We're super excited to announce puzzlez - a shapez game ! This is a standalone game that focuses more on the puzzle aspect of the shapez franchise, and is an evolution of the puzzle DLC for shapez 1! We originally planned this as a DLC for shapez 2, but had so many ideas that we
We're super excited to announce puzzlez - a shapez game!
This is a standalone game that focuses more on the puzzle aspect of the shapez franchise, and is an evolution of the puzzle DLC for shapez 1!
We originally planned this as a DLC for shapez 2, but had so many ideas that we figured it would make a lot more sense as it's own product.
We also listened to you and learned from the past, so we will launch with 75+ official puzzles. As always, you will also be able to create & share your own puzzles!
Before we dive into more details, here's the trailer:
We released Update 1.2 for shapez 2, bringing the game over to Unity 6, with some nice performance and stability improvements, better mod support, blueprint migration, and many other fixes and improvements. shapez 2 certainly isn't slowing down, and we're already hard at work on the 1.3 update. But we'll share more about that at a later date.
Hello everyone! Update 1.2 is now available, bringing a large update to the game engine, Blueprint Migration and several minor changes. Do continue reading after the patch notes, as we're also hosting a Screenshot Contest and have another update for you on the Puzzles project. Up
Hello everyone!
Update 1.2 is now available, bringing a large update to the game engine, Blueprint Migration and several minor changes. Do continue reading after the patch notes, as we're also hosting a Screenshot Contest and have another update for you on the Puzzles project.
The whole game has now been upgraded to Unity 6. This will give us more features to work with, fix bugs, and give us some nice quality of life improvements in the engine and the editor. Essentially, it makes it easier for us to make future updates.
Testing has shown that this also brought significant upgrades to performance and stability, especially on MAC and Linux.
If you'd like to read more about the upgrade to Unity 6 and what that process was like, be sure to check out this devlog:
Update 1.2 also brings Blueprint Migration, a change we announced just before the launch of 1.0. This changes how blueprint are saved, making the system more robust and permanent.
Warning: This change means that blueprints made prior to Update 1.0 are no longer compatible. In order to transfer them, switch to the 1.1 update branch, place the blueprints you want to save in a savegame, then switch back to the live version (1.2) and save them as blueprint again. Update 1.1 will remain available as a separate branch.
Support for replacing/substituting mods
This one requires a bit of an explanation. After Update 1.1, it's been apparent that our update strategy for ShapezShifter wasn't going to work for the live game. When we push an update to shapez 2, we'd need to have a new version of ShapezShifter alongside the game update to prevent all mods that use ShapezShifter from breaking. But with only one version to work from, we either need to leave ShapezShifter broken for the new release, or immediately break the previous release version.
However, the game branch feature in Steam allows us to set up an experimental branch for ShapezShifter, so modders can test mods in the new game version before the game is actually updated. This way, mods may already be ready for the next game update before that update even goes live, so you can use those mods immediately.
On top of this, we are actively working on making the mod development experience better for everyone. One planned change is an automated canary system in the base game that detects breaking changes to the API as soon as they're found; they can usually be slower to catch.
Other changes
UI
The operator level screen now includes info about the game version and if the game is modded.
Renamed “Katyusha” achievement into “Space Program”.
Content
Added the song “Launched” to the soundtrack
Save/Load
Improved auto-save delay.
Modding
Mods can now reliably target a specific release version of the game to avoid crashing the game after a patch.
Bug Fixes
Fixed shadows for machines not being visible in the whole game
Fixed a fatal error when achievements.bin file is corrupted
Fixed operator shape targets eventually going over 2.14b and becoming negative (players having run into this problem may still have this displayed as negative)
Fixed non-aligned indicators for machine launchers/catchers
Fixed meshes for mirrored global wire transmitters
Fixed the astroid pump description incorrectly showing 4 pumps needed to supply one space pipe at full saturation (now shows correctly as 24)
Fixed belt/pipe catchers appearing linked to the incorrect launcher when a second launcher is within range of the catcher during gameplay
Fixed mouse over wire shape visualization only being correct when facing north
Fixed belt launchers and catchers switching to conveyor belts when pressing R to rotate while placing them in a platform notch
Fixed a possible crash if corrupt data is present in settings files while booting the game
Screenshot Contest
Now that we've had the update to shapez 2, we'd like to see an update on your factories!
Take a screenshot of the part of your factory, or factories, you're the most proud of or just really want to share. Be it insanely optimized, a creative alternative solution, a complex transport transport network, you name it. If you really want to show it, we really want to see it!
Post your screenshot with the [Update 1.2 Contest] flair applied. Feel free to explain a bit about the things you screenshotted!
The deadline is August 23.
What you can win? We'll be giving away 5 upgrades to the shapez 2 Supporter Edition, giving you 40 extra minutes of Peppsen bangers, the ability to download the soundtrack in lossless quality, loops and twisters for your trains, as well as new skin for your Vortex!
If you already own the Supporter Edition, feel free to give it to a friend.
Dev Update on Puzzles
For this dev update, here's Christian, our Head of Game Design:
One of our main inspirations and guiding stars for the next puzzle project is naturally the Puzzle DLC for shapez 1. It already had all the basic loops that we envision for this project as well. However, there is one defining difference: shapez 1 was 2D and shapez 2 is 3D. That of course gives us a lot more possibilities for interesting puzzles but of course it also poses complex issues.
Part of the shapez 1 puzzle challenge was using inputs/outputs of buildings to route shapez along specific paths, which they otherwise would not be able to take. Combined with the footprint of the building, this often left only very limited viable spots where the building can be placed - similar to a jigsaw puzzle piece.
Translating that challenge to 3D requires us to think differently about the layout of conveyors and buildings in shapez 2. While they are currently optimized for convenience we might need a little more limitations to create interesting puzzles. For example:
Conveyor lifts allow players to overcome any vertical blocker, as long as one tile is free next to it.
Buildings have a smaller footprint and often have their in/outputs on the same level/in the same direction (this makes a blocker on one side usually invalidate the building outright, no matter its height).
The screenshots you are seeing come directly out of the sandbox version of the puzzles project, we have set up to experiment with these challenges.
These images are from the same puzzle, with the only difference between the top and bottom ones being the used building levels. As you can see, Conveyor Lifts might be too powerful!
This its an exciting time for us as we start designing out the puzzles, and play around with buildings and blockers in 3D.
While we figure out limitations and creative solutions you can also see the set up for the first visuals and the backend framework for this project - everything is of course highly work-in-progress.
Now, go check out Update 1.2! While a lot of this update is behind the scenes, we hope the shift to Unity 6 brought some good improvements for you. Be sure to take a screenshot while you're there and send it over on our subreddit!
Hello everyone! Today, we're ready to share the winners of the shapez 2 modding contest! We got a surprising amount of submissions and we were really impressed by the quality! Aside from the modding contest, we also have some fun things to share about Update 1.2, as well as the P
Hello everyone!
Today, we're ready to share the winners of the shapez 2 modding contest! We got a surprising amount of submissions and we were really impressed by the quality! Aside from the modding contest, we also have some fun things to share about Update 1.2, as well as the Puzzle project!
First things first, the winners of the modding contest! We received many unique and exciting mods from you, ranging from small quality of life tweaks to complete game overhauls. Thank you all for participating!
To pick the winners of the contest, we considered the following criteria:
Originality: how new and refreshing the idea itself is.
Technical Achievement: the technical execution of the mod, i.e. how well its integrated and to what degree AI was used.
Presentation: how it looks, whether through detailed buildings or clean UI elements.
Gameplay: how it changes the gameplay of the game, either directly (new game mode, buildings) or indirectly (more accessible information, improved tools).
Popularity: how it was picked up by the community already.
You all sure made it difficult to pick the winners, but here we go!
Runner ups
Because we got so many submissions, we added two runner ups to the winners. They'll both get some shapez merch in the mail!
This mod adds two new buildings and 5 new crystal variants. The first building is the Dissolver, a building that dissolves a shape, extracts the most dominant part, and turns normal colored fluid into Unstable Fluid holding the data of the dominant part. You can then pump this Unstable Fluid to a Crystallizer, the second new building. If the dominant part in the Unstable Fluid matches the dominant part of the shape you send into the Crystallizer, that part is crystalized!
Essentially, it's a new way to add Crystal parts to a shape that also requires a whole new design. Plus, there are some new Crystal variants to discover.
If you're looking to add some color to your factories, look no further! Space Platform Display allows you to, as the name implies, turn Space Platforms into massive displays. These can display any fluid color or shape code you input, and are visible while zoomed out, even in Overview Mode.
This can be used to mark points of interest like inputs and outputs of your setup, or color code your blueprints. Of course, if you give someone colors, art will be made! These platforms are great for drawing pixel art while Vortex LTD isn't looking.
Mod Managers are a cornerstone of any modding community, and we think this is a great contender! This Mod Manager implements some of the core features we were already considering adding to the modding experience. It allows you to enable or disable mods without restarting the game, easily back up your saves, check mod compatibility and even upgrade old incompatible saves to be compatible! If you have some old saves lying around that you cannot use because of mod incompatibility, be sure to check this one out.
