To open this devblog for update 0.5.0, I want to address the issues many players encountered in previous versions. Some bugs did not appear during my internal testing, which revealed weaknesses in my validation process and highlighted the need for a more robust testing pipeline.

During the past weeks, I implemented new testing procedures, additional edge-case scenarios, and a clearer verification workflow. This should significantly reduce the number of undetected issues moving forward.

Your feedback played a crucial role. Thanks to the reviews and reports you shared, I was able to identify, reproduce, and fix the major problems. I encourage you to continue reporting anything that doesn’t work as expected, especially via the game forum, so I can keep improving Candy Factory in the right direction.

 If you enjoy the game or notice improvements, your updated review would greatly help me. 

Ritoche has stepped away from the project due to personal scheduling constraints. Development will continue under my sole direction, and the update roadmap remains unchanged.

Recent weeks were dedicated to improving the development and testing workflow. These optimizations will allow me to deliver updates more consistently and with higher stability.

Over the past weeks, I reviewed and resolved the major issues reported through recent reviews and community feedback. These included progression blockers, interaction problems, missing tools, balancing inconsistencies, and several UI/UX issues.

Here are the main categories of fixes introduced in this update:

If you notice anything unusual after updating, feel free to report it on the forum or Discord so I can address it promptly.

I fully rewrote part of the game’s internal logic originating from the original game jam prototype. This overhaul replaces outdated hard-coded structures with a new dynamic progression system designed to support future content more efficiently.

This new foundation has already resolved several upgrade-related issues and provides a cleaner, more maintainable codebase. It will allow faster iteration, improved stability, and easier expansion of Candy Factory’s features.

To make interactions more intuitive, I added a new visual and contextual feedback system. Interactable objects now highlight themselves when you look at them, and provide clear information about what action is possible—or why an interaction isn’t available.

This reduces ambiguity, prevents unnecessary trial-and-error, and improves overall clarity when interacting with the world of Candy Factory.