Congratulations to our April winners! Your creativity and design skills continue to impress us. Check out the winning screenshots below and get inspired for the next round.

Week One

Week Two

Week Three



Want to enter the Weekly Screenshot Contest?
Here's how:

📸 How to Enter:

Submit a screenshot from the free demo version of Modulus to the #ScreenshotContest forum on our official Discord server.[discord.gg]
Check the weekly post in the forum to see if there is a theme.

Ensure your screenshot is unaltered and free from any external markings or assets.

🗓️ Contest Timeline:

Submission Period: 00:01 UTC Saturday to 12:00 UTC Thursday each week.

Voting Period: 13:00 UTC Thursday to 12:00 UTC Friday.

🏆 Prizes:

The winning screenshot will be featured in the game for one week.

The winner will receive a key to the Steam PC version of the full release of Modulus, upon release.

Join our Discord community and showcase your creativity![discord.gg]

We were planning to post when we hit 75,000 wishlists… but you all beat us to it, we blinked and suddenly we’re at 80K. 😅
We’re genuinely blown away by the response to the demo so far.
Over 24,000 of you have already jumped in to start building, optimising, and experimenting with your factories, and we’re sitting at 97% Very Positive on Steam reviews. That kind of support means everything to us.

From the whole team at Happy Volcano, thank you. Your feedback, suggestions, and enthusiasm help shape Modulus's future every day.

We’ve got a lot more coming, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Onward to 100K wishlists! 🏭

Thank you to everyone who’s played the Modulus demo and shared your thoughts with us! We’ve loved seeing your factories, your creativity, and your feedback. It means the world to our team that so many of you have taken the time to offer suggestions, report bugs, or just tell us what you love.

We’ve been listening, and today we’ve rolled out our first round of fixes and updates. Check out the patch notes below! 👇


Now you can access the Monotoner once you add cranes to the bot factory

Merged making of the first and second modules of the bot factory into a single quest



Fixed bug with the data collection opt out option in the settings

Fixed bug where the players could see debug text if their default language was not supported by the game



Visual Bugs:

Drones fly through terrain.

Tutorial goal background color changes unexpectedly.

Cranes' hologram turns red if placed too early in the onboarding process.

Module glitches when underground is moved after placement.

Conveyor belts can be built across chasms.

Saturation changes when lowering quality settings.


Functionality Issues:

Cutter accepts modules indefinitely without output.

Inconsistent assembler output when connected to a cutter without a conveyor belt.

Mouse cursor glitches with a connected controller.

Saving a game with "v" in the name hides the hub, but "v" remains in the save name.


UI and UX Issues:

Consumption rates and crane speed are not displayed in the UI.

Production upgrade display error on 'Blue Core Facility' from 2 to 3.

The "Z" icon for clearing conveyor belts doesn't match the keyboard language.

No confirmation on depot deletion.


Performance:

High GPU load at game start (near 100%).


Localization:
General localization issues.



Quality of Life (QOL) Improvements:

Tooltip for shape dimensions.

Option to resize the game window freely.

Control rebinding functionality.


Suggested Tools:
A "sample" or "pipette" tool to build more of whatever is under the cursor.


Save and Load Functionality:
Improve save behavior with the "v" key to hide the hub and save window.


Thanks again for all your support since the demo launch. It really does mean the world to us.
Don't forget to join the Discord[discord.gg], if you haven't already, as we are loving watching you create the wildest of factories and can't wait to see more.

Team Happy Volcano.

Hey Module Makers, and welcome to a special edition of the Modulus Dev Log! We’ve got big news: the Modulus demo is officially live! If you’ve been waiting to dive into our factory automation sandbox, now’s the perfect time to jump in, start optimising, and let those conveyor belts roll.
But today, we’re not just celebrating the demo launch, we’re also taking a look back at how Modulus has evolved throughout development. From early prototypes to the design choices that shaped the demo, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it takes to bring a game like this to life. As well as introducing you to some of the team.

