with the cosmetic monetization model, in order for me to dedicate my full attention to it and work on it full-time, charging for the base game is the safest way to do this. I know that may be disappointing to some, and so I am all ears in this area as well. I'd love to come up with a decision that gets as many people playing the game as possible, whilst still being just enough to enable me to make a living from it and work on it full-time. Just know that if there is a price tag on it, it will be priced as fairly as possible.

If anyone has any other questions about the remake, feel free to let me know below. I will be communicating with the community as much as I possibly can during this transition, and will be addressing any concerns or complaints about it to the best of my ability. This is a bit of a strange and confusing situation we're in at the moment, but I strongly believe once everyone gets their hands on the new game it'll be a lot more clear why this is all happening. There is so much new stuff to talk about and cover, and I am so excited to start getting around to it after the game has been in a dry spot for nearly a year now. Although it's disappointing to see Vectorio Classic coming to a close, there is so much to look forward to with the new Vectorio, and I can't wait! Thanks for reading, ~ Ben

[ 2023-01-19 19:56:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

All classic versions now available!

Hello Everyone!

Progress on the Vectorio remake is coming along exceptionally well, with the new creator tool now finished and working. I should have more information to share on the remake soon, along with a playable demo of some sort. If you want to follow along with the remake progress, join our Discord below! Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9 In the meantime, I thought it would sort of be a cool idea to look back on the classic version of Vectorio before the remake takes the spotlight. So, I have gone back through all the builds and made every major release available! (with the most stable version for that release) I've listed each of the versions below, along with how to gain access to them if you don't already know how. Hope you all enjoy!

Vectorio - Update 1 (vanilla)

Played the very first version of Vectorio and want to revisit it? Now you can! Opt into the Update 1 branch by following the steps below to regain access to Update 1 (and your update 1 saves, if they still exist!) How to gain access to Update 1 1. Navigate to "Vectorio" in your Steam library 2. Right-click on Vectorio, and click on properties 3. Navigate to the betas tab in the properties window 4. In the drop-down, select update-1 and hit apply!

Update 1 release post

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1462470/view/3049473159358077999

Vectorio - Update 2

The second major version of Vectorio, and the one that most people look back on fondly. You can now revisit this version, including your old saves (if they exist) and the old fan-favourite research tree! How to gain access to Update 2 1. Navigate to "Vectorio" in your Steam library 2. Right-click on Vectorio, and click on properties 3. Navigate to the betas tab in the properties window 4. In the drop-down, select update-2 and hit apply!

Update 2 release post

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1462470/view/3001068340446258044

Vectorio - Creative Test Environment

The experimental creative test environment is now once again available! This was used to test parts of the refactor in Update 3, and is a version many people had fun on. How to gain access to Creative 1. Navigate to "Vectorio" in your Steam library 2. Right-click on Vectorio, and click on properties 3. Navigate to the betas tab in the properties window 4. In the drop-down, select creative and hit apply!

Creative test environment post

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1462470/view/4964645483254637960

Vectorio - Update 3

Finally, the most recent version of Vectorio - Update 3! Because an update will be dropping for Vectorio classic that will tidy up a few things, I have made the current version of Update 3 permanently available on this branch. (it's no different than the live branch at this time though) How to gain access to Update 3 1. Navigate to "Vectorio" in your Steam library 2. Right-click on Vectorio, and click on properties 3. Navigate to the betas tab in the properties window 4. In the drop-down, select update-3 and hit apply!

Update 3 release post

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1462470/view/3142947039187299627

[ 2022-09-14 18:43:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

What's going on with Vectorio?

Hello everyone, This is going to be a bit of a long post. There's lots of stuff to cover, and I'm not going to sugar coat or beat around the bush about anything. I want to be as straightforward as I can be with everyone on what's been going on the last couple months, and what's going to be happening to Vectorio this year. There's some disappointing stuff to cover, but there's also some equally, if not more exciting stuff. P.S. I've left a TL;DR at the end of the post, but I STRONGLY recommend you still give the whole post a read! There's a lot of important info that's covered that a TL;DR can't capture.

Networking and Core Design issues

So, where to start. Just to rip the bandaid off and get it out of the way, very little progress has been made since the last Steam post in March. I have tried multiple times to refactor networking in a way that will fix not only the desync and disconnect issues present in the current version, but also support the addition of new systems and features. Unfortunately the issue still remains that the core of the game is extremely hard to work with, again due to the fact that many bits of it still exist from when I was learning the Unity engine and C# language. Just to clarify, when I'm talking about the core of the game I'm not specifically referring to any one component, but rather the setup of the components and how they affect other systems in the game. For example, one of the main issues I've been having is with enemy logic. I wanted to remake the way variants work so that I could better control their stats and how they spawn. However, the moment I started changing the variant data class (scriptable object), many other scripts started breaking, which is fine, that's expected. But, when I started fixing the issues in the other classes, it created a domino effect where another class would break, and than another, and than another. This obviously shouldn't happen, but it does because the core of the game is such a mess that certain systems are intertwined with each other when really they have absolutely no need to be. This is because like I mentioned above, the design of how these systems interact with each other still exists from when I was learning Unity and C#. Ideally, I would've created test projects first to learn and test new things, but as I've said before Vectorio WAS my test project. It just happened to sort of come together in the end, so I decided to release it. When I did I didn't think anyone would actually take any interest in it, but alas here we are with nearly 70,000 downloads.

So, where do we go from here?

Here lies the hardest part. These issues are technically fixable, it is possible to strip down these systems and rebuild them piece by piece. But, with the sheer amount of time and effort it would take to complete this, I'd be looking at months and months of hard work just to get back to where I started. Also taking into consideration that I'm now working full-time as an indie developer, this unfortunately isn't going to be realistic for me, as I'd need to be able to support myself and make a living off this work. At this point I was thinking it either wasn't going to be possible to finish Vectorio (at least the way I wanted to), or that I mine as well start over and remake the game from the ground up... Ok so when I was thinking this over I suddenly felt something spike in me that I hadn't felt in a LONG time for Vectorio; A burning passion and craving to all of a sudden work on the game. What if I did remake the game from the ground up? What if I took what I learned and applied it early on in a fresh project? What if I PROPERLY integrated networking in early on rather than shoehorn it in later on? All of a sudden I started getting ideas of how to flesh out the game more, taking what worked well and building on it in a new and improved version of Vectorio. A full remake of the game that would be done properly and not have the same restrictions due to inexperience like it's predecessor. So needless to say you can see how after months and months of feeling demotivated with the project and dealing with annoying issues I imposed on myself from when I was learning Unity, creating an entirely new version of the game from the ground up was sounding really enticing. So, that's what I've decided I'm going to do...

Introducing the new Vectorio

So, what exactly is going to be in this new remake of Vectorio? Well for one I'll be taking everything that worked well in the original version and expanding on it. This includes things like enemy outposts from Update 1, the research tree from Update 2, border expansion, drone networks, guardians, and more. However these things won't just be added into the new version, they'll be fleshed out and improved upon. As a small example, you'll be able to customize and modify drone deployments in certain areas to maximize your bases efficiency. New drone types will also be added, including the long-awaited repair drone, cargo drones, and the new restock drones. In addition to fleshing out a lot of these features, I'll also be slightly changing the tone of the game. In the current version, it seems to sort of flip-flop between being a chill base-building game and a stressful nightmare inducing tower defense game. In the new version, I will be leaning a LOT more into the chill base-building side of things. I want Vectorio to just be a relaxed experience where you can sit back, build a cool looking neon base, vibe to some 80s synthwave, and watch enemies get torn apart by your defenses. You'll still be able to customize it so that it's challenging, but I'll be really focusing in on trying to hit more relaxing notes with the game. (there's also going to be new music!) The new version will also contain a ton of new content, including new enemies, enemy types, defenses, buildings, resources, drones, and so on. All of this new content will work into the improved systems in the game to create not only a fresh and unique base building experience, but also make this new version of Vectorio feel like an entirely new game, whilst still feeling familiar to the original version. So for those that have been wanting more out of Vectorio, this new version will give it to you.

When will this new version of Vectorio release?

The new version of Vectorio will release on Steam whenever it's ready. I'm not setting any dates, and I'm not even going to try and predict when it'll be ready. I want to really give it my all and create what I intended Vectorio to be the first time around. I also want to do right by all of you who have been waiting far, FAR too long for new content and features to come online. This game is going to be for all of you, and trust me when I say I will do everything I can to make it worth your wait. In regards to whether or not this new version of Vectorio will be free, it unfortunately will not be. In order to dedicate the amount of time I want to towards this new remake, I need to be able to support myself and make a living off it. My intention here is not to scrape as much money as I can off the game (if it was I would've monetized the original a lot more), but to be able to fully realize Vectorio's potential and bring it to the highest level of quality that I can. With the amount of time and effort this is going to take, keeping it free is unfortunately just not possible anymore, as much as I would like it to be. I understand this may be a deal-breaker for some, and to that I'm sorry. I know the original being free was a huge part of the draw in for many people, so this may be a bit of a backhand to a lot of you, especially considering the original will never be completed like I intended it too. All I can say is that I will price the new game as low as I can so that it's super affordable, and is just enough for me to be able to make this new version for all of you. I will also do a lot of giveaways on our Discord, so if you're not already a part of it make sure to hop in there.

What will happen to the current version on Steam?

The original version of the game (the only currently on Steam) is going to be renamed to "Vectorio Classic" so as not to cause confusion with this new re-release of the game. I was debating between keeping it as Vectorio and calling this remake "Vectorio 2", since it basically will be, but I don't like the idea of branding it as a sequel to an unfinished game, so I felt just calling the new version "Vectorio" and calling the current version "Vectorio Classic" would be better suited and more accurate. Vectorio Classic will remain on Steam for free, even after the new version releases. It'll also receive a small update when the new version does release, properly renaming it to "Vectorio Classic" and just fixing a few of the bugs present in the current version, and giving the last Guardian battle a much more fleshed out and rewarding ending to pay tribute to the classic version.

Ending off

TL;DR for those that didn't want to read, or want a summary:

Very little has been done since the last post due to networking and core design issues
Core design issues linger from when I was learning the Unity engine and C# two years back
Been having a hard time getting motivated to work on the project because of these issues
Decided current version is not worth the time and effort needed to fix these issues
This version is being renamed to "Vectorio Classic", and a fresh remake of the game is underway
Remake is being built from the ground up, with emphasis on it being a "chill" base-builder
Remake will focus on what worked well in the classic version, and expand on those mechanics
Remake will contain a bunch of new content and systems to flesh out the experience a lot more
Many lessons have been learned from "Vectorio Classic", and I will not repeat the same mistakes
"Vectorio Classic" will remain available to everyone for free, even after the remake releases
"Vectorio Classic" will receive a small update, tying what's in the game together

Huge thank you to everyone for being patient as I figure these things out. This is not a decision that I've made lightly, and a LOT of thought has been put into it. I understand this may be a deal-breaker for some, and to that I'm sorry, but I see no way forward with the current version as the issues present in it will continue to hinder my ability to flesh out more of the mechanics and content in the game (as well as take too much time to fix, which I can't afford now that I'm treating indie dev as a full-time job) With that said, I am extremely excited to start work on the remake. I have not been this motivated to work on Vectorio since the release of Update 2, and taking everything I've learned from the classic version I know I'll be able to create an amazing and unique base building experience, especially as I'm now able to treat it as a full-time job rather than just a hobby and put WAY more time into it. Thanks to everyone for reading, I know this was a long and hefty post. I'm sure many of you have mixed feelings, so if you have any questions or concerns please let me know either down below or in our Discord server. I've opened a new channel specifically for the remake to ask questions in. I will keep everyone updated on progress, as well as invite private testers in from our Discord, so if you're interested in this new version and possibly want to test it early on and receive a free copy of it, now is the best time to be in our community server. Link to join is below. Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9 ~ Ben

[ 2022-06-10 19:54:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress Update

Hello all! Today is Vectorio's one-year anniversary since launch! A lot has changed in the last year, and I can't believe how far the game has come. Unfortunately, this post is probably going to disappoint some people as I don't have much to show in terms of progress since the last update, but I still wanted to go over where the game is at, and why things are taking so long.

Where is Update 4!?

I thought I'd get right to the point as this is probably what most people are wondering, and unfortunately once again I have greatly miss predicted when the update would be done. This is for many reasons, with one of the obvious ones being that I've been working on Neon Sundown a lot in the last month (as well as university), but it's not the only reason. Firstly, networking has been a huge pain to get ironed out. I've had to once again take down most of what I had previously written and start building it back up again. This is now the third time I'm having to go in and scrap a major part of the game, and although part of it is from inexperience with networking, the biggest part is that parts of the core game are still a mess. The refactor in Update 3 did solve a lot of issues with this, but I'm noticing that there are still some severe underlying problems that exist that make things such as networking and creating new content a seriously long-winded and difficult process. Now I'm sure some of you are probably wondering why this wasn't done properly in the first place, and it goes back to the fact that Vectorio was the first project I ever made in Unity. A lot of the core game was built while I was learning the ins and outs of the game engine, and so even with the U3 refactor the actual design of the game from a lower level standpoint is flawed. No matter how long or how many times I refactor the game, it's not going to fix this issue. So with that being said, I see three main options to pursue...

