After months of testing, Satisfactory 1.1 brings new buildings, better travel

Five years in early access, almost 12 months in 1.0, and still Satisfactory remains one of the most-loved building and production-line games on PC - of the almost 200,000 reviews posted for Coffee Stain's epic so far, 97% are positive. Although it arrived in the shadow of both Factorio and Rimworld, thanks to successive updates and enhancements, Satisfactory has transcended its influences and found an identity of its own. The full edition from back in September introduced the last tier of Project Assembly, portals, the converter, and the final version of the Hub. Now, the big Satisfactory 1.1 update is here, and with it come more new buildings, controller support, and a better way to travel.

Satisfactory 1.1 has been accessible via the building game's test branch since April, with Coffee Stain taking notes to improve the new version based on players' feedback. Today, Tuesday June 10, the update goes live in the main game, meaning all of the additional and refined features are accessible as standard.

Two of the biggest changes are also the simplest: as of 1.1, Satisfactory now has full, robust controller support, and the in-game photo mode has also been updated so that you can use filters and visual effects, as well as create pseudo slideshow sequences complete with transitions. Given the size and scale of late-game creations, and the work that goes into them, it's only appropriate that you're able to capture them in full, panoramic glory.

Going a little more in-depth, the new Conveyor Throughput Monitor allows you to conduct diagnostic tests on your production lines to check them for efficiency. The Conveyor Wall Hole means you can now run belts through walls in a way that looks natural and doesn't mess up the style of your construction, while the Priority Merger lets you customize which active inputs should be first when it comes to output. If you're running a multiple product line, that will prove a vital tool.

The railway system is now more realistic - if you don't slow trains to a stop before they reach the end of the line, or use the new Buffer Stops as a precaution, the enormous, multi-carriage vehicles will be derailed, likely costing you their entire cargo. You can, however, now connect your Hypertube to three different paths, using a new branching joint that allows you to link the main route to two others. The Personnel Elevator also allows for more incremental vertical transport, since you can name floors and customize the button icons.

Finally, Satisfactory 1.1 introduces a litany of quality-of-life changes; most significantly, there is now a 'no fuel' option in the advanced settings menu, which means you can run vehicles without having to worry about power. The entire update is free to all players. If you're yet to try Satisfactory and want to give it a shot, just go here.

Otherwise, you might want to get the best sandbox games, or maybe the best crafting games on PC.

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