But first, we dive into an interview with Game Director David Prinsmel.

Building a game is all about choices: what stays in, what gets cut, and how every piece fits together to create the best possible experience. With the Modulus demo now live, we sat down with our Game Director to talk about the key design decisions that shaped it.

Core Design Choices
What were the key goals you wanted to achieve with the demo?
I particularly wanted to show players the unique hook in modulus: voxel based operations. There is a huge amount of flexibility on what you make in the factory. It’s not recipe based like other factory games, you can make anything you like, in whatever way you like.
Also, these modules you make are the actual building blocks of the factory buildings, which are built up out of them. And what’s also cool is they make something new that goes back into the factory, creating somewhat of a factory inside a factory.

How did you decide what features made it into the demo and what got left out?
We wanted to show the unique voxel manipulating mechanic and include some buildings to show the core of the game.
We also added a single blue building, so the mechanics of using paint in the game are shown. There are many more coming, and the process will involve more steps, but this shows players a bit of what’s in store for them.

Also we wanted players to have a bit of a sandbox feeling where they can spend quite some hours in the demo. So we didn’t want to stop them from being creative and let them experiment freely with the tools they’re given. That’s why we don’t stop you from playing after reaching the first objectives.

Were there any mechanics you initially wanted to include but had to cut for the demo? Why?
Yeah the process of creating new paint is simplified in the demo, purely due to the fact that we didn’t have time to implement all the new operators for it. So the demo features a bit of a shortcut in progression but it gives players a “quicker” taste of what’s gonna be in the full game.
There’s also no research buildings in the demo, because including that would imply having a use for your science points and that would bloat the scope of the demo too much.


How does the demo reflect the overall vision for Modulus?
It’s the tip of the iceberg. It lets you play around with a unique mechanic, new to factory games. Just enough to make you go “Aaaah” and leave you wanting for more. And there’s gonna be more, like way more. I estimate we only show 5% of the content of EA in the demo. And our EA scope is only 66% of the full game. That should give you an idea of how much more is coming 🙂


What feedback from early playtests influenced last-minute changes?
Well first of all, a lot of changes came out of playtests, not just last minute ones. Usually it was addressing unclear mechanics, displaying information better, QoL stuff…
But a clear last minute change was the currency in the game: It wasn’t balanced well and caused moments of waiting for more money, which definitely didn’t sit well with players. After thinking this through more, we saw an opportunity to completely remove it from the whole game. It just wasn’t helping the game in any way. And since this being a zen game, where we focus on relaxing gameplay, not feeling any pressure and exploring your creativity, it just feels like a better design now. You are free to place and build whatever you want at any moment. It just made a lot of sense.

The Economy & Removing Money
What challenges came with removing a traditional in-game economy?
Well the obvious one was the upgrading of buildings. Previously you’d need money to do that, because an upgraded building outputs way more, making it something you absolutely want as a player. By removing money, we removed the investment, hollowing out the use of the mechanic. Because after all, if it’s free and better, you just do it without thinking twice. That was a problem, because now you were just waiting for the upgraded building. There was no strategic decision to be made anymore. “Should I use my money for placing operators or upgrading buildings?” was no longer the case.
That’s why we added Datashards in the upgrade process as a cost. Datashards are kinda like our science points, which are hard to come by and need to be produced in the factory. They are also the main currency in the tech tree. So all of a sudden we have an interesting choice again: “Should I spend my hard earned Datashards on upgrading buildings, increasing my current output? Or should I get something new and fancy from the Tech tree?”

A tougher one was the upgraded versions of the Operators. We call them Mark 2 Operators. They are basically faster versions but some of them might have an additional bonus as well. Obviously, when money was still in the game, they would cost way more. Making for an interesting strategic decision: “Do I use the better one and spend my money on it? Or do I just use the cheap one for now?). Again, we lost that decision making when we removed currency. So we needed a player investment again. And in this case, we chose to have a logistics investment. These new operators are faster, have new features, so they need to come with a drawback as well. To actually make them work they require an optional chemical input. The supply tank will distribute this chemical to the Mark 2 operators so they stay operational. And of course, that chemical needs to be created in the factory. So in this case, it’s more of a challenge to set up, but once running, it produces way faster.