Option One) The first option is to just scrap the game and move on. This is obviously a stupid option, as I think Vectorio still has a lot of room to grow and be an extremely successful game, so this one is already automatically crossed off for me (in case anyone was worried about it)
Option Two) Accept there's underlying issues with the game and online, and move on with content updates. This seems like an adequate option to go with, but long-term I also see this possibly causing issues, especially once the game is out of early access.
Option Three) Refactor what I can with networking so that online is stable enough where disconnects aren't happening frequently, and then move on with content updates. Although some parts of the game will never be perfect, I feel this is the most reasonable path.

Although this isn't the most ideal solution, I believe it's the best I can do with what I have. In hindsight, I wish I had played around with other projects while learning Unity first before creating Vectorio, but than again I never expected Vectorio to gain as much traction as it did. I thought maybe a couple hundred people would play it at most, and then I'd move on. But obviously it's been quite the opposite!

So when is the next update?

I think moving forward doing larger updates are not as viable for me. I'm already seeing great success with doing incremental updates with Neon Sundown using an agile development model, and so I'd like to apply that to Vectorio. I think step one is to finish refactoring Networking, and get it out ASAP so we can start getting some movement back into the game. (This would also include some of the interface redesigns you may have seen in previous posts) After that, I can incrementally bring out the rest of what was planned for Update 4, including the final version of the research system and the re-introduction of enemy outposts. In regards to when this will be, I have no idea. I'm done giving out dates for when updates will be finished. They'll be out when they're ready, and I think that's all I'm going to say from here on out when asked. Putting out specific dates stresses me out, and it's unfair to all of you who are expecting something big to drop (like today) and than nothing happens. This was definitely a mistake on my part, and so I'll use this as a learning experience and make sure it doesn't happen again in the future If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please let me know! I will do my best to respond to all of them. Thanks for reading, ~ Ben

[ 2022-03-22 22:46:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 4 Progress Update & New Game releasing soon!

Hey everyone!

Been almost a full month since the last update, so I thought I'd pop in and show everyone what I'm working on, along with a new game that'll be releasing in just over 2 weeks time! So, let's get to it!

Update 4 - Progress Update

Although I've been fairly busy with getting Neon Sundown thrown together, I have still be working on Update 4 quite a bit. It's over 50% complete now, including a complete redesign of the interface. For example, below is the new hotbar design in Update 4.

New Hotbar Design:

On top of this, I also have more enemies ready to deploy in Update 4. I'm not gonna share exactly what each enemy does like I did in the last post since I don't want to spoil too much, but as mentioned before you can expect most enemies to be receiving similar redesigns.

Overall I'm happy with how progress is coming along for Update 4, and I'm REALLY excited to see everyone get their hands on it once it's ready. There's a chance Update 4 might mark the end of early access, though I don't want to say for certain as it'll depend on how stable the update is. (Regardless of that fact, it certainly wont be the last update!)

Update 4 - Release Date

And what do ya know! I have once again inaccurately predicted the release of the next update (who could've possibly seen that coming?) - I had originally said the update was going to be out in February, but with the release of Neon Sundown I unfortunately don't think that's doable. I want to make sure Neon Sundown has a smooth launch BEFORE I release Update 4, as releasing both around the same time could easily turn into a nightmare for me. So, with that said, I am aiming for the new release date of Update 4 to be March 22nd, which is actually Vectorio's 1-year anniversary! I think it'd be awesome to try and have the largest update drop on the same day Vectorio released last year. I will keep everyone update on progress and will make another announcement in March if Update 4 is looking to be on track for hitting that new release date.

Neon Sundown - Releasing February 25th

I am excited to announce a new game I've been working on, Neon Sundown! The game is a fast-paced roguelike that takes place in the "Vectorio universe" (if you wanna consider that a thing). It was originally going to be a DLC for Vectorio, but I was having so much fun with it I decided to make it a standalone! If it looks interesting to you, please consider wishlisting it! You can also find the Discord and Reddit links below if you want to chat about the game more with both myself and others involved in the project.

Wishlist Neon Sundown:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1721870/Neon_Sundown/ Discord: https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/NeonSundown/

[ 2022-02-09 18:34:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 4 | Sneak Peek #2

Leave the confine of your walls...

And explore a new world! Coming in Update 4!

[ 2022-01-18 22:57:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 4 | Sneak Peek #1

Hello again!

Just wanted to share a quick sneak peek at 3 of the 10 new enemies coming in Update 4! As mentioned in the previous "Let's Talk Update 4" post, there is a plethora of new enemies joining the game in Update 4, each with new unique abilities and mechanics. Please keep in mind that these models are not final and are definitely subject to change. I'm still tweaking the new enemy designs, but this is what you can expect from pretty much all enemies moving forward.

Mesmer | New enchanter type enemy

One of the new enemies coming in Update 4 is Mesmer. It is an enchanter type enemy, meaning it will convert buildings it touches into one of it's own. Left alone, these can become extremely dangerous and turn entire chunks of your base against you. But not to worry! There's a new building coming in Update 4 that will allow you to ensure your buildings never stab you in the back. Mesmer's come into play around the 15k heat range, and is an extremely weak enemy. It will try to find cover behind stronger enemies however, so keep your eyes peeled for them!

Ghoul | New cloaking type enemy

Another new enemy making it's debut in Update 4 is Ghoul. It is a cloaking type enemy, meaning it can temporarily turn invisible to avoid your defenses sight line. When a Ghoul is invisible you can still physically see it, your defenses just cant target it. You can however use Radar towers to uncloak it, rendering their ability useless and allowing your defenses to deal with it promptly. Ghoul's come into play around the 40k heat range, and is a moderately tough enemy. It can withstand quite a bit of fire power, as well as deal a pretty heavy blow to your defenses. Radar towers are a must if you wish to successfully defend against this new enemy type.

Hivemind | New spawner type enemy

The final new enemy in this sneak peek is Hivemind. It is a spawner type enemy, meaning it can spawn other enemies near it. However, instead of just spawning other normal enemies nearby, it places down a new enemy building called the Hive. Hive's are extremely dangerous, as they mass produce enemies over time. Left unchecked, they can pile up and swarm your defenses quickly, so you'll want to take care of them promptly. Hive's and Hivemind's come into play around the 80k heat range, and is an extremely tough enemy to deal with. Although it cant deal much damage, the sheer amount of Hive's it can create near your base can quickly become a problem. A good way to deal with these will be by sending your own units over to it with the new building, Barracks!

What do you think of the new enemy types?

Let me know in the discussion thread below, or join our Discord server! We have a lot of great discussions on there, and I'd love to hear what you have to say about some of the new enemy types coming in Update 4. (and possibly any suggestions you may have of your own!) Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9

Want to support the continued development of Vectorio?

Consider checking out the Frosted Defenses cosmetic pack on Steam! All funds generated from this go right back into the development of Vectorio, and allow me to continue making free content updates for everyone to enjoy! (plus you get some pretty cool looking skins) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1852930/Vectorio__Frosted_Defenses_Pack/ Thanks for reading! ~ Ben

[ 2022-01-10 09:24:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Let's talk Update 4!

Hello all! With Update 3 now out, I wanted to start discussing a bit about what's coming in Update 4, as well as briefly touch up on some changes in Update 3 and where I'll be taking them in Update 4. I also want to preface this by saying I'm aware of pretty much all bugs present in Update 3, and will be releasing a patch for these in the new year when I'm back from Holidays. Most of the bugs are caused by networking, including the ones that occur in offline environments (as the server is the localhost)

What is Update 4 about?

The main focus of Update 4 is enemies. I feel like they've been ignored for almost half a year now and have not been improved upon at all from their original iteration before the game even released. This is obviously an issue as enemies are one of the core aspects of the game. The current iteration of enemies is very bland and boring. They move in a straight line towards a target, and that's it. It was always intended that this would be a placeholder for the true enemy implementation, and now that time has come! So let's talk about what improvements are coming to enemies...

Enemy Outposts / Enemy Expansion

Update 4 will re-introduce enemy outposts to the game, but with a much better implementation of it. A new enemy type called Settler will look for vacant resource nodes on the map and try to setup an outpost on them. If one is found, it'll start by placing an Energizer Core, a new building only available to enemies. Energizer Cores will allow enemies to deploy worker drones that can mine resources from the surrounding area, and start setting up other buildings like collectors, storages, turrets, walls, etc. You'll be unable to build anything inside an Energizer Cores range, and will instead need to send in your own units from a new building called Barracks. Barracks are unlocked early on in the game and enable you to automatically produce your own units using a variety of new resources coming to the game. You'll be able to setup custom command logic for your units and give them instructions to attack different outposts.

New border expansion mechanics

Starting in Update 4, the way borders are pushed back will change drastically. Instead of firing the hubs lasers at set heat points throughout the game, you will instead be able to collect a new limited resource type and feed it to the hub to charge it's super weapon. Once charged, you can pick any border to fire at and push it back. This will cause a Guardian to spawn, which you'll have to deal with accordingly in order to progress to the next stage. Essentially, this is still the same system as before, but it gives you a more direct goal to aim for and serves as more of a motivator to expand and capture nodes. The new resource used to power the hub is also unique. There's a limited supply of it on the map at all times, and you'll need to use radar pings to try and find them. Once found, you'll have to battle the enemies for the node as they also want to take over it and use it to create new outposts. Don't worry though! For those that like playing at their own pace and being able to leave the game running in the background, you still can! Enemies will NOT try and takeover the limited resource nodes until they're pinged by you, which can only be done manually. This means if you're not expanding, neither will the enemies!

New Enemy and Guardian behaviours

Enemies (including Guardians) are getting some new behaviours on top of outpost expansion. A lot of enemies will start to interact with each other, and plan their attacks instead of just charging head first into your defenses without thinking. Some of the new enemies can heal other enemies nearby, or deploy a shield around them to protect it from incoming fire. Guardians also gain a bunch of new mechanics, such as the Kraken using it's wings to deflect incoming fire, or the Atlas deploying fighters and firing back at attacking defenses. A lot of the new logic being implemented will make enemies feel more alive and like you're actually fighting some sort of hive mind that is doing everything it can to get rid of you.

Heat map and heat dispersal

Another new mechanic coming in Update 4 is the heat map. This is an overview of your base that shows how much heat different areas are producing. This is useful to know since enemies will try and target hotter areas of your base, and ignore cooler ones. Once heat maps are introduced, coolant type buildings will make their way back into the game but with new functionality. Instead of removing heat, they'll mask the heat output of nearby buildings. So say you have a massive power farm, you can use coolers to mask the heat output of it and lower the chance that an enemy attack will come for it. Very useful for directing the flow of enemies!

Engineering and new defensive mechanics

As a lot of you know, Update 3 was supposed to introduce engineering, which was a system that would allow you to modify each of your buildings individually and tweak their behaviour / stats exactly how you want. Unfortunately due to some last minute changes, I was not able to get this feature prepared in time for Update 3, so it has been pushed back to Update 4. When engineering makes its appearance in Update 4 though, it'll give you the power to do pretty much anything you can think of with your buildings. Want to turn a Sprayer into a long-range rapid-fire missile launcher? You can! The possibilities are (almost) endless, and paired with the new cosmetic system, you'll be able to make each tower your own. I'll have more info later on exactly how this system will work, but it'll put a much bigger emphasis on Iridium farming and drastically change how the mid - late game meta will play out.

Cargo drones and Cargo freighters

Another new addition in Update 4 is a new drone type called cargo. Cargo drones can carry resources from one location to another, allowing you to move storage around your base where you see fit. This will also enable you to create massive storage arrays and keep everything in one location for easier management (and ensure if an outpost falls, you dont lose any resources) In addition to this, there is new Cargo freighters being added that are essentially just gigantic cargo drones that can carry a lot more resource over further distances. (basically trains) But that's not all cargo freighters can do, they are also able to carry buildings on them and deploy them in different locations around the map. So instead of needing to chain Reclaimer type buildings to reach a location, you can instead have cargo freighters just drop a reclaimer anywhere on the map!

Research streamlining and changes

The changes to the research system in Update 3 were very controversial. A lot of players didn't know how it worked, and the ones that did were split between whether or not it was better or worse than the Update 2 research tree. The new system is slightly more barebones than the last, but this was by design to make room for engineering. Now I want to make it clear that this new research system is here to stay. I'd much rather try and fix / streamline this new system than revert back to the previous system, as I think research trees are overdone and slightly dull. (especially in the case of Vectorio) So, with that said a number of improvements are coming to the research system in Update 4. The first improvement coming is the addition of advanced production statics. This will show you EXACTLY how many resources are being produced each second, and will enable you to make more informed decisions about what research techs you should aim for. There will also be an indicator on the research panel that will tell you if starting a new research boost will cause a resource drain. There are also some new options for labs to choose where you drain resources from. You can switch between draining from storages, and draining directly from collectors. Both have pros and cons to them, but if you want to avoid labs blowing up when you're queuing a massive expansion on your base, drawing from collectors will allow you to do that.

New online PvP modes

Finally, Update 4 will add in some new online modes that will allow you to go head-to-head with other players. You'll be able to queue for matches or join players directly through the server browser. Most PvP modes will give each player their own hub, and follow a "last one standing" win condition. Further improvements to Co-op will also be added, including the addition of advanced host management for open lobbies. This will allow hosts to give and revoke permissions to other connected players, as well as kick and/or ban players if needed.

New defenses and buildings

Every update adds a plethora of new buildings and defenses for you to use. Although I don't talk about what these are directly as I don't want to spoil anything, I did think it was worth mentioning just so everyone knows there are some very unique new buildings joining the roster in Update 4. A lot of the new buildings being added are directed towards interacting with other buildings, which will make your base feel more cohesive and like it's working as one giant entity. You can expect there to be around 10 to 15 or so new buildings added in total, including a few new collector / storage type buildings for the new resources being added in Update 4.

