Hi all!
I'm happy to report that I've got the demo back in working order and updated to the latest version of the game. Any progress you make in the demo will be transferable to the base game.
Content Update 2 News
The next content update is right around the corner. The major change for the new update is a complete rework on how enemies decide to attack your factory.
Previously, enemies would attack primarily based on the overall stability of the factory. This was not ideal for a number of reasons. A player could have a huge, unpowered station doing nothing at all, and it would still increase the probability and strength of attacks. This would discourage experimentation, and building big in general. It's not a great feeling to be punished for building a large station without any way to mitigate its effect on enemy attacks.
The new system introduces a concept called Signal. Structures emit signal when they are powered and operating. So for example, if you have an atomic printer, but it's not producing anything, it will emit 0 signal. But if it is producing something, it will emit 5dBm of signal.
Signal is calculated per chunk, and each chunk has a maximum amount of signal it will contain, all signal after that amount will pour into adjacent chunks. In this way, signal is propagated outward. Any chunks containing enemies where signal has propagated to will be candidates for attacking the factory.
I've added a new map overlay so you can see how much signal is being emitted on the map, and have a rough idea about where enemies are going to attack from.
In addition, I've added a signal dampener structure that can be directly attached to stations, which will reduce the signal emitted by a station by a flat amount (and cost heat and power). So players will have a way of mitigating signal.
This system should solve most of the problems of the old system. You will no longer be punished for non-operational parts of your base; you'll have the ability to see where attacks might be coming from; and you'll have a mechanism to mitigate signal and thus enemy attacks.
This system will soon be on the development branch for testing. I'm sure it needs a lot of balancing still!
I'll write up a more complete update event when we get closer to the release of Update 2.
Thanks for reading!
/Slims
Just a reminder: if you're enjoying Final Factory, steam reviews help a bunch!