Harbingers,

A new hotfix patch is available now to address the latest issues you reported and improve your experience in the lands of Eudros!

• Fixed contradictory damage numbers for when an item is in your inventory vs equipped
  
• Fixed typos on unarmed skill tree
  
• Fixed coffee recipe
  
• Fixed Astral Rift not spawning enemies properly (reduced required kills from 30 to 15)
  
• Fixed Two Handed proficiency nodes
  
• Fixed issue with pause window getting stuck when quickly pausing/unpausing
  
• Fixed issue where game would crash when leaving then entering an area after leveling up your Vampirism skill
  
• Fixed issue with crashes with Astral Rift event in the Khenmoore Flatlands
  
• ESC now closes the potioncrafting window (Still opens the pause screen - will be fixed soon as well)
  
• Fixed dead-end dialogue with Leon Harfort in Arema
  
• The staff skill "Totem" no longer requires you to leave your staff, leaving you unarmed. You will now keep your staff and a duplicate staff will be placed.
  
• Upgrading a guild assignment no longer gets rid of guild currency reward
  
• All Druid form spells should hide your ranged weapon when shapeshifted
  
• Moonstone Ingot removed from level 1 smelting options
  
• Autonomous Bot now appears in your companion window after crafting it (works now!) (all of its components can now be obtained through console commands as well)
  
• Destroying the Paladin's Tower after constructing it now properly destroys all of the compenents
  
• Reduced damage from coughing with Shaky Throat disease
  
• Changed quest accept/completed UI
  
• Goblin Leaders should now spawn instead of Goblin Infantry for Lionsmane "Hunt Goblin Leader" assignments
  
• Fixed issue with the Vampire skill "Feed" not properly tracking Vampirism EXP
  
• Fixed text clipping out of passive skill tooltips
  
• Fixed text clipping out of companion window
  
• Undead Staff now shoots projectiles with the default staff attack
  
• Fixed issue in Birch Forest where every single mining ore node would spawn in a single spot

- - -

Join the community on Discord and follow Shieldbearer Studios ( TikTok | Twitter ) & HOOK ( Twitter | Facebook | TikTok ) to be updated in real time on what’s happening in Eudros 🏰

- Fixed the fridge collider issue in Slaughterhouse
- Enlarged the stairs barriers so that player can't jump over them
- Fixed a scripting issue that causes story condition triggers to reverse
- Added error checking with the Slaughterhouse soul stone charger. If you put the wrong number of soul stones in it, it will not do anything. but if you put just one, you will get a charged soul stone with no souls inside - but you can use it to direct the current summoned NPC to desired position.

- Fixed a problem that made characters freeze/stuck although they should be able to walk
- Fixed a problem with the display of the color circle
- Fixed a problem that made the game run on your topmost screen instead of your main screen when having several screens vertically aligned

Hello ranchers,

We have a big update for you today which adds cats and dogs as well as revamped driving steering and physics! Thank you for your patience, and we can't wait to hear what you think of the update!

A Dachshund, a Rottweiler and a German Shepherd are now available to purchase from the general store! You can get these dogs to follow you, and even get them to fetch items for you. Your furry doggo friends will even help defend you from predators such as wolves and bears, and revive you when unconscious! Make sure to build a dog house for your pooch to rest in.



We've also added four different colour cats you can purchase in the general store. All pets can be named by buying a collar from the general store, which can also be customised with different colours using paint. Make sure to feed your four legged friends and give them enough water! (And give them plenty of pets on the head too!)



We've heard loud and clear from you that our driving handling and physics needed attention, so we've given them an overhaul. Tweaks have been made to improve stability and drivability for all vehicles and trailers - let us know what you think of the new handling!