So when is Update 4?

As most of the community knows, I am horrendously bad at trying to predict when an update will come out. Therefore, I will not be giving any specific dates until much closer to the release. But I can say that the update should be out sometime during Q1 of 2022, beginning of Q2 by the latest. Update 4 will be the last Early Access update, and Update 5 will bring the game into full release with the addition of the final Guardians and general clean-up of the game. Update 5 is also by no means the last update, but after that point my focus will move to the Turret Labs DLC as I believe that has a lot of potential to give the community full power over how the game grows. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read this post! With the refactor done, I am excited to start working on ACTUAL new content for the game. It's been a long-winded process, but one that will definitely be worth it in the long run! ~ Ben

P.S. Frosted Defenses cosmetic pack is 25% off!

The new Frosted Defenses cosmetic pack is currently 25% off until Saturday. If you've been thinking of picking it up, now is a great time! It also greatly helps support me and the continued development of Vectorio. Check it out below! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1852930/Vectorio__Frosted_Defenses_Pack/

[ 2021-12-21 19:19:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Early Access | Frosted Defenses has arrived!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1852930/Vectorio__Frosted_Defenses_Pack/?beta=0

Frosted Defenses Pack now available!

Get in the winter spirit with the new Frosted Defenses pack, available now on Steam! There can be accessed in-game on the inventory menu by clicking on the "Cosmetics" button for each of buildings in this pack. Note that these are cosmetic changes only. This will not change the way the turret performs whatsoever. More cosmetic options will be available when the full armory releases!

Hotfix #004 - Patch Notes

Claim more tiles with the new Reclaimer type building, Redeemer!

NEW ADDITIONS: - The Frosty Defenses pack is now available, go check it out in-game! - New Reclaimer type, Redeemer. Three times as big, and more efficient! BALANCE CHANGES: - Changed Fusion Reactor unlock from place 50x turbines to accumulate 20k power - Increased Minigun damage from 70 to 75 - Increased Pulser cooldown from 4 seconds to 5 seconds - Increased Ranger cooldown from 2 seconds to 2.5 seconds - Increased Purifier range from 7 tiles to 8 tiles - Increased Shotgun damage from 2 to 3 - Increased Shotgun range from 7 tiles to 8 tiles - Increased Sprayer damage from 3 to 4 - Increased Sprayer range from 8 tiles to 9 tiles - Increased Reclaimer heat from 20 to 25 - Decreased Iridium collector essence cost from 25k to 10k - Decreased Iridium collector power from 450 to 150 - Decreased Iridium storage essence cost from 50k to 15k - Decreased Iridium storage power from 400 to 300 - Decreased Radiator heat from 250 to 180 - Decreased Rocket Pod gold cost from 350k to 250k - Decreased Rocket Pod essence cost from 5k to 2.5k - Decreased Turbine gold cost from 25k to 20k - Decreased Turbine heat from 80 to 60 - Decreased Drone port heat from 50 to 45 - Decreased Gunship port gold cost from 150k to 100k BUG FIXES - Fixed Research tech names extending over the UI's border

[ 2021-12-19 04:39:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Early Access | Hotfix #003 (Armory now available!)

Armory now available!

The first part of the Armory is now available in-game! If you haven't already, check out the Holiday Bash challenge and beat it to unlock the Peppermint Turret (and use it in-game now!) The full Armory will be available in Update 4.

Hotfix #003 - Patch Notes

NEW ADDITIONS: - The armory is now available in-game! (full armory will be in Update 4) - Finally implemented the active build counter in the inventory menu BALANCE CHANGES: - Lowered dropship spawnrate by 20% - Changed Artillery unlock from 30k heat to 60k heat BUG FIXES: - Fixed Research labs taking resources while paused... again. - Fixed Trident mission not unlocked (should unlock for old saves as well) - Fixed The Overseer health bar from being invisible - Fixed Guardian button not consistently showing up

[ 2021-12-18 02:52:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Early Access | Hotfix #002 - Ghost Patch

This ghost patch cleans up a few things left out of v0.3.2, as well as balances the new Holiday event! BALANCE CHANGES: - Lowered Revenant health from 20k to 17k in Holiday Bash event - Half the dropship spawning rate on all difficulties - Increased Purifier gold drop from 100 to 1000 - Increased Purifier essence drop from 25 to 250 - Increased Purifier iridium drop from 10 to 100 BUG FIXES: - Fixed restarting on Holidary Bash freezing the camera - Fixed Purifier range showing as halfed it's usual value - Fixed Purifiers not dropping proper resource values

[ 2021-12-16 00:36:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Holiday Bash Event | Unlock the Peppermint Turret!

Holiday Bash Event

Play the new Holiday Bash gamemode, now available for a limited time! Setup a small outpost using only Chillers and Radiators, and try to take down the Revenant along with 1000's of its little elves! Defeat the Revenant to unlock the new Peppermint Turret when the Armory is released. Also earn the first official Steam achievement, Minty Fresh! This challenge is not easy and will require a bit of planning. Good luck!

[ 2021-12-15 22:16:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Early Access | Hotfix #002

Holiday Bash Event now live!

Take down the Revenant in a LTM to unlock the Peppermint Turret when the armory comes online, as well as unlock the first Steam achievement, Minty Fresh!

Patch notes

This hotfix further addresses online desync and disconnect issues, as well as fixes (and slightly balances) the new research drain system. Do note that some QOL improvements to research drain are still a WIP, such as having research take from random storages to distribute consumption. NEW ADDITIONS: - New holiday event, Holiday Bash! - Cleaned up tutorial and streamlined automation segment BALANCE CHANGES: - Lowered Bullet Boost essence cost from 150/s to 100/s - Increase Damage Boost essence cost from 1/s to 2/s - Decreased Drone Speed effect from 0.2x to 0.1x - Changed Essence research cost from essence to iridium - Increase gold extraction effect from 0.05x to 0.1x BUG FIXES: - Synced Guardian destruction across clients (please lmk if this issue persists) - Fixed research not applying costs properly - Numerous UI improvements and fixes

[ 2021-12-15 20:54:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Early Access | Hotfix #001

The first hotfix is now available for Update 3. Do note there is still some issues with desyncs in multiplayer, and some minor issues with labs. If you experience either of these, simply reload or restart your game until I have a fix out for them! ADDITIONS: - Added more in-depth tutorial sequence for automating resources - Added back default hotbar slots, turret, collector, storage, and droneport BALANCE CHANGES: - Changed flamethrower damage from 45 to 55 - Changed Pulser unlock "Accumulate 5,000 heat" to "Destroy a dropship" - Changed Purifier unlock from "Place 5x Radiators" to "Place a Radiator" - Changed Radiator unlock from "Destroy 100x triangles" to "Accumulate 25,000 heat" - Changed Sprayer unlock from "Place 10x Reclaimers" to "Accumulate 5,000 heat" BUG FIXES: - Possible fix to disconnect issues. Need help testing. - Fixed unlock notifications not appearing properly - Fixed Guardian button not showing consistently - Fixed essence extraction not having a resource pump value - Fixed hologram being rendered under resource layer - Fixed Gremlin unlock taking 10k iridium, not 1k - Fixed Gremlin bullets being rendered under resource layer - Fixed Atlas trail being rendered under resource layer - Fixed purifiers being rendered on experimental map view - Fixed Reclaimer showing 5000 heat instead of 500 heat - Reclaimer area of effect now shows on experimental map view - Hub super weapon laser now shows on experimental map view

[ 2021-12-14 00:19:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 | Out Now on Early Access!

[previewyoutube=P7qqfeB52V4;full][/previewyoutube]

Update 3 is now out on Early Access!

Online is here! Join forces with your friends, take on the enemy forces together, and challenge the two new Guardians, Atlas and Overseer. Also utilise a plethora of new buildings at your disposal, including the new Drone Gunship building, and the first super weapon, The Trident. REFACTORED CORE: - Vastly improved performance and rendering! - Support for Multiplayer, Modding, and more! - Streamlined development process for future updates. NEW ADDITIONS: - Multiplayer! Join your Steam friends in battle. - New hub super weapon. Push back the enemy border! - New enemy variant, Ghost! (will require radar detection soon) - Two new Guardians to fight, Atlas and Overseer. - New and improved research system. - Tons of new buildings and defenses to unlock. AND MORE! Hop in game and find out what else is new!

Multiplayer Beta is here!

Join your Steam friends in the first version of multiplayer! Work together to take down guardians, secure resource nodes for your base, and expand against the hostile forces trying to keep you back! Multiplayer is still in a very early state, and we need your help to track down any desync or disconnect issues! If you experience frequent desyncs or disconnects, please join our Discord server and report the issue in our bug-reports channel. Various improvements to multiplayer will be made over the coming weeks, and once it's stable enough, open and private lobbies will be made available!

This is just the start!

With the refactor finished, expect even more content to be added over the course of Update 3. Also keep your eyes open for news on Update 4, which will be the biggest update to Vectorio yet, adding enemy outposts, new enemy and guardian mechanics, cosmetics, and more! (Available in Q1 2022)

[ 2021-12-13 00:48:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Hotfix #005 ghost patch

Once again, it seems I broke a few things in the latest hotfix due to the new experimental rendering feature... this ghost patch fixes those things. Hopefully this is the last patch that's needed! Bug fixes: - Fixed research techs duplicating on reload - Fixed drone move speed showing incorrect value - Fixed resource popups inconsistently displaying - Fixed experimental rendering map view from sometimes pausing game - Fixed right click to delete not working unless moving - Fixed storage based buildings showing incorrect resources - Fixed Flamethrower's showing incorrect resource value

[ 2021-11-30 04:49:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Hotfix #005 now available!

The next hotfix for Update 3 is now available, and with it brings a lot of new features and changes, including the new experimental rendering feature to help with anyone experiencing frame drops in later portions of the game (this only fixes about half the problem, the other half is turret targetting) New Additions: - Add back the pipette tool - Add support for pipetting buildings with metadata Balancing changes: - Increase Research Lab grace period from 3s to 5s - Lowered Revenant's health from 15k to 10k - Lowered Kraken's health from 250k to 150k - Lowered Atlas's health from 2m to 1m - Increase Gremlin damage from 200 to 500 - Changed fusion reactor requirement from 50 to 25 turbines - Extend shotgun bullet lifetime from 0.5s to 0.8s - Randomize shotgun bullet speed variable UI Changes: - Tidied up all UI displays with Research - Adjusted positioning of drone priority mode on build plans UI - Fix hotbar icons not preserving aspect ratio of buildings - Adjusted spawn position of enemy health bars Bug fixes: - Fixed Research not applying until after reload - Fixed drone ports from dying instantly to enemies - Fixed builder drone icon switching to drone port when cancelled - Fixed builder drones not refunding cost of building when cancelled - Fixed enemies dying when they hit any sort of building Other changes: - When out of power, drone priority will temporarily switch to power - When enemies collide with building, will get damaged based on building health - Increased brightness of pulser bullets - Decreased brightness of flamethrower bullets

[ 2021-11-30 02:39:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Hotfix #004 ghost patch

This ghost patch fixes some of the bugs that were accidentally unfixed in Hotfix #004 for the experimental branch. Verify integrity of game files if you notice these issues persisting. BUG FIXES: - Fixed drone ports / reclaimer radius not being visible - Fixed tridents not resetting cooldown properly - Fixed resource priority not working

[ 2021-11-28 21:54:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Hotfix #004 now available!

A hotfix for Update 3 Experimental is now live with the following bug fixes and balance changes... BUG FIXES: - Fixed build priority not always working as intended - Fixed research from not taking from storages - Fixed research not resetting when reloading a save - Fixed changing research not revoking previous resources - Fixed drone builder icon switching incorrectly - Fixed drones not rotating properly when build is cancelled - Fixed dropships and carriers not spawning enemies when destroyed - Fixed resource bars displaying incorrectly on reload - Fixed buildings not showing their health stat - Fixed Trident challenge showing wrong heat value - Fixed reloading on a new world with no save loading blank worlds - Fixed super weapons being affected by research - Fixed iridium collectors from not collecting - Fixed Turret and Ranger lights being too bright - Fixed enemy trails rendering underneath resource tiles - Fixed purple variant from using big death effect - Fixed pausing not freezing enemies or group spawning - Fixed collectors still collecting while paused - Fixed purifiers not showing range - Fixed radiators not showing range BALANCES: - Increased Trident cost from 100k to 1m - Decreased Trident damage from 1.5m to 150k - Increased Trident heat from 250 to 800 - Decreased Pulser damage from 80 to 60 - Lowered Minigun heat from 150 to 100 - Lowered Minigun power from 180 to 120 - Lowered Minigun cost from 120k to 80k - Lowered Fusion Reactors cost from 2.5m to 800k - Increased Gold Storage from 500 to 1000 - Increased Essence Storage from 250 to 500 - Increased Essence Extraction rate from 2/s to 3/s - Decreased Flamethrower damage from 50 to 35 - Lowered Gremlin iridium cost from 10k to 1k

[ 2021-11-28 21:07:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Phase 2 now available!

Hello again!

With phase 1 wrapped up, it's time to move onto Phase 2 of Update 3's experimental version. This new phase adds a ton of new content and QOL features, such as a new research system, super weapons, dynamic group spawning, build planner, and more! As always, I like to preface that when I say experimental, I mean experimental. These updates are not fully tested, and so if you're expecting a buttery smooth experience, I recommend waiting until the early access version. Especially with later portions of experimental, the balance of the game is still up in the air, so there's a chance you may get wiped out unfairly.

