Aqua Factory Simulator · published
Hi everyone, 😄
Thank you to everyone who has tried the Aqua Factory Simulator demo and shared feedback, reports, and suggestions.
Several changes in this update come directly from your feedback and from watching players and content creators play the demo. These include manual checkout requested for co-op, clearer explanations of the Smart Trash Collector, and more informative Grow Pen statuses to help identify why an operation has stopped.
We’ve also added more activity along the coast, simplified co-op voice controls, and refined decoration placement and on-screen information.
These changes are included in the latest demo.
Manual checkout was requested by demo players in Steam Discussions, particularly as another activity to share during co-op. You can now take responsibility for serving customers while your friends manage other parts of the business.
To begin, walk behind the counter, aim at the register, and select Switch to Manual Cashier. You remain at your current position while serving, with movement locked and the camera free to look around.
a. Scan the Customer’s Items
Shopping items appear on the counter tray. Aim at each item and use Scan Item to scan it in any order. The shopping box appears when you scan the first item, and scanned items move into it. The register screen shows the shopping list and your scanning progress.
b. Enter the Payment Total
After scanning all items, the camera moves closer to the card terminal. Enter the total using its keypad, your keyboard’s number row, or the numpad, then submit the payment.
If the amount is incorrect, the terminal displays Wrong amount so you can correct it. A correct total is approved and completes the transaction.
c. Return to Automatic Checkout
You can leave the register and return to automatic checkout at any time. If a transaction is already in progress, the automatic cashier continues from where you stopped.
Manual checkout provides the same money and XP as automatic checkout, without an additional reward bonus. Registers also return to automatic checkout when a save is loaded.
d. Available in the Demo and Co-op
Manual checkout works at the register already provided in your store, so you can try it in the demo.
In co-op, one player can operate a register at a time. Other players can see who is using it, and an occupied register cannot be moved, packed, or sold. All co-op players need to update to the latest build, as different game versions cannot join the same session.
The register has also received an updated model with a shopping tray. Paying customers now stand beside the card terminal, and the remaining queue follows the end of the counter. Identical items with the same price are combined into one receipt line.
The register now occupies 5 × 3 tiles, including the standing space behind the counter. This space is reserved when placing the register, preventing other machines from occupying the cashier’s position.
Existing saves retain their register positions. Machines already placed behind a register remain in place.
Feedback from demo players showed that it was not always clear why a Grow Pen or its drones had stopped working. Missing supplies, unavailable harvest destinations, and configuration issues could leave players unsure what needed attention.
We’ve updated the status displays to explain what each drone is doing, what is preventing it from continuing, and where attention is needed. Grow Pen tasks are also divided between a dedicated Fish Drone and Feed Drone.
a. Fish Drone
The Fish Drone harvests mature fish and delivers them to a suitable Storage Machine or Supply Station Conveyor within the Drone Area. It also brings juveniles into the pen, prioritizing harvesting to free space for new stock.
b. Feed Drone
The Feed Drone handles feeding separately, collecting feed from storage or crates within the Drone Area and delivering it to the Feed Hopper.
This allows feed deliveries to continue without waiting for juvenile stocking trips.
c. Understand What Each Drone Is Doing
Each drone now displays its current activity or the reason it cannot continue:
Green: working or standing by.
Yellow: waiting for something while the pen can still continue producing.
Red: the related activity has stopped and needs attention.
Messages identify situations such as missing feed, unavailable juveniles, or a harvest destination that cannot accept more fish.
d. Updated Grow Pen Screens
The main screen is divided into Fish and Feed sections, each showing its relevant drone, supply information, and warnings. Small screens on the drones and supply points also use matching status colors.
The same information appears when you aim at the Grow Pen, and all players see consistent statuses in co-op. Warnings now appear on the relevant screen sections instead of surrounding the entire machine with a red outline.
Settings tabs are now named Supply and Harvest. The area display buttons have also been renamed Show Drone Area / Hide Drone Area, making the drones’ working range easier to identify.
While watching demo players and content creators use the Trash Collector, we noticed that its purpose, bonuses, and connection between manual steering and automatic trips needed clearer explanations.
Now called Smart Trash Collector, it introduces Steer and Train before unlocking Autopilot. Updated screens and reports explain how your best cleanup record determines the bonus, helping you understand what training achieves and how automatic trips use the result.
a. Steer and Train First
Select Steer and Train and complete one manual run to train the drone. Any completed training run unlocks Launch on Autopilot and Auto-repeat.
A confirmation appears before the $400 training cost is charged. Automatic trips cost $300 each.
Players with an existing saved cleanup record are already considered trained. If you have never completed a manual run, the automatic options remain locked until training is finished.
b. Your Best Record Guides Autopilot
Automatic trips use your best cleanup record to determine the farm bonus. The bonus remains +5% base Fish Growth Speed, with up to +10% additional bonus from training, for a maximum of +15%.
