Recent updates View all (21)

24 November

1.14 now live!

The 14th major patch is now live for everyone.

This patch has been a serious look at player progression, tons of feedback from watching the new streamers, and includes AutoExcavators, lovely visual upgrades to the Ore Pings, Crystals to encourage players to explore, falling damage, a revamped and improved crafting interface and rare, craftable upgrades for the Power Logistics.

However, not resting on our laurels, whilst we're waiting for the testers to give a thumbs up to the previous patch to go to mainline, there's a shiny NEW test patch for you to test!

The new 1.15 patch is going to include the brand-new AutoBuilder, which should take a lot of the tedium and hassle out of building very long vertical Conveyor Lines. There's also been a complete redesign of the Research system, which should guide new players in a much less confusing fashion, new Manufacturing Plant upgrades and MatterMovers have been made much more attractive to players!

New Features

Added Crystals into caves; lower caves give better tiers of crystals.

https://twitter.com/Fortress_Craft/status/532152492306743296

(Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sugilite, Sapphire,Topaz)
Craftable Lenses now available! Apply them to a Laser Power Transmitter to increase its power throughput.
Auto-Excavator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr8LTK1OMY0
Added further HoloBase readouts
Added craftable windows because people are CRAZY

Fixes and Improvements

Only machines and Ore have lights in the cubes. Performance++
Ankle break noise for when you take damage
Global lighting will now blend smoothly when moving into and out of the depths
Players can no longer use Build2Me with Storage Crates!
Fixed issue with incorrect results when using Unknown Ping.
LPTs now store rolling average power transmitted - handy for testing how a specific LPT is behaving.
All Ore Pings' transparency increased by 15%
Reduced many machines' maximum audible distance to 32 metres.
Ore Smelters now calculate and display efficiency (Heating or Smelting versus Idling and looking for materials)
Blueprints now accept wheel mouse inputs when using the Manufacturing Plant
ChatPanel now much more reactive to input
Increased max storage of LPTs, as the lens upgrades were emptying lasers too quickly relative to their charge and discharge rate
Ore Extractor now stores and displays work efficiency
Induction systems now cause double burn rate, but 8x power usage and heating rate. This is to counterbalance the previous, (now fixed) bug that causes un-inducted smelters to use up WAY too much power.
Reactor VATs now give better error messages when missing ingredients.
Vastly improved readout and status of AutoExtractors.
Reduced research cost of Macerator.
Lasers can now pass through blocks marked as glass
Tweaked cave wall colouring rate
Crystals are tiered according to depth - the best crystals are around -500 metres deep.
Research panel now lists category ID
Research panel now lists the necessary requirements to achieve research
Added 6 tiers of Crystal Lenses, used to upgrade Laser Power Transmitters
Reduced hopper Vacuum rendering distance
Tweaked Ore Ping colours
Changed ARTHER to give more reliable solar power in new bases.
tweaked behaviour on locking cursor to be less stupid on focus grab
extractor window marked as dirty under better circumstances
locked game input away when console is open
dragging stuff around no longer adds to your hotbar randomly
UI keeps smooth when SIPPanel is sliding off
Improved mouse/joystick input separation
Substantially reduced the amount of power smelters need to maintain temperature
ARTHER now continually signals where the base is, until such time as you craft him a power core
Fixed erroneous triggering of the ore dig fail sound
Ctrl-M now mutes music for the rest of your session
HoloBase now rounds numbers so it's easier to read.

Full details for the brave :

http://steamcommunity.com/app/254200/discussions/0/558755529534192988/

9 comments Read more

18 November

New patch and new beta available!

The 1.14 patch should go live tomorrow morning - this introduces quite a lot of new things!

This patch has been a serious look at player progression, tons of feedback from watching the new streamers, and includes AutoExcavators, lovely visual upgrades to the Ore Pings, Crystals to encourage players to explore, falling damage, a revamped and improved crafting interface and rare, craftable upgrades for the Power Logistics.

However, not resting on our laurels, whilst we're waiting for the testers to give a thumbs up to the previous patch to go to mainline, there's a shiny NEW test patch for you to test!

The new 1.15 patch is going to include the brand-new AutoBuilder, which should take a lot of the tedium and hassle out of building very long vertical Conveyor Lines. There's also been a complete redesign of the Research system, which should guide new players in a much less confusing fashion, new Manufacturing Plant upgrades and MatterMovers have been made much more attractive to players!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A07-tK2OS1k&feature=youtu.be&a

Full details for the brave : http://steamcommunity.com/app/254200/discussions/0/558755529534192988/

0 comments Read more

About This Game

Participate in the Early Access to help to craft the final outcome and get a great game at a great discount

