Hello all! It's been a while since the last patch so I wanted to give a progress update.
I've been working on a big new set of features that will allow players to modify the game in lots of interesting & different ways, then save & share those presets with other players on the Steam Workshop. Here are some of the things you'll be able to do:
Custom Items & Recipes
You'll be able to modify existing recipes, or create totally new recipes and assign them to various buildings. Change the inputs, outputs, crafting time, and display name. In addition, you'll be able to create new items from scratch, with your own custom images, and assign those to recipes.
Game Rules and Building Costs
There will be a number of 'global' rule variables you can adjust (research speed, goods consumption rates) as well as drill down into each building, structure and tool to change its cost and availability.
Starting Conditions
Change the amount of resources the player starts with in their inventory, as well as which research has been completed when the new game launches.
Exporting and Sharing
Once you've created a map or rule set that you like, you can save it as a preset or share it on the Steam Workshop. You can also download others' creations and import into your own game.
You'll can select between new file types so you can have granular control over what kind of data is being shared:
- Save File: The entire current game state and set of rules
- Starting Map: Just the terrain & resource data
- Rule Set: Custom configurations of costs, recipes, and items.
- Scenario: Combination of starting map, start conditions, and custom rules for use when starting a new game
Even with all these additions, there's still lots more I want to add down the road - like custom victory conditions, changing research requirements, importing 3D models for creating buildings & worker units from scratch, and fully configurable upgrades. But I figured this would be plenty for a first attempt.
It's hard to give an estimate on when all this will be done - these are strange times and work schedule is very disrupted - but hopefully it's helpful to know that it's in progress and will be available as soon as I can get it out!
If you'd like to get an early look, you can playtest these changes on Factory Town's beta branch. Also see the #beta-branch channel in the official Factory Town Discord server: https://discord.gg/factorytown
Erik