The Universim News

Hello, Creators!

We’re excited to bring you another update for The Universim, filled with some fresh features, expanded modding capabilities, and improvements to enhance your experience. As always, thank you for your continued feedback and support - it’s at the core of everything we do. Let’s take a look at what’s new in this update!

[h3]Expanded Modding:[/h3] Mines
Expand your civilizations’ capabilities with Mines, a new addition to the building modding system. Create functional structures for resource extraction and integrate them seamlessly into your worlds.

[h3]Custom Resources Mods[/h3]
Custom resources are here! Design unique resources that can be gathered, processed, and used to transform gameplay. Whether you’re adding rare materials or creating complex production chains, the possibilities are endless.
We’re eager to see what inventive ideas you bring to life using these expanded modding features.




Our goal with mods is to gradually expand their functionality until you can create your own planets with the resources you want, providing you with fresh gameplay possibilities. We’ve seen a good influx of people trying previous mods, and our aim is to make their creation as easy as possible.

Our next objective for the mods is to add additional building types, similar to what we introduced in this update. Additionally, we plan to start developing a packaging system that will allow you to combine multiple standalone mods into one cohesive mod package. For example, this could include creating a new building to produce or extract your custom resource and transforming it in another factory building. This way, you won’t need to download three separate mods; instead, you’ll be able to access everything through a single package.

[h3]New Experimental Building:[/h3] The Cauldron

The Cauldron is an experimental new building that allows your Nuggets to brew powerful potions, enhancing various aspects of your civilization, such as productivity and happiness. This unique structure heavily relies on your god powers and direct player actions, making it an interactive and immersive experience.

Use your creator powers to interact with the building itself - grow crops on its balcony, pick them, and drop them into the cauldron to brew potions. You can even stoke the fire using bellows to increase the brewing speed, creating a dynamic and engaging process, much like crafting your own magical concoctions.

This addition includes a questline to guide you through its features. Your ambitious Apothecary has accidentally created a cauldron too large for Nuggets to handle alone. Now it’s up to you to assist with gathering ingredients, brewing your first potion, and uncovering its unique effects. What will you create? The possibilities are endless!



[h3]Minister System Fixes[/h3]
We’ve made significant improvements to the Minister system to address longstanding issues with resource allocation and building management. Ministers will now focus on balanced development and resource efficiency.

[h3]Fixes include:[/h3]

• Prevented overbuilding of identical structures.
  
• Ministers of Environment and Space now operate efficiently when players are on other planets.
  
• Enhanced UI with a larger Remove Minister button and added a confirmation prompt for unassigning ministers.
  

[h3]A Glimpse Ahead:[/h3] Creator Mode & Electric Flying Cars
We know how much many of you have missed Creator Mode, and we’re happy to share that progress is being made to bring it back. This feature requires deep integration with current systems to align with gameplay, so while it isn’t ready just yet, rest assured that it’s on the horizon.
We’re also exploring Electric Flying Cars. This popular request is under active development, and we’re planning to reintroduce it within the next 1–2 patches. Stay tuned for more updates!

[h3]Improvements and Bug Fixes[/h3]
We’ve been hard at work improving performance and addressing bugs to ensure a smoother experience:

• Improved mod synchronization for seamless integration of new resources and buildings.
  
• Optimized performance within the modding screen to handle large-scale mods more efficiently.
  
• Added page numbers to the construction selection menu’s page switcher for better navigation.
  
• Improved "no free workers" notifications, ensuring they only appear when relevant.
  

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]
Fixed: Nuggets getting stuck during certain interactions with buildings.
Fixed: Localization issues in several tooltips and UI elements.
Fixed: Resource extraction continuing after depletion in specific cases.
Fixed: Optimization for ministerial AI in larger civilizations.
Fixed: Visual jitter in building animations and other graphical inconsistencies.

As always, we are incredibly grateful for our community’s passion and creativity. Your feedback drives us to continuously improve and expand The Universim, and we can’t wait to see how you use these new tools and features.

Join us on Discord to share your thoughts and creations, and stay tuned for more updates as we continue shaping the future of The Universim together.

Sincerely,
The Crytivo Crew

https://store.steampowered.com/app/352720/The_Universim/

Greetings, mighty creators of infinite Universims!