Create Infinite Worlds

Huge draw distance

Controllable weather events

Full day and night cycle

Full weather system, seasonal

Cascaded shadows

Easy to use UI

Bump Mapped Terrain

“Build to Me” Feature

“Megagrab” screenshot mode

Editable Signposts

Coming soon to alpha

Animated detail blocks

Sharable Detail Library

Steam Workshop support

Super Build Tools

Mac support

System Requirements

Minimum:

OS: XP
Processor: Dual-Core 1.6ghz CPU
Memory: 1024 MB RAM
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000/Nvidia G210/Radeon HD 5450 with 256mb of RAM
DirectX: Version 9.0
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 5000 MB available space
Additional Notes: Recommended spec : Quad-Core 3.2ghz,Nvidia or ATi GPU with 3 GB, 4 GB of RAM. Additional features are available with 8 or 16 GB of RA

	Interface	Full audio	Subtitles
English

Interface

Full audio

Subtitles

English

Mike Powell

459 products in account

Not Recommended

0.9 hrs on record

Posted: 22 November

This game combines all the best aspects of Minecraft, the creative building, the exploration, the hostile environment, etc. with an impressive automation system. It's like Minecraft + Factorio. What more could I ask for?

So why do I give it a thumbs down?

Because the controls and UI are terrible. They try to paper over this fact with a ton of in-game help text. And having the in-game help text is great... But it doesn't counter the underlying shortcomings.

You need to remember 4 different hotkeys scattered across the keyboard to switch tools, instead of just putting them on the number keys like every other game. They seem to do this because they want to reserve the button bar for building materials, which only show up when you have the building tool selected. But it would be much clearer if they just reserved the first 4 slots for your tools, and put the blocks in the other 6 slots.
The generator UI allows you to put fuel in. Except instead of opening your inventory and letting you drag in the fuel you want, it just has an insert fuel buttons. Even though there are multiple types of fuel that will work. So it both denies interface conventions, and removes choice.
The crate doesn't actually have a UI. You can't put resources into it directly at all. They can only be put in automatically from other buildings, and the only meaningful interaction with it is to hit Q to remove everything in the crate directly into your inventory. [Edit: This is properly called the Hopper, and you can put things in it with T. This is in the interactive help text in the corner, but that text is currently bugged, making it often unreadable, and I would posit that it's still a poor UI for interacting with the Hopper.] [Edit 2: The help text in the corner is no longer bugged.]

There are numerous other examples of bad UI. I don't have time to list them all. Thankfully, this is an early access game, so they have time to fix all of this... But in it's current state, I can only recommend this game if you're the kind of gamer who is willing to put up with Dwarf Fortress UI for the sake of good underlying mechanics.

Was this review helpful? Yes No

Kissera

240 products in account

Recommended

4.7 hrs on record

Posted: 17 October

When they say "infinite worlds" they really mean it! I decided to test this and built a structure going from the surface (Y:0) and built all the way up to 3,254... I could have kept going, but let's be honest, that would have been pointless. So then I decided to find the floor of the world, and dug down to 9,153... And I could have kept going. Minecraft's 256 block height limit is put to absolute shame, as this game shows its beefy and well-constructed voxel engine. I'll admit, I'm going to use Minecraft as my comparison here, because Minecraft is the definitive voxel game to compare to.

The game's view distance is comparable to that of Minecraft's 15 chunk view distance, which means you can see a lot. In Minecraft there's a survival situation which revolves around food. Currently in FortressCraft Evolved the survival situation revolves around body heat. You're in a constant struggle to keep yourself cool enough and warm enough at the same time. Standing in fire makes your body overheat, draining your power cells, and will kill you of heat exhaustion. Staying underground or out in the elements at night can cause you to begin to freeze, and you can die of hypothermia as well.

The game is looking good already in its pre-alpha state, and I absolutely can't wait for the full release. Normally I'd say "don't buy this early access unless you're ready to deal with bugs," but in this case, the sooner you get it, the less you'll end up paying in the end. So it's at your discretion, buy now and save, or buy later for peace of mind.

Some of the features work, some of them don't, but you'll still find plenty to do in this game. Better pack yourself a lunch, because you're going to be playing this for long hours.

facebookfile3424

9 products in account

186.0 hrs on record

Posted: 10 August

once this game is fully released, it will be an amazing game, still an epic game now, and worth the price, but right now the biggest problems are things that basically come with time, so try it if you're into creating or surviving.

Ryan Dorkoski

366 products in account

1.8 hrs on record

Posted: 8 October

This is still too Early Access (even for me - someone who lives on the Early Access store page). Survival is basically nonexistant. No enemies, broken game mechanics (many many basic menu options are unclickable), and quite glitchy even for my taste. This game will probably be ok in the end - it sets itself apart from Minecraft by having VERY different goals and game mechanics.