So, what's new in Phase 2?

As mentioned, phase 2 introduces about half the content coming in Update 3, with the second half coming in phase 3. This phase goes more into the QOL features, and adds a few new buildings to show off some of the new mechanics coming in Update 3. Here's what you'll see in-game now...

The Trident

The trident is one of the first super weapons being introduced to the game. Super weapons will be unlocked after a guardian is destroyed, each coming with it's own unique ability. Eventually you'll be limited to one per world, but for now you can have as many as you want, and they'll fire automatically.

Gremlin

Another new defense coming this update that replaces the Ripper is the Gremlin! A new mechanic that some turrets will have moving forward is splitting bullets. It was lightly shown off with the Disintegrator in Update 2, but the Gremlin really start to give form to the mechanic in Update 3.

Purifier

Arguably one of the biggest new mechanics being introduced in Update 3 is the pull mechanic. The radiator can now attract enemies towards it, allowing you to create funnels for enemies to passthrough. This is where the purifier can come in handy. Any enemies destroyed in the Purifier's radius will get turned into resources, allowing you to farm even more resources than before!

Drone Gunships

Boom! Gunships are now available in Update 3. Possibly one of the coolest defenses so far, gunships automatically roam around the map hunting down targets and firing at them from a long range. And yes, don't worry, you WILL be able to pilot them! (just not yet) More info on this later.

Radiator

Radiators are getting a rework! As mentioned above, they now pull nearby enemies towards them, allowing you to create funnels in your base. This is especially useful in later portions of the game when enemies start to pose a serious threat, as you can lure them into your defenses line of sight. I can't wait to see what the community does with this mechanic, especially once it's fully implemented!

Research Changes

As stated in a previous post, research is getting a huge rework! Labs now boost different global variables by pumping in specific resources to it's corresponding tech. Variables also go based off a multiplier rather than a static number like in Update 2, which means each lab actively researching is exponentially more useful than before. Another new mechanic to this system is laboratory meltdowns. If you run out of one of the resources needed to pump a certain tech, the lab will enter a 3 second grace period. If in that 3 second grace period now additional resources are recovered, the lab will explode! So make sure you always have enough resources on hand and are actively monitoring your income vs expenses.

Quality of life

- Pausing: You can now freeze time by pressing P, allowing you to plan out your base without worrying about buzzsaws ripping apart your unwatched defenses! - Build Planner: This is still a heavily WIP feature, but you can now see the total cost of all planned builds, as well as control what your drones prioritize, and soon, copy + paste builds! - Resource Calculation: Resources now offer a bit more information for you to use. This includes the addition of a per/second calculation that is especially useful when you get into research. - Reseed: Start a new save and don't like the look of it? Press ESC and quickly regenerate the world with a new seed! Now you don't need to go back to the menu over and over again! - Reload: Base falling apart? Don't worry, the new reload feature will quickly reload your base to it's last save, without needing to quit to menu. - Enemy Health bars: Now you can visually see how much damage your defenses are doing. This is also useful for seeing which enemies pose more of a threat to your base. - Building stats: All buildings in the game are now clickable, which allows you to view their health and information. Soon, turrets will also display a bunch of useful info, like shots fired, kills, etc. - Guardian button: Hate it when you accidentally spawn a guardian in Update 2? No more. Now you can choose when to spawn a guardian once you hit max heat! - Power / heat bars: Drones stop building and don't know why? Not anymore! The heat and power bars now flash red when you exceed power consumption or heat production! - Active enemy counter: You can now visually track how many enemies are actively attacking your base at a time. Especially useful in later portions of the game with group spawning! - Group spawn timer: You can now see when a group is gonna spawn, allowing you to prepare ahead of time and make any quick adjustments to your base!

And more!

This is just the start. There are plenty of more improvements that have been made, including numerous bug fixes, stability improvements, and performance increases. As the experimental phase of Update 3 continues, you can expect even more improvements in these areas, as well as the continued development of the new building mechanics and QOL features. With all that said, it is important to keep in mind that this is still experimental. Bugs will most likely be present, and the game is likely very unbalanced. So as I mentioned in the opening, do NOT play experimental if you want a smooth experience! For those that do choose to play though, I hope you enjoy what this new phase has to offer, and that you get a better idea of how Update 3 is shaping up. I am really excited to continue working on the update, and I can't wait to see people get their hands on Multiplayer in phase 3! Thanks for reading! ~ Ben

[ 2021-11-28 09:35:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Hotfix #003 now available!

The next and final hotfix for Phase 1 of Update 3 experimental is now available. If any other bugs are discovered, they will be fixed with the release of Phase 2 tomorrow or Wednesday. CHANGES: - Added challenge tracking to inventory - Optimized turret collision logic - Re-Enabled basic U3 tutorial overlay BUG FIXES: - Fixed some challenges from not working - Fixed defeating Revenant setting the wrong stage - Fixed resources not saving, again (smile) - Fixed Atlas not having any collision - Fixed turrets from not being able to target Atlas

[ 2021-11-23 07:20:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Hotfix #002 now available!

CHANGES: - Physicalized resource storages - Changed a lot of Update 3 building stats to Update 2 stats BUG FIXES: - Fixed storages not adding when insta build is on - Fixed collectors not being clickable when insta build is on - Fixed tower radius projection from not being accurate - Fixed building menu button not opening the menu - Fixed info panel not remembering metadata from tiles - Fixed info close button from freezing the menu Note: MacOS and Linux version are slightly delayed. Try updating in 10 minutes from now.

[ 2021-11-23 02:39:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 - Experimental | Hotfix #001 now available!

Hello again!

For those that don't know, Update 3's first phase of experimental has been out for a few days now. I have not made any sort of announcement about it yet since it's been riddled with bugs so far (which was planned for, this is just a necessary evil after undergoing the huge refactor) If you would like to test Update 3, I would STRONG ADVISE you wait until phase 2, which should be out tomorrow or the day after. This phase is still not totally stable, and if you don't want the update spoiled by bugs, then this phase may not be for you. On the plus side as well, phase 2 will add a lot more of the planned content for Update 3, whereas this first phase has little to no new content in it in order to focus testing on previously established systems. Anyways, this is the first OFFICIAL hotfix for experimental (technically the 3rd). Here's the deets...

New additions / changes

- Added ability to delete saves from menu - Added ability to Shift + Click collectors - Numerous balance changes to heat

Bugs fixed in this version:

- Fixed mac OS version from not launching - Buttons on menu have incorrect event spacing - Button animations on menu can induce motion sickness - Guardian UI sometimes gets stuck when starting a battl - Can't click and drag to collect gold from collectors - The hub is STILL sellable my god - Gold has a cyan mark in the corner - Pressing ESC does not fully deselect the building - Clicking hotbar does not work - Heat and power limitations are not working - Saving with ghost tiles causes them to be placed - You can sometimes place stuff on top of 2x2's - Money seems to disappear randomly - After reloading a save, you cant interact with buildings - Collectors sometimes allow placement over top of them - Changing a drone type causes any of it's plans to freeze - Drone port metadata not saving - Resources are not syncing correctly - Guardians can spawn more than once - Border colors still do not change - Unlocked things do not save properly - Defeated bosses data not saving - Delete save is not implemente - Storages show refunded resources incorrectly

[ 2021-11-23 00:48:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress Update (Update 3 Rollout, Turret Labs, Pricing, and more)

Hello again!

It's nearing that time again! With Update 3 nearing completion, I am now able to give everyone a more accurate date of when U3 can be expected to hit the experimental branch, as well as exactly what can be expected to be present in both the experimental phase and early access phase. I am also excited to share a new feature not previously talked about coming post update 3 that will arguably be Vectorio's most ambitious feature to date.

Update 3 - Release Date

Although there's still some work left to be done with engineering, I can say with almost 100% certainty that Update 3 will be out on November 20th. I know I've been bad with release dates in the past, but I am confident that I can have the early access build ready by that time. In the case there are any unexpected delays, I will make sure to let everyone know as soon as possible. But I don't see the update being postponed any longer then 24 hours at most.

Update 3 - Experimental vs. Early Access

With the release date out of the way, I can now talk about what's going to be and what's not going to be in the experimental phase of Update 3. For your convenience, I've put them in a list format below. Please keep in mind that some of the features may not be fully implemented at first, and will be expanded on throughout Update 3 with help and feedback from the community. Experimental Features - Engineering (turret modification) - Creative mode (refactor branch) - New research system (essence pumping) - Fixer drones and new drone options - New phantom guardian, The Atlas - Two new enemies and three new turrets - Balance changes to heat and power - Possibly early version of Multiplayer - and More! Early Access Features - Multiplayer (via Steam) - More new buildings / turrets - Hub super weapon (border growth) - All experimental features - and More! IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that Update 3 is running on an entirely new setup. I basically scrapped almost the entirety of Update 2's core mechanics, and redid them. So expect the game to feel a bit "different" at first, as it's basically been redone from the ground up.

Turret Labs

Earlier this week, I released a sneak peek of the in-game menu for Update 3. For those of you that have not yet seen it, here's a picture of it below.

Some people spotted out that the modding tab has been replaced with Labs, and so I think now is a good time to talk about what labs is, and how it's gonna be the most ambitious and arguably most important feature Vectorio will have moving forward. Essentially, Turret Labs (at it's core) is an in-game modding tool. It allows you to create your own buildings using an extensive in-game editor, and then easily add them to the game to create your own unique Vectorio experience. Here's a VERY early screenshot of it below.

At first, the tool will only support creating turrets, but the plan is to eventually expand it to allow for the creation of new buildings, enemies, and guardians. The goal is to allow for anyone to create their own version of the game without any sort of programming knowledge, and share it with others to play. All of this will be done through the Steam workshop with just a few clicks!

Vectorio Pricing Update

So with all that out of the way, I wanted to loop back around to the very frequently asked question, "What is the game going to cost after Early Access?". This is probably the toughest question to answer as I'm still unsure of it myself, but I think I've come to a decision that best suits the game... The game will remain free post early access, with Turret Labs being a paid DLC. The reason I think this is the best decision moving forward is it allows anyone to experience the full game for free. None of the main content will be locked behind any sort of paywall, and you can invite your friends to play with you whenever you want without worrying about them not being able to afford it. For those that really enjoy the main game and want more, however, can purchase Turret Labs and get access to all of it's features, which is essentially just unlimited content fueled by the community. This decision still isn't final, but it is the one I'm leaning towards. Let me know what you think below! That's it for now! As per usual, I strongly encourage anyone not in our Discord to come and join it. If you're a fan of the game and want to get more of a glimpse on what's going on behind the scenes, our server is the best place to find all that. Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9 Thanks for reading! ~ Ben

[ 2021-11-06 17:59:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress Update (Research Changes, Multiplayer, and more)

Hello again!

It's been a few weeks since the last progress update, so I thought now would be a good time to update everyone on where Update 3 is at, and when you can expect it to go live. This is gonna be a bit of a lengthy post, so apologies for those that don't like reading! As always if you have any questions, feel free to let me know!

Research Changes

I haven't officially talked about the changes coming to the research system in Update 3 yet, so I thought now might be a good time to do so. I'm replacing the research tree with a new research system called "Essence Pumping". Essentially how it works is you'll have numerous different stats such as drone speed, collection rate, damage boost, etc. You can then use labs to pump essence into these variables and boost their effectiveness. Now I realize this is a bit of a step down from the research tree, but the reason for this change is due to the addition of engineering. A lot of players have given me feedback on the research system saying each tech should be more unique then just some variable getting a slight boost, and I agree. But since engineering is largely focused on modifying your turrets to have unique characteristics, I feel a research system that also gives turrets unique characteristics would interfere with it. So, this is my solution to that problem. I was never a huge fan of the research tree as I don't believe it fits Vectorio very well, and I think a system like engineering that gives more control to the player on how they wanna upgrade and modify their turrets is far better. And with that said, the new essence pumping system also isn't without it's benefits - you can now choose exactly what stats you want to boost instead of having to research some other arbitrary techs first, and on top of this I can balance the system by adding heat limitations on how much you can actually boost certain stats. Let me know what you think of this change down below. Nothing is final yet, and I'd love to hear some feedback on it before I move ahead with the changes.

Refactor Progress

The refactor is now finished! After countless hours of redoing the base of the game, it's now much more stable and modular then before. This will be extremely useful as the game moves forward and starts to introduce more complex features, such as advanced base management, multiplayer, and modding.

Multiplayer Progress

With the refactor finished, work on multiplayer will now truly get underway. I've been experimenting with multiplayer on another project called Automa (https://discord.gg/XuZDADZWtn ), and we recently managed to get it setup through Steamworks. I'll be porting that system over to Vectorio when the time comes, and integrating it to allow people to play with their friends across Steam! As for public server listings and dedicated servers, I can't give any guarantees on that now. Since I'm currently the only developer working on Vectorio and have limited experience with networking, it will be challenging to get those features supported. With that said though, I will definitely look into it and take some time to study more about multiplayer networking.