Cats and Dogs
- Cats and dogs have been added to the game
- Cats can be purchased in 4 colours
- Cats can be picked up and petted
- 3 breeds of dogs can be purchased
- Dogs can be commanded to follow by pressing the whistle key (H)
- While following, dogs will protect the player they are following from aggressive animals
- While following, dogs can be commanded to fetch an item by looking at the item and pressing the whistle key (H)
- Dogs will sit in passenger seats in cars when owner gets it (takes up a seat which can no longer be used by a player)
- Dog house has been added to the blueprint book (In coop tab)
- Dogs can revive a player if they are following a player when they are unconscious
- Pet collars added to the store which can be used to name your pets and can be painted different colours using paint
- Pet food added to the store
- Pet food bowl added to store, can be used to feed pets with water and food



New
- Added compact ladder item to help people reach hard to get to areas
- Wolves, deer, and bears now have idle animations for sitting and resting
- Livestock now not only walk and stand, but can also sit and lie down

Fixes and Changes
- Changed parameters of all vehicles and trailers, improving stability and drivability
- Fixed issues with character shadows
- Optimised vehicle models
- Added engine sounds to town traffic
- Town traffic is now faster
- Fixed radio
- Fixed spawning issues with vehicle trailer at hardware store

If you're wondering what's next for Ranch Sim, make sure to read our latest roadmap announcement.

Hotfix 1 – 29.02.2024
- Fixed a problem that made characters freeze/stuck although they should be able to walk
- Fixed a problem with the display of the color circle
- Fixed a problem that made the game run on your topmost screen instead of your main screen when having several screens vertically aligned

Hey factory builders! As you might know, we have mostly finished adding new content to the game (although there're still aces up our metaphorical sleeves!), so most of the work these days is about making the game more comfortable and appealing to you!

This is why this update has a very long list of QoL improvements! This will probably happen again. Update the game, enjoy the new stuff, and please share your impressions in any form that is convenient to you.

• Re-rendered Cat House Maker
  
• Animated Hammock Weaver
  
• Cotton Gin animated
  
• Improved sounds

• New building: Lava Cooler extracts metals straight from the molten core of Mars
  
• 2 new upgrades for Underground Zeppelin (suggested by Lord Neodym)
  
• New mod type: create your own cat researcher
  
• 2 new hidden achievements
  
• Crafting Zeppelins now requires Ropes, but fewer Manipulators
  
• Increased rewards for selected Dr. Katz requests
  
• Catopia Ark modules can now be upgraded: invest precious resources to equip your space mission with a Copycat Deck, Creative Assembling Machine, Battlestar Gun Deck, Interstellar Store, Dune Terraforming Deck, Warp Storage, and Negative Mass Effect Generator. In the future, they will provide you with perks for 'New Game+' mode (to be introduced later)

• New stats: shows the share of loaded Transporters (with cats, or items, or both), the share of objects (items or cats) moving on Transporters (suggested by Hana), the share of occupied space in Zeppelins and Cat Zeppelins, and the share of working crafting and service buildings
  
• Stats on money now also displays the average amount of revenue per purchase (suggested by Prism1974)
  
• Stats on satisfied cats also shows stats on average loyalty of a cat served
  
• Optimized graph display in the stats
  
• Roadside Boutique now can display sales reports (as seen in Stores)
  
• The navigation of Zeppelins after moving/dismantling a Dock is slightly improved
  
• Added an option to automatically load buildings/item slots with respective items with a hotkey ('Y' by default) or a button (in buildings)
  
• Improved tutorials
  
• Improved interface
  
• 2 new mouse pointer types (cat paw-shaped!)
  
• Steam Deck support (partially) added: keyboard auto-calling, improved help & interface
  
• Added a pause button, located by the mini-map
  
• Configuration of buildings is copied when a Blueprint is created (suggested by Lord Neodym)
  
• When a cat increases their Loyalty in a service building, it is visibly displayed in a bubble
  
• The size and type of the mouse pointer on Steam Deck is independent from PC
  
• Contextual warnings for Docks
  
• Contextual warnings for crafting buildings
  
• Improved contextual warnings for Zeppelins
  
• Added an option to sync category of buildings in Construction window with the one currently selected on a player's building panel upon opening the former
  
• Added an optional visual panel for copying and saving Blueprints (turned off by default)
  
• Increased array of colors for marking ML clusters

• Mod loading time decreased
  
• Performance optimization
  
• Bug fixes (kudos to Hana, Lord Neodym, S'Kleer)
  
• Localizations updated

Please don't forget to add Learning Factory to your wishlist, it's very important for us, and brings the 1.0 release closer:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1150090/Learning_Factory



A friendly reminder: you can always chat with us directly on our Discord server. We're using Discord for work, so you'll find many of us there most of the time, don't be a stranger!