Shape Recipe Lab is already one of the most popular mods on the Workshop, and we see why! Simply paste a shape code into the lab and the mod will figure out the ideal setup for you, presented in a production tree. If you get overwhelmed by some of the late-game shapes but do really want to keep expanding your factory, this is a great tool for you. However, figuring out how to make a shape is a big part of the game for some, so this mod may not be for everyone.
Wow. Just wow. In first places comes a new game mode that turns the shapez formula on its head, and does so in style: Arctic Ruins.
In the new game mode, the production process is quite literally inversed. Instead of mining shapes from asteroids, assembling them and delivering them to the Vortex, you receive shapes from the Vortex, de-assemble them and insert them into the asteroids. Filling an asteroid up will remove the newly-introduced fog of war (a snow storm in this case), unlocking new parts of the map.
The feature list is quite long, but this mod introduces new mechanics, new buildings, new milestones, new visuals, and randomly generated buildings to find around the map. Oh, and not to forget, there's new lore and even an intro cinematic. What?!
A very deserved congratulations to the talented Papierkorb2292, we're very impressed. You win the RTX 5080!
We'll be in touch with all the winners and runner ups for your address, so keep an eye on your inbox!
Update 1.2
A big part of Update 1.2 will be an update to Unity that Noah, our Unity Developer, has been working on. Currently, shapez 2 uses Unity version 2022.3, which has served the development of the game since before Early Access. However, this version was officially deprecated in June. As such, 1.2 will see shapez 2 updated to the latest Unity Long Term Support version, 6000.3. While this version is 2.5 years newer than 2022.3, it does not mean we just jumped 3978 versions. They're just naming them different now.
So, what does this actually mean? Well, on the development side we'll get a whole bunch of new features, bug fixes and quality of life improvements across both the engine and editor. This will hopefully aid us in future updates, but our main concern for 1.2 is to get the game working on the feature and stability parity level that we currently have. Oddly enough, when it comes to the Unity update, this means we really hope you don't notice any big changes in 1.2. The actual changes will provide the foundation we build future updates on!
However, updating the engine of the game is easier said than done, and we have some "fun" experiences to share. To preface this, we'd like to walk you through the process of updating the engine:
The project is first opened in the new Unity version. Unity itself handles re-import any assets that need to be processed differently between versions.
You'll then be informed of any issue that arose during this process before even launching the game. For example, one of the game assets was broken during the importing process. The game was then compiled without errors.
This means the game was able to be played and tested in the Unity editor, to check for any obvious unintended changes caused by the update. Once such a regression is found, you have to investigate the issue and research what changes led to the issue.
Once all regression were resolved on that specific PC, the resulting version is then handed over to the QA team, who within minutes uncovered numerous other issues that weren't showing before. These then needed to be reproduced in order to be fixed.
While this all only took four steps on paper, the whole process of fixing every issue that reared its (presumably) ugly head took around 2 weeks to reach a state where the game is both fully functional and stable. Some of these bugs were interesting to say the least, so let's looks at a couple.
In this first screenshot that we took right after updating to Unity 6000.3, we got a whole bunch of issues teaming up to create something truly cursed, but also quite cool!
Asteroids are missing as they were causing a GPU driver crash due to uninitialized memory.
Colors appeared washed out due to color grading being done in Low Dynamic Range (LDR) instead of High Dynamic Range (HDR).
All transparency effects were incorrectly blended on top of opaque elements.
Our custom fog and outline post processing was being applied incorrectly.
With all that fixed, it looks like shapez 2 again!
Another highlight, pun intended, is this shader situation. The yellow and magenta you see are backup shaders used to highlight any missing shaders. As you can see, there were a lot of missing shaders.
And here's yellow shapez 2, just to ruin your day.
Here, train lines in the new version spawned an infinite amount of trains spawned. This would happen when you return to the game after minimising the game, specifically on DX12 in fullscreen mode. Zooming out would cause another shader bug to occur, causing invalid colors and the bloom effect you see on the trains.
So yeah, these are just a few of the adventures we went on for two weeks. However, we're pleased to say that with this update we've managed to make some progress on some longer standing issues. For example, Vulkan crashing when using AMD graphic cards and DX12 randomly crashing when zooming the camera in and out.
shapez 2 Puzzles
Finally, some progress on the Puzzles project! In case you missed it, we're working on puzzles for shapez 2. These puzzles will be similar to the Puzzle DLC of shapez 1, but with the new mechanics of shapez 2. The platforms and extra dimension will be a fun extra challenge!
While we're not ready to share the details on the game, we do want to share a first look of what our artist Nigel has been cooking up. Of course, everything here is early work in progress, so very much subject to change.
The general idea is that puzzles will have background environments that go beyond the Space setting of shapez 2. We'll have a bunch of different backgrounds, ranging from dreamlike shape-scapes where the shapes take on a life of their own...
to something like the lab we just started working on.
As puzzles are quite individual, the team has a lot of freedom to play around and have some fun with the visuals. Though we won't be able to make a unique background for every single puzzle. Do share your background suggestions with us in the Discord!
We hope you enjoyed that deep dive. Be sure to check out the winning mods, and we'll see you again soon!
We all know the feeling – you're working on your factory and everything is going smoothly, then suddenly a shortcut you took or temporary setup you made hours ago comes back to haunt you. Maybe your ratios are off, a belt goes the wrong way early on in production, or your spaghet
We all know the feeling – you're working on your factory and everything is going smoothly, then suddenly a shortcut you took or temporary setup you made hours ago comes back to haunt you. Maybe your ratios are off, a belt goes the wrong way early on in production, or your spaghetti designs are catching up to you. Well, shapez 2 has a bunch of features to help you building polished setups with ease, or troubleshoot any potential issues.
When you're just starting off with shapez 2, it's easy to see a task and start making a bespoke setup to complete it. However, after completing a handful of tasks, your factory may end up disorganised as you snake your production lines over, under and through each other. There's nothing wrong with this; everyone builds differently. But effective use of blueprints can save you a lot of work and troubleshooting in the future.
What you could try instead is make platform blueprints that handle one specific action. Make a platform that rotates shapes, make a platform that cuts quadrants, make a platform that moves shapes up a level, make one that paints them, etc. Instead of figuring every step out again and again and trying to fit everything on a single platform, you can connect a bunch of platform blueprints that each handle an action in the desired order. You don't have to reinvent the wheel for every task!
Understanding Throughput
Buildings
Whenever you've selected a building, an info box pops up on the right side of your screen. This contains some really useful information, including how many of that building you need to process a full belt. Measuring in full belts is a good standard to hold to, as it will save you a lot of calculations down the line. So instead of guesstimating how many you need and adding or removing buildings as necessary, you can simply see what the right amount is in the info box.
However, this can get confusing if you connect more buildings with different processing speeds directly to each other. If you need 3 of one building and 4 of the other, how are you going to connect them? Well, just merge the output into one belt before you try to split them again! You've already established that your buildings support exactly one full belt, so you can always return to that one full belt when you need to split its contents differently.
Space Belts
The same principle works for Space Belts. If you stick to a full Space Belt by default, you'll always know exactly how many platforms you need to connect it it. One Space Belt supplies up to 4 platforms when using all the layers of both the platform and the Space Belt, and you'll need 3 asteroid miners per Space Belt layer for a total of 12.
Space Belts are also a good way to figure out if there are any issues in the production line. Simply look at the flow; if it's not flowing smoothly, something somewhere ahead is backing up. Look further down the line, and if after a platform the Space Belt is no longer backing up or doesn't look completely full, you've narrowed down the issue to that specific platform.
Troubleshooting tips
Incorrect shape
Is the end product shape wrong? Maybe it's just one in four shapes that comes out different? If you don't immediately know where the issue could be, it's better to work backwards. Start at the end product and slowly work your way towards the start until you stop seeing that mistake, then look around on the platform you ended up at. You don't want to fix the end if the line first, as you may end up reworking something that would work perfectly if the supply was correct. Fix the issue, select your factory, then press [I] to clear the belts for a clean slate.
Building Mistakes
It's easy to make small mistakes when placing building individually, so make sure of the copy and pasting tools available. It may not be worth making a blueprint for something small, but simply selecting something that already works and pressing Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste it somewhere else is almost always worth it. If you do make a mistake, you can always undo it with Ctrl+Z!
Mixing items on belts
Unless you're thinking with wires, it's generally not smart to mix shapes on a single belt. Sorting options are generally unlocked later in the game, and many setups are prone to mistakes when small changes are made earlier in the line. If a rogue shape ends up in the wrong place, things can get stuck. Instead, stick to the full belt rule of thumb for the production line of any shape.
With Space Belts however, you can use the different layers to transport different kinds of shapes without mixing them together!
We hope that was helpful in fixing an oopsie and or prevent future ones. Of course, it's not up to us to tell you how to make your factory, we really enjoy your spaghetti and sushi creations, but a systematic approach can prevent headaches.
There are some interesting things coming soon, including a first glimpse at the shapez 2 Puzzles project, so stay tuned for that!