How does this change affect the way players approach factory-building?
Well now players can actually freely build without having to think about running out of money. They can experiment without a sudden message telling them they’re out of funds. The only limit is your available space, but that too can easily be expanded. It creates a feeling of freedom, there’s nothing holding you back from doing whatever you want to do with the tools at your disposal.

Were there any unexpected benefits (or drawbacks) to removing money from the game?
Not really. We just had to come up with some design fixes because of overlapping systems that were counting on the money mechanic, like the ones mentioned before. But in the end the design is simpler and fits the core pillars of the game better.

Did removing currency open up new gameplay opportunities that weren’t possible before?
It created more interesting decisions for players. It’s not about thinking if you want to spend money on this or that anymore. Money is not a bottleneck, so you can completely fill an island with operators and buildings if that’s what you want. It creates more freedom in how you progress through the game: You can either go straight for the next milestone, or you can spend a couple of hours creating a massive base factory before even delivering on your first objectives.


What kind of player experience were you aiming for in the demo?
Well first of all it was crucial to teach players this new approach to the genre: Getting acquainted with these “Inside operators configuration screens”, as that’s new for a lot of our players. Once you understand the basics (by completing the tutorial) and in your mind it clicks like “Oh, but I could also do that, or that…”, you start seeing the freedom of choices and how unlimited the game actually is. We wanted players to get a small taste of this and leave them hungry for more.

How do you want players to feel when they first start automating in Modulus?
I want them to feel like they can be creative in how they reach their goals. They should feel like the way they tackled a specific problem is their own approach and that it might be very different from someone else. In the end, there are no bad solutions, just less and more efficient ones.


Was there a specific moment or feature you really wanted players to experience in the demo?
I’m pretty proud of what we’ve been able to pull off with the buildings. Seeing the modules you just created actually stack up and start completing a full building is something I haven’t seen yet in these kinds of games. I’m very stoked about the fact that the buildings are actually built like lego designs, in a modular fashion.
And once you connect the Harvester Pad to a building and you start gaining items from it. That’s also a nice feeling. I’m also very proud of the fact that those buildings are not arbitrary “item dumps”, but they are a factory in itself, requiring continuous input to keep creating newer items, for later use in the factory.

How does progression work without a monetary system?
Progression is purely based on your building efforts. The end goal of Modulus is to construct all Monuments: Massive building endeavours, that require a massive factory to support them. You’ll have to progress through the skilltree and produce enough modules to support the construction of them. All secondary objectives will grant you XP to increase your GNN rank. You’ll need a higher rank to get access to more islands with more available space and rare resources in order to even attempt to construct a monument.


Are there any hidden details or design choices in the demo that players might not notice at first?
You can link through Extractors with conveyor belts. It’s never explained, but it’s a nice “pro” move.


How does the demo set up expectations for the full game?
Hopefully it opens the minds of players so they see what is possible with our new voxel mechanic. Modules will get more complex, more colors will be introduced and many more logistic operators will help you manage a massive factory.
We currently only feature 3 islands, but there will be dozens more to support a massive logistics network in order to complete your monuments.

Are there features planned for the full release that couldn’t make it into the demo?
Yeah a lot: A new paint production system with more operator types, Rank system, GNN delivery targets, Module challenges, purchasing new islands, a tech tree with over 150 nodes, many new operators, Mark 2 and 3 operators, upgradable speeds of all factory aspects, Freight drones for inter island transport, Chemical mixing and distribution, at least 4 new raw resources Research of Datashards, Reworked mechanic of upgrading buildings, Monuments, cosmetic structures,… and I’m probably forgetting a lot more.

