Update log
Full FOUNDRY update
The complete published notes, normalized for clean reading and source attribution.
Repeated intro
Hello everyone!
Extracted changes
- Gameplay
- Store
- Maps
Today I have exciting news for you as I'll be sharing the content and release timeline of Update 3 “Xeno Tech” with you. I’ll start with a short TLDR section, before going into detail below.
TLDR
Update 3 is expected to release within the 2nd half of January.
Update 3 will go live on an experimental branch on December 15th to collect feedback.
Update 3 is themed around Xeno (Alien) Technology and adds Robot Workstations (put your robots to work), Light Exploration Content, Character Logistics (auto-refill your inventory), Steam Achievements, Improved Controller Support and two new robots to sell.
We are still planning on doing a separate experimental branch with trains soon, but there is no date yet.
In case you are curious about what to expect from Update 3 in terms of size, I would say it’s quite a bit bigger than Update 1, but it’s not as big as Update 2 (which was actually two big updates combined).
Robot Workstations
A factory making robots, and yet there are no robots working in the factory? That surely doesn’t feel right. Robot Workstations are our first attempt at bringing more (robotic) life to the factory. Workstations are computer terminals where either one, two or three of any of your factory-made robots will be able to work at and project various benefits onto machines in close proximity.
Each robot has a different effect and different building types it affects. So unless you start making every robot, you won’t have access to every improvement. The robots either improve machine speed or production efficiency (producing more output items from less input items) while increasing the power draw of your machines. Each machine can only be affected by one Workstation at a time.
(Light) Exploration Content
The update is going to add underground caves and new objects to collect and discover within those caves, but also on the surface and in the existing lava caves. Gathering those various items will unlock character upgrades, as well as things that are useful in your factory. All the collectibles are tied around an ancient alien race, and there are some flavor texts providing context, but you shouldn’t expect to discover a full story or background lore. While it starts out as manual collection work, it ultimately leads into gameplay you can automate. But I don’t want to go into detail too much because I don't want to spoil everything in advance.
However I do want to talk a bit about what to expect and how we approached this. We’re calling this light exploration because ultimately you’re not expected to spend massive amounts of time gathering those objects. For years FOUNDRY has been a game where everything was focused around the core of factory building and it is going to stay that way. You will have the venture in lava caves and dig into some caves to get the upgrades you need, but once you reach the midgame you’ll be able to automate it. At this point it will actually connect very well to the established factory gameplay loop (for example there are some alternative recipes unlocked with the new resources).
Our goal was to make the world feel less empty, and provide a bit of alternative gameplay, without it being annoying for anyone who wants to fully focus on the factory stuff only. We’re looking forward to your thoughts around the balancing, and I’m sure it’ll change a bit based on your feedback during the experimental branch.
Character Logistics
Source