Hello everyone! Update 1.1 just released, bringing Manufacture Hard Mode and its badge, quality of life improvements and a bunch of smaller bug fixes. Additionally, this update is accompanied by a new cosmetic DLC: the Hyper Skin DLC! Note on Modding There is a high chance that t
Hello everyone!
Update 1.1 just released, bringing Manufacture Hard Mode and its badge, quality of life improvements and a bunch of smaller bug fixes. Additionally, this update is accompanied by a new cosmetic DLC: the Hyper Skin DLC!
Note on Modding
There is a high chance that this update will break mods and will result in the game crashing if you have mods installed. We are working with the modding community to fix this, but in the meantime, if you encounter any problems:
You can switch back to a stable 1.0 branch: Right click shapez 2 in your library > properties > betas, and choose the branch modding_stable.
Alternatively, you can bypass mod loading by starting the game with the launch option --ignore-mods.
Highlights
Manufacture Hard Mode
If regular Manufacture Mode didn’t tickle your brain quite enough, Manufacture Hard Mode may do the trick! This new scenario ups the challenge with new Trade Stations layouts and much more complex shape goals. More challenging mechanics are introduced earlier, so you’ll be dealing with Crystal shapes and pins quite a bit sooner.
To give you a bit of a hand, the shape goals do feature a few more consistent patterns. This allows you to reuse parts of your factories more than on the regular difficulty, or make more use of blueprints. However, this does require you to think ahead and keep your factory organised from the get-go!
Hyper Skin DLC
Released alongside this update is the Hyper Skin DLC, a cosmetic override for your Vortex and trains, giving them a sleek hyper-futuristic look with a white finish, hexagonal patterns and an aerodynamic nose (for your trains, the Vortex remains nose-less).
The train override includes the Locomotive, Shape Wagon, Fluid Wagon and Space Wagon, in all available line colors.
These Skin DLCs are completely cosmetic and are there for those of you who want some visual variety and want to support us further. Of course, proceeds from this DLC will go right back to the development of the game!
The Supporter Edition of shapez 2 got a free addition of a cosmetic override for the Vortex! This gives it a more industrial look, complemented by the amber-gold Supporter Edition glow. Thank you for your support!
This override will automatically be added to your game if you own the Support Edition and have it enabled in Steam. You can turn the override on or off in the new Addition Content menu – more on that next.
Additional Content Menu
As there are now two cosmetic overrides available for the Vortex, you’ll need a way to pick between the two! This is where the ‘Additional Content’ menu comes in, available in-game through the main and pause menus. Here, you can enable and disable all individual skins from the additional content you own, as well as the different music packs, without having to step away from your factory. If you’d like to use Hyper Trains with the Supporter Vortex instead of the Hyper Vortex, you can set that up here!
Other Changes
Save/Load
Autosave is now delayed while the mouse button is held down, to make sure you’re not interrupted.
Visuals
Improved the visibility of upper space levels while on lower levels, making it easier to see through.
Bug Fixes
Fixed macOS builds not using the native silicon binary of the game, leading to hangs, crashes and slowdowns.
Fixed delays occurring when handling bigger blueprints
Fixed train predictions traveling areas that the train will never go under certain conditions
Fixed arrows on the sides of converters popping slightly at LOD 2
Fixed game hanging when shape asteroid patch likelihood is over 100% and then uncolored half’s weight is reduced
Fixed errors on startup leading to an infinite spinner under certain circumstances
Fixed and improved a couple of localization strings in several languages
Hello everyone! We're really excited to announce that the 1.1 update for shapez 2 is releasing on June 25th, along with the first skin DLC! Update 1.1 This update brings a new scenario: Manufacture Hard Mode ! As you might expect from the name, this scenario is a more challenging
Hello everyone!
We're really excited to announce that the 1.1 update for shapez 2 is releasing on June 25th, along with the first skin DLC!
This update brings a new scenario: Manufacture Hard Mode! As you might expect from the name, this scenario is a more challenging take on Manufacture Mode. Converters have new layouts and the goals are more complex. They require more production steps and introduce challenging mechanics like pins and crystals earlier on.
Manufacture Hard Mode does feature a few more consistent patterns for its shapes, potentially allowing you to reuse parts of your factories more than in the regular mode. While the shapes may be more complex, you'll be able to use what you've already built in more places!
Aside from Manufacture Hard More, update 1.1 includes a bunch of small bug fixes, as well as some some neat quality of life improvements. We'll share the full list on the day of the update!
Hyper Skin DLC
We wanted to spice up your factories with the Hyper Skin DLC releasing next week, giving your Vortex and trains – which includes both locomotives and wagons – a sleek, hyper-futuristic visual overhaul.
The skin DLC is a small, affordable addition to pick up at only $3.99 / €3.99 / £3.49. Individual skins can be toggled on and off in-game, so you'll be able to mix and match them to your liking.
You can already take a look at the Hyper Skin DLC and wishlist it here:
Hello everyone! Today we'd like to briefly go over some of the things we're working on and what you can still expect for shapez 2 this year. Update 1.1 The next update for shapez 2 is coming very soon! We'll properly announce the release date of 1.1 next week, along with the chan
Hello everyone!
Today we'd like to briefly go over some of the things we're working on and what you can still expect for shapez 2 this year.
Update 1.1
The next update for shapez 2 is coming very soon! We'll properly announce the release date of 1.1 next week, along with the changes, fixes and new content you can expect. The new content includes a new scenario that those of you who like a challenge are sure to enjoy. Additionally, we will also share something that stands out.
shapez 2 Puzzles
If you've played shapez 1, you may be familiar with the Puzzle DLC we released for it. It took the core mechanics of the game and turned it into a new, smaller experience by limiting your playing field. You had to use every trick you learned in the main game to produce a specific shape with just a handful of tiles available to you. Additionally, you could make your own puzzles and share it with the community.
We've also been working on puzzles for shapez 2, but it has evolved into something even cooler. We can't wait to share more about it - just not yet. You can expect the announcement in the latter half of this year.
Project 3
We're already working on our next big game that we can only refer to as ‘Project 3’ for now. Our team has grown quite a bit during the development of shapez 2, so we have big plans for this project. We haven't shared much of Project 3 yet, though when we’re ready we will make sure to share this with you.
While it's all a bit vague still, we wanted to share a little sneak peek of what's happening behind the scenes, as you've been asking about it! But for now, we'll see you next week with news about Update 1.1.
Hello everyone! We've been loving seeing you discuss and share your experiences playing shapez 2. It's interesting to see what features people pick up on and which are more easily overlooked. We've previously made a blog with some beginner tips & tricks to get you started wit
Hello everyone!
We've been loving seeing you discuss and share your experiences playing shapez 2. It's interesting to see what features people pick up on and which are more easily overlooked. We've previously made a blog with some beginner tips & tricks to get you started with your factory, but now that some time has passed and your factories have grown (hopefully), we thought we'd give you some more tips that get a little more advanced!
While selecting everything in an area with [SHIFT] is useful, there's a more intuitive option if you want to select a single belt and everything connected to it. Select a Belt, Pipe or the space equivalent of either, then press [O]. Now, everything connected will be selected! For normal belts or pipes, this will generally select everything connected from the last Space Belt to the next. For Space Belts, this will generally select everything between the last platform and the next.
Once selected, you get an overview of everything in the window on the right. This includes the amount of buildings, the types of buildings, the dimensions and of course all the things you can do with this selection. This includes [I] to clear the shapes current being produced, useful for if you accidentally made some incorrect shapes!
Deselection
[SHIFT]'s evil and forgotten brother, [ALT], allows you to deselect in the same way as [SHIFT] allows you to select. If you've got something selected, you can [ALT]+[LBM] on a building or belt to deselect it, or [ALT] and drag to make a deselection box.
Getting Around
If you're feeling lost in space, there are a couple hotkeys to help you get around. You can press [N] to orientate the camera to the north. If you've lost your Vortex, you can press [H] to instantly move back to it. You can thank Vortex LTD for that, they wouldn't appreciate you losing your Vortex.
Additionally, you can set up a new hotkey that allows you to jump back to your previous location if you just jumped to your Vortex. Just look for 'Jump Back' in the keybindings menu!
Location Markers
Once your factory reaches a considerable size, simply panning around the place looking for a specific production chain may take a while. To make your factory easier to track, use location markers! Press the location symbol in the top right of the screen, or hotkey [L], to create a marker at the center of your screen. You can now give the marker a name and assign a shape code to it, which you can copy by clicking the desired shape in any UI before making the marker.
Once made, your marker will be pinned to the right edge of your screen. Click the marker to instantly jump to its location!
Not happy with a marker? You can right click it to edit, allowing you to change its name, shape or update its location to where you're currently looking. If you don't need it anymore, you can delete it here as well.
Shape Previews Performance
With larger factories and/or lower-end hardware, you may notice your PC struggle a bit with performance. One unassuming setting can affect performance quite a bit: Shape Previews. While it's useful to get a preview of what shape will be produced by your most recent creation, it takes quite a bit of power to compute this.