Update 3 Release Date

So with all that said, judging where the game is at I expect Update 3 to be out mid November. Originally I had said the Update would be out end of October, and that's still feasible, but after such a long wait I would like to spend a bit more time testing and tweaking the new systems coming in the update. Update 2's experimental phase was a bit of a mess, so I'd like to avoid that for Update 3. I apologise for the long wait. I know a lot of you are itching for some new content, but rest assured the wait will have been worth it. We're almost there! That's all for this progress update. As always, I encourage anyone who has Discord to join our server. We have a lot of great discussions on there and it's an awesome community to be a part of. Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9 Thanks for reading! ~ Ben

[ 2021-10-18 16:37:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Creative - Test Environment | Update v0.1.3 hotfix

This patch fixes the Mac build, as well as a few other minor issues. Fixes: - Fixed MacOS version from not running executable - Fixed enemies sometimes not retargeting towers - Fixed guardians not getting removed from clear enemies - Fixed small artilerry sprite (offset still isnt fixed) Optimizations: - Slightly optimized bullet collision logic

[ 2021-09-30 17:15:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Creative - Test Environment | Update v0.1.3 now available!

The Guardian & Optimization update is here!

The next creative test environment update is here. In this update, major optimization improvements have been made, as well as the introduction of Carriers, Dropships, and Guardians! How to access the test environment 1. Right click on Vectorio in Steam 2. Click on properties 3. Navigate to the betas tab 4. Select the "refactor" branch Next update will introduce enemy variant selection, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Patch Notes

Additions: - Added the ability to spawn guardians - Added variant selection to the spawn menu UI - Re-Added carriers and dropships - Re-Added tesla's and added new electric bullet effect Changes: - Enemies now take damage when hitting buildings - Divided spawn menu into four categories Fixes: - Fixed turrets firing at enemies outside of range - Fixed turrets from sometimes randomly rapid firing - Fixed enemies sometimes completely stopping Optimizations: - Greatly reduced enemy physic calculations - Greatly reduced bullet physic calculations

[ 2021-09-30 05:28:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Creative - Test Environment | Now Available!

Creative - Test Environment | Now available!

The creative test environment for refactor 3 is now available to play! How to access the test environment 1. Right click on Vectorio in Steam 2. Click on properties 3. Navigate to the betas tab 4. Select the "refactor" branch I will only be announcing this on the Discord for now. A steam announcement will be made soon once the last few missing features are implemented. Please also keep in mind, the entire game has been refactored from the ground up. Although everything looks the same, the core systems are completely different. EXPECT BUGS! (and report them!) What's missing? (coming soon) - Carrier, dropship, and guardian spawning - Enemy variant selection in the inventory menu - Re-implementing custom bullet particles - Re-implementing turret rotation logic - New settings menu and keybindings

Version 0.1.2 - Patch Notes

The first version was released yesterday on our Discord. Here are the patch notes for the latest version. Additions: - Added ability to freeze time - Added back the hotbar - Added back the world border - Added a confirmation screen when quitting Changes: - Improved interface texture quality (WIP) - Removed enemy placement limit Fixes: - Fixed issue with random ghost tiles - Fixed grid system error caused by artillery tiles - Fixed being able to place turret out of bounds - Fixed mute keybind not working Optimizations: - Randomized enemy raycast cooldown variable - Optimized sprite overdraw using custom meshes

[ 2021-09-21 21:23:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Creative | Available tomorrow for Patrons!

Creative is almost here! Starting tomorrow, Patrons will get 1 week early access to Creative. This is an experimental version of the game that only contains creative. Multiple versions of the gamemode will be released throughout the week, with improvements and fixes being introduced for each one. Starting next week, it will be released on a new branch called "Creative [Experimental]". This will only be available for a short amount of time, so if you're interested in testing it out make sure you don't miss it! Once the creative test is over, the first experimental version of Update 3 will follow closely behind. Discord: https://discord.gg/vectorio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vectorio

[ 2021-09-12 21:15:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress Update (Multiplayer, Creative, and more)

Hello again!

It's been a while since the last progress update, so I just wanted to update everyone again on what was accomplished in the last month, and how Update 3 is shaping up. As always if you have any questions, feel free to let me know!

Refactor Progress

This month has been extremely productive for the refactor. I'd say it's now around 60-70% complete, with some of the major underlying problems being fixed. The new building system is very powerful, and is easily one of the biggest improvements in the refactor. A lot of the calculations that went into the old building system have been either completely removed or optimized with this new system. It no longer depends on Unity's physics engine, and instead uses it's own custom tile-based system. Paired with the new scriptable objects, setting up new buildings takes little to no time at all. Another improvement that was made this month was the interface system. Before, the interface had a lot of external script dependencies, which was a huge issue for creating new gamemodes as it required each scene to have numerous scripts active inside of it in order to work. This is obviously stupid, but as I've said before this project is all about learning for me, so the interface has now been remade using (most notably) Unity's event system. Instead of the interface requiring external dependencies (and being an external dependency to other scripts as well), it now uses a new UIEvents script to listen for different events that other scripts can broadcast. This has made working on the game 10x easier for me, and will undoubtedly make modding a lot easier for the community. In addition to this, there has been numerous reworks to other systems throughout the game (such as resources, materials, enemies, world gen, and so on) that not only make the game more stable as a whole, but also make developing new content for the game extremely easy. If you want to hear more about the smaller improvements, make sure to join our Discord! I frequently share progress updates on there that I don't post on Steam, like the new building menu that I shared yesterday (screenshot below)

Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9

Multiplayer progress

Work on multiplayer has progressed quite a bit this month. As I continue to refactor a majority of the core scripts, I am also extending the ones that need to be setup for networking using the Unity asset, Mirror. There isn't too much to say or show right now since actual testing on Multiplayer has not begun, but when it does I will make sure to update everyone on the progress. Expect to see some experimental versions of multiplayer on Steam soon.

Creative / Survival progress

For those of you that don't know, the biggest hurdle to overcome in the refactor was completely redoing the survival script, which has now been fully completed as of last week! The survival script had external dependencies all over the place, and although it wasn't to the extent that the interface script went to, it was still very challenging to fix, ESPECIALLY since a majority of the core methods ran through survival at one time or another. With this now being completed though, progress on the refactor has sped up exponentially! Work on creative has also gotten underway. Although there's still quite a bit to do (especially in regards to saving), the work that needs to be done is relatively easy as compared to survival. I expect to have a prototype of creative ready to go by next week. If you'd like to be one of the first people to test the prototype, consider checking out my Patreon page! Patron's will get 1 week early access to creative once it's finished, so if you're wanting to test it out early, it's a great opportunity to do so and support me at the same time. Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/vectorio That's about all I have for now! Progress is coming along nicely, and hopefully by next month we'll be into the testing stages for Update 3. Thanks for reading! ~ Ben

[ 2021-09-01 16:31:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 | Sneak Peek #02

Update 3 | Sneak Peek #02 I am happy to confirm that creative will be in Update 3! Play around with different defense combinations, spawn massive waves of enemies, create pixel art, fight Guardians, and more! In creative, it's your world. Do whatever you want with everything the game has to offer! (and play it with friends in multiplayer) Patron's get 1 week early access to the mode in a special development build. (date will be announced once the refactor is finished)

[ 2021-08-22 23:55:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 3 | Sneak Peek #01

Update 3 | Sneak Peek #01 Introducing the new Guardian, The Atlas. (WIP) A fully fledged flying machine, The Atlas can deploy fighters to attack your base and use it's turrets to fire back at defenses. The guardian will spawn at 50,000 heat, and must be defeated in order to progress to the chaos enemy variant. It will take everything you have to survive and defeat this Guardian, so prepare your defenses! Note: Design is still a WIP.

[ 2021-08-19 00:43:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress Update (Refactor, Update 3, and more)

Hello everyone! I just wanted to quickly update everyone on the status of Vectorio, (as I do from time to time) and give some more insight into what Update 3 will entail. First off, for those of you that don't know I am currently taking a much needed break from developing Vectorio. I have been updating the game non-stop for almost 2 months straight now, and need some time away from the project to just regather myself and look after my mental health. I will still be very active in the Discord server, Steam community, and GitHub, and hope to be back to updating Vectorio in a couple weeks. As for the state of the game, the refactor is well underway with the turrets (being the largest part) almost completed. I just need to decouple a few more scripts and then re-organize them with interfaces and events. (namely for multiplayer support) Once I am back to updating, this hopefully shouldn't take longer then a week. Once it is complete, regular updates will start happening again. Now for those of you that don't know what the plan is for Update 3, here's the general load down (this is taken directly from the FAQ section on our Discord server): Update 3 will mainly focus on materials and engineering. Essentially, you'll be able to "craft" materials using different buildings. Materials will be used to upgrade your buildings, increasing their overall stats. You'll also be able to unlock engineering blueprints through engineering research (this is different then the normal research tree) which can be used to apply "experimental" modifications to your turrets, making them way more powerful and unique. On top of this, there are plans to add other "dimensions" that you'll be able to go to and setup bases in. They'll provide passive income to your main base, and can unlock the experimental modifications mentioned above by defeating a certain amount of enemies. Once Update 3 is complete, work on Update 4 will begin, which will be mainly focused on mods and multiplayer, as well as tying together the mid-late portion of the game. Once Update 4 is done, work on the full release will begin. I would love to hopefully have the full game finished by 2022, and then continue periodic content updates for it well into the future! In the mean time, I've been dabbling in another project on the side. There's no name for it yet, but essentially it's a survival automation game that takes place on an alien-like planet. Your goal will be to survive the harsh conditions of the planet (including an array of hostile alien species that all want to kill you) and setup a fully-fledged factory. This might sound a lot like another relatively popular factory game, (not naming any names) but this game will go a lot more into the survival aspect. You'll need to manage your oxygen outside of your hab unit, setup communication networks across the planet, scan different life forms to retrieve their bio-data, and more! The game will also be VERY intense, as enemies will be able to permanently damage you by literally ripping off limbs from your body. If this sounds interesting to you, you can check it out here: https://discord.gg/XuZDADZWtn That's it for now! Sorry for the lengthy post, but I just wanted to keep everyone in the loop with whats going on. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to let me know! Thanks for reading! ~ Ben

[ 2021-08-05 05:45:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update Delays (Core Refactor v3)

Hello everyone! I just wanted to quickly update everyone on whats been going on behind the scenes so that there's no confusion surrounding the current state of the game. Right now the game is undergoing a massive core refactor. If you don't know what this is, essentially it's a rewrite to the core of the game. This was done back in Update 1 and in the pre-steam beta, but neither of these are anywhere near as extensive as this 3rd refactor will be. The main reason for this refactor is that the current base code does not support extensive modding or multiplayer. It is also very outdated and inefficient, especially when trying to develop new content. Therefore, over the coming weeks I will be working on rewriting almost every major system in the game to better support modding / multiplayer, and streamline the development process. Unfortunately during this time there will be no updates. I am aware of some of the annoying bugs present in the current version of Update 2, but the core refactor has taken priority over these. (it will also indirectly fix these issues) If you'd like to follow progress, you can check out our public GitHub or Trello board. GitHub: https://github.com/Vitzual/Vectorio Trello: https://trello.com/b/BfiySKBr/vectorio Sorry for the delays, but this is a necessary step to getting mods and multiplayer up and running! (It will also speed up the development process, meaning more frequent updates!) If you have any questions about the refactor, let me know and I will do my best to answer them all. Thanks, ~ Ben

[ 2021-07-23 04:56:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Github now public!

Hello everyone! I have just made the GitHub for Vectorio public! Now anyone can view the source code and contribute to the project. Please read through the README file, and pay special attention to the Core Refactor section, as many changes to the base code are planned over the coming weeks. Update Delays I will be focusing on refactoring a majority of the games base code over the coming weeks, so there will be little to no updates until that is done. Sorry for the long wait, but this is a necessary step in order to make multiplayer and modding as extensible as possible. If you have any questions, please join our Discord. It is the best place to get in touch with me! Github: https://github.com/Vitzual/Vectorio Trello: https://trello.com/b/BfiySKBr/vectorio Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9

[ 2021-07-22 02:24:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 2 | Out Now on Early Access!

[previewyoutube=hbxYdDnN4Vk;full][/previewyoutube]

Update 2 is finally here!

After nearly 3 months of development, Update 2 is officially out on the Early Access branch. To all of those who have helped test the Alpha and Experimental version of the update, thank you! This update would not have been possible without your help. To those that haven't yet experienced the update, I hope you enjoy all that it has to offer. Please remember that because of all the changes Update 2 introduces, Update 1 saves will not work!

Update 2 | Post Update Plans

This is only the start of Update 2. There are still many updates to come over the coming weeks introducing even more new features and content to the game. Here's what these updates will entail... Update v0.2.1 | Bug fix update - July 11th Update v0.2.2 | Fixer drone update - July 13th Update v0.2.3 | Settings update - July 15th And these are updates that are coming, but I'm still not sure as to when or what version it will be in. Update v0.2.x | Experimental mods update Update v0.2.x | Drone configuration update Update v0.2.x | Barracks building update Update v0.2.x | Gameplay modifiers update Once all these updates are implemented and Update 2 is stable, work on Update 3 will begin!

Accessing Experimental Saves

Follow theses steps to bring experimental saves over to the Early Access branch. 1) Navigate to your hidden folders (%appdata%) 2) Find Vectorio (Usually in locallow/vectorio/vectorio) 3) Locate the appropriate save number you want to move over 4) Rename the save to "world_#.save" (where # is the save number) Note: Make sure there are no duplicate save numbers! You can always change it if need be.

Troubles Loading Saves?

Because of the changes in the save structure for Update 2, alongside extension changes, old files may cause the game to bug out when it searches for pre-existing saves. If you are experiencing issues with this, remove the "location.save" and "settings.save" files, as well as any alpha / update 1 saves.