The good:
1. Sets itself apart from Minecraft in countless ways
2. Multiplayer servers are free to set up
3. Game is cheap-ish

The Bad:
1. Game is too glitchy and surivival is basically unplayable in current state
2. Graphics are worse than Minecraft (but not by much)
3. You can click blocks no matter how far away you are (hard to believe in reality, but ok)
4. You don't take fall damage? This is weird

I'd wait, or buy it cheap now and put it on ice for about 12 months.

coconut_willy_97

41 products in account

214.5 hrs on record

Posted: 5 October

I'm embarrassed about how much time I have played with this game. For now, the critters are off and there are a few things that say this is BETA software. You need to dig deeper and discover new materials and ores to unlock the higher development tiers. The system supports enough automation that can rescue you from the grind once you get it going. The game allows for different types of game play and different styles to build. The developers are making blocks for the happy home makers, and some neat tools to use when you level up.

The beasts are not-hostile right now, but devs promise to flip a bit in the near future to enable their attacks. There's at least one i've seen that I'm not going to be able to take down with the tools I have. Better keep looking for the next ore to upgrade my kit.

The research and crafting area is small looking, but more items are revealed as you level up. Some items are really useful, and other not so much. Read the guides in the forums.

Multiplayer, creative and survival modes are being tested. With the beta software, you can stand up your own server and invite friends to play and create a functional base, manufacturing and storage facility.

Whatever your play style, the endgame won't be a sprint, so sit back and enjoy seeing where it goes.

craftagent51

17 products in account

114.2 hrs on record

Posted: 30 November

Well for starters, i love the concepts and usage of machines and automation in this game. it brought some of the minecraft mods that i love to use into the core of the game, however after Researching and crafting every machine in the game it quickly becomes a game of production optimization and not creative building.

when i first started the survival mode it was a bit confusing on what to do and what to look for, there is a help page that pops up as soon as you enter the world but its not much help other than what keys do what.

now i was under the impression that there would be at least some form of adventure in this game but alas i had gotten very bored running constant logistics trying to optimize my production. there is no challenge in this game and you quickly stockpile ridiculous amounts of resources with nothing other than the machines to craft. there is only a handfull of creative blocks to build with ( maybe 15 or so ) and almost all the blocks take 1 of 2 resources to craft ( wood or rough hewn rock ) so you aquire a lot of other useless resources like rock, deep stone, rubble, and a multitude of others.

i realize this is early access, but i also realize this has been in development for 4 yours or so now. the developers need to focus more on priority issues and content rather than constantly trying to add more machines that are buggy and unusable. now i'm not saying i didn't enjoy playing this game because i did enjoy it ( 114 hours of game time will attest for that ), what i'm saying is that the development seems to be so scattered that a lot of things are added and not much is being resolved.

the development team is actually a great bunch and very interactive and involved in the community, but they seem to try and please EVERYONE all at once instead of focusing on the task at hand. i noticed they get sidetracked a lot at players requesting seemingly small things ( like my request for a simple window block ) and diverting their attention from development itself.

hopefully this game gets some more in regards to backstory, hostile mobs and actual survival elements and focuses less on perpetual mining and power grid logistics. so i will continue to play every now and then to look for improvements but will give this game a "not reccomended" for now.

Cream.N.Scarlet

49 products in account

9.5 hrs on record

Posted: 20 June

With the sale of 66% in the summer, def worth $2.71. I couldn't resist giving it a try. if you've ever wanted to buy minecraft and not pirate it so you can go on servers but never have the money of 26 or so dollars, this game is a great time for you and your friends to play and be cheap. And there is the workshop, which allows you to make blocks the way you want them to be. pretty cool aye? Myself i do own minecraft legitly and i do own totalminer, castleminer, and fortresscraft on the 360. FC was my least fav because it was the last one i got and it just felt like castleminer. But it has obviously changed with so much to do in it. I'm not sure if this game is worth $7.99 yet, there are bugs and stuff, however that price is like 2 drinks, gum, and chips at a gas station so go right ahead and put hours into this game if you like. But for the sale of $2.71, def worth it imo.

EDIT: Having played even more, it is WORTH $7.99!!!!

FunnyFarm

123 products in account

1.4 hrs on record

Posted: 3 July

"First 7 minutes- glitched through a terrain layer and had to log out and back on. That's acceptable. Next 7 minutes- got lost and got hypothermia. Kinda fun and realistic. Next minute- suit battery useage went above 25 and it gave me the BSoD. I had to wait for Windows to make sure everything was fine, then had to re-find some files for Steam.

Do not want potentially corrupt files on my computer; stay away until they can stabilize the game.
Other than that it was actually pretty fun."

Discovered that the BSoD was a fault in my PC.
This is a good game that I misjudged as malicious. Keep up the good work =)

>RoF< Maxaxle

150 products in account

1.1 hrs on record

Posted: 20 July

It's kinda like a heavily-modded Minecraft, but with fancier graphics and a futuristic aesthetic. Singleplayer is split up between multiple "worlds", kind of like different campaigns in an FPS or RTS (same content, different area, different ideas involved). I'd recommend fiddling with Creative mode first, because the first world will kill you with hypothermia before you can say "wait how do torches work".

