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:
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.
There are a bunch of gameplay changes coming to Classic Mode, but these apply the Manufacture Mode as well!
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.
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 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.
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.
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!