Feedback and Bug Reports

As always, the best place to leave feedback and bug reports is on our Discord. I am very involved with the community on there, so if you have Discord please consider joining it! https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9

[ 2021-07-08 08:55:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Hotfix #008

This update adds further improvements to unlocks and drones. ADDITIONS: - Drone light now changes colors based on the drone inside - Added building health bar support (WIP for Early Access) CHANGES: - Re-enabled starting gold nodes near hub - Changed collectors to mine faster at a lower yield amount BUG FIXES: - Fixed removing buildings not returning resource cost - Fixed dequing buildings not returning resource cost - Fixed the Shotgun's "Destroy 25 Triangles" objective - Fixed spelling mistake on Disintegrator description - Fixer removing drone ports from sometimes taking power - Fixed older saves from not updating bosses properly OPTIMIZATIONS: - Optimized calculations made by builder drones each frame

[ 2021-07-07 04:12:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Hotfix #007

ADDITIONS: - Builder drones now visually carry the building they are placing CHANGES: - Builder drones now consume required resources on deployment - Removing a ghost building refunds the resources if used by a drone BUG FIXES: - Fixed inventory UI from not updating properly - Fixed shotgun unlock being stuck on top left of the screen - Fixed builder drones from sometimes not building - Fixed being able to place down multiple free essential buildings - Fixed multiple builder drones deploying at the same time OPTIMIZATIONS: - Small memory optimization for non-defensive buildings NOTE: Investigation into essence and iridium storages not saving metadata correctly is ongoing. If you experience problems with them, please report it in as much detail as possible. A temporary fix has been implemented in the mean time to prevent saves from soft-locking.

[ 2021-07-06 03:46:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Hotfix #006

This update fixes a few issues with the first version of the new unlock system. BUG FIXES - Fixed drone ports, storages, and collectors from always being free - Fixed inventory UI from not updating properly - Fixed saving and reloading old saves from not updating the save structure properly - Fixed research nulling out when starting new techs

[ 2021-07-05 05:06:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Unlock System Update

--- IMPORTANT ---

To update your saves, load the save, save it, and then restart the game. This update changes the building unlock system to instead be objective-based rather then heat-based. Feedback on this change will be monitored closely, along with any required balance changes. ADDITIONS: - New objective-based unlock system for buildings MODDING: - Modding support added for building unlock system. Not currently implemented. - Modding support added for enemy spawn system. Not currently implemented. CHANGES: - Renamed "Corrupted" enemy variant to "Dark" enemy variant - Storages, collectors, and drone ports will now be free when none on map - Updated save structure for new building unlock system - Added additional logging information while loading saves - Custom errors now log the stack trace in the Player.log file FIXES: - Fixed Guardians not spawning when playing from a fresh save - Fixed Guardians sometimes spawning twice on older saves - Fixed game from not auto saving on fresh saves

[ 2021-07-05 04:34:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Guardian Fix

This is a ghost patch for v0.5 (though I guess not really since I'm announcing it) - The issue was caused by an old naming script, which has now been removed and replaced by an ID based system. The fixes applied in previous patches WERE working, but the naming script was countering them. IMPORTANT: You will have to defeat both guardians again AND save your game for the patch to take effect, since it slightly changes the save system.

[ 2021-07-01 01:04:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Hotfix #005

This update fixes numerous bugs, as well as introduces some large balance changes. BUG FIXES: - Fixed resource drones for essence collectors / storages - Fixed resource drones for iridium collectors / storages - Fixed iridium storages and collectors from not being unlockable - Fixed explosive storages from one-shotting Guardians. - Fixed Phantom Spirits from sometimes not registering when hit - Fixed 2x2 buildings from being placeable outside AOC - Fixed 2x2 buildings from not being pipetted - Fixed Kraken spawning a second time when beneath 25k heat - Fixed Research carrying over between saves - Fixed building menu from opening when the game is paused - Fixed drone ports being clickable when the game is paused - Fixed missing icon for Fusion Reactors - Fixed gold storages not updating correctly from research - Fixed spelling mistake in the Research menu - Fixed a crash that was caused by empty Storages - Fixed a crash that was caused by explosive units - Fixed the off-centered spinner on Shurikens - Fixed resource generation artifact when reloading a save GENERAL CHANGES: - Made Phantom Spirits easier to hit - Disabled explosive damage on bombers (lag inducing / crashes) BALANCE CHANGES: - Drastically lowered the speed of all enemy types - Drastically lowered the health of all saw types - Lowered Phantom Spirit health from 50 to 1 - Lowered Fusion Reactor cost from 1,000,000 to 800,000 - Increased Fusion Reactor output from 10,000 to 25,000 - Increased Disintegrator damage from 250 to 350 - Lowered Artillery cost from 400,000 to 100,000 - Lowered Ripper cost from 800,000 to 400,000

[ 2021-06-30 04:21:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Hotfix #004

Further bug fixes for heat and guardians. Also fixes the Research Tree using an incorrect speed value. BUG FIXES: - Fixed The Kraken from not updating max heat properly - Fixed enemies from not spawning at max heat - Fixed enemies not spawning under previous max heat - Fixed max heat sometimes displaying the wrong value - Fixed research from using a backend debugging value - Fixed research labs from completely stopping research (unless you have 0)

[ 2021-06-29 05:42:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Hotfix #003

This hotfix addresses ongoing issues with Guardians and Research. BUG FIXES: - Fixed Research tree from not appearing or researching techs - Fixed Guardian warnings so they now appear - Fixed Guardian freezing the game after being destroyed - Fixed max heat displaying incorrectly - Fixed Enhancer from not displaying stats properly - Fixed Enhancer from nulling out when near ghost buildings - Fixed Guardian not colliding with buildings - Fixed Buildings not always targetting Guardians CHANGES: - Lowered resource node spawn rate (this will affect old saves) - Enemies will continue spawning after a boss spawns

[ 2021-06-29 03:28:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

v0.2 Experimental | Hotfix #002

This update fixes a ton of different bugs, as well as fixes the empty world glitch. CHANGES: - Re-Enabled Guardian spawning - Added support for metadata saving BUG FIXES: - Fixed worlds from sometimes spawning with nothing - Fixed storages from not properly lowering max gold - Fixed the missing Essence Collector sprite - Fixed the missing Iridium Collector sprite - Fixed drones not saving properly after reloading - Fixed storages not saving properly after reloading - Fixed drones sometimes replacing a port when switching - Fixed pipetting from not working with nothing selected - Fixed locked buildings from being placeable - Fixed enemies not spawning beyond 10,000 heat - Fixed removing buildings from not updating storages - Fixed issues with Guardian hitreg

[ 2021-06-28 21:18:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Experimental | Hotfix #001

This hotfix addresses some of the biggest issues brought up in the first few hours of the experimental version. Note that in this version Guardians have been temporarily disabled, but will be brought back once a permanent solution to their hitreg has been found. BUG FIXES: - Temporarily disabled Guardians (now working on a fix to hitreg) - Fixed drone ports from not having builder drones selected by default - Fixed builder drones from incorrectly displaying the active amount - Fixed pipetting from selecting the wrong building - Fixed builder drones from all activating at once - Fixed storages from not carrying value over from saves - Fixed tutorial from hardlocking some saves - Fixed drones on menu sometimes not activating - Fixed carriers and dropships from destroying buildings far away CHANGES: - Added a display to drone ports so you can visually see their range - Lowered the starting gold storage capacity to 1000 from 2500

[ 2021-06-28 06:15:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Executable fix for Experimental

A hotfix should now be live that fixes the mismatched executables for Windows and Linux. (sorry about that!) If you're still experiencing issues, try removing any saves you may have from the alpha, or verifying the integrity of game files through Steam. Support for Applie Silicon has also been added for MacOS users. ~ Ben

[ 2021-06-28 04:21:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 2 | Out now on Experimental!

Update 2 is finally here!

After the very long wait, Update 2 is finally ready to enter it's last stage of testing on Experimental. Almost all content is now available on the experimental branch, and I'll be working hard over the next 2 weeks to clean up the update so it's ready for the full launch of July 8th! P.S. As I mentioned previously, I will not be doing the full breakdown of the update until July 8th. That includes a trailer, the full patch notes, and more!

How to access the Experimental branch

Right click on Vectorio in your library
Click on "Properties" in the popup window
Navigate to the betas tab in the panel
Click the dropdown and select "Experimental"
Update your game, and you're ready to play!

Reporting bugs If you want to report bugs, please do so in the correct section of the Steam community, or join our Discord and report it there. Bugs are more likely to be fixedwhen they are reported on the Discord. Suggestions and feedback Now's your chance to really give valuable feedback on the update! I will be listening closely to how the community responds to some of the gigantic changes made in Update 2, so if you have any ideas or changes you think would benefit the game, please let me know! Bugs we are aware of There are still a few bugs that I was not able to fix in time but I am aware of. They are as follows...

Guardians clipping through buildings (new hitreg system in progress)
Fixer and combat drones not working (will be enabled when they are)
Resource drones sometimes collecting no gold (AI issue)

[ 2021-06-28 02:42:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 2 | Rollout

Hey everyone! We are now less then 48 hours away from Update 2! However, I just wanted to give a quick update on a sudden last minute change to how the update is gonna rollout. Since Vectorio is currently a free-to-play game, it will not be getting featured at all on the Steam summer sale. Because of this, there will be drastically lowered traffic to Vectorio's store page until the sale is over. Now obviously with Update 2 being such a massive update to the game, I really want to maximize traffic when it launches. So, I will be releasing Update 2 on an "experimental" branch this Sunday (can be accessed in the "betas" tab, same as the alpha), and then the Early Access branch on July 8th. Don't worry though! This will not affect any content in the update. You will still get to experience Update 2 in it's entirety on Sunday, there just wont be any huge announcement or trailer for it until the Steam summer sale is over. If you have any questions about this, feel free to let me know! I will do my best to respond to as many of them as possible. Thanks! ~ Ben

[ 2021-06-25 23:25:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

2021-06-27

[ 2021-06-20 04:53:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 2 | Alpha Closed

The alpha for Update 2 (v0.2) is now closed! Thanks to everyone who has helped test and give feedback on the update, I am very excited to finish it up and release it. Update 2 will release in roughly 1 - 2 weeks, and will be followed by continuous weekly updates until the version is stable enough to begin work on Update 3 (v0.3). Thanks again! ~ Ben

[ 2021-06-07 23:05:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alpha Phase 2 | Hotfix #003

Hey all, The next hotfix is now available, which should clear up a majority of the bugs reported thus far. There's still a few minor issues, like turrets sometimes firing at enemies out of range, but these will be fleshed out by the full release. Thanks again to everyone who's been helping report bugs and give feedback, this update wouldn't be possible without you! ~ Ben OPTIMIZATIONS: - Made a major optimization to rotating objects - Turbines are now affected when disabling rotation - Lowered the amount of enemy calculations made each frame BUG FIXES: - Fixed buildings not being removed when an energizer is destroyed. - Fixed glitched tiles when placing down buildings - Fixed research UI from being movable when not open - Fixed issue with walls not updating properly, leading to visual artifacts - Fixed issue with research not updating gold storages - Fixed issue that would cause gold collectors to soft lock some saves - Fixed enemy outposts from sometimes spawning in the starting area

[ 2021-06-03 00:14:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alpha Phase 2 | Hotfix #002

Hey all! This update addresses most of the major bugs discovered in the first two versions of phase 2. There also some balance changes with drones to make expanding a bit easier. Deets below. P.S. A few bugs still exist; these will be patched in the coming day or two. These are listed below CHANGES: - Added the ability to pipette ghost buildings - Improved turret AI to not re-target when a new enemy gets close - Increases the hitbox size for saws, making them easier to hit - Set proper stats for research labs BALANCE CHANGES: - Lowered the time it takes for drones to redeploy by 50% - Lowered required heat for drone port to 2000 (from 5000) - Increased required heat for enhancer to 5000 (from 2000) - Lowered saw health from 8hp to 5hp - Lowered the spawn rate of almost every enemy by at least 10% BUG FIXES: - Fixed Triangle MK2's from clipping through buildings - Fixed turrets from not targetting Triangle MK2's - Fixed ghost buildings becoming stuck when you have inadequate resources(part 2) - Fixed pipetting sometimes selecting the wrong building - Fixed issue with large buildings not being placeable in some areas - Fixed issue with large buildings being able to overlap - Fixed issue with buildings being placeable on the hub - Fixed issue where drone ports on the hub might be removed - Fixed issue where borders wouldn't change color based on what enemy variant was spawning - Fixed research tree from becoming permanently unavailable when reloading a save - Fixed enemy bases from sometimes spawning on or over the border - Fixed drones from sometimes nulling out and getting stuck in mid air - Fixed collectors from calculating the incorrect resource yield amount IMPORTANT! Some bug fixes didn't make it into this build as they were either incomplete or I still haven't found a viable solution for them. These are as follows... 1. Pipetting buildings will still sometimes select a different building. This is due to the new hitreg system, and fix for it should be out shortly. 2. Walls will still sometimes not update properly. Why this is happening is not known, so if you're able to recreate the issue consistently let me know. 3. Combat drones are still not ready, and thus cannot be selected. The drone UI menu can still also be selected in the settings menu. Both of these should be fixed in the coming days. 4. Enemy defenses will not fire at player-built buildings, or if they do, they sometimes wont stop firing. This is a known issue, and a fix is being worked on for the next update.