In the General Settings menu, all the way at the bottom, you can find Simulation Settings. Here, you can set Shape Preview Speed, with lower values being easier on your PC at the trade-off that Shape Previews take longer to appear. If you don't find the Shape Previews that useful and want to turn them off altogether, you can do that right next to it.
Orientation doesn't matter
Many may already know this, but orientation doesn't matter when delivering shapes to the Vortex! Additionally, any Pins not at the top layer of a shape is ignored as well. As long as all parts of the shape are in the correct position relative to each other, the Vortex will take them.
The only exception here are the shapes for a randomized goal in the Operator screen. Those do need the correct orientation.
Page Hotkeys
By default, the hotkey for the Milestones, Shop, Jobs/Trades and Operator Level screens available in the top left of your screen are all bound to [T] as part of the 'Research Screen' keybind. When pressed, it will default to the last opened screen. However, you can set hotkeys for each individual screen if you'd like quicker access to each.
The hotkey for the Technologies/Shop Screen will already be bound to [Y], and Operator Level to [U]. The hotkey for the Milestones, Jobs (in Classic Mode) and Trades (in Manufacture Mode) screens are empty by default!
Blueprint Organisation
To help organise your Blueprints, you can categorize them by putting them in nested folders, up to three deep! For example, you can make a folder for 'Basic Functions', then create a folder inside that folder for 'Rotators' and 'Cutters', then put the respective blueprints in there. This can be done in-game, but also directly on your PC's disk without launching the game.
Folders can also be assigned to your hotbar for quick access by simply dragging the folder into it!
Blueprint History
On the topic of Blueprints, you can set a keybind to cycle through the blueprints you've previously selected in your current session. Saves you some time going back and forth between screens!
Blueprint Deselection
When trying to place a Blueprint, you can click on the various building types shown in the selection panel on the right to deselect that building. These will not be placed when you place the blueprint. Useful for when a blueprint covers most of what you want to place, but needs one specific building type replaced.
That's it for today! We hope we made getting around your factories and making changes to it a little bit easier with these tips. We'll be back soon with an exciting update on what's still in store for shapez 2 this year, so see you then!
If you haven't read the previous tips & tricks, be sure to check it out here:
Hello everyone! Today, we'd like to showcase more of the modding features introduced to shapez 2 with the launch of 1.0. As we eluded to before, the game now fully supports mods through the Steam Workshop, but there's more to it! And to get the Workshop going, we're hosting a Mod
Hello everyone!
Today, we'd like to showcase more of the modding features introduced to shapez 2 with the launch of 1.0. As we eluded to before, the game now fully supports mods through the Steam Workshop, but there's more to it! And to get the Workshop going, we're hosting a Modding Contest with an Nvidia RTX 5080 as its grand prize.
shapez 1 released as a browser game initially, so was originally never planned to support mods. However, after the release on Steam it still got a great amount of fantastic mods, adding a huge amount of replayability after launch.
Mods for shapez 1 were a little cumbersome to install, as it required navigating to an external website, downloading them and then manually putting them in the right folder. Not an issue for most, but less than ideal nonetheless. So for shapez 2, mods are considered a cornerstone of the game and we've put a lot of effort into making mods easier to make and seamless to install.
Steam Workshop
Mods for shapez 2 are managed right here through the Steam Workshop. Navigate there, use the filters to find mods you're interested in, go to the mod's page and hit 'Subscribe'. If a mod has other mods it needs in order to work, you'll get a pop up window that lists the required mods. You can check them out individually, or simply click 'Subscribe to all'. That's all you need to do to download mods to the right folder on your PC!
You can find all your mods in the Mods menu in-game. Do note that mods are installed when the game is launched, so if you've made changes to your mods or subscribed to new mods while the game is running, you'll need to restart shapez 2 to install and start using them. Mods you're subscribed to but need a restart before becoming active will be greyed out here.
Furthermore, the Mods menu will showcase the name and description of each mod, the icon, the dependencies, and whether or not it affects savegames or achievements. There are also buttons that will take you right to the mod's Workshop page in Steam or the mod's folder on your PC.
Achievements
We don't want mods to simply disable achievements. For some mods, like mods that make the game significantly easier, it'd make sense to disable achievements. However, many mods only provide some utility of quality of life. Here, disabling achievements makes less sense, we think. So we're leaving it up to mod creators to decide whether or not their mod disables achievements!
You can see which mods disable achievements on the Mods menu. There's also an achievements filter in the Steam Workshop, to make browsing mods that keep achievements enabled a whole lot easier.
Uninstalling a mod
If you'd like to remove a mod, you can do so by unsubscribing in Steam Workshop. This will also require you to restart the game if it's running.
It is important to know that if you unsubscribe from a mod that 'affects savegames', you will no longer be able to load any savegames where that mod was used. You'll need to reinstall that mod in order to access that savegame again.
You can see which mods were used in a specific savegame under the little processor icon in the savegames menu.
Making mods
On the other side of modding, the actual making of the mods, we've developed a separate open source API for modding, called shapez Shifter.
Simply put, shapez Shifter is a layer on top of the base game that allows modders' code written in C# to communicate with the game. By making this a separate layer, mods are less dependent on the code in shapez 2 itself, so will likely stay compatible whenever we update the game. It should also just make it easier to create mods for shapez 2!
For more info about what exactly this does, how to work with it and how to make mods for shapez 2 in general:
If you're interested in making mods for the game, be sure to read on; there's an RTX 5080 up for grabs!
Modding Competition
There already are some mods on the workshop, but we'd like to kickstart this a bit!
The idea is simple: create a mod for shapez 2 within a set timeframe! It can be anything: brand new buildings, an overhaul of a system, or some quality of life features we never thought of. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's innovative, original, and implemented well.
Why participate? Well, there are some truly great prizes to snatch up:
First place: Nvidia RTX 5080
Second place: 32GB of DDR5 RAM
Third place: 2TB SSD
The exact models of each depend on local availability.
All prizes also include some shapez magnets that stick together, so you can play shapez IRL! If we get more than 10 entries, we'll also be giving away some shapez 2 merch for 4th and 5th places.
Due to shipping limitations, we can only ship physical prizes to Europe, the USA, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan. You can participate from other regions, but we'll only be able to award you a key for shapez 2 or the Support Edition Upgrade.
However, with such prizes on the line, we need to make sure everything goes fair. We have a set of rules in place, and you need to sign up in order to participate.
Rules
Participants need to be 18 years or older.
Only one entry per participant is allowed.
The submitted mod must be created by you.
Mods may not copy (shapez 2) mods.
Participants must respect all Intellectual Property (IP) rights.
The concept of your mod needs to be provided now, which after submitting can only be changed by approval from tobspr.
Signing up
In order to participate, you need to sign up! We'll need an email address, the URL to your Steam Profile, and a general description on the mod you're planning to make for this contest.
Keep in mind that if you'd like to change the mod you're making for the contest after signing up, you'll need to contact us to change your registration.
Sign ups stay open for the rest of the month, until June 1 at 12am CEST, but you can get started immediately after signing up. We’ll send the mod submission form after the sign ups are closed. The deadline for your final mod submission is July 6th, 12am CEST.
We look forward to seeing all your creations, best of luck!
If you love the idea of building up a massive sprawling factory and taking your time doing so to chill out - shapez 2 is a safe bet. Read the full article here:
If you love the idea of building up a massive sprawling factory and taking your time doing so to chill out - shapez 2 is a safe bet.
Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/05/shapez-2-is-a-thoroughly-chilled-time-building-up-a-shape-cutting-factory/
Hello everyone! Enjoying shapez 2 so far? We've seen a great amount of you who picked up the game during Early Access take it for another spin with the 1.0 release, and we're really excited to have you back. If you're new here, welcome! This devlog will be interesting to you espe
Hello everyone!
Enjoying shapez 2 so far? We've seen a great amount of you who picked up the game during Early Access take it for another spin with the 1.0 release, and we're really excited to have you back. If you're new here, welcome! This devlog will be interesting to you especially.
While the tutorial took you through all the basics to get started on your factory, here are some additional tips & tricks for if you've already progressed a bit!
You'll build the very first bits of your factory along the Vortex. However, this space is the most valuable real estate in the game. You're limited in how many belts you can connect to the Vortex, so you'll need to be smart about how you manage this space.
So instead of building your factory on the Vortex Platform, move your initial factories to other platforms. This makes sure you don't get tangled up getting things to the Vortex. You could also consider deleting parts of your factories to make an improved version!
Don't be afraid to delete and improve
You'll learn the ins and outs of factory building as you go, so naturally, you'll end up with bits of factory you're not particularly proud of. You could make some tweaks to improve the worst of it, but this often just moves the issue. Often, it's simpler and better in the long run to just... delete it, and start over. Use what you've learned so far and come up with a new design!
Think in layers
While you may initially only use the different building layers to cross two belts or feed both inputs of a Stacker, there's so much more to layers than just placing belts: you can also place buildings on every layer! If you've unlocked all layers upgrades and the building you're placing is only one layer tall, you can stack three of them on top of each other. Is your production line not producing enough? Just copy it and stack another two on top for triple the production!
