[PATCH NOTES] Patch 1.4 - The Final Update.

Hi, GoragarX here.

First, apologies for the delays. It’s been… rough, and I haven't had time to finish the update, even though it was 90% complete since August. But the update is finally here!

Also, I made a Discord server. Join now! https://discord.gg/rvBNRCjBm7

Summary

The goal of this patch is to deliver a final, definitive update to A Better Tomorrow that directly addresses the game's main issues. Essentially, more thinking, less clicking. There's more context about this patch in the prior post.

There’s quite a lot of content in this update! So let's get rolling!

New Features

[NEW] Endless Challenge

Challenge description: It’s showtime! The challenge never ends in this arcade-style mode. Push your strategy to the limit, see how long you can last, and obtain the highest score. After day 7, no new towns appear, but existing towns demand more energy. In Endless, all weathers from all the different game modes are available.

Challenge features:

• The game doesn’t finish on the 7th day; it keeps going! After day 7, no towns will appear, but existing towns will increase their energy demand exponentially.

• All weathers enabled, including fog.

• Online leaderboard. Who will claim the #1 spot?

• The score is based on multiple factors, including days survived, trees planted, energy generated, and more.

  

[NEW] Upgrade System

How upgrades work:

When you click any structure, a small “Upgrade!” pop-up will appear. By clicking the pop-up, you can access the structure's upgrade panel and spend energy to power up your town or generator. Upgrades can affect the structure's stats (such as energy generated/requested) and introduce new mechanics, adding depth to gameplay.

All upgrades will be listed below.

Solar Panel

• Bifacial Panels (15 Energy): Panels capture light on both sides, generating energy from reflections. This increases energy generated by 10%.

• Rotating Mounts (15 Energy) Solar panels rotate to follow the sun, maintaining optimal orientation. This reduces their production rate by 1 s.

Windmill

• Avian Amigo (20 Energy): Paint one blade black to make the turbine more bird-friendly. This restores 70% of this structure’s environmental impact.

• XXL Blades (80 Energy): Install longer blades, capturing more wind energy. This increases energy produced by 10% and doubles efficiency in windy weather

Dam

• Fish Friend (30 Energy): Replace standard turbines with Alden turbines. This restores 80% of the environmental impact.

• Sediment Control (90 Energy): Apply technologies to manage sediment buildup in the reservoir, improving dam efficiency. This reduces the production rate by 5 s and increases energy produced by 20%.

Gas Plant

• CSS (50 Energy): Install a Carbon Capture and Storage system, reducing the plant’s pollution by 50% at the cost of -10 energy per cycle.

• Combined Cycle (100 Energy):Reuse excess heat to generate even more energy with a second steam turbine, increasing energy production by 30%.

Nuclear Plant

• Molten Salt (120 Energy): Use molten salts instead of water for cooling, increasing efficiency and safety. This reduces the production rate by 8 s.

• Reprocessing (100 Energy): Extract unused uranium from spent fuel, reducing the nuclear waste produced and increasing generated energy by 10%.

Nuclear Silo

• Increase Capacity I/II/III (50/75/100 Energy): The silo is expanded, increasing its waste storage capacity.

• Bury Waste (120 Energy): Bury nuclear waste in specialized underground facilities, emptying the silos. This upgrade can be purchased infinitely.

Town

• Self-Sufficient (0 Energy): If possible, this population will automatically drain energy. Clicking on it is not required. (Check the prior post’s section “Understood, you don't like to click.” for more context about this upgrade).

• Electrify Transport (110 Energy): Replace old diesel cars with electric cars, reducing energy consumption by 10%.

• Urban Green Spaces (100 Energy): Build parks and gardens, healing the environment by 20.

• Offpeak Pricing (50 Energy): At night, -20% energy demand. During the day, +10%

• Rainwater Harvesting (50 Energy): Implement systems to collect rainwater, reducing potable water consumption. This structure becomes efficient in rainy weather.

• Solar Rooftops (60 Energy): Install solar panels on building rooftops. This structure becomes efficient in sunny weather.

• Sustainable Tax Incentives (60 Energy): For each environmental upgrade this population has, its energy demand decreases by 2%.

• Thermal Insulation (120 Energy): Improve the thermal insulation of homes, increasing their energy efficiency. This reduces consumption by 20% and the structure is no longer inefficient during snowstorms.

City

• All town upgrades

• Cyclist City (180 Energy): Invest in bicycle infrastructure, eliminating the need for motorized vehicles. This heals the environment by 10 and reduces the city’s energy consumption by 20%.

• Generational Shift (200 Energy): Green policies are catching on among the youth! The longer this upgrade is active, the lower the energy consumption will be. (-0.5 Energy per hour)

[NEW] Weather Queue

Another change aimed at elevating the strategy aspect of the game: the weather now uses a queue. Previously, the weather was randomly selected at the start of each new day. Now, all weathers are decided from the beginning, and the game tells you the next day's weather. That way, you can further plan your strategy!

[NEW] Nuclear Silo

Nuclear plants now generate radioactive waste, which must be stored in silos. Silos add some uniqueness to the nuclear plant's behaviour and showcase a real downside of nuclear energy.

You can build silos like any other structure. If a nuclear plant has no place to store waste, it will stop operating until it can. Silos can be upgraded up to three times to increase their capacity. If a silo is full, you can also pay to bury the waste deep underground to free up space.

Nuclear Silo

• Cost: 50

• Size: 1

• Environmental Impact: -10

[NEW] Better Tutorial

The tutorial has been completely reworked. The new interactive tutorial uses a dialogue system to explain mechanics as they are introduced for a much smoother player onboarding.

[NEW] Extras

If you 100% A Better Tomorrow, a small present icon will appear on the main menu. By clicking on it, you can access the extras screen. I always loved it when developers gave their players extra, behind-the-scenes content. This is my way of saying thank you to everyone <3

QoL/Minor changes

• A structure progress bar changes color wether its enhanced (blue), neutral (yellow), or diminished (red)

• When you lose your first town, the game doesn’t immediately end. Instead, the tile occupied by the lost town becomes blocked. The game finishes if you lose a second town.

• New trophies for maxing your generators and achieving high scores on endless mode

There’s probably more stuff I’m missing, but it’s been months, and I cannot remember every single change I made. Sorry! I'll keep updating this post.

Other

I'll be participating on February 2026 Next Fest with my new game, Room 713. I'm aware that the player base overlap between the two games may be nonexistent, but the support is greatly appreciated. Consider adding Room 713 to your wishlist!

Patch 1.4.0b

Fixed a leaderboard issue that sometimes pushed "0" as the score

[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3961890/Room_713/"]