[ 2021-05-31 04:04:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alpha Phase 2 | Hotfix #001

- Fixed hitreg issue where buildings would randomly get destroyed - Fixed issue with ghost buildings becoming stuck when you had inadequate resources - Fixed issue with some enemies clipping through certain buildings

[ 2021-05-31 00:43:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2 | Alpha - Phase 2

Hello everyone! The next phase of the alpha is available. This phase focuses on research, as well as some balance changes to the early game. Like with the last phase, this version has had content stripped from it, so you might find portions of the game very boring (namely around then 15,000 - 25,000 heat range) This phase will last about 1 - 2 weeks, and will be the final phase of the alpha.

How to access the alpha branch

1) Find Vectorio in your Steam library 2) Right click and go to properties 3) Navigate to the "betas" tab 4) Opt into the alpha branch, and update your game

Reporting issues & feedback

For this phase, I've created a mega-thread for all feedback and bug reports on the Steam community. Known issues with this update will also be listed there, so make sure to read those! You can also join our Discord community (link in the main menu) to get in touch with both Brett and myself directly. Link: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1462470/discussions/0/3094515496022161805/ Thanks to everyone who's been helping nail down issues with 0.2! You've been a huge help, and this update wouldn't be possible without you! Cheers, ~ Ben

[ 2021-05-30 22:43:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Alpha Phase 1 | Hotfix #001

This hotfix addresses some of the initial bug reports for the first phase of Alpha. - Fixed tiles becoming "unbuildable" when removing or pipetting ghost buildings - Fixed buildings being placeable on top of the hub by dragging over it - Fixed ghost buildings not being removed when a nearby energizer is destroyed - Fixed enemy bases spawning at inconsistent rates throughout different preset difficulties - Fixed drone hubs not being placeable when selected from the hotbar - Fixed number of available drones sometimes displaying incorrectly

[ 2021-05-24 22:59:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Vectorio - Alpha v0.2 | Phase 1 Available!

Hello everyone! It's time to kick v0.2 into action with the first alpha phase! For those of you that don't know, I've decided to release 3 alpha phases of 0.2 to test some of the new systems. Since these new systems will greatly impact the game, I want to make sure they're all working properly before releasing the full update.

Phase 1 - Drones & World Generation

The first of the three phases is specifically designed to test the new drone system and new world gen system. Heat has been capped at 10k, and some buildings / new content has been stripped from this version. This phase will last roughly 3-5 days.

How to access the alpha branch

1) Find Vectorio in your Steam library 2) Right click and go to properties 3) Navigate to the "betas" tab 4) Opt into the alpha branch, and update your game

Reporting issues & feedback

To keep things organized, all issues and feedback will be handled through a temporary google doc. Please reports issues you find either on the community hub or on our Discord. Please try your best to avoid duplicate reports by checking the Google doc regularly. Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eF9_MvtHFT73si-iGDMrW0r8kE0l9kAnYTEuIrC7Sg4/edit?usp=sharing

[ 2021-05-24 21:33:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2 | Status

Just wanted to give a quick update on the status of v0.2! The update is nearly complete, with research and world generation being the two major components still unfinished. There's a few other minor things like UI and a few models for new buildings that also need to be completed, but these wont take very long to put together. However, as much as I would like to just focus on getting it done, I also have other things (namely work) that have sort of taken over my time. Thus, I'm predicting that the alpha version of the update will be ready in about 1-2 weeks, and not this weekend. I don't want to rush the last bit of the update as there are some major changes that will greatly impact the feel of the game. This is most likely going to be one of the biggest updates Vectorio will ever have, so I want to make sure that all the new components and changes are up to par. I'll be releasing a final sneak peek soon which will give a more in-depth look at some of the new systems, including some new buildings that weren't outlined in the original plans for v0.2. There will also be a trailer for this update as well. Thank you all for waiting patiently, I know everyone is looking forward to the update! ~ Ben

[ 2021-05-01 18:54:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2 | Sneak Peek #02

Introducing the newly redesigned and upgraded hub! (WIP) In v0.2, construction is now handled completely by drones. You'll have to queue buildings you want placed instead of just instantly placing them, which means you'll have drones right from the start. However, you only have access to a few drones, and they'll be very slow / weak, so upgrading them and building more drone ports throughout your base will be a must if you wish to expand quickly.

[ 2021-04-18 16:46:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2 | Sneak Peek #01

Introducing the Research Lab, a new building coming in Update v0.2! The Research Lab is the backbone of the new research system, which adds a plethora of new technologies to discover, including the addition of Tier II and Tier III buildings. Researching new techs has also been changed to now consume a certain amount of gold / essence / iridium per second until the tech is researched.

[ 2021-04-14 20:35:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.2 | Plans, Release Date, and more!

Hey everyone!

We are now starting to get into development for v0.2 of Early Access. We have some big new additions that we've been wanting to introduce, as well as some fairly large changes to pre-existing systems based off the user feedback we've received so far. This post will go over some of the plans in detail, but by no means is a full list of the new features coming in v0.2. So, let's get started! P.S. Apologies for the lengthy post, but we wanted to discuss everything in detail. If you're looking for a TL;DR, check the discussion comments!

New Additions

First lets start off with what we'll be adding in v0.2 [olist]

Drones & Drone Hubs

This wont come as a surprise for anyone who's been chatting on the Discord server, but v0.2 will be largely focused on drones. Drone Hub's can be setup to produce different types of drones and automatically deploy them into your drone network. Here are the different types of roles that can be assigned to drones in the initial release...

Fixer Drone: Seeks out damaged buildings and automatically repairs them.

Attack Drone: Hunts down enemies and fires at them until destroyed.

Resource Drone: Extracts resources from untapped nodes around the map.

Engineer Drone: Applies experimental modifications to turrets you assign them.

World Generation

That's right, we are completely scrapping the old world generation algorithm. We find maps often look "messy" and are extremely inconsistent in the amount of resources that are available. This change will ensure that with the limited map size, you'll have the exact amount of resources and space needed to obtain everything in the game (and also just look better as well)

New Buildings

We recently held a vote on our Discord server to see what buildings the community would be interested in seeing next. The end result was a majority vote for the Astral Projector and Power Cell, so they will now be added in this update! On top of this, we'll also be adding in the Artillery Cannon and Resource Trader. Although these two fell just shy of winning the majority vote, we feel they could both serve a very important role in the game. More info on all the new buildings below.

Astral Projector: Fires multiple small heat-seeking bullets. Like a sprayer that never misses!

Power Cell: Distributes additional power to nearby defenses, increasing their firerate and damage.

Artillery Cannon: Fires long range projectiles that deal massive explosive damage on impact.

Resource Trader: Convert one type of resource into another. Can be automated via drones and storages.

We also have one other building being added in this update that we've never talked about, but will keep it a secret since we don't want to spoil the surprise!

New Enemies

We'll be introducing two new enemies in this update, as well as a new enemy variant. On top of this, the next guardian, The Kraken, will be available in v0.2 at 20,000 heat. We wont give any more info on this though since we want you to experience the new guardian for yourself in game when the update drops! [/olist] So those are all the big additions coming in v0.2 - there's a lot of other smaller things we're planning on adding, but since we can't really predict exactly what these will entail quite yet, we wont be discussing them publicly until closer to the update. So, moving on the big changes coming in v0.2!

Upcoming Changes

We have some big changes coming in v0.2, some of which we haven't fully discussed yet. Here's what the plans are for these... [olist]

Resource Management

By far the biggest change in 0.2 is the changes to the resource management system. We want to make the process of obtaining resources a bit more complex whilst keeping that simplistic feel to it. So, we'll be adding in a new building called the Resource Connector (name subject to change). The idea behind this is sort of like power lines but for resources. You place down a Resource Connector near your mines to create a connection to them, and then run that connection to wherever you have your storages placed. This will create an entire resource web, where mines will require a connection to an available storage in order to actually produce stuff. We are still in the planning stages of this new system, but this is the general idea we're going for. If we notice in testing that it ruins the simple feeling of the game, we'll make sure to update you all that this change will either be implemented differently, or not at all.

Power Limits

The next biggest change will be to power limits. Currently when you reach max power, nothing happens and the game just stops you from placing additional buildings. In 0.2, we'll be switching this out for the blackout system, where if you exceed maximum power your entire base will shut offline. This will also be accompanied by new changes to the Energizer and AOC system, where buildings that lose connection from an Energizer will now go offline instead of just being destroyed.

Engineering

Another big change will be to engineering, in that it will be removed and completely redone from the ground up. In the current version it doesn't feel all that intuitive and is very confusing as to how it works, so in 0.2 engineering will be done through drones. You will be able to apply and strip components from different buildings to get them just how you want.

Minor changes

On top of the big changes we've mentioned, there are A LOT more small changes that we wont be talking about until closer to the release of 0.2 (these include balance changes, bug fixes, and other small changes). This is simply because we don't know exactly what these changes will be, and how many we'll end up making, but do expect their to be a lot of these, especially in the 15,000 - 30,000 heat range. [/olist]

The Future

So, before we wrap this up, we just wanted to discuss plans for the future. As of right now, we have a rough idea of what the end goal is going to be, and how much content we actually want to put into the main game until branching off into the other stuff like additional modes, mod support, multiplayer, and so on. Our rough estimate is that we have about 10-15% of the main game (that being adventure mode) done at this point, but of course that's just a rough number, and our priorities for the game will definitely change over time. With that being said, we want to try and get out of Early Access by Fall, and hopefully start implementing multiplayer around that time as well. As for when you can expect v0.2, the honest answer is we don't know, but we expect around 2-4 weeks. It all depends on how fast we're able to put together these new systems, and how much we end up actually adding / changing. When the update drops though, it will be available on an experimental branch first before coming to early access. Anyways, that's all we have for now. We'll try to release a few devlogs over the coming weeks to keep everyone up to date with the latest progress on v0.2. Until next time! ~ Ben & Brett

[ 2021-04-04 02:26:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.1.6 | Hotfix #006

Hey everyone! Quite a few changes this update. We weren't going to do a v0.1.6, but since there was quite a few things we wanted to address / fix we thought it best to release it now and not in a week or two's time when v0.2 (the drone update) is ready. Here are the details... NEW ADDITIONS: - Added support for Drone logic (0.2) - Added note about hotkey assigning on the menu UI - Added option to toggle off the rotation of spinning objects. GENERAL CHANGES: - Updated model and shaders for essence storage - Removed question marks from unassigned hotbar slots BALANCE CHANGES: - Lowered Pulser damage from 150 to 120 - Increased wall health from 50 to 100 - Increased Minigun cost from 100,000 to 120,000 - Decreased Minigun damage from 120 to 100 - Decreased Tesla damage from 200 to 180 - Lowered Radiator cost from 25,000 to 20,000 - Lowered Radiator power from 45 to 20 - Lowered Radiator heat generation from 350 to 250 - Increased Ranger cost from 2500 to 3500 - Lowered Sprayer heat from 60 to 45 - Lowered Sprayer power from 55 to 40 - Increased Sprayer damage from 1 to 2 - Lowered Energizer power from 80 to 65 - Lowered Corrupted Saw heath from 40 to 30 - Increased Corrupted Carrier health from 600 to 800 - Lowered Phantom Dropship move speed from 7 to 6 BUG FIXES: - Fixed early access notification not appearing on menu - Fixed display value for the hub research upgrade - Fixed spelling mistake on contaminated bullets description - Fixed new save button not appearing when deleting a save at max - Fixed epilepsy warning from being slightly off center OPTIMIZATIONS: - Optimized late game targetting issues with the Sunbeam. - Toggling off rotating objects will GREATLY increase performance on big bases

[ 2021-03-31 05:52:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.1.5 | Ghost Patch

Hey everyone! We've applied a ghost patch to v0.1.5 (which I guess isn't really a "ghost" patch since we're talking about it) which just fixes a few minor issues and balances out a few things. We didn't feel that this was a big enough change to warrant an entire new version, so we'll be sticking with v0.1.5 for the time being. BUG FIXES - Fixed issue where Turbines / Solar could create infinite power wells - Fixed issue where Turbines / Solar weren't placeable at max power - Fixed group spawning issue where triangles would take off from the group BALANCE CHANGES - Increased Cooler cost from 8000 to 16000 - Increased Cooler power consumption from 60 to 65 - Decreased Radiator power consumption from 65 to 45 - Decreased Radiator cost from 35,000 to 25,000

[ 2021-03-29 05:32:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.1.5 | Hotfix #005

Hey Everyone! In this update we've added multi saving support, along with a new building, new notification system, and plenty more fixes / balance changes. This will (hopefully) be the last hotfix for v0.1.5, and unless any major issues come up with it, we will be starting the first major content update for the game! Anyways, here's the patch notes... ADDITIONS: - Added multi saving (can currently support up to 10 saves) - New building, Radiator. Does the opposite of what coolers do. - New menu mode selector (in preparation for additional modes) - Added a notification when you're out of resources, power, or heat BALANCE CHANGES: - Lowered the late game research prices - Slightly increased the size of all group spawns - Changed Easy starting gold from 25,000 to 10,000 - Changed Easy starting power from 10,000 to 5,000 - Increased Minigun cost from 80,000 to 100,000 - Lowered Ranger rotation speed from 80 to 70 - Lowered Ranger firerate from 1.5s to 2s - Increased Cooler power usage from 50 to 60 - Increased Cooler cost from 6000 to 8000 - Increased Enhancer cost from 7500 to 15000 - Lowered Essence collector heat output from 20 to 15 - Increased Turbine cost from 20,000 to 25,000 - Lowered Corrupted Bomber heatlh from 60 to 20 - Lowered Corrupted Bomber MK2 health from 60 to 50 - Lowered Phantom Bomber health from 150 to 100 - Lowered Phantom Bomber MK2 health from 250 to 150 - Lowered Corrupted Saw health from 30 to 25 - Lowered Phantom Saw health from 120 to 100 OPTIMIZATIONS: - Rotating components are now set to use a master script - Enemy scanner now has an turret pool to reference from - Began support for enemy pooling (this will be the big optimization for 0.2) BUG FIXES: - Fixed issue where enemies would randomly stop moving after hitting a building