Making worlds is a true adventure! And, as it happens on adventures, sometimes the heroes need to rest and regain their strength on some peaceful, faraway planet. After we released TU 1.0, our dev team needed just such a rest - for it's been a perilous journey! But then, on one tranquil day, as we were farming and decorating our cottages, we again felt the call of the deep space. So, we restarted our engines and gathered around our spaceship's command table, planning our next course.

Infinite space means infinite possibilities. Which way do we set sail this time? Before, we had a single goal - the release. With that great quest done, the possibilities before us are practically endless. What better time than now for you, our fantastic community, to take part in steering this project! This is why today's release is all about giving power to the players!





Many nights were spent before the glowing screen. Many cups of strong coffee were drunk. Still, we fought on. Today, we are proud to announce that we have found a way to add modding to The Universim!

This was truly a monumental task. Many moons ago, as we were writing the first lines of code that would become TU, we could only dream of something like modding! Suffice to say, the codebase lacked any support for this type of thing. Still, if we are going to do it, we are going to do it right.

We do this for you, our community, first and foremost. It's hard to overemphasize how much your opinion means to our team - and this is why we decided to release modding in parts, after each release, listening to your feedback and adjusting our course. This will allow us to consider the different points of view in between releases and truly make this project community-driven, as is our dream.

That dream is also why we took additional time ensuring that everything related to modding can be done completely in-game: Through our familiar, standard UI. We want modding to be an integral part of the experience, that almost anyone out there, in our great community, can do - regardless of your programming or technical knowledge!



Today, we release the first chapter of Modding: Custom Factories. As we finished the main system for adding custom content through in-game UI, the first thing we thought of were factories. This is the building type that has more effect on gameplay than any other. Plus, factories are also easy to test, with clear parameters and straightforward functionality. Overall, they appear as the best choice for the first iteration of modding. They will allow us to get the best idea of how you, as the players, are going to use the system - and how we should proceed in the next chapter of this quest! Which we'll start right after this release.





Keep in mind, though, that the most thorny part of the road is behind us. The modding system is already in the game, and the next chapter will take much less time than the first - for which we had to add an entirely new system! Now we just need to choose the direction, prepare the UI and the basic functionality, and test.



In our ongoing mission to empower players as the true rulers of their own universes, we are excited to unveil new functionality that was previously reserved for only the most seasoned developers! Introducing the Creator Panel, a powerful tool that grants you unlimited resources and a limitless workforce to elevate your civilization to unprecedented heights. With this tool, you'll command armies of drones, unleash hordes of UFOs, and wield all the powers a Creator could dream of.

Creator Panel activated within the Game sections of the settings.



But beware, for with great power comes great responsibility. The Creator Panel allows you to shape your civilization according to your grand vision, but it also gives you the ability to destroy it. This tool is designed for the most experienced players who truly understand the consequences of wielding such immense power.

Utilizing these tools with extreme values can lead to unintended issues within your game. We strongly advise using them with caution. The power to create and destroy is now in your hands—handle it wisely!


To discover and install mods created by the community, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Steam Workshop: Go to the Steam Workshop for The Universim. Here, you can browse all available mods.
   
2. Subscribe to a Mod: When you find a mod you like, click the Subscribe button. This will add the mod to your Steam account.
   
3. Start the Game: Launch The Universim.
   
4. Access the Mods Menu: Click on the Mods button from the main menu.
   
5. Synchronize Your Mods: In the first tab of the Mods menu, click the Synchronize button. This will update the list with all the mods you’ve subscribed to on the Steam Workshop.
   
6. Enable Mods: Toggle the mods you want to activate, then start a new game.
   

Important Notes:

Mods will not be added to existing save files.
If you remove a mod from your system, you will not be able to load a saved game that relies on that mod.

• Fixed an issue where Builder Bot transportation requests were not prioritized over regular transportation requests.
  
• Fixed an issue where reserved spots by drones were not properly released when the drones were destroyed.
  
• Fixed the Infection Achievement, which can now be completed as intended.
  
• Made numerous localization fixes.
  