What’s one thing you’re most excited for players to experience when the full game launches?
The tech tree and progression. It will give a massive boost to motivation for players. And personally I really enjoy a well designed tech tree in a game. It infuses the game on regular intervals with something fresh.
And for sure a creative mode. I can’t wait to see what players will build if we give them a sandbox.

What kind of feedback from the demo will be most valuable for shaping the final game?
I have some worries about complexity and balancing. Hopefully players will tell us how hardcore they want to go with this. But I also hope that this game can attract more people to the genre of factory automation. Because numbers are beautiful.
And I’m aware as well that these kinds of games need proper explanation in them. I want to keep finetuning the tutorial and give players the information they need to fully enjoy the game.

If players could take away one key feeling or idea from the demo, what would you want it to be?
“Oh but wait, I could try to do it like this. Let’s go!” I want them to feel smart about tackling a specific problem and I want them to experience the joy of building a system and watching it work like the inside of a clock or computer.


We hope that gave you some idea of what went into the creation of the demo, as well as get you excited about the future of Modulus. Thank you David, for taking the time to answer our questions. Let us know if you have any questions by joining our Discord server.[discord.gg]


Modulus has changed a lot since its earliest concepts. Initially, the game had a minimalist aesthetic inspired by Sable and Monument Valley, in line with the style of our previous game, The Almost Gone. But as development progressed, we realized that a voxel-based look better suited the modular, factory-building theme of Modulus.
Beyond visuals, the gameplay itself has seen major shifts. At one point, Modulus had small citizens roaming around, leaning more into city-building mechanics. Then, we transitioned them into bots that worked within buildings. Eventually, we evolved that idea further—integrating bots directly into the assembly line itself, making them an essential part of production. They’re adorable, and they add a ton of charm to the production process.

From the first concept sketches to the demo you can play today, every step of development has been about refining and improving the experience. And with your feedback, we’ll keep pushing it even further!


Every game has a passionate team behind it, and today, we’re introducing you to the two newest members of the Modulus crew. Our new Head of Communications, Jarvs, and Senior Engineer, Oliver, sat down to talk about their journey into game development, the games that inspired them, and, of course, their most unhinged nerdy obsessions.
Whether it’s the engineering magic behind Modulus or the stories that brought them to Happy Volcano, this chat is a chance to get to know the people behind the game.

You’ll be able to watch the full interview on our YouTube channel in the coming week but for now here’s a sneak peak at what you can expect.

What Games Inspire Us?
Oliver’s love for game development started young with Spore, a game that let him create creatures and build villages—something that stuck with him. He’s also a big fan of Dark Cloud, a lesser-known but beloved classic that lets players rebuild towns piece by piece.
Jarvs, on the other hand, goes way back with Golden Axe on the Mega Drive, the first game that truly captured her imagination. These days, she’s inspired by the storytelling depth of Hades, the bold creativity of Death Stranding, and Kojima’s willingness to take risks and push boundaries.

Favorite Game Genres (Outside of Factory Building & Automation!)
Oliver enjoys a broad range of games but has a particular soft spot for creative indie games like Inscryption. He’s also played his fair share of shooters but is trying to step back from the grind.
Jarvs leans towards roguelikes, loving the constant learning process and the “just one more run” addictiveness. She’s also a huge RPG fan and is eagerly awaiting the next Witcher game and the upcoming vampire-themed RPG from ex-CD Projekt Red developers.

Game Mechanics We Wish More Games Used
We had a lot of fun discussing this one, and Oliver had a particularly funny answer, which you’ll have to watch the full interview to hear!


🎥 Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel, next week, to hear more about our favorite games, inspirations, and nerdy discussions. Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!

Whilst that is the end of this dev log, this is just the beginning for Modulus. The full game will introduce an expansive tech tree, complex paint production, purchasing new islands, inter-island logistics, research mechanics, and so much more. The Modulus demo gives you a small taste, but trust us, there’s a lot more coming.

