Hey Module Makers,
Patch 5 is here and we want to give you a proper look at what's included, because this one is a big deal. We've been listening closely to your feedback since launch, in reviews, on Discord, in the forums, and beyond, and a lot of what's in this patch is a direct response to what you've been telling us. Let's get into it.
The Stamper Just Got a Whole Lot Smarter
The Stamper changes are probably our favourite part of this patch, so let's start here.
First up: you can now choose which module exits which side of the Stamper. If you've ever found yourself fighting your layout because the Stamper was outputting things the wrong way around, that frustration is gone. Route your resources the way your factory actually needs them.
Second: we've added a scrap behaviour toggle. This one has an interesting backstory. Back in early playtesting, we made a deliberate call to keep the Stamper running on one side even when the other was blocked. We'd seen blocked machines causing a lot of frustration early on and wanted to avoid it. But since launch, a clear group of you have asked for the opposite: the more logically consistent behaviour where a blockage on one side backs up both. You were right to ask. It's now a toggle, so you can play it whichever way suits you.
Tackling Progression Pain Points | Coolant and Freighters
We know that for some of you, coolant has felt like a wall. Managing it gets expensive fast and the sense that you're fighting your own factory rather than building it is never what we want you to feel. With Patch 5, coolant efficiency is now upgradeable in the tech tree. Each unit of coolant is used to power 16 operations, upgrading this doubles it to 32, and then 64. In practical terms, if you're running advanced operators at 120 operations per minute, you were consuming 7.5 coolant per minute per operator at base efficiency. Those upgrades cut that cost dramatically, and your coolant production will go a lot further as a result.
On freighters: you asked for more, so there are now more. Simple as that. The cap has been doubled, and if you've ever hit that ceiling and felt your logistics grind to a halt, you'll feel the difference immediately.
Quality of Life Across the Board
A set of UX improvements that collectively make the game a lot easier to read at a glance.
The Tech Tree now has a search bar. If you've ever found yourself clicking around trying to find a specific node, that's now a thing of the past. A big shout out to Tapgiles in our Discord who had a mod up and running for this within days of launch. Thank you for showing us how much better a search feature makes using the tech tree feel.
Production icons can now be toggled on above each building, showing you exactly what it's producing without having to click into it. Great for debugging, great for getting a quick read on a busy factory floor.
Datashard notifications have been added for when your shards are consumed by auto-upgrades. A few of you have been puzzled about where your Datashards were disappearing to; they were being used for building upgrades via the auto-upgrade system, which is easy to miss. You'll now get a clear notification when that happens so nothing feels like it's vanishing into thin air.
And finally, a map fix, there was a hole in it. It is now hole-free. Yay!
We're really proud of this one and as always we are eager to hear what you think when it's in your hands.
See you on the factory floor.
— Team Happy Volcano