Day & Night Cycle Guide
Ore Factory Squad day and night mechanics: longer days, slower nighttime fatigue, delivery rules, and squad scheduling after demo v1.7.0.
Time of Day in Ore Factory Squad
Ore Factory Squad runs a day and night cycle that affects player fatigue and — historically in older demo builds — when you could call certain deliveries. Demo v1.7.0 lengthened daytime, slowed energy loss at night, and removed the block preventing delivery calls during nighttime hours. Full release inherits those quality-of-life changes, letting squads schedule warehouse runs without waiting for sunrise.
Fatigue still matters: mining, sprinting, and long underground sessions drain energy faster than surface factory work. Night now punishes stamina less aggressively, which helps co-op groups that prefer evening play sessions or split roles where one player drives trucks while others rest near city amenities.
Read demo v1.7.0 patch notes for exact changelog wording and Redstone City for bar and city activities during downtime.
Fatigue Management for Miners
Watch stamina during deep jackhammer sessions — when fatigue bars drop, climb via Modular Mining Lift or rest at surface camps before attempting dynamite in tight tunnels. Slower nighttime fatigue loss means third-shift mining is viable if your squad stocks food or rest mechanics available in your build.
Assign surface roles at night if miners prefer to pause: automation monitoring, conveyor debugging, and contract terminal checks do not always require dig site presence. Drivers completing city deliveries benefit from removed nighttime delivery blocks — plan truck loops across the whole clock.
Co-op squads rotate underground shifts so one tired player does not hold dynamite permissions while disoriented — voice callouts from the voice chat guide help handoffs.
Deliveries and Contract Timing
Before v1.7.0, nighttime delivery restrictions could stall contract chains when smelters finished ingots after dusk. Current builds allow calling deliveries at night — prioritize accepting contracts with deadlines that cross day/night boundaries without fear of artificial scheduling blocks.
Contract timers themselves still run continuously. A six-hour Gold job accepted at afternoon does not pause at midnight — use the contract priority tool to avoid accepting more jobs than your squad can deliver before expiry regardless of day phase.
Warehouse foreman should monitor board refreshes during city visits at any hour; city and warehouse staging bays operate independently of surface daylight on property deeds.
City Life After Dark
Redstone City traffic, bar visits, and map overlay (press M) remain available for squads taking breaks from fatigue recovery. City activities do not replace contract income but provide social downtime between crunch deliveries — especially in four-player groups streaming long sessions.
Placeable underground lights from Next Fest demo updates matter more during long night mining shifts — flood lights and hanging lamps clarify tunnel forks when surface light no longer cues orientation. See mining guide for lift and lighting placement.
Emotes near city bars or factory yards help communicate rest breaks when voice is muted.
Scheduling Co-op Sessions
Squads across time zones should agree whether night-heavy sessions focus on logistics (trucks, robots, terminal) versus digging ( louder, fatigue-sensitive ). Hosts in European evening and US afternoon overlap may hit in-game night mid-session — plan contract acceptance accordingly.
Solo players can sleep or rest through night if mechanics allow skipping time — verify current patch behavior in settings tutorials. If no skip exists, use night for factory expansion on surface where fatigue recovers faster per v1.7.0 tuning.
Bookmark the updates hub if future patches rebalance day length or fatigue — economy patches sometimes shift optimal play windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I call deliveries at night?
Yes after demo v1.7.0 removed the nighttime delivery block. Full release follows the same rule per current patch notes.
Did v1.7.0 make days longer?
Yes — official demo patch notes state daytime length increased and nighttime fatigue loss slowed.
Does night stop contract timers?
No. Contract deadlines run continuously regardless of day or night phase.
Is mining slower at night?
Mining speed is tool-based; fatigue loss at night is slower after v1.7.0, not faster mining during day.
Do city shops close at night?
Redstone City exploration and bar activities were available in demo Next Fest builds — verify specific NPC hours in your updated build if patches add schedules.