We want to hear from you! Your feedback is invaluable, so be sure to join our Discord,[discord.gg] wishlist Modulus on Steam, and leave a review after playing the demo. Your input will help shape the final game.

Thanks for being part of this journey, we can’t wait to see what you build!
The Happy Volcano Team

Hey Module Makers! It’s time to flex both your automation AND photography skills. We’re launching a Weekly Screenshot Contest, kicking off this Saturday, where you can share your best shots from the Modulus demo for a chance to:

✅ Win a free Steam key for the full game at launch
✅ Have your screenshot featured in-game for an entire week!


1️⃣ Take an awesome screenshot in the Modulus Demo.
2️⃣ Submit it in our Discord server in the #screenshotcontest[discord.gg] forum.
3️⃣ Make sure your screenshot is unedited—straight from the game!

Only screenshots submitted to Discord will be considered for the contest.
But we’d still love to see your creations here in the Steam Community Hub too!



📆 Every Saturday at 00:01 UTC – A new contest begins!
📌 Thursday at 12:00 UTC – Submission deadline.
📝 Thursday at 13:00 UTC – Top 3 screenshots selected for voting.
🗳️ Thursday-Friday – Community voting is open in Discord!
🏆 Friday at 12:00 UTC – Winner announced!


The winning screenshot will be featured in-game for a whole week!
You’ll also receive a free Steam key for the full commercial release of Modulus.



⚡ Screenshots must be taken from the Modulus Demo.
⚡ No external edits, keep it raw from the game!


📜 Read the full contest rules here[modulusgame.com].


Head over to our Discord[discord.gg], and from Saturday drop your best screenshot in the #screenshotcontest forum. Then on Thursday-Friday head to the #screenshot-votes channel to have your say on who should win.

Show us what you've got!

Let’s see who can create the most visually stunning factory setups!

Good luck, and happy automating! 🏭

We are thrilled to announce that the Modulus demo will be available on April 3rd! This demo offers an exciting first glimpse into the world of Modulus, allowing you to experience the core mechanics and features ahead of the full release.

• Hours of Engaging Gameplay: The demo features around 2 hours of content with several more hours to spent optimizing your factory. The demo is only limited in factory floor size.
  
• Explore a Range of Customizable Operators: Experiment with a variety of operators that will enhance your factory's efficiency and productivity.
  
• Explore Grey and Blue Buildings: Unlock and construct multiple building types, each offering unique functionalities to expand your operations.
  
• Zen mode: Unlock Zen mode where there are no challenges, no objectives. Just you and the factory floor!
  
• Comprehensive Tutorial: New to factory automation games? Our step-by-step tutorial will guide you through the basics, ensuring a smooth start to your journey.

Please be aware that save files from the demo will not be compatible with the full version upon release.

The demo will be available in English, Simplified Chinese, German, Russian, French and Dutch with plans to support additional languages in the full game.

Your insights are crucial to us! After playing the demo, we encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback on our Steam Community Hub or join our Discord server[discord.gg] to engage directly with the development team and other players.

Thank you for your support. We can't wait for you to get your hands on Modulus and look forward to hearing your feedback!

Thanks for reading, and have yourself a great day!
Jeroen (Studio Head)

Hey everyone!

We're launching a new series of video devlogs aimed at bringing you closer to the heart of Modulus' development. In this first episode, we sit down with Game Director, David, for an in-depth interview. He shares insights into the creative process, challenges faced, and the passion driving Modulus forward.

Our goal with this series is to provide you with exclusive behind-the-scenes access, showcasing how Modulus is made from concept to release. Stay tuned for more episodes, where we'll delve into various aspects of game development, introduce you to different team members, and explore the intricate details that make Modulus unique.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this new video format, it helps us improve and tailor our content to your interests. Feel free to share your comments, and don't hesitate to join our Discord server[discord.gg] to discuss directly with David and the rest of the team.