Azathoth

20.2 hrs on record

Posted: 24 July

I am right on the fence about recommending this or not so I will go forth and say at its current sale price of $3.99. The game is worth it.

In the main game you start out in a seemingly random area with a supposed crashing ship that is locked on until it crashses. You find your crashed ship via light beacon piercing high through the sky. Your initial objectives is to stay warm which is done by burning trees or if you are lucky, coal if it is within eyesight. From here on out is just a slow climb to gather resources like coal , iron and so on to get upgrades and eventually some sort of automation of ore harvesting and smelting.

There are some interesting features like the ore scanner which scans blocks and is further identified at your reasearch station . It also lets you scan for things that you have not identified, useful for finding new ores or for ones you have previously found. There are a few useful features that are thoughtful and useful and they blend in with game mechanics as to not seem overpowered.

This game is not without its flaws. There are a number of bugs I've encountered.

-When your ship crashes you cannot relocate your starting area without some sort of tool later in the game but it glitched and I accidently had it placed far from my base and I couldnt basically continue reasonably.

-Saving your world and continuing later seems to initiate that crash scene again and again, destroying everything I've built that was in its crash radius, though it left me with 2 starting areas. I lost everything in my inventory though.

The menus are convoluted and half of the buttons seem to work correctly. For example when crafting there are arrows that let you change the quantity of the batch but the arrows dont change anything as if they are just apart of the graphics.

All in all if you like these types of creative games. I would get it on sale as this game has great potential but dont want to risk much more as we all know early access has just become a legal excuse to sell an unfinished product.

Masssterbazz

56 products in account

92.0 hrs on record

Posted: 16 June

Very awesome Game Needs a abetter in game guide to start you off or a Tutorial in game other then that
a++ for effort
a++ on grathics
A++ on fun :D
and have the thank this dude for the help he offered

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyVFcarL25I&index=3&list=UUYZCo7k_DH1dLwPCQekJYpw

Chef Mung

45 products in account

0.6 hrs on record

Posted: 29 June

It is a very hard game. My first major complaint is when you spawn you are left with a very limited amount of time before you get hypothermia in the cold. Then even after you survive a day, all you do is prepare to do that again multiple times until you eventually screw up and then die.

LongDanzi

Posted: 1 July

this game isn't bad for when you just want to build stuff. I bought it because it was on sale and I'm liking it, the only really annoying thing (other than the bugs but it's still being worked on) is the music. it likes to play at random times and then cut out for 5 to 10 min. I would prefer to have it stay on since hearing nothing but your build gun and machines running (if you have any) gets kind boring.....

overall not a bad game

<cXn>Necropolis

2 products in account

23.7 hrs on record

Posted: 22 July

Great game especially for the price cant wait till its out of testing.

[CoFR]Kendrick

53 products in account

239.1 hrs on record

Posted: 26 July

I am an avid builder playing things like TA i have massive fortresses for a base. This game greatly apeals to that building nature. You are given a MASSIVE world to play in and either have survival mode or just plain building [For Now its early access]. You remove or shuffle the blocks that make this world and make a place for you. Survival leaves you on an unexplored world after your ship crashes fighting aginst the cold and much more. Use your Creativity to survive and get the resources you need. Currently they are working on the base mechanics of the world but it is immensly enjoyable for me with just the basic building parts.

[Note:] This game can take all your pc has to throw at it. I have a celeron using built in video and that runs well enough. those with massive pc's the game will use as much as it can to render further etc.

twitch.tv/j3han

87 products in account

39.8 hrs on record

This game is amazing, since I have been playing and streaming I have seen many buy the game and join in on the fun. The fully automated bases are awesome with tons of hours of game play. Ready for the multiplayer to be launched!!!

zinoberauge

53.1 hrs on record

Posted: 27 July

Thats a Wonderful game for old Minecraft junkies like me :D .I like the futuristic design and the idea of the story.It´s too very cool that the World is so Big and with big i mean BIG .in Minecraft i hated the build limit of 256 and the world wasn´t
very deep.but here i can build as high as i want.I hope that in future there was enemys added or bosses or something like that.
for fighting action :D .Ok there are a littel bit bugs but very tiny bugs .but the game is in work for new versions. Good Job !! :D

PS:sorry for my bad english XD

yrula8

10.1 hrs on record

Posted: 28 June

This is a great starter game if you want to get away from Minecraft. Starting out seems tedious at first, but stick with it and things get better. Couldn't really figure out how to get started, but after pecking away at the keys and watching a few videos I began to understand how to play. Still in the "Early Access" stage, can't wait to see and play the full release.