The same works on Platform scale as well. Any platforms can be placed on every building layer, so if you're running out of space or need to scale up production quickly, don't be afraid to move up a layer or two.
Tip: you can simply select buildings and platforms and use [Ctrl+C] and [Ctrl+V] to copy and paste!
Check the resources around you
The elites don't want you to know this but the shapes floating around in space are free and you can just take them! You may be able to save some time if you have a look around for what shapes are readily available, even if it requires a bit of cutting beforehand.
You can use the shape filters in Overview Mode (the view if you scroll all the way out) to easily locate the parts you need. Even if it's quite some distance away, you can use trains to bring it to your factory.
Research Credits
It's a good idea to take a bit of time to tackle some shape jobs in Classic Mode, or a passive Research Credit provider in Manufacture Mode. Research holds some very important upgrades: global speed multipliers, Vortex inputs, train speed and capacity to name a couple. You can unlock new buildings that work similar but different, often even better, like the Cutter and Swapper that don't delete shapes. There are more tools to optimize belts and trains, and of course the aforementioned 3rd building layer!
Aim for full belts
When you click on a belt, you'll see the maximum throughput of it in the little window that pops up. By the same logic, if you click on a building, you'll see its maximum production speed. You can use these two values to determine how many buildings you need to fill up a belt.
If all your belts are at capacity, it'll be easier later down the line to balance them. You won't need to go back to calculate how many shapes are being produced somewhere if you know it's at a belt's maximum capacity. If you need something at a 3:2 ratio, you'll know you need 3 belts of one and 2 belts of the other. This leads into our next point!
Function Blueprints
Once you're thinking with full belts, you can standardize parts of your factory. Or specifically, standardize specific steps! This becomes important once your factory really starts scaling up rapidly.
If you find yourself using a specific step of a process a lot, make a blueprint out of it. For example, you'll likely end up in a situation where you need to stack the output of two Space Belts. Build a platform, place enough Stackers on it to service a Space Belt, connect everything with normal belts and save it as a Blueprint! Whenever you end up in the same situation again, you won't have to reinvent the wheel.
Blueprints you tend to use a lot can be added to your hotbar for quick access, by dragging its icon from the Blueprint Library to your preferred hotbar slot!
Tip: if you've copied something with [Ctrl+C], you can press [Ctrl+B] to turn it into a blueprint!
Pipette tool
Going back to micro level, don't sleep on the Pipette Tool! While you can get to all your buildings with the hotkeys quite quickly once you get the hang of them, there may be an easier way. If you've already placed the building you're looking for nearby, simply hover over it and press [C]!
Need more info? Check the Codex!
When all else fails and you're at your wits' end, the Codex has got your back. You can find information about everything in the game in the Codex, complete with search function and neat example videos. It even covers more advanced topics, like the coveted Make-Anything Machine!
You can find the Codex in the top right panel as a button with a book icon. Or, simply press [G]!
We hope you're having a great time with the 1.0 release so far! The game seems to be very stable, so there seem to be no major / widespread issues so far. However, this is a quick post-launch patch, that addresses a few reported issues: Fixed "unreleased" shown instead of "April
We hope you're having a great time with the 1.0 release so far!
The game seems to be very stable, so there seem to be no major / widespread issues so far.
However, this is a quick post-launch patch, that addresses a few reported issues:
Fixed "unreleased" shown instead of "April 23" in the changelog for 1.0
Fixed some achievements related to operator levels not properly triggering
Fixed some launch / command line options not working as expected
For much of its early access development, Shapez 2 was an interesting alternative to the tentpole automation sims like Factorio and Satisfactory . A more streamlined affair that dispensed with many of the supplementary systems seen in those aforementioned games, Shapez 2 adopted
For much of its early access development, Shapez 2 was an interesting alternative to the tentpole automation sims like Factorio and Satisfactory. A more streamlined affair that dispensed with many of the supplementary systems seen in those aforementioned games, Shapez 2 adopted a more puzzle-centric approach to assembly-line construction... Read more.
It wouldn't be a weekend news round without a new(ish) strategy or building game now, would it? Seriously, whenever I'm drafted in to see what's worth bringing to your attention at the end of a long week, there's always some critically acclaimed simulator I've never heard of hitt
It wouldn't be a weekend news round without a new(ish) strategy or building game now, would it? Seriously, whenever I'm drafted in to see what's worth bringing to your attention at the end of a long week, there's always some critically acclaimed simulator I've never heard of hitting an apparently long overdue 1.0 release to stellar reviews. Shapez 2 - Factory is the name of this weekend's surprise strategy release, and I'm convinced people secretly yearn for the manufacturing line.
The 1.0 release of shapez 2 is NOW AVAILABLE with a whole new game mode, modding support, achievements, new visuals & much, much more. Vortex LTD is expecting you. Important Savegame & Blueprint Compatibility Disclaimer Unfortunately, pre-1.0 savegames are not compatible.
The 1.0 release of shapez 2 is NOWAVAILABLE with a whole new game mode, modding support, achievements, new visuals & much, much more. Vortex LTD is expecting you.
Unfortunately, pre-1.0 savegames are not compatible. However, there is an 0.1.1-old branch available on Steam that you can switch to, if you for example want to check out some of your old creations, create blueprints, or simply are not ready to do the switch yet.
Blueprints are compatible, but blueprints created pre-1.0 will show a warning in the blueprint library. We encourage you to recreate them (i.e. by placing them down, then saving them again), as we will drop support for pre-1.0 blueprints in future updates.
Which mode to start with?
Before diving into the changes, I wanted to give a quick guidance on which mode to play when you dive into 1.0. The release renames the current experience into Classic Mode and introduces a new Manufacture Mode.
Certification: If you’ve not played shapez 2 before, we recommend playing the Certification scenario first. It is a ~1h long scenario that teaches you all the necessary basics and allows you to then seamlessly transition into the Classic scenario.
Classic Mode: If you’ve already played shapez 2 during early access, but it’s been a while, we recommend you to start with the Classic - Regular scenario first until you feel comfortable with the game again and you’ve built up an initial collection of space platform blueprints. The Classic scenario is the original shapez 2 experience and offers a unique blend of factory building, logistics and shape puzzles.
Manufacture Mode: Once you’ve got the hang of Classic Mode, we recommend trying the new Manufacture Mode. The mode introduces new mechanics and focuses on permanent, large-scale factories, similar to other factory games, with the goal of re-launching your Vortex Platform.
What to expect from the 1.0 release?
The 1.0 release is the biggest update for shapez 2 so far, and we’re super proud of it!
This isn’t just a “game is finished” release. With this update, we’re introducing a huge amount of new content and improvements on top, for new and existing players. Even if you’ve already played shapez 2 during early access, we’re very confident there’s something new for you, making it worth checking out the game again.
As always, we’ve spent a lot of time polishing the game already, and with lots of beta testers having tested the release extensively, we expect basically no bugs and good performance.
We really hope you enjoy it!
~The entire tobspr Games Team
Highlights
With over 3,700 commits since the Dimension Update (0.1.1), summarizing all of the improvements coming with 1.0 is quite a challenge. We tried our best here!
Manufacture Mode
The 1.0 release introduces a new game mode, called Manufacture Mode. This mode addresses one of the biggest feedback points we got during early access: factories you needed to build for a specific shape were no longer being at later stages in the game
In the new Manufacture Mode you’ll focus on re-building your Vortex Platform by trading shapes with Trade Stations and building large-scale, permanent factories.
Check out the devlog below, going into details of the new mode:
With 1.0 we are also introducing modding support! While we expect it’ll take a bit of time until we see a vast amount of mods, there’s already a few available and we encourage anybody interested in creating mods for the game!
Modding uses the Steam Workshop, making it easy to find, install & manage mods.
While the Classic Mode remains the more “traditional” shapez 2 experience, we’ve spiced it up with additional goals at the end, introducing 4 new milestones and new shapes that can be acquired with Trade Stations. They may look similar to the Manufacture Mode stations, they don’t require you to scale up as much, unless you want to!
We’ve also added a massive amount of QoL changes, like consolidating the speed upgrades into a Global Speed Upgrade, Shape Previews working more consistently and also for trains, and much more!
Find more about the changes coming to classic mode here:
The game has visually improved a lot in all areas, with the biggest changes being Space Pipes now looking like actual pipes, a rework of all Wire related buildings, new Fluid Launcher visuals, generally more details & fidelity, various shader improvements and much more!
Manufacture Mode: An entirely new game mode and experience, encouraging you to build permanent, large-scale factories and optimizing logistics (Check out the devlog + video above!). The existing game mode has been renamed into “Classic” mode.
New Shapes: Added 2 new shapes (X and Y), used in the Manufacture Mode and Classic Mode Trade Stations.
Classic Mode Extension: Classic Mode (Regular/Hard/Insane) has been extended with additional content and new shapes, introducing 4 new milestones! (Check out the devlog + video above!)
Global Speed Upgrade: Consolidated the individual Stacking, Cutting & Painting speed upgrades into a global speed upgrade, to avoid machine ratios changing during upgrades - they should now stay consistent.
