Demo Patch Notes — v1.7.0

Context Before Launch

Demo v1.7.0 shipped on July 12, 2026, four days before the full Steam launch on July 16. threeW reported more than 1,200 concurrent demo players, over 170,000 demo library adds, and 75,000+ wishlists — momentum that justified a final demo polish pass aligning systems with release builds.

This patch is essential reading for groups who learned the game on older demo versions. Voice chat device selection, expanded keybindings, day and night pacing, and machine audio mixing all changed how squads communicate and manage fatigue during long sessions.

Tutorial and Crash Fixes

Several tutorial issues were fixed where vehicles and forklifts could lock with incorrect continue-tutorial warnings. Multiple tutorial blockers that stopped progression were removed.

AMD RDNA3 and RDNA4 users had crashes when accessing FSR4 — those paths were patched. Additional crash fixes and CPU optimizations improve stability during four-player digging and conveyor-heavy factories.

If tutorial vehicles feel stuck on an old save, start a fresh demo save as threeW recommended for prior Next Fest updates — older placements may not display machines correctly after large demo revisions.

Voice Chat, Keybindings, and Audio

Voice chat gained input and output device selection in settings — critical for squads with USB headsets, Discord alternatives, or stream setups. Our dedicated voice chat settings guide walks through co-op callouts and fallback ping strategies.

All available in-game control bindings were added to the Keybinding menu, matching full-release customization promises. Machine sounds moved to a separate audio mixer so you can lower conveyor and smelter noise without muting UI or voice chat.

Pair audio changes with the keyboard and mouse controls page when remapping placement, sprint, and dynamite keys before co-op nights.

Day, Night, and Logistics Quality of Life

Daytime length increased and nighttime fatigue loss slowed — your character loses energy more slowly after dark. Nighttime blocks on calling deliveries were removed, so contract runners can schedule truck pickups without waiting for dawn.

The Backpack Full notification moved to a more visible position with animation, reducing missed hauls underground. Procedural digging shader brightness was corrected so soil reads consistently.

Mining equipment can no longer be placed inside the factory footprint; pallets cannot be incorrectly placed in the dig site. An automatic recovery teleports resources that fall under the factory back to the surface. Hammer UI for moving or selling loaded pallets was removed to prevent accidental resource loss.

Demo Progression and Map Tweaks

Selling properties was disabled in the demo to prevent progression locks after Level 3. Suburban resource spawn profiles updated for fairer distribution.

Vehicle entry softlocks were fixed alongside various localization corrections. These changes foreshadow full-game property and digsite rules where deed sales matter economically.

Explore Redstone City added in earlier Next Fest builds — v1.7.0 stabilizes city systems ahead of launch. Read the day and night cycle guide for fatigue planning with the new timing values.