Kubifaktorium - Colony Building, Automation & Exploration

Update #18: Start of Closed Alpha & Bug Fixing
over 5 years ago – Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 01:30:51 AM

Hello there!

The surveys for Kubifaktorium have been sent out and the closed alpha phase has begun! If you have backed the project, you should have received a mail from Backerkit with a number of surveys depending on your pledge level. If you have pledged 25€ or more, you should find the download code for the closed alpha at the end of the survey. If you did not receive the mail from Backerkit, you can retrieve it here: https://kubifaktorium.backerkit.com/.

My main development goal for this month is to fix bugs and get the save function to be more reliable. I have begun to use the code analysis functions of Rider/Resharper which turned out to be quite... inspiring. Long story short, setting the analysis mode to "pessimistic" yielded over 7000 warnings related to Kubi. The vast majority of these warnings are benign, but some of them have revealed some troubling pieces of smelly code. Finding and fixing all the issues has been what I've been grinding on these past days. In the long run this is going to pay off greatly. I hope. ☺

Speaking of bugs, several people have reported the game crashing after ~20m of play time. Unlike the other bugs, this is likely an issue on Unity's side and I've filed a corresponding bug report. I'll keep you updated. For now, a quick fix seems to be to disable the shadows (and lights?).

Have a great week!
  Mirko

Update #17: Closed Alpha start = End of Week
over 5 years ago – Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 09:59:49 PM

Good evening!

You are probably wondering what I'm working on and when the closed alpha will finally start. Fair enough! So, while most of the pledges have already been collected, a few pledges could not be collected due to invalid credit card information etc.. This is common and Kickstarter gives the backers in question 7 days to correct their data. As soon as this period has passed, I can send out the keys for the closed alpha. The build/deployment process is already working, so expect to get into the alpha at the end of this week. :)

There are plenty of improvements I've added over the past days and I'll present them in more detail in the near future. I've also hired a voxel artist to create some new models for the game. Have a look at the slime camp ruins above or the new house and well models below.

Have a nice evening!
   Mirko

Update #16: End of Campaign Update
over 5 years ago – Thu, Sep 06, 2018 at 05:48:44 PM

We did it!! The Kickstarter campaign is now over and it has been a huge success!
Thank you all so much for your support, both financially and emotionally! :D

Let's go!

So, what's next? While it will take Kickstarter a few days to process your pledges I will prepare the closed alpha on itch.io and get your download keys ready. The closed alpha version will contain the trains, conveyor belts and other features shown in the trailer. (The Steam keys for the final version will come later.)

I will use BackerKit to manage your pledges, distribute your game keys and let you choose your name in the credits, name animals and more. So be prepared to receive some surveys in the upcoming days. :)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below or on our Discord server. If you experience any problems, please don't hesitate to email me directly: info at bossconstructor.de.

While you wait...
...have a look at King under the Mountain from our friends at Rocket Jump Technology!

King under the Mountain is a fantasy themed colony building game with a strong focus on character and world simulation. It is mod-friendly and promises to combine the emergent stories of Dwarf Fortress with the accessibility of games like Rimworld. The Kickstarter campaign for the game was a huge success. And while their campaign is already over, you can still pre-order the game on BackerKit.

Have a great day!
As usual, I will keep you updated on Kubifaktorium's progress and will try to get the alpha going as soon as possible. See you there! :D
  Mirko

Update #15: New Patch & Final Stretch Upselling :)
over 5 years ago – Wed, Sep 05, 2018 at 02:31:35 AM

Good evening!

With about 36 hours left to go we are in the final stretch of this Kickstarter campaign. Maybe we can still reach our stretch goal at 20k and get those fancy extra weather effects! On that note, I think I am legally required to upsell you a bit. I hope you're ready, here it comes! :D

For a start, when you are supporting the game at the 15 Euro level you will get the game as soon as it comes to Steam in the middle of 2019. However, for only 10 Euros more you will also get into the closed alpha, which will start very soon. This includes access to all the features shown in the trailer like trains, conveyor belts, the desert biome as well as the features I am about to add in the upcoming weeks and months. Without earliest access to the buggy trains, there will be only sadness. ;)

Next up, how about getting yourself a micro pet? The micro pets (you will be able to tame and domesticate them in-game!) will follow your colonists around, play with each other and do other shenanigans. And if that alone doesn't convince you, I have two words for you: Mini Hippos. I rest my case.

Finally, I am adding the Kubifaktorium thank you post card to the 100 Euro tier! So, in addition to the chance to add your own alter ego to the game, you can also look forward to get a personal thank you card in your mail some time next year. (This also applies if you have pledged 100 Euro or more prior to this update. International postage included.)

Seriously though, regardless of the amount you contribute, you have my honest gratitute! I will work hard to make Kubifaktorium an awesome game we can all be proud of. :D

Have an awesome evening!
  Mirko

Patch notes:
- The shadow from the sun is now stronger and the sun moves according to the time of the day.
- The shadows from the clouds are now nicer and "morphing" over time.
- Refactored a lot of the UI code. Info panels now consist of multiple elements based on the selected object. Useful, for example, for a building that is a workshop and houses animals at the same time.
- The items you get from mining something are now shown in the UI.
- Animals on rocks should now get thrown off.
- Made some smaller performance tweaks and added the option to turn off lights.
- Increased the time it takes to mine things, especially mountains.
- Numerous other fixes.

Update #14 = Progress Report #1
over 5 years ago – Tue, Sep 04, 2018 at 09:15:41 AM

Hello there! :)

In today's update I bring you the first Kubifaktorium progress report. The progress reports, which I make every 4-6 weeks, showcase the new features I've been working on as well as my road map for the near future.

Usually they are around 10m long. This one is a bit longer because there is so much new content. Sorry. ;)

If you like spreadsheets, you can also get the long version here:

Have a nice weekend!
  Mirko

Patch notes:
- The shadow from the sun is now stronger and the sun moves according to the time of the day.
- The shadows from the clouds are now nicer and "morphing" over time.
- Refactored a lot of the UI code. Info panels now consist of multiple elements based on the selected object. Useful, for example, for a building that is a workshop and houses animals at the same time.
- The items you get from mining something are now shown in the UI.
- Animals on rocks should now get thrown off.
- Made some smaller performance tweaks and added the option to turn off lights.
- Increased the time it takes to mine things, especially mountains.
- Numerous other fixes.