Thanks for reading, and have yourself a great day!
- Jeroen (Studio Head)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2779120/Modulus/

As this been a big topic in many discussions, I’ve decided to shed some light on operator speeds and efficiency in the game. Many games use the input vs output speeds as a reference for players to build optimized factories. Because Modulus is not recipe based, this doesn’t actually apply well here. After all, players are free to choose how to create a module. Of course efficiency and deterministic results are the bread and butter of factory games and it’s super important in Modulus as well. We just calculate things a bit differently.

In Modulus, we talk about operation speeds and it is expressed in a unit form as operations/minute. For example, if a Cutter has an operation speed of 30 operations/minute, it means that it can perform at a maximum of 30 times per minute. Pretty straightforward right? Well, what makes Modulus original is that the operation you choose might actually change the output of a specific machine. Confused? It’ll get clearer with some examples.

Let’s take a look at the Furnace first. The Furnace has an operation speed of 30/m and requires 8 Polyrock to do one operation (smelting one basic cube). In other words, a Furnace is able to craft 30 cubes per minute if it receives 240 Polyrock per minute (8 Polyrock x 30). If we know that a standard conveyor belt moves 120 items per minute, that means a quarter (30 items) of the output conveyor belt will be filled with cubes. To get a full conveyor belt of cubes means you’ll need 4 maxed out furnaces feeding into one conveyor.

One Furnace running at max efficiency

4 Furnaces combined to create a full belt of cubes

In another straightforward example, the Monotoner has an operation speed of 30/m. That means one Monotoner can handle a quarter of the capacity of one conveyor belt. (A quarter of a conveyor belt’s capacity can be recognized by modules that are 4 grid spaces apart).

One Monotoner working in sync with a maxed out Furnace

When trying to feed in more than 30/m, you’ll see that the Monotoner can’t keep up and the input belt will start clogging.

Monotoner is too slow for 60 cubes/minute

The Cutter is an interesting operator as it can behave very differently based on its settings. The base Cutter also has an operation speed of 30/m. Depending on your settings, a Cutter can transform a conveyor belt that feeds in 30 modules/minute into an output conveyor that is completely filled. In the following example, 30 modules/minute come in, but the Cutter produces 4 new modules, effectively multiplying the number of objects by 4, resulting in a full conveyor belt.

Cutter transforms 30 cubes/minute into 120 new pieces per minute, maxing out the output conveyor

If a player wants to lead a fully loaded conveyor through a Cutter, you’ll need parallel operators to ensure there’s no clogging. That’s because a Cutter will always produce more than what comes in, resulting in a larger load on the output conveyors. In the following example, 4 Cutters are used to transform a full line of cubes into 4 full lines of 4x4x1 slabs. Notice that everything is running at max efficiency, there is never a halt and all spaces on all conveyor belts are occupied. Neat right?

Cutting a full conveyor of cubes (120/m) into slabs (480/m)

The opposite is also true. In the case of an Assembler, the output will have a smaller load than its combined input, because 2 modules are merged into 1 new module. The Assembler processes 2 modules in one operation at a speed of 30/m. This means that 2 conveyors feeding 2 separate modules at 30/m, will also result in an output of 30/m. Check below example.

Assembler running at full efficiency

Of course in some cases you just want a faster production of a specific module and you’ll probably have a larger input of the two base pieces. In that case we need to build parallel tracks again like below.

Cranes are a bit the odd one in the bunch. But they have a specific speed though: 15 operations/minute. That means they will pick up a module from a conveyor belt every 8 spaces. (Because conveyor speed is 120/m, divided by 8 = 15). BUT, you can place as many as you want. So you decide for yourself how fast a module enters a building, depending on which modules are needed more than others. (Check my previous deep dive about module ratios).