New Tutorial: The tutorial has been fully reworked to contain colored shapes, specific lessons explaining cross-layer conveyor belts better, and many more improvements, to make it more interesting and easy to get into shapez 2.
Spiral Map Generation: Added support for spiral map generation and made it the default (configurable when starting a new game), leading to more interesting map generation,an emphasis on the use of trains and your factories spiraling out of control.
Badges: Completing a scenario now grants a unique badge, visible in the main menu. Collect them all to gain operator bragging rights.
Vortex LTD Lore: Lore elements have been added throughout the game. Find out more about Vortex LTD history by completing milestones!
New Codex: The codex has been vastly extended, now containing over 150 pages explaining all game mechanics This includes tutorials for Wires & Make Anything Machines, pre-built Blueprint Examples and much more!
Train Spacers: Train stations with gaps now require a Train Spacer platform (This was a technical requirement in order to support the train shape previews - see below)
Infinite Pipe Throughput: Pipes now have infinite throughput. However, they are still limited by the fluid launchers/catchers between platforms, which are now the primary limit.
Black & Uncolored Fluids: You can now create black fluid by mixing white with white, and uncolored fluid by mixing black with white, allowing you to for example remove paint from shapes.
New Music: Additional 10 minutes of music from the original composer, the fantastic Petter “Peppsen” Sumelius, and 10 more minutes if you own the Supporter Edition. Bangers included.
200% Train Throughput: Trains got a massive throughput buff, increasing their package size from 180 → 360 shapes and 1,800 → 3,600 Liters.
Minor
Added upgrades to increase platform capacity so you can build more factory per factory.
Custom map generation shape weights logic has been changed to now work with a weight based system, instead of iterating through all the possible shape types.
The base level in space has been shifted one level up, so shape asteroid miners are now on the bottom layer.
The layout of the simulated (un-)stacker has been changed to a more intuitive layout, with the input/output on the side.
Streamlined Hexagonal Scenario: now starts directly in space, similar to the other Classic scenarios.
Added simulated CCW rotator.
Added 2x2 and 3x3 displays.
Global wire transmitters now also support integer and color channels.
Changed train wait stop interval to 60 seconds (from 120).
QoL & UX Improvements
Major
Fixed + Train Shape Previews: Shape previews now work consistently and even support trains, while now also being displayed at the end of space belts/pipes.
Automatic Space Floor Selection: Zooming in towards a space platform will now automatically adjust the selected space level, allowing for a more seamless transition (can be disabled in the settings).
Better Placement: Refactored the (space platform-) placement to work similar to the machine placement, which means “Shift” to override and various other placement features should now work as expected.
Minor
Allow filtering “Empty” shapes in the shape filter.
Added an optional setting (disabled by default) to allow Q/E to also switch space levels while in machine mode, if going below the lowest or highest level in machine view.
Improved platform selection raycast logic, to allow selecting space platforms more accurately
Improved statistics screen so there’s more to stare at.
Organized the toolbar categories & entries to be more intuitive.
Added error indicator when attempting to place shape/fluid asteroid miners on the wrong space level.
Added ability to (un-)pin operator shapes from the Operator Shapes screen.
Disable screen border panning by default, as it could cause more harm than good.
Display mode and scenario in the operator screen, for easier verification of screenshots.
The shape inspector now shows statistics for the currently selected shape, as well as all available shape codes & fluids, and includes a back/forward button for previous shapes.
“Replace” now saves a blueprint immediately.
Rename right shift to “RSHIFT”, so it is easier to distinguish between left / right shift.
Visuals
Major
Dark Mode: You can now enable an experimental dark mode in the settings, which is lighter on the eyes. It will be further refined in future updates. Perfect for those of you building factories at 3 am.
Space Pipe Visuals: Space Pipes now actually look like pipes! (Check out the devlog + video above!)
All New Wire Visuals: All wire-based buildings have been fully visually reworked! (Check out the devlog + video above!)
New Icons: Reworked almost all icons in the game.
Minor
Improved visuals of all train-related content: Trains, Loaders, Stops, Packages ,etc.
Improved visuals of the Space Belt and pipe lift.
Improved visuals of the Shape / Fluid Miners.
Improved crystal visuals.
Improved rendering of space platforms while hiding upper levels or in machine view.
Improved wire shaders.
Improved fluid shaders.
Improved glass shaders.
Updated main menu background to reflect 1.0 content.
Added level number to each lane of Space Pipes/Belts, to make it more clear on which machine levels shapes/fluids are travelling on.
Various color blind improvements.
Improved visuals of connectors between Space Belts/Pipes and machine platforms.
Changed the color of fluid related platforms like fluid train (un)loaders.
Added small intro cutscenes when starting a new Certification / Manufacture Mode game.
Improved readability of various platforms in overview mode.
Fixed extractors/pump meshes being too long.
Tons of LOD & UV fixes.
User Interface
Major
Reworked Milestones screen: Reworked the Milestones screen to be more intuitive, better display which milestones you already unlocked and which shapes you need to deliver next.
Reworked Operator Level screen: Reworked and cleaned up the Operator Level screen, with the ability to now pin/unpin individual operator shapes.
Reworked Shop screen: Reworked the Shop screen to improve the display of upgrades to show which machines & platforms are unlocked from upgrades, as well as a visual rework of the (speed-) upgrades.
New Codex: Reworked the Codex to contain much more information (>150 pages) and features, including breaking down articles into individual pages, throughput information, back/forward button, search feature, ready-to-copy blueprint examples, and much more! Great for some light reading.
New Recipes screen: Added a new recipes screen, showing all available conversions of trade stations / operator levels, both in Manufacture and Classic Mode.
Machine Videos + Throughput: Almost all machines now show a small video during placement, explaining how they work and visualizing their throughput. (Can be disabled in the settings)
Minor
Reworked the summary screen when unlocking a new milestone to be less overwhelming.
Reworked and cleaned up menu screens when creating a new game.
Added more visually pleasing notification when unlocking new technologies, completing shape goals or unlocking achievements. Happy chemicals go brrr.
Allow using hexagonal and quad shape parts interchangeably in Location Markers and Blueprint Icons, ensuring icons work across all modes.
Savegames now display a “Completed” badge in the menu.
Added a warning icon when a blueprint might be incompatible in future versions.
Added more statistics in the side panel during placement of platforms, i.e. display the shape package size while placing train loaders or the platform capacity cost.
Added indicators when switching from machine to space view and vice versa.
Changed “/m” to “/min” (i.e. 60 / min) to make it more clear its “minutes” not “meters”.
Various polishing in all areas. Everything is now spick and span.
Updated all images and videos in the game to reflect the new visuals and mechanics.
Technical
Updated Unity to 2022.3.62f2.
Lots of performance improvements in all areas.
Improved rendering performance.
Improved blueprint placement performance.
Various memory / RAM improvements, fixed multiple memory leaks.
Added debug.performance-chart command with further options, to debug where performance bottlenecks are.
Bugfixes
This release includes over 500 bugfixes. It would be too many to list all of them here. However the game should be very stable, and we are not aware of any critical issues after extensive internal and closed-beta playtesting.
If you still encounter any bug, the easiest way is to report it on our discord, in the #bug-reports channel. Should you not want to use discord, you can also for example post on the Steam Forums or email us at [email protected]!
Thank you for reading until here - we hope you have a lot of fun with 1.0! It was quite a journey and we put a lot of effort into it, so we hope you’ll enjoy the game as much as we do!
1.0 is coming TOMORROW!! Less than 24 hours until the 1.0 release - we're so excited!! (one of the rare cases where I think a double exclamation mark is appropriate) There's been such a huge amount of effort put into the release, we can't wait for you to get your hands on it :) I
1.0 is coming TOMORROW!!
Less than 24 hours until the 1.0 release - we're so excited!! (one of the rare cases where I think a double exclamation mark is appropriate)
There's been such a huge amount of effort put into the release, we can't wait for you to get your hands on it :)
If you want to celebrate the launch with us and dive into 1.0 the moment it drops, be sure to check out the global launch times map below that Max made!
Also, check out the summary here, so you're prepared and ahead of the curve:View game page
Seriously, thank you!
From the whole team at tobspr Games, we want to thank everybody for supporting us so much during the whole Early Access period! It was such a great time, and we were and still are overwhelmed from the positive reception and the collaboration with you, our community!
Be it the early access launch, the constant feedback, collaborating on our discord and surveys or just playing the game - and hopefully enjoying it!
We're dedicated to build the best possible experience for you, and we have still a lot of plans for the shapez 2 future - more on that soon, though.
For the time being though - we're super proud of the 1.0 release. The new manufacture mode is a HUGE step up for shapez 2, and it's super fun! It also addresses the biggest feedback we got during early access - building more permanent/massive factories. Let aside all the other improvements coming like achievements and mods (we have different bets in the team on what the first / most popular mod will be).
The build is also in a really stable state, so we're basically just waiting now to click the 'set live' button and preparing the latest marketing assets.