• Addressed a star map issue on Macs with M chips. This was one of the most bizarre issues we’ve ever encountered. Due to computational differences between Intel chips on older Macs, Windows machines, and technically all other platforms, a specific calculation on Macs with M chips was not being processed correctly. As a result, the camera's position was always set to 0, rather than incrementing over time for smooth movement. This issue was caused by architectural differences in how computations are handled on Macs with Apple Silicon. We have implemented a workaround, but it’s uncertain if other computational issues may arise on Macs with M chips.
  

Thank you, mighty creators, for your unwavering support and patience as we continue to shape the universe of The Universim together. Your passion and feedback drive our efforts, and we couldn’t have come this far without you. We are excited to see the amazing worlds and creations you will bring to life with these new tools and features. Please share your thoughts and feedback on our https://discord.gg/theuniversim so we can keep refining and improving the game based on your valuable insights. Let’s continue this journey together into the infinite possibilities of the cosmos!

Sincerely,
Crytivo Crew

https://store.steampowered.com/app/352720/The_Universim/

Hello Creators!

We hope you are all doing great and having a blast! We have some great news for you related to the long-awaited addition to the game, and we would also like to invite you to check out The Crust game that just got released from our friends at VEOM Studio. We truly think that you will enjoy it!



After our previous blog, we received many messages from you. Some of you’ve got really excited to learn that the team has also started working on our next project - Solarpunk Life Sim Farming and Automation game - Farm Folks (Join Farm Folks Discord). In contrast, others felt sad that we plan to stop introducing new features to The Universim after calling the game complete. Today, we have additional info for you.

We want to clarify that we’re not stopping support for The Universim. We will continue improving the gameplay, releasing quality-of-life updates, and fixing critical issues and bugs.
Seeing your love and passion for the game, we decided to spend just a little bit more time with the game and give you what you’ve been asking for so long - the ability to mod the game, which will provide you with the real creator powers you've been seeking from the beginning.

We always wanted to add modding to the game, but we knew it would require overwhelming work due to the complexity of The Universim code and systems (we’ve been developing it for 10 years, wow!). Despite that, we gathered the team, discussed the work ahead, and have been working on it behind the scenes.

We are happy to announce that we have made significant progress. As a test, we have already added one modding system, allowing us to add new factories to the game. We aim to make modding as simple and convenient as possible, even for new users. We plan to release mods in parts/categories (buildings, factories, resources, quests, nuggets, etc.). Our first release will focus on factories. Afterward, we will work on other buildings and nuggets. We are currently working on integrating the modding system with Steam (it already works outside of Steam). Once this is done, we will release this patch with the first-ever modding tool for The Universim!



If you have modding experience or mod suggestions for The Universim, please join our Discord and share them with us in our new Mod Talk channel.



JOIN DISCORD

We are still gauging how much we can allow to be modded, and any of your input might be very valuable to us. Modding will enable many of you to create and share your creations with our community via the Steam workshop, potentially infinitely extending the amount of content in the game. We’re incredibly excited about this, and we hope you are as well.

THE CRUST BUNDLE



Another exciting piece of news: we’re thrilled to let you know that our friends at VEOM Studio have just released the moon colonization and factory automation game, The Crust, on Steam. We invite you to check it out; we think it’s right up your alley. We partnered with them and created The Universim X The Crust Steam Bundle, which can be found here. It should offer you guys an extra discount, even if you already own The Universim.

CHECK IT OUT

The Crust is a lunar base automation and colony management game where you must automate a lunar base to become humanity's savior. Think of it as a mix of Factorio and a bit of RimWorld. If you enjoy these kinds of games, definitely check it out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1465470/The_Crust/

You are the best community we have ever had, and we hope you all have an awesome day!

Sincerely,
The Crytivo Crew

Hello everyone,

I trust you're all doing well and making the most of each day. I wanted to share some updates from our end regarding the future of the company and our game.

Let's dive into the game first.

We're currently crafting a new update, one that injects fresh content into the game. The primary focus of this update is to provide players in the later stages, from modern and beyond, with avenues to utilize their surplus resources. Many players have amassed substantial resources with no clear direction for their use beyond planetary colonization.

