Coffee Stain Studios has released the first major update for its co-op sci-fi factory building sim Satisfactory, with enhancements and additions including conveyor lifts that greatly simplify the process of moving stuff from down to up (and vice versa) and new Quartz and Sulfur research chains and milestones that enable new exploration and equipment options.
"We've got a lot of new features coming to Satisfactory, and one of them is actually good," Coffee Stain community manager Jace says in the update video. "But before we get into that, I want to say a huge thank-you for the response from the community, all nine of you—a lot of you are playing the game and giving amazing feedback, thank you so much for that. Some of you do hate the game, and I just want you to know that we do hear you, and we hate you too."
The biggest addition in this update are conveyor lifts, which will reduce the need for complicated, janky conveyor belt "spaghetti" in your factories. "Verticality is the new black, so we’ve been working hard on a streamlined, efficient way of transporting goods along the y-axis," Coffee Stain explained. "They take less space, less effort, and definitely require less overheating from your poor computer."
Detailed patch notes are available at satisfactorygame.com, but these are the highlights:
- Quarts and Sulfur milestones and research chains - opens up a host of new possibilities concerning exploration and equipment for your Pioneer.
- Conveyor Lifts - vertically transfer items from one conveyor belt to another. No more overly complicated, inefficient and messy conveyor belt spirals.
- The Explorer - high-speed vehicle, the Explorer is outfitted with cutting edge tire technology that allows it to scale virtually vertical surfaces.
- Nobelisk detonator - redesign the planetary landscape and expose valuable resources.
- Ingame Map - enjoy revealing the game map via exploration and the Radar Tower.
- RIFLE MK1 - no alien life will survive an encounter, not now that you’ve got access to the brand-new actually-intended-to-kill-stuff FICSIT rifle.
- Tool belt - Hold multiple items at once that you can switch between with ease.
Coffee Stain is also opening localization to the community, so any players who want to contribute to translation efforts can do so, and it's making some changes to its Early Access roadmap: This update had originally been slated for the end of April, and Update 2, which had been set to arrive at the end of May, is now expected at the end of June instead.
"If you follow the industry there have been many people reporting bad working conditions where the developers are expected to crunch. A lot. And even if it wasn’t mandatory we did work lots of overtime ourselves before the release to be able to deliver the best experience possible," Coffee Stain wrote in a blog post. "It did take its toll as well, as many in the team were in dire need of some time off coupled with just letting life catch up again. This is the first game we release in Early Access and we are learning the ropes as we go. "
"We’re still figuring out our update schedule and how often we can and should update the game. Our road map will never be any hard promises or deadlines but a way for us to communicate our ambitions and plans. But believe me when I say that every member here is working hard to deliver what we’ve said."