The 1.0 release of shapez 2 is only a week away, coming on April 23rd at 2pm CEST! To make sure you didn't miss any important information on what's coming with 1.0, here's a summary of all the bigger changes you can expect. While this is already somewhat of a soft-changelog, you
The 1.0 release of shapez 2 is only a week away, coming on April 23rd at 2pm CEST! To make sure you didn't miss any important information on what's coming with 1.0, here's a summary of all the bigger changes you can expect.
While this is already somewhat of a soft-changelog, you can expect a detailed changelog with the 1.0 release that also goes over many of the more minor changes with the update, so look forward to that!
As we mentioned before, savegames made during Early Access will not directly carry over to 1.0. So if you're current knee-deep in a factory and would prefer to finish that before making the switch to 1.0, you can move to the 0.1.1-old branch. To do this, go to your Steam library, right-click on shapez 2 and select properties. In the window that just opened, select game versions and then 0.1.1-old. This branch will always remain available, but will not receive any further updates.
Blueprints do carry over to 1.0 though, which does allow you to make a blueprint of your current Early Access factory, then copy it into a 1.0 savegame. You'll likely need to make some fixes though, as in 1.0 the starting layer is the bottom one instead of the middle.
Gameplay
Manufacture Mode
Of course, the biggest change is the addition of a brand new game mode: Manufacture Mode. This mode aims to resolve much of the feedback all of you gave us on the shapez 2 game mode during Early Access, and by extension the original shapez. With the addition of Trade Stations that need to continuously convert a specific shape into a brand new shape type, your factories will no longer lose their purpose. Gone are the days of making brand new factories for every new goal, instead you'll be expanding!
Trade Stations also make their way into Classic Mode, which is now the name of the current game mode. They function in a similar way, but have simpler recipes and are an extra end-game challenge to switch things up a little bit!
shapez 2 gets full modding support with the release of 1.0 through the Steam Workshop! The sky is the limit here, as everything from small quality of life tweaks to complete overhauls of the game are possible. This is supported by a handy in-game mod browser to make managing your 300 installed mods a lot more manageable.
We've been planning to dive into the Modding support for a while, but ultimately decided to leave it until after the release of 1.0 so you can first focus on the vanilla shapez 2 experience!
New Tutorial
The tutorial has seen some big changes and streamlining to make it more accessible and interesting for players new to the genre. Got any friends who really need to start playing factory games but don't know how to get them hooked? Tell them about shapez 2!
Map Generation
The default map generation is now changed to a spiral pattern. This makes it easier to return to the center, makes the map less noisy, offers more space without having to build over resources and emphasizes the use of trains.
Of course, the old map generation is still available by going to the generation options, which have also seen an expansion. There's a new weight system and an option for larger resource chunks for you to toy around with.
Trains
Trains and related buildings got new visual improvements yet again, a throughput increase of 100% and the Station Spacer building, which allows you to create extra space between connected (un-)loaders and stations. Helpful if you don't want to (un)load specific wagons!
Wires
Wires get their visual overhaul and a number of improvements. There's now a Counter Clockwise Rotator and two new display variants, being 2x2 and 3x3. The simulated (Un-)Stacker has a more intuitive layout and Global Wire Transmitters now support integer and colour channels.
Colour Mixing
We've made some changes to colour mixing. You can get black fluid if you mix white with white, and uncoloured fluid by mixing black with white, which removes paint from shapes. Don't question it.
Visual Improvements
Both Crystals, Space Elevators & Shape/Fluid Miners got some visual improvements, and Space Pipes now look like pipes! Additionally, we've improved the shaders for fluids and glass.
We've added Mastery Badges to collect for every game mode and scenario in shapez 2, including the tutorial. If you need some direction on what to do next, try to collect them all!
Achievements
Speaking of achievements, they've been added as well! There are now over 80 achievements to get, requiring you to tackle most of the content shapez 2 has to offer. Some of them you'll get simply by playing, while others may require you to make a specific shape a whole lot. There are a few secret achievements to look for as well, which you'll have to discover for yourself. However, we've made the achievements in such a way that it shouldn't distract you from regular gameplay to get them.
Shop
The upgrade shop now has upgrades for platform capacity and speed upgrades have been globalized so you won't have to worry about messing up your throughput balancing!
Music
An extra 10 minutes of instant classics by Peppsen are coming with 1.0, and an additional 10 minutes if you own the Supporter Edition.
UI
Shape Previews
The preview at the end of a belt of what shape is being produced got refactored and now also work for trains!
Dark Mode
The game can now be set to Dark Mode, which not only darkens the UI of the game, but also the buildable area of platforms! Makes accidentally playing shapez 2 until 3am a bit easier on the eyes.
Codex
The Codex (or Knowledge Panel) got some major improvements. Aside from being expanded, it now has a search function and many more video previews.
Tool Bar
The tool bar and its entries have been reorganised to be more intuitive, and most icons have new designs to more easily distinguish them at a glance.
...and many, many more minor changes!
We're really excited for the release of 1.0 next week and can't wait to see your new Manufacture Mode factories!
WIth the release of 1.0 on April 23 being less than a month away, we wanted to look back at the journey that was shapez 2 Early Access. Before we get to shapez 2 however, we need to go back further – to shapez.io! Development of shapez In Early 2020, the development of shapez.io
WIth the release of 1.0 on April 23 being less than a month away, we wanted to look back at the journey that was shapez 2 Early Access. Before we get to shapez 2 however, we need to go back further – to shapez.io!
In Early 2020, the development of shapez.io was started as a one-man project. If you haven't played it, it's a minimalistic factory automation game where you could cut, rotate, paint and merge into progressively more complex shapes on an infinitely expanding map. Not totally unlike shapez 2, but it looked a little different.
It was a simple idea, first inspired by the little wooden shape toys many played with in their early years as a destined-to-be factory builder. Then it became inspired by Factorio as well, intended as a more streamlined approach to the factory genre, removing the pressure of combat to instead focus on pure automation.
The initial success of shapez.io and the release on Steam lead to the creation of tobspr Games and it growing to the 15 members it has today. During that process, development on shapez 2 was also started, which sought to expand on shapez and would be rebuilt from the ground up.
Why rebuilt, you ask? Well, shapez was written in JavaScript, which kind of makes it a glorified website. There was no support for efficient rendering or memory management. Scaling up much beyond what was needed would cause severe performance issues. Fixing this issue requires a rebuild from scratch, which is one of the many factors that lead to the creation of the sequel.
Development of shapez 2
Keeping the core foundation of shapez in mind, prototyping of shapez 2 started in 2022 and was followed by dedicated production in 2023 – which is still going strong! shapez 2 quickly got to a playable stage, but it has evolved a lot since then.
The real challenge for shapez 2 was taking already established features in other factory games, such as the train system, and finding a way to innovate it and make it unique to shapez. This was greatly helped by the community, who were often involved in the process. We asked them for their thoughts and feedback for various iterations of the train system and many other elements of the game, well before the Early Access release of shapez 2.
shapez 2 Early Access release
Speaking of which, Early Access released on August 15th, 2024! shapez 2 took the familiar gameplay of shapez 1 with a brand new take on it, in a 3D world with a new art style and larger scale. Space Belts bound together platforms, pipes replaced belts for paint transport, and trains could be dunked directly into a vortex. Neat.
The 3D nature of shapez 2 gave us the opportunity to make all buildings open and animated, something that sets this game apart from most other factory games. You could see every shape being split, painted, stacked, you name it! Not only is it fun to look at, it can also help you understand what exactly each building is doing and why. This is something we're very proud of! Looking back at the process, shapez feel very much like a prototype of shapez 2, rather than shapez 2 being shapez in 3D. Though, of course there's plenty to love about shapez 1 as well.
The launch of Early Access far exceeded our expectations, and the response took us by complete surprise. It maintained a 100% positive review rate on Steam for quite some time, eventually settling around 97-98%. This didn't change our intentions however, as we wanted to continue taking on feedback on a larger scale than we had before, further developing the game and its systems. Rather than rush to 1.0, we wanted to take the time to refine all its elements and polish it into a game you'll love just as much as we do.
The best way to do this was to release in Early Access with all the core features in place to create a fully playable experience you could give feedback on. We produced (mostly) bi-weekly devlogs to keep you up to date with the developments and things we were considering, so you could voice your thoughts before we spent a whole lot of time going into a different direction. We also took part of Gamescom last year so we could meet a lot of you in person, and we're planning to return this year as well.
Update 0.0.9
This paved the way to the first significant update at the end of 2024. Update 0.0.9 brought major optimization for multi-core processors, giving up to 40x performance gains on specific systems. We reworked space belt and pipe visuals to better show the belt layers, a new statistics panel and new platform variants. There were a ton of smaller improvements and bug fixes as well, powered by all of you!
Dimensions Update
In June of 2025 we released the Dimensions update, taking the single-layer platform building you were used to and adding a whole two more layers! While before you had to build outwards for space, you could now build up or down as well and connect everything up without the need for massive space belts – which got its throughput quadrupled! Trains got more efficient as well with new logic, adding quick stops and the ability to pick which layers stations would unload. More upgrades and train colors were added as well to complete the shapez rainbow. To help fit everything together, more platform layouts were added and the long-awaited overflow splitters for belts.
