Hello everyone!
I’ve just released Update v0.3.1, and it’s a big one. For this patch, I’ve spent a massive amount of time under the hood, focusing on the early-to-mid-game progression. My goal was to make the journey from Tier 1 to Tier 5 feel more intuitive and polished without losing the complexity that makes Realindustry what it is.
I have completely rebuilt the progression through the first five Tech Levels from the ground up. This was a gigantic task, but the core game is fundamentally better for it.
Strict Sequential Logic: Situations where a research required a resource unlocked further down the tree have been eliminated. Everything is now strictly logical and sequential. No more "Catch-22" loops!
Cleaner Visual Flow: The visual logic and tree structure were significantly improved. Each node now typically has no more than two parent researches, making the entire path easier to read at a glance.
Clearer, But Not Easier: While the path is more intuitive, I have not made the game simpler. Requirements for almost all researches in these tiers have been reworked and complicated. They now require more resources, but these costs strictly align with the theme of what you are unlocking.
Smoother Pacing: I playtested this new progression extensively myself. The pacing feels much more natural and rewarding as you scale your operations.
Research Count: I moved one microelectronics research from Tier 5 to Tier 6 (which is reserved for the full game) as it didn't unlock recipes yet. The total research count in the Demo is now 58.
Because I’ve fundamentally changed the research order and requirements:
If you are currently mid-way through the demo: I highly recommend starting a new save to experience the intended flow and avoid logic conflicts.
If you have already finished the demo: This won't affect you! Your completed researches will remain unlocked as they were.
Several key buildings have shifted tiers to better fit the new timeline. For example, the Workbench is now Tech Level 1, the Water Pump is Tech Level 2, and the Steam Engine is Tech Level 3. Additionally, construction costs were updated:
Shallow Mine: Now requires Stone Tools.
Water Pump: Now requires 20 Stone Bricks, 5 Planks, 10 Pipes, 10 Iron Plates, and 5 Iron Gears.
Crusher: Now requires 40 Iron Gears, 30 Iron Plates, and 20 Concrete.
Resource Quick Lookup: Inspired by community member graphitepaddle, you can now right-click a resource to instantly see where it is produced and where it is used. It even shows if you have the tech unlocked to craft it yet!
Inventory Sorting: A new "Sort by amount (low to high)" option was added.
Tooltips: The rendering system was rewritten from scratch. Tooltips across the Taskboard and Research Tree are now much cleaner and more responsive.
Notification Control: A throttle was implemented for Taskboard notifications. You will no longer be spammed by "toast" messages during rapid production bursts.
Animation Fixes: The "screen shake" during production now correctly applies only to the production interface rather than the whole screen.
Performance: I removed heavy background debug logs to ensure smoother performance during data updates.
I’ve added an official note to the Audio Settings: All in-game music is originally composed by me specifically for Realindustry. It is 100% copyright-safe for use in your YouTube videos and Twitch streams!
Thank you for all the feedback that helped make this rework possible. I can't wait to hear what you think of the new progression!
— AssemblyPrime