So what it all comes down to is the operation speed of any given operator. If you know the maximum operations of an operator you can set up your production lines to try and achieve their maximum capacity. Of course in some cases it might be beneficial to have parts of your production line produce less, because it’s just not necessary to have a full belt of something.
We feel like just giving you the operation speeds of operators should give you enough information to figure out max efficiencies, because frankly, everything else is up to you and how you choose to tackle the objective :)

Thanks for reading, and have yourself a great day!
- David (Game Director)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2779120/Modulus/

For those interested, I wanted to elaborate a bit more on the numbers behind Modulus. Specifically the module requests per building. I’ve taken the Blue Core Facility as an example because it has clean ratios. (Not all buildings will produce such clean numbers, but it’s a good way of thinking when planning the construction of a new building)

As displayed above, the building needs 3 modules to be constructed. Let’s call them Mod1, Mod2 and Mod3. Mod1 & 2 need to be delivered 32 times and Mod3 only 16 times. If we break the modules down in our minds, we can slide the blue part of Mod2 inside Mod1, creating a nice rectangle of 2x4x8. Which is 64 voxels and exactly one full base cube, tadaah! If we multiply that by the delivery amount, we can calculate that the building will need EXACTLY 32 blue cubes. That’s neat.

If we apply the same logic to the white parts of the module, we can see it also needs exactly 32 white cubes in total (the calculation is a bit more difficult as Mod2 needs to be delivered 32 times and Mod3 only 16 times). The example above shows how to get to these numbers.

By the way, you don’t have to calculate in voxels, because that’s big numbers. What helps is trying to understand how many full cubes of each color you need.

Now why is this important you say? Well, if we know we need 32 blue cubes and 32 white cubes, we can plan our Polyrock extraction based on it. Imagine placing down two fully efficient furnaces producing cubes. One for the white ones and one for the blue ones (using a painter to paint the whole cube blue). This way we know that, if our production isn’t bottlenecked in any other way, you aren’t producing any waste and the only challenge left is to optimize each module production line. You can even add furnaces later if you see you need more cubes, in a ratio of 1 extra for the white cubes and 1 extra for the blue cubes.

I hope this makes some sense. In any case, it’s a nice way of looking at things when planning construction of a new building. Maybe there’s even smarter ways slightly :) I’m all ears!

Addendum: Module AMOUNTS and cranes
Once you have your production lines set up, it’s smart to think about how many cranes should be used per module. When we look at above example, it’s smart to use twice the amount of cranes for Mod 1 & 2, as the building needs double their amounts compared to Mod3. That way, a building will never have to wait for one specific module to be delivered, because all module deliveries will complete at exactly the same time. (same goes for the production cycle). This is of course assuming that the modules are coming in at a steady flow! Thanks for reading, have fun experimenting!

If you like Modulus, please consider wishlisting it, it helps us out a lot! And don’t forget to join our Discord to be able to talk directly to us: https://discord.gg/QbTr9bFqTF

Thanks for reading, and have yourself a great day!
- David (Game Director)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2779120/Modulus/

On December 4th, we announced Modulus at the OTK Winter Expo. Today, about one month later, we want to share some key numbers from our first month on Steam, explore a few theories, and make some predictions for the future.

🎁 Let’s start with the best Holiday gift we could have asked for: we ended up in the top wishlisted upcoming games on Steam. We’ve comfortably surpassed the 40K wishlist mark. Alongside this, we’ve gained approximately 2,600 followers, giving us a follower-to-wishlist ratio of 16x. This is significantly higher than the 2024 average of 13.3x, and even more so when you consider that deeper, strategic games like Modulus typically have lower ratios.

That said, a higher ratio doesn’t always mean better sales conversion; in some cases, it’s the opposite. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out. For now, here’s our wishlist growth graph, with annotations for each peak. 📈

Our announcement at the OTK Winter Expo (1) didn’t deliver the numbers we had anticipated based on historical trends. It seems December shows across the board struggled to convert well for (indie) developers this year. The absence of a front-page Steam event, which used to significantly boost visibility, certainly played a role. Additionally, the oversaturation of showcases, the sheer volume of games being announced, and the dominance of AAA titles during December created a challenging environment for our reveal to stand out right away.