Reports and machine screens now separate the base and training bonuses. The Drone Report also includes an Auto-repeat checkbox and clearer guidance on improving your training result.
c. More Efficient Auto-repeat
Auto-repeat now schedules the next trip one journey duration before the current bonus expires. With sufficient funds, this keeps the bonus active while avoiding overlapping paid bonus time.
The machine warns you ahead of time if there is not enough money for the next launch. If the bonus expires without sufficient funds, it displays a stopped status.
d. Updated Underwater Feedback
Collected trash is visibly pulled toward the drone with a stream of water. Moving quickly near the seabed also stirs up sediment.
A blue boundary becomes visible when approaching the edge of the cleanup area, making its limits easier to recognize.
Please note: selling your last Smart Trash Collector now removes its training record and active bonus. A replacement must be trained again, although the machine remains unlocked for purchase.
The Expedition Station now uses status messages consistent with Grow Pens and the Smart Trash Collector.
Yellow indicates a waiting condition, while red indicates that launching has stopped. Messages distinguish between full station storage and insufficient funds, helping you identify what needs attention.
Warning messages in machine information panels also use a more consistent appearance.
Take Catch now collects a species from across the station’s stored catch, instead of stopping when another species appears between matching groups.
The submarine gradually fades during its descent and reappears as it returns, replacing its sudden disappearance.
Villagers now fish along the beach in front of your store, using rods, buckets, and floats. You can watch them cast their lines, wait for a bite, and bring in their catches.
Customers now arrive from coastal homes and return along their arrival routes.
Wave sounds follow the nearest shoreline as you walk, accompanied by open-sea ambience and seagull calls.
Seagulls fly around the coastal areas during the day, leave as night falls, and return the following morning.
World sounds, including ambience, machines, cranes, and drone motors, now stop while the game is paused. Music and menu sounds remain audible.
Press B on the keyboard to switch between talking to everyone and talking only to nearby players. An Everyone can hear you indicator shows when global voice is active.
Other players also display a global voice indicator above their names.
The walkie-talkie and its Tool Mode have been removed. T now switches only between Box and Hand modes.
Global voice requires an active co-op session with voice chat enabled. Controllers do not have a default binding for this action, but one can be assigned through Key Bindings or the Voice tab.
Wall decorations can now be placed and selected from up to 6.5 meters away at the default Interaction Distance. Increasing Interaction Distance also extends this reach.
Placement previews stay aligned with the crosshair. Adjacent wall sections on the same plane are treated as one surface, allowing decorations to span their joins.
On-screen button icons now display letters that match supported keyboard layouts, including AZERTY and QWERTZ.
For example, movement prompts can display ZQSD on AZERTY keyboards. The physical key positions remain unchanged.
The Key Bindings screen also refreshes when the keyboard layout changes while it is open. Non-Latin layouts continue to use US-layout icons.
Both register screens now remain lit during automatic checkout. The rear screen displays Auto Cashier and a button prompt for switching to manual checkout, making the register’s current mode easier to recognize.
Customers who leave because every register’s queue is full now explain why through their comments. An on-screen message also reminds you to serve the waiting customers.
Each register still accommodates six customers, including the customer being served. This feedback applies to both manual and automatic checkout.
Customer comments have a black outline and remain visible for 4.5 seconds, improving readability against bright store backgrounds.
The Bonus tab has a separator before Total, and Indonesian names for Restoration machines have been updated.
New and revised text is available in all 20 supported languages.
Models have been updated for the register, drones, Grow Pen, fish and feed supply points, Smart Trash Collector, and milkfish.
Restoration machine screens now turn toward the player. Feed icons have also been refreshed, alongside character and fishing animation improvements.
Fixed Smart Trash Collector Auto-repeat launching too early and overlapping part of the paid bonus duration.
Fixed the Drone Report opening over the Pause Menu. It now waits until the menu is closed.
Fixed wall decoration previews shifting away from the crosshair or jumping to another wall section.
Fixed a section of the store’s front wall incorrectly rejecting wall decorations.
Prevented decorations from covering the Store Sign and farm name sign, including placements that could block access to opening the store.
Prevented floor decorations from blocking the designated customer entrance route.
Fixed customers walking through the Decorative Plant pot.
Improved tutorial button icons that were difficult to read at small sizes. Keys with longer labels now use wider icons so their text remains fully visible.
Fixed an issue where a shopping box could remain on the counter during automatic checkout after its customer had collected it, particularly while other customers were still queuing.
Thank you again for playing and sharing your experiences with us. We’re continuing to review your feedback and prioritize improvements based on feasibility and their impact on the game.
Try the updated demo and let us know what you think in Steam Discussions. We’d like to hear how manual checkout, the updated Grow Pen drones, and Smart Trash Collector feel during play.
If you encounter any issues or unexpected behavior, please send a report through the in-game Bug Report Menu so we can investigate further.
See you in the next update!