The Deep Dive
Melvor Idle 2's Next Fest Demo Is a Save File, Not a Sampler
Level 60 in 21-odd skills, Act 1 of the story, and a save that carries into Early Access. The free demo is a down payment on your first week.
Seth Tideward
Indie dev behind Tideward and lifelong factory game fan. Covering Factorio, Satisfactory, and the best automation and idle games twice a week.
The Deep Dive
The Shapez Studio Is Selling an Editor That Takes Things Away
tobspr spun Shapez's puzzle mode out into its own game, and the October 2 devlog is mostly a list of things the editor can take away from you.
Patch Notes Roundup
The Conveyor Belt: Jagex's Roadmap Is a Ballot
RuneFest's big reveal still needs your vote. Plus: Factorio retires the pencil ship, Satisfactory digs a DLC, and two Tideward builds.
The Deep Dive
Melvor Idle 2 Is Putting Its Demo in Front of Strangers
The first public build goes to Steam Next Fest on October 19, and it is aimed at people who have never played Melvor. That is the braver test.
The Deep Dive
The Gathering Update That Made Nothing Faster
OSRS shipped another Gathering Efficiencies batch on September 23, and almost nothing in it makes gathering faster. That is the interesting part.
Patch Notes Roundup
The Conveyor Belt: RuneScape Reached a Console, Then Met the Certification Queue
Plus: IdleOn fixes a rank that paid nothing for three ranks, OSRS pets follow you into the Gauntlet, Factorio goes native on ARM, and Tideward 1.0.4.
The Deep Dive
Factorio Closed an Eleven-Year-Old Request With a VR Headset
Someone asked Wube for an ARM build in August 2015. Friday Facts #446 shipped one for the Steam Frame, and the simulation turned out to be the easy part.
The Deep Dive
IdleOn Shipped a Class, Then Moved Its Price Four Days Later
IdleOn's Royal Guardian is three weeks old. Its unlock already fell from 600 orb kills to 250, and three of its bonuses shipped paying less than the interface promised.
Patch Notes Roundup
The Conveyor Belt: Captain of Industry Took the Decimals Out of the Simulation
Plus: OSRS ships its puppies, RuneScape: Dragonwilds goes to console on Tuesday, Factorio 2.1.17, a standalone Shapez puzzle game, and Bell keeps the watch in Tideward.
The Conveyor Belt: Factorio's Final Major Update Hits Experimental
Grab a coffee — here’s your roundup of what’s moving through the factory this week. 📦 Patch Notes & News Factorio 2.1 is in experimental — and it’s the last big one. Wube pushed 2.1 to the experimental branch with a graphics and audio overhaul, quality-of-life
Shapez 2 Hidden Mechanics: 6 Things Most Players Miss (Layers, Cutters & Space Belts)
Shapez 2 has one of the gentlest on-ramps in the genre. No enemies, no power grid to babysit, no pollution creeping toward your base — just belts, shapes, and the quiet dopamine of a factory that finally lines up. But that friendliness hides how much depth is sitting one layer
The Conveyor Belt: Sandustry Digs Into Early Access
Welcome back to the Conveyor Belt — your roundup of everything spinning in the factory, automation, and idle world this week. Grab your coffee; this is a two-minute read. 📦 Patch Notes & News Sandustry hits Early Access August 13. Hooded Horse and Lantto Games locked in a date for their