An even friendlier reminder: don't forget about our collection of items in Steam Points Shop! Sergei the artist makes wonderful factory art to be observed from above, but his works' magic really shows at close-up perspective:




At Luden.io, we develop games while constantly listening to the feedback from our awesome players. If you feel proactive, you're very welcome to do one or more of the following:

• Subscribe to our newsletter, to get the latest info about the game's development, and a sneak peek of the upcoming features and events
  
• Record 10 minutes of you playing Learning Factory, and share it with us via this form. Your feedback is so helpful, that we'll include you in the game's credits for doing this
  
• Come say hi to our Discord server, or Twitter
  
• Check out some other games by us!

This month we're subverting the format a bit. Yes, the teams are very busy so we're saving their time to deliver the game for you asap. But also, we just have this wealth of mood boards from our Environment Artist and Researcher Gabi, so we decided to just share them all in one go. All this to just once again underscores how much research went into the title. Do zoom into the images and enjoy! 🌊

We are delighted to say that Ultros launched with critical acclaim on February 13, with a current 82 score on Metacritic! Here’s some of the kind words from critics:

• GamesRadar+: "a drop dead gorgeous head trip"
• VG247: "the best Metroidvania I’ve played since Hollow Knight" , "Ultros is a winner"
• Screen Rant: "An utterly original DMT-infused Metroid fever dream"
• Eurogamer: "Genuinely brilliant."
• PSU: "a must-play"
• Financial Times: "A Technicolor fantasia"
• Metro: "simply gorgeous"

We are thrilled with this positive reception, and can’t wait to hear more about your journey through The Sarcophagus! Watch our accolades trailer here: [LINK]

Ultros is out now on Steam. There’s also the Deluxe Edition – including the Ultros Digital Artbook, showcasing the psychedelic world through never-before-seen imagery from the visionary El Huervo, and the Ultros Original Soundtrack, lovingly orchestrated by Oscar “Ratvader” Rydelius.

Welcome to February 29th, a date we only see once every four years! Leap days and leap years can be traced back to ancient civilisations such as Egypt, Greece, Aztecs, and the Roman Empire, when the position of the stars was studied to align calendars. The Ancient Greeks calculated the length of a year at 365.25 days 2,500 years ago, and the Romans advanced this theory by adding a day every four years to keep the calendar year and the seasons in sync.

The Smithsonian published an article that claimed if we didn’t add an extra day on leap years, in 700 years, summer in the northern hemisphere would begin in December, not June.

Now we know why this auspicious day occurs, let’s dive into some interesting facts about Leap Year babies and traditions.
Babies born on February 29 are called “leap day babies” or “leaplings”, and can only truly celebrate their birthday once every four years. People born on a leap day are also invited to join The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies.

In Anthony, Texas, USA, “leaplings” are celebrated with a four-day festival with live music, food, and fun. Starting in 1988, the festival came about after Anthony declared itself the “leap year capital of the world” thanks to residents Mary Ann Brown and Birdie Lewis, who were both leap day babies. They proposed a festival to honour this unique day, and it remains a popular attraction to this day.

Author’s Note: My maternal grandmother was born on February 29, and when she passed away at age 99, she was technically only 24 and ¾ !
In the UK, it’s a long-standing tradition that women can propose to men on leap day. It began as an Irish custom in the 5th century when Saint Brigid of Kildare grew tired of how long some women had to wait for a proposal, and agreed with Saint Patrick that women could propose every four years, known as Ladies' Privilege.


A colour postcard of a woman proposing to a man on leap year (1908)
La Bougie du Sapeur (Sapper’s Candle) is a French newspaper that is only published once every four years — on February 29. It is named after a leapling character from a comic strip, and this tradition remains so popular that it often outsells other national papers on this day.

Wishing you a lucky leap year!

New Game Mode:
- "Infinite Waves" mode (with online leaderboard)

New Power Ups:
- Wololo wave
- Gem cannon
- Weapon efficiency
- Phoenix Weapon
- Mothership emergency energy recharge

More new features, improvements and stuff:
- Support drone: Level to 10 + better algorithm
- Dark matter bomb: Level to 10 + new animations
- Restart match option in pause menu
- Difficulty re-balanced
- New color pallet for menues
- Better power up texts
- Possibility to skip main menu animation