This is the first public build of Car Factory Tycoon and the first dev log on the project.

v0.01 is a foundation release. The goal was to get a real, playable slice in place: build a car, move parts around, place objects in the world, and start forming the UI and save system that everything else will build on.

It’s early — but it’s real.

What’s in v0.01

Core gameplay • Car stand build loop with timed steps and build-time tracking • Build quality and paint color variation • Car entity split from stand, plus clickable car UI • Parts delivery flow fixes • Parts inventory system • Part stand purchasing

World & placement • Grid-based world implementation + refactor • New games now spawn aligned to the grid • Early build menu foundations • Wall placement • Worker facing/direction improvements • Camera movement controls

UI & presentation • Windowed UI system • Worker names and worker panel • Settings menu • Load game UI tweaks • Money UI fixes • Finance panel • Visual updates: layering fixes, graphics update, logo screen, and version label

Save/Load • Save/load support for car stands • Early save system updates to support future expansion

What this release is meant to do

This version is about proving the base systems: • The car-building loop exists end-to-end • The world has placement rules and structure • The UI has a framework to expand from • Saves are started so progress can persist

From here, the focus shifts from “get systems working” to “make the game feel good” — clarity, pacing, feedback, and progression.

Coming next

The next updates will focus on improving the player experience around the core loop: making it clearer what to do, making workers feel better, and building out progression on top of the foundation that v0.01 establishes.