Factorio 2.1 is now the stable version, Wube Software confirmed in Friday Facts #449. The news arrived two years to the week after the Space Age expansion launched and follows a summer of experimental builds. Many of the tweaks since the first 2.1 release came from player bug reports, and the studio refreshed the classic Factorio trailer one last time to mark the release.
As first outlined in FFF-440, the update adds no new planets, enemies or research trees. It collects quality of life changes, small features, polish and ideas that missed the 2.0 release.
Space Logistics
- Mixed rockets: one launch can carry several different items, so small platform builds no longer need full stacks of everything.
- Import from any location: leaving the "Import from" slot blank pulls items from everywhere, useful for fuel, ammo and repair packs.
- Platform to platform transfers: platforms in orbit can request and provide items to each other.
- Hub requests: the circuit network can now set space platform hub requests.
- Radar Universe mode: planets and platforms share circuit signals on a common channel.
Space Platform Balance
| Mechanic | Change in 2.1 |
|---|---|
| Asteroid damage | Based on the asteroid's remaining health instead of its speed |
| Platform drag | Based on mass instead of width |
| Platform hub | More health and resistances |
The drag change means the narrow "pencil ship" is no longer the only fast design.
Landing Pad Unloading Bay
A new cargo bay lets inserters take items out of the landing pad and load them straight into trains, chests or belts. It must be placed close to the landing pad, and elevated rails can now pass over cargo bays.
Circuit Network
Circuit reads and writes can now use different wire colors. This Input/Output split replaces the old self-subtraction trick.
- Labs can pick the current research from circuit conditions.
- Boilers and heat exchangers connect to circuits for simple backup power.
- Land mines work as tripwires and enemy detectors.
- Pipes connect to the circuit network and get a new pipe GUI.
Quality, Fluids and Biters
Space Age can now be played without Quality. The Recycler moves into its own mod, and Quality stays enabled by default as a "Recommended" dependency. Locomotives and wagons can now have quality, while quality modules no longer work in asteroid reprocessing.
Pumpjacks and burner miners can be flipped, and fluid mixing prevention is back. Fluid flow also scales properly at high throughput. Biter expansion groups now scale with evolution, and early exploration no longer reduces expansions near the player's base.
New Graphics and ARM64 Linux
Factorio 2.1 is the studio's last big graphics pass. Assembling machines, the oil refinery, the rocket silo and the heat exchanger all get new graphics, and planets now appear behind space platforms.
The game also runs natively on ARM64 Linux, including Steam Frame, Raspberry Pi headless servers and Asahi Linux on Apple Silicon MacBooks.
Before Updating
- 2.0 saves load in 2.1, but changes such as the Input/Output split may break existing designs.
- Saves and blueprints cannot be downgraded to 2.0, so back them up first.
- Most popular mods are updated, but some may not be ready yet.