To address this, we're introducing a new feature inspired by the Tower of Babel. This building will serve as a resource sink, allowing players to contribute resources and engage in a mini-game within its confines. You'll have the opportunity to establish and expand a small colony within the tower, earning a score based on your progress. This score will determine your position on a leaderboard, adding a competitive edge to the game for those who have already conquered its primary challenges.



Our team has been hard at work on this update for the past month and a half, laying the groundwork for the system. We're expecting to release this update within the next 1-2 months and we’re excited to share previews of what's to come in the near future and eagerly will be waiting for your feedback.



Concept art

Now, let's talk about our broader plans and the future of Crytivo.

Developing The Universim has been an incredible journey - one filled with challenges, rewards, and unwavering support from each of you. We've released over 50 content updates, alongside numerous bug fixes and improvements, all aimed at enhancing your experience. Your support has meant the world to us, and we're deeply grateful for it.

As with any journey, there comes a time for closure and new beginnings. While The Universim holds a special place in our hearts, it's time for us to embark on a new adventure.



We invite you to our next project - Farm Folks



Farm Folks is an open-world life simulator multiplayer game that combines resource management and automation in a customizable farm-building experience. It is a mix of games such as Satisfactory, The Sims, Fortnite, Escape from Tarkov, spiced up with ghost hunting and much more.

With The Universim's final content update on the horizon, our focus will shift entirely to Farm Folks.

We would like to invite you to join Farm Folks Discord and Wishlist the game on Steam.




If you're curious to learn more about our second game you can do so by using the link below:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/895160/Farm_Folks/

We’re planning to offer something special for our The Universim players in the game and we will share what exactly at the later date.


We're excited about this new chapter and grateful for your continued support as we forge ahead.

P.S. We want to make sure this is clear: We will continue to introduce bug fixes, quality of life improvements, and balance adjustments to the game ( The Universim ) going forward.

Warm regards,
Alex

Hello Creators,

Today, we released a new patch with some improvements and fixes. This patch addresses several localization issues as well as crashes that were reported to us. We are also happy to announce that Macs with M chips should no longer see a broken main menu. The issue was related to a Unity bug and our system not cooperating well with each other.

As we move forward, we are encountering more edge case issues and fewer bugs that affect everyone. With this in mind, we are moving towards improvements and balance for the game based on the feedback we received on Steam and in our Discord channels. As we progress with this update, we will keep you informed about the estimated release dates. Currently, it is a bit early to provide specific dates.

We will continue to iron out bugs and address any issues that arise as quickly as possible.
Now, let's review what was fixed in this patch:

• Fixed an issue where nuggets created by the simulation system do not trigger believer news messages in some cases.
  
• Fixed an issue where trading shuttles without valid resource count maps caused crashes.
  
• Fixed incorrect localization for Resource Management.
  
• Fixed missing localization for the Planet Cracker Laser and Stomp.
  
• Added localization to the Cosmodrome Panel and Evo Tower Rocket Panel.
  
• Fixed collapsed Planet Cracker Relaunch Localization.
  
• Fixed localization for the Sent Planet Cracker "Yes / No" buttons.
  
• Fixed localization for the Oil Extractor Panel.
  
• Fixed localization for the Space Box Research Progress.
  
• Fixed localization for Warehouse Storage.
  
• Fixed duplicated planet names by implementing a system for generating unique planet names based on their coordinates.
  
• Fixed an issue where the road system was not correctly created on the planet where the Planet Cracker was sent.
  
• Fixed a bug that occurred when tanks would shoot the Planet Cracker, causing explosion effects to break and be displayed in the incorrect position.
  
• Drastically improved the performance of tanks, helicopters, and combat, achieving a 30+ fps gain during encounters.
  
• Fixed an issue with Mac's M chips at game start.
  
• Added a warning for when trying to assign all available workers.
  
• Adjusted logic to ensure that the Cracker arrival message doesn't appear on unrelated planet panels.
  
• Added notification when the settlement has no free workers to assign to general buildings.
  
• Added functionality to rename planets through the Star Map Panel.
  

We hope you have a wonderful start to the week!
If you encounter any issues in the game, don’t hesitate to drop us a message on our Discord in the #bug-channel.

If you enjoy the game, please consider leaving us a review.
Thank you for being an awesome community.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/352720/The_Universim/