v0.2 - Jam Version Fixes

After releasing the original version of our game for the jam, we worked on ironing out bugs and fixing design oversights. The game was too difficult, as the rust was far too fast, and many players struggled with the tutorial. We've rebalanced the game, slowed down the rust, and reworked the tutorial. Having finished this version, we can now set our sights on the next major update where we flesh out the ideas from this jam version. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the game!

Factory

• Hyperdrive energy requirement increased to 20,000 J
• Solar Panel cost decreased, power output increased
• Generator power generation decreased, fuel efficiency increased
• Corrosion dynamo power generation decreased
• Railmaker cost decreased
• Repair node range increased, speed decreased
• Initial factory setup reworked: player starts with railmaker, has to make their own refinery
• Output slots are now configured via the configuration menu and have a buffer option, such that they will only output items after reaching the amount specified
• Storage output behavior reworked so that items are extracted one at a time, allowing far more player control and making them more intuitive
• Block HP rebalanced slightly. Generators should last longer now
• Machines no longer accept items while processing

Tutorial

• Tutorial largely rewritten to be less text, more concise and comprehensible. Now only two parts rather than 4
• Starting segment reworked: players will roll up to a stopping point, receive an introductory tutorial, then they will continue up to some metal ore and receive further instruction on how to operate the factory
• Arrows added to progress the tutorial back and forth
• Skip button added

UI/Visual

• Speedometer reworked entirely, replaced with a sliding bar
  • Input controls the amount of energy used for speed rather than directly controlling speed
• Configuration menu added to replace filtering UI, aiming to be more intuitive and less problematic
• Build Menu
  • Block descriptions in the building menu rewritten, and they no longer go off the screen
  • Blocks now show up as red or green, depending on whether the player can afford them
• Pause menu
  • Now features an autopause option which will pause the game while in menus.
  • Can now be opened using the escape key
  • Screen darkens while paused
  • Fixed some pausing consistency bugs
  • Now has a background
• Conveyor now more clearly shows the direction of item movement while building using two bright arrows
• Clicking the arrows that move the camera toward the rust or the factory no longer causes issues while zoomed in
• Mining laser animation reworked, now has cool visuals on ores
• Intro background recolored using game palette
• Rust texture on generator fixed
• Endscreen now has a background

Audio

• Initial music volume decreased - players can increase it in the pause menu
• Music looping bug fixed, new song added
• Minor SFX bugs fixed, all should now respond properly to user changing volume in pause menu
• SFX added to pause menu and endscreen

Rust

• Rust max speed reduced - the initial version was far too difficult
  • To counterbalance this slightly, rust now starts a bit faster
• Objects below the rust wave now culled for better performance