😔 This was, quite frankly, a bit of a disappointment, but it turned out to be too soon to worry, as our trailer saved the day!

For some reason, the YouTube algorithm (2) picked up our announcement trailer and began showcasing it on people’s homepages and "More Like This" lists. While this gave us a significant boost, it’s certainly not the whole story. Let’s dive into the other key factors behind our growth.

We chose the factory automation genre because we genuinely love playing these games, even though they’re notoriously hard to make. From the beginning, we knew we had the right idea (more on that below). Market research also revealed that this genre remains a "small blue spot" in the "red ocean" of the games market. More importantly, players are hungry for new titles and open to exploring different approaches within this space.

Our unique concept, a zen-like automation game where players can dive into operators to build 3D modules, turning them into modular "Lego-like" blocks for constructing buildings, seems to have struck a chord with players.

In a genre where the focus is understandably on gameplay, the visual aesthetics of similar titles often take a backseat. We saw an opportunity to stand out by creating an art style that’s both functional and visually appealing. Our use of voxel shapes aligns seamlessly with the modular design mechanics, while low-poly assets bring life to organic elements like plants and rocks. 🌱 The result is a bright, natural atmosphere set in an inviting environment. A fresh take that seems to resonate with players who are used to more industrial or utilitarian visuals in the genre.

A few days after our announcement, the YouTube algorithm gave our trailer a massive boost. On our channel alone, the trailer has around 110K views, while platforms like IGN (47K views) and GameTrailers (318K views) brought the total to almost 500K views. The majority of comments have been overwhelmingly positive, which is incredibly encouraging.

https://youtu.be/hxOY0Kn4Snk

This one caught us off guard. We created a video devlog (3) primarily to reassure players on our Steam page that the game wasn’t abandoned. To our surprise, the devlog performed really well, with 24K views and an impressive conversion rate from viewers to subscribers. Much higher than the trailer itself. Devlogs are now something we’re actively exploring further.

https://youtu.be/rDOBOQNDy_w

Our wishlist and follower numbers spiked significantly between December 23rd and 30th. Looks like a combination of people having more time due to the holidays and the lure of the Winter Sale (4) also made people look into games that aren’t available yet.

Between the devlog peak and the start of the holiday effect, we had a steady base rate of 750 wishlists per day. That’s a strong number, but we expect it to decrease in the coming weeks as trailer interest has started to slowly wane. This means we have our work cut out for us on the marketing side to maintain momentum and keep the numbers growing. 📈

🛠 The team is currently hard at work on the demo. If it’s well-received and players enjoy the gameplay, we’re confident it will have a significant multiplier effect on our total wishlist numbers. More importantly, we’re focused on increasing our daily wishlist base, as sustained growth is key to long-term success.

💡 The second thing we need to start is A/B testing the heck out of our Steam page to improve its conversion rate. Our numbers are good, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Since testing on Steam is essentially free, it’s a no-brainer to aim for even a 0.2% increase in conversion. In the long run, that kind of improvement will be well worth the effort.

🎮 The last, and probably most important, step is to get the game into the hands of influencers. We’ve already seen significant interest from some well-known players in the factory automation genre, which is very encouraging. However, without a demo, there’s little they can do to showcase the game to their audiences.

While wishlist numbers aren’t as meaningful as they once were, they remain an important indicator of momentum, interest, and potential. We’re committed to growing them organically, avoiding artificial "gaming of the system." We do, of course, ask for wishlists wherever it’s appropriate, but letting this happen naturally will provide the clearest picture of what’s ahead.

🎉 Here’s to an exciting 2025 for Modulus! Thank you for being part of this journey with us. If you love factory automation games or just enjoy exploring innovative titles, we’d love for you to wishlist Modulus. And don’t forget to join our Discord[discord.gg], not only to follow our development updates but also to share your thoughts and ideas as we shape this game together with our amazing community. 💬🛠


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2779120/Modulus/