Modular Factory Builder Modulus Builds Up Its Demo
Game developer Happy Volcano and publisher Astra Logical have released a PC demo for Modulus, a building sim where players get to create their own ever-expanding factory. However, unlike similar games, there are no blueprints to use.
Happy Volcano posits Modulus as a Zen factory automation game, where players are free to experiment by combining voxel-style blocks into new shapes and constructs, without using predescribed templates.
“There are no fixed recipes in Modulus. Players produce each construct from the very modules they manufacture, resulting in a highly personalized approach to factory-building,” the developer said in a press release.
“There are no timers, no enemies, just the player and their factory. Players can relax and find their flow as they build at their own pace.”
Modulus in Name, Modular in Nature
Citybuilders have been popular ever since Maxis published the first SimCity in 1989 but factory builders are a relatively new offshoot that’s still managed to become its own genre. From Factorio to Satisfactory, this type of game has come a long way since Henry Ford’s original production line, as there are now a few well-known games that put players in charge of creating and maintaining expanding production lines.
Shapez 2 and Infinifactory are also touchstones, in terms of finding a balance between customized assembly and refined production flow. Modulus borrows a few ideas from its genre predecessors, such as modular blocks, and combines these with an emphasis on creative thinking.
With the focus being on player experimentation rather than meeting prerequisite recipe checklists, players can join blocks together and color them, and experiment with new shapes to build different facilities.
Plus, each new module made can be used to build up a facility. Buildings then incorporate player-made blocks in their design as they expand and grow, so there’s an added level of personalization inherent in the core design.
A Focused Sandbox
In a dev log posted to the developer’s YouTube channel, Game Director David Prinsmel talked about more of the ideas behind Modulus.
“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.”
“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.”
Build Up And Out
Modulus includes a separate Zen mode that removes the stress of meeting set objectives as often found in other factory builders. Instead, players have time to tweak designs and figure things out for themselves.
As for the demo, it contains roughly two hours of gameplay, with additional time so players can test out factory optimization ideas. However, building blocks have floor size limitations and saves don’t carry over into the full game, which doesn’t have a set release date yet.
Happy Volcano is the Belgium-based studio responsible for the award-winning The Almost Gone and the chaotic multiplayer racing game You Suck at Parking.
Astra Logical focuses on publishing strategy and simulation games that place fun over difficulty. It’s helped bring multiple well-received titles to PCs and consoles, such as Dawnfolk, Snakebird Complete, and Kaizen: A Factory Story.