This update gave us some truly valuable feedback from the community. It was great in terms of quality of life and some exciting new features, like the whole dimensions thing, but it wasn't enough for many to jump back into shapez 2. After all, you'd still be playing the same game for the most part. To get people back, we needed to go bigger. A whole new game mode bigger.
That's where we're at now! We've expanded to doing video content together with Tom of TotalXclipse alongside the devlogs and introduced the Manufacture Mode in early February of this year, which we're hoping is enough to want you to dive into shapez 2 all over again – if you weren't already! Alongside the new game mode, we've revealed the changes coming to Classic Mode, new shapes, new challenges, achievements, improved visuals and a whole bunch of quality of life additions thanks to your suggestions.
We'll soon also dive into the topic of full mod support as we know this is the biggest topic left for us to tackle, but we want to commit some finishing touches before we showcase all of it.
We hope this blast from the past was an interesting look into the development of the shapez games. As you can hopefully tell, community feedback is key to these games and none of it would've been possible without you. The full release of shapez 2 isn't the end either as we intend to provide more updates based on your feedback on 1.0!
Something we do want to mention is that the minimum and recommended system specs displayed on Steam will be increased somewhat with the release of 1.0. We're doing this increase not because the game performs worse after 1.0 – in fact, it's likely to run better – but we feel the current system requirements do not reflect performance accurately enough and want to set more realistic expectations. If your system can already run shapez 2, it will continue to do so with the same or slightly better performance.
Our current estimations are as follows. Do not that these aren't final yet, and we'd love to hear how you feel about these. Details on Mac will follow later.
We're just over a month away from the 1.0 release of shapez 2 on April 23rd . While a lot of attention has been put on the new kid on the block, the Manufacture Mode, the classic shapez experience is also seeing some changes. Before we get into those however, let's first recap wh
We're just over a month away from the 1.0 release of shapez 2 on April 23rd. While a lot of attention has been put on the new kid on the block, the Manufacture Mode, the classic shapez experience is also seeing some changes. Before we get into those however, let's first recap what the difference between Classic Mode and Manufacture mode are, just in case you haven't read the previous devlogs yet.
Classic Mode is based on the original experience from shapez 1, where you have to deliver certain amounts of a specific shape in order to unlock a new building. This building you could then use to make a completely different shape to unlock another building, etcetera. This way, you get a bunch of smaller factories all working to deliver their respective shapes. The gameplay was expanded upon in shapez 2, but remained the same at its core.
This starts off at factory level, where you're placing individual buildings and belts around the Vortex. Perfect for new players, but once you're a bit more comfortable with the gameplay and building at scale, you may want something a bit more challenging. For example, Manufacture Mode, where you have to keep scaling up your factories, as the early game shapes will remain a requirement until the end.
Both modes are available from the beginning, so you can switch at any time. If you'd like to read more about the new Manufacture Mode, be sure to check out this devlog: View game page
Classic Mode Changes
In 1.0, Classic Mode is getting Trade Stations from Manufacture Mode! Wait, we can explain.
Situated in the end game of Classic Mode, the Trade Stations serve as an extra challenge as well as an introduction to Manufacture Mode. These Trade Stations are different from those in Manufacture Mode, as their recipes are simpler and they produce different exotic shapes. Their designs are also slightly different!
There are 5 milestones separated into 3 tiers of trade stations, starting from milestone 8 with Red, Green and Blue Trade Stations. Milestone 9 gives Cyan, Magenta and Yellow, mixed from the milestone 8 resources as you'd expect. Milestone 10 gives White and Black, which you'll need for the Vortex Grand Assembler that produces the shape you need for the final Milestone and the completion of the scenario.
We hope this change makes for an interesting challenge and a nice switch up this late into a scenario. The changes we've made to the Trade Station should make it feel right at home in Classic Mode.
General Gameplay Changes
There are a bunch of gameplay changes coming to Classic Mode, but these apply the Manufacture Mode as well!
Lore
We've added lore to enjoy while you're making the most of your Operator License. Vortex LTD expects optimized factories from you, so you better not be cooking up any spaghetti.
Vortex LTD Badges
There's now an official in-game Vortex LTD Badge for every game mode and scenario for you to earn. Seeing them through to their final challenge once will reward you with a Vortex LTD Badge each. Collect them all for unparalleled bragging rights!
Operator.License
Classic.Regular
Classic.Hard
Classic.Insane
Classic.Hex
Manufacture.Regular
You can easily see what Vortex LTD badges you still need on the main menu.
Spiral Worlds
Spiral World Generation is a new feature which, as the name implies, generates spiral worlds! Instead of resources being generated all over the place, they're now more neatly generated in a large spiral pattern.
This is now the default setting for world generation, but can be changed at any time in the world generation settings.
Train Spacers
You can now add Train Spacers between Loaders and Unloaders to give you more flexibility in what wagons you want to load or unload at any given station. Only Loaders and Unloaders connected to a stop directly or by Spacer will function, the others are ignored.
Smaller Changes
To wrap up this devlog, here are a couple more small changes coming to 1.0:
Space Floors are moved up by one level. Instead of the middle level, the starting level is now the bottom. This better matches building floors!
The 'Rules' in the world settings are now named 'Challenges' to better reflect their intended purpose
Speed upgrades are now global for all buildings instead of individual. This makes sure upgrading speed does not mess with your ratios.
Goals in Hexagonal Mode are now more streamlined, and you'll be starting off with Space Platforms unlocked, similar to Manufacture Mode.
Do check out the Achievement devlog for more 1.0 changes, like Dark Mode and improved shape previews!
Please know that save games will not be compatible between Early Access and 1.0. The scale of all the changes made means there's a lot to break, and making it compatible would delay 1.0 by a lot.
When 1.0 releases, we'll make a pre-1.0 branch in Steam for you to play on if you want to continue on your old factory. This branch will remain unchanged, so you can take as much time as you'd like in the current version of the game.
Blueprints are compatible however, so you won't have to worry about those breaking. If you really like your old factory, you could even make a blueprint out of it (or a couple smaller ones) and port it into a 1.0 world.
That's all for now! It's not long until 1.0 now, but we have a few more devlogs lined up for you. Until then, see you around!
Only 2 days ago we announced the 1.0 release date of shapez 2 to be April 23rd. Thank you for all the kind comments you left and we're glad you're as excited as we are! Today we'd like to highlight some of the changes that are smaller, but not any less impactful, as well as talk
Only 2 days ago we announced the 1.0 release date of shapez 2 to be April 23rd. Thank you for all the kind comments you left and we're glad you're as excited as we are!
Today we'd like to highlight some of the changes that are smaller, but not any less impactful, as well as talk about achievements!
We're adding a dark mode feature with 1.0! This doesn't just make the UI darker either, this shifts the light grey of platforms to a very dark grey as well. Perfect for staying up way too late again!
Knowledge Panel
Aside from the search functions we mentioned before, the Knowledge Panel now also includes videos to help explain the more complex mechanics, like the Make Anything Machines and simulated buildings.
Trade Stations in Classic Mode
We've decided to add the Trade Stations of Manufacture Mode to the Classic Mode as well. This adds 4 new milestones with new shapes and tasks for each of the difficulty options. However, the Vortex is still your focus!
Hexagonal Mode remains Trade Station-free.
Wire Buildings
Wiring has been expanded with new buildings, like bigger displays and virtual Counter-Clockwise Rotators, alongside entirely new visuals shown in the Visual Changes devlog.
Improved Performance
Large factories will now run more smoothly, allowing you to expand even more while maintaining a solid framerate.
Pipes
The throughput of pipes is now infinite! However, fluid launchers and catches will still be a bottleneck. If the pipes simply connects two buildings without any jumps in between, you'll find that pipes feel more snappy.
Achievements
Now, it's finally time to talk achievements! With 1.0, we're adding 86 achievements to shapez 2, that will have you take on all different parts of the game. They're designed to not be intrusive to your usual busywork, but do challenge you to go one step further or try something new. Some need a bit of dedication, but we believe they're all achievable by anyone.
For example, certain achievements may ask you to sink hundreds of thousands of shapes into the Vortex. You could make a huge factory specifically for this challenge that gets this done in no time, or simply slow trickle them in passively while you work on other things. It's up to you!
Some achievements relate to your operator level, some to building a ton of space belts or completing certain researches. Others have you play the new Manufacture Mode, the Hexagon mode or try the other difficulty levels of Classic Mode. Once you've reached 100% achievements, you'll have seen everything shapez 2 has to offer.
Though a handful of achievements remain hidden and you'll have to do a bit of digging to figure out how to get them. They're good fun, and we're sure you'll have a ton of fun hunting these down!
Modding
We'll soon tackle the topic of modding properly, but we do already want to mention that mods don't automatically disable achievements. Instead, we're leaving up to mod creators to decide whether their mod disables achievements or not. You'll easily be able to distinguish achievement compatibility in the mod list!
We don't want to reveal too much about all the achievements quite yet, but we hope this sates your thirst for the achievements a bit. If you haven't seen the 1.0 Release Date Trailer yet, do check it out below.