[ 2021-03-28 01:07:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.1.4 | Hotfix #004

Hey everyone! This next update addresses a few more bugs, and reworks the spawning system to decrease the constant spawn amount but increase the size of group spawning. This should allow for a more methodical approach to expanding, but will most likely need to be fine tuned over multiple updates to get the system feeling just right. Here's all the details... ADDITIONS: - Added wave spawning and lowered constant spawn rate by 60% - Added a custom cursor to replace the default cursor ADJUSTMENTS: - Adjusting sound effects now also effects the menu buttons - Lowered gold storage shader intensity when viewed from a distance BALANCE CHANGES: - Increased Pulser damage from 40 to 150 - Lowered shotgun bullet amount from 8 to 6 - Increased chiller bullet lifetime by 0.3s - Lowered enemy ranger range from 100 to 80 - Removed piercing from enemy rangers BUG FIXES: - Fixed issue where settings wouldn't save correctly on the UI - Fixed issue where essence drills wouldn't become de-enhanced

[ 2021-03-25 23:39:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.1.3 | Hotfix #003

Hey everyone! We are getting closer and closer to how we want the beginning of the game to feel. We'll most likely have one more hotfix, and then the next content update will get under way. We're hoping to incorporate some new changes to resources, namely essence, and making the process of obtaining it a bit more complex rather then just slapping down a drill and storage. But more on that later, here's what's in this hotfix! ADJUSTMENTS: - Clarified the Turbine description to be more concise - Clarified the Energizer description to be more concise - Lowered the intensity of Area Cooler's shaders BALANCE CHANGES: - Increased Nightmare starting gold to 10,000 - Increased Nightmare starting power to 5,000 - Increased Nightmare resource spawn rates BUG FIXES: - Fixed iridium from not properly adding to iridium storages - Removing Area Cooler's now updates your heat properly - Removing Chillers now updates your heat properly - You can now place buildings with negative heat at max heat - Fixed the placement animation playing on load - Fixed Engineers and Enhancers from being placeable outside of the AOC OPTIMIZATIONS: - Optimized turret targetting. Once again, this optimization will be VERY noticeable in the late game. - Offset collector mining rate to disperse calculations when loading a save

[ 2021-03-25 05:21:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.1.2 | Hotfix #002

Hey all! This update introduces a bunch of QOL features, as well as optimized turret targeting which should fix any frame drops some players were experiencing. ADDITIONS: - Added auto saving to the game (Note that this isn't toggleable in this version, but will be in v0.1.3) - Added controls menu overview (not modifiable atm) - Added a resource popup when adding / removing buildings - Added the ability to ransack gold from enemy mines - Added a visible radius to enhancers and engineers - Added a small animation for enhanced resource extractors ADJUSTMENTS: - Added a pipette sound which also plays an animation on the building - Lowered the volume of the UI buttons by 50% BALANCE CHANGES: - Increased Tesla damage from 80 to 250 - Increased Flamethrower damage from 20 to 100 - Increased Minigun damage from 35 to 150 - Lowered Phantom Carrier health from 2,500 to 1,800 - Lowered Phantom Dropship health from 20,000 to 12,000 - Increased gold yield research upgrade from 1 to 5 - Changed gold collector growth tree to lower default rate but increase enhanced and researched rates OPTIMIZATIONS: - Optimized enemy targeting. This is a VERY substantial optimization, so if you were experiencing frame drops before this update, this should fix it quite nicely.

Important Note

We released a version of 0.1.2 earlier which contained a massive oversight with the auto save mechanic. If you have this version, the auto save feature will not work, even when it says it does. This has now be fixed in a silent patch, so make sure you have the most recent up to date version.

[ 2021-03-24 06:11:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update v0.1.1 | Hotfix #001

Hey everyone! After a very successful launch day, we're happy to release the first hotfix for the game! This update will patch critical game breaking bugs, namely resources disappearing when clicking the warning button, and The Revenant not spawning on fresh saves. We've also made some pretty large late-game balance changes, as we found the 15,000+ heat range to be far too difficult. All the details are below. ADDITIONS: - Added pipetting via the middle mouse button - Added a boss bar to visibly show each bosses health - Added a new interactive tutorial to better help new players ADJUSTMENTS: - Changed inventory to close after selecting an object - Lowered music volume and slightly increased turret sounds BUG FIXES: - Fixed resources and border from disappearing when clicking the warning button - Fixed The Revenant from clipping into buildings and not destroying them - Fixed The Revenant from not spawning when playing from a fresh save - Fixed coolers from creating an infinite heat drain when adding / removing them - Fixed turrets from turning around when targetting an enemy directly in front of them BALANCE CHANGES: - Lowered Turbine cost from 25,000 to 20,000 - Lowered Turbine heat production from 60 to 50 - Lowered Minigun cost from 100,000 to 80,000 - Increased Minigun damage from 10 per bullet to 25 per bullet - Decreased Tesla cost from 250,000 to 120,000 - Lowered Corrupted Carrier health from 800 to 600 - Lowered Corrupted Dropship health from 5,000 to 3,500 - Lowered Corrupted Bomber MK2 health from 80 to 60 - Lowered Corrupted Speeder health from 15 to 10 - Lowered Phantom Carrier health from 6,000 to 2500 - Lowered Phantom Dropship health from 50,000 to 20,000 - Lowered Phantom Speeder health from 40 to 30

[ 2021-03-23 06:03:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Vectorio - Early Access | Out Now!

Vectorio is now out on Steam for everyone to play! This is the first version of the game, and we plan to release lots of updates over the coming weeks to address any issues that pop up before we start releasing more content for the game. If you experience any issues or have any suggestions, join our Discord! Link: https://discord.gg/hnMQtRpJfN

[ 2021-03-22 19:01:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dev Update #002

Hey everyone! We are now one week away from launch, and we've been hard at work getting ready for the first public Steam release. Here's what we've been up to...
Version 0.6 is now in testing! Our biggest update is now available to be tested from our Discord (link below) - this version will be closely tied to the first public Steam release, so if you've wishlisted the game and want to test the game before it comes out, join our Discord! What's new in 0.6?

Added the difficulty selector menu
Added new turret, Flamethrower
Added new turret, Minigun
Added new turret, Sunbeam
Added new building, Engineer
Added new building, Solar Panel (placeholder art)
Added new building, Area Cooler
Added new building, Energizer
Added new building, Gold Storage
Added new building, Essence Container (placeholder art)
Added new building, Iridium Purifier
Added new building, Iridium drill
Added new enemy, Speeder
Added optional tutorial sequence
Implemented new hit detection system
Implemented new enemy movement system
Implemented new bullet movement system
Added custom difficulty support
Added unlimited save support
Added multi-engineering support
And more!

Resource Storages In order to try and counter AFKing for long periods of time, we've implemented the new (somewhat controversial) storage system. You'll need to continue expanding your storage array to hold more of each resource. We're trying to find a good balance between keeping Vectorio a somewhat idle game but also making sure that idling isn't extremely overpowered, especially in the mid - late game portion. Iridium Refinement This update also adds in iridium refinement. Iridium is used in the engineer to unlock and apply experimental modifications to defences and buildings.

New hit detection (experimental) We're introducing a new hit detection and enemy movement system this update. This update removes physics based components from enemies and bullets, and instead replaces it with our own system that handles the movement and collision detection of each individual object through a master script. This system is FAR more optimized, which should lower the lag issues some players were experiencing in the mid - late game portion of the game. This also gives us more control over how we want enemies and bullets to behave on an object-to-object basis.

Engineering Modifications We've just added support for multi-engineering modifications, essentially allowing for experimental modifications of pre-existing turrets. We can also use this in the future to allow players to create their own turrets, and possibly share them on the community workshop! (but more on this later) Additional plans Below is a list of the other plans we have for the game, some of which may even be implemented into the first public Steam version!

Different modes beyond just Survival and Creative
Multiplayer PvP (this will most likely be 1.0)
Adding bosses to survival as a transitioning stage between enemy variants
Workshop support for custom maps, challenges, and buildings
And more!

Want to get in on development? Vectorio is meant to be a collaborative projects not only between the devs, but the community as well. The goal is to work together to create a fun simple game to pass the time on for fans of the base-building / survival genre. If you have ideas, want to help test out dev builds, or just want to chat with the community, join our Discord! This is where all of our main discussions take place. Discord link: https://discord.com/invite/auDgRJqtT9 Don't have Discord? We now also have a Reddit page and Fandom page! Links below to both Reddit page: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vectorio/ Fandom page: https://vectorio.fandom.com/wiki/Vectorio_Wiki That's all we have for this update. Next week we'll have our first major update that will detail everything in the game (as well as a trailer) when the game releases to the public. Thanks for reading! ~ Ben

[ 2021-03-14 21:40:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dev Update #001

Hello everyone! Recently we've only been releasing updates on our Discord server (link can be found below), but I was just made aware that there are also quite a few people poking around on here as well. Our plan was to start releasing regular updates on Steam once the game was officially out in Early Access, but we'll start doing so now to keep everyone up to date on what's being added. So, with that being said, where are we at exactly? The game is currently in version 0.5.4 (this is NOT the early access version), and we've just released our 9th development build available for everyone to try out. (can be found on our Discord) Here's some updates on what this update entails: New features

Tripled the total map size
Redid research tree UI and logic
New building, Tesla tower
New building, Turbines
New enemy, Hives (spawns naturally)
New enemy variant, Dark Shapes (picture below)
Changed the way unlocking buildings work (now uses heat)
Increased all resources spawning rate
Hotbar assigning via inventory menu
Added settings menu (currently doesn't save)
Added multi save support
Brand new UI (everything changed)
Enemies now get saved when saving

Balance changes

Increased starting gold to 10,000
Increased available starting power to 5000
Decreased Ranger turn speed by 20%
Decreased Ranger fire rate by 60%
Increased Ranger damage by 150%
Increased Sprayer range by 50%
More listed on our GitHub (full list will be available every update from here on out)

Bug fixes

Too many to list. Assume most, if not all bugs from 0.4.5 are fixed.

New enemy variant, Dark Shapes

So, when will we release on Steam? Currently we're just in the middle of adding logistic buildings to the game. Essentially what this is are buildings like conveyors, processors, storages, etc. In the current version of the game, the middle of your base quickly becomes desolate as your front line is all that matters. By adding logistics, you'll have the inside of your base be more geared towards the factory-like buildings, while the exterior of your base will remain plastered with as many defenses as your heart desires. The planned release date at this moment in time is early March, but of course this date can change dependent on the state the game is in. We don't want to rush anything, but do want to get the game out sooner then later so we can start including the community more in the development stages of the game. As mentioned, we'll start releasing regular development updates on here from now on. But I also recommend you join our discord with the link below (it's a great way to get in touch with us!) Discord link: https://discord.com/invite/auDgRJqtT9 Thanks for reading! - Ben

[ 2021-02-17 01:22:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Vectorio - Official Discord

Want to share your ideas, test development builds, and become a part of the community? Consider joining our discord! Link: https://discord.com/invite/auDgRJqtT9

[ 2020-11-05 18:53:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Vectorio - Early Access

Ben Nichols Developer

Ben Nichols Publisher

2021-03-22 Release

Indie Strategy Singleplayer EA Tags

Game News Posts: 74

🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse

Very Positive (1463 reviews)

Steam Store

Public Linux Depots:

Vectorio (Linux) [415.59 M]

What is Vectorio?

Vectorio is a simplistic survival base-building game where the objective is to claim resources you find around the map and use them to research new powerful weapons and technology. Use your new tech to survive, expand, and defeat all six guardians and put an end to the onslaught of enemy shapes!

There's more to your base then just the defensive side though. You'll need to carefully plan out not only the design of your front line, but the logistics side of your base as well. Careful power management and building placement is essential if you want to avoid your base running out of power and getting overrun!

Join the community!

Want to help take part in Vectorio's development, and change the future of the game for everyone? Consider joining our developer run discord server! You'll be able to vote on upcoming features, test features before they get officially released, and make / contribute concepts of your own!

What is in the Early Access version?

Survival mode
Expand your base and defeat all six Guardian boss battles!
Creative mode
Build the base of your dreams and spawn in your own enemies.

What will be in the full version?

Wave survival
Survive increasingly difficult waves of enemy shapes.
Challenge scenarios
Put your best base design layouts to the test in challenges!
Multiplayer PvE mode
Fight with other players against increasingly difficult waves!
Multiplayer PvP mode
Four corners, four players. Last one standing wins.
Unlockable skins
Give your turrets some style with unlockable cosmetics!

MINIMAL SETUPOS: Ubuntu 12.04 or later
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6320Memory: 2 GB RAM
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: GeForce 7600 GS or equivalent
Storage: 512 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Requirements may differ slightly in future updates

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