Idle Life - An Idle Game news & patch notes

Redeem Codes Update 🎁

Hey everyone,

This update adds Redeem Codes to Idle Life.

Redeem Codes are a new way to claim special rewards directly in the game. They can be used for items, coins, crystals, special rewards, or future event-related rewards.

The system is now available, and to start things off, there is already a first code you can redeem.

New Redeem Code System 🔑

You can now enter special codes in Idle Life to claim rewards for your save.

When a code is valid, the reward will be added directly to your inventory or save. If a code is invalid, expired, already used, or no longer available, the game will show you a message.

Each redeem code can only be claimed once per Steam user. This means you cannot claim the same code multiple times on different saves.

This system gives us a new way to share small rewards, thank-you gifts, special items, and future community rewards without needing a full update every time.

First Redeem Code: EARLYACCESS 💚

To celebrate the new system, the first redeem code is available now.

Use the code:

EARLYACCESS

This code gives you:

• 1 Unbreaking Book

• 125 Coins

The Unbreaking Book can help you improve an item with an Unbreaking upgrade, while the coins can be used for shop trades and future progression.

Important Code Rules ⚠️

Redeem codes are linked to your Steam user, not only to a single save.

This means that each code can only be claimed once per Steam user. If you already claimed a code on one save, you cannot claim the same code again on another save.

Some codes may also only work for a limited time, may have usage limits, or may only be available through special updates, events, or community posts.

Why this was added 🎯

Redeem Codes make it easier to give players special rewards over time.

They can be used for Early Access rewards, small thank-you gifts, event bonuses, testing rewards, or special community codes in the future.

This also gives Idle Life more flexibility, because rewards can be added and shared without always needing to build them into a full update.

Still work in progress 🛠️

The Redeem Code system is new and may still be improved over time.

More codes may be added in future updates, events, or community posts.

The system will also continue to be adjusted if needed, especially for future rewards, event codes, and community features.

Thank you 💚

Thank you for playing, testing, reporting bugs, and following the development of Idle Life.

The new Redeem Code system is another small step toward making the game more flexible and better prepared for future rewards, events, and community features.

Small Help Book Update 📖

Hey everyone,

This update adds a small Help Book to Idle Life.

The Help Book is not meant to be a forced tutorial that stops you from playing. Instead, it is a simple guide book that you can open whenever you want to understand a system better.

The goal of this update is to make Idle Life easier to understand, especially for new players, without taking away the freedom to explore the game at your own pace.

New Help Book 📘

A new Help Book has been added to the game.

It gives short explanations for the most important areas and systems in Idle Life. You can use it whenever you are unsure what a system does or how a part of the game works.

The Help Book currently includes pages for:

• First Steps

• Farming Area

• Gathering

• Wildground

• Research Tree

• Inventory

• Equip

• Enchanting

• Combining

• Shop

• Events

Why this was added 💡

Idle Life has grown a lot over time, and more systems are now connected to each other.

Some parts of the game are easy to miss when you see them for the first time, especially systems like equipment, enchanting, combining, the shop or events.

Instead of adding a long step-by-step tutorial, I wanted to create something lighter and less annoying. The Help Book explains the basics, but still lets you continue playing the way you want.

What the Help Book explains 🧭

The Help Book gives a simple overview of the different areas of Idle Life.

For example, it explains how to get started, how the Farming Area works, how gathering, crafting, smelting, and cooking are connected, what Wildground is used for, and how the Research Tree unlocks new content.

It also explains player-related systems such as Inventory, Equip, Enchanting, and Combining, as well as community systems like the Shop and Events.

Better for new players 🌱

This should make the early game easier to understand without forcing every player through the same tutorial steps.

New players can read the important information when they need it, while returning players can simply ignore the pages they already understand.

The Help Book should also make future systems easier to introduce, because new pages can be added whenever the game grows.

Still work in progress 🛠️

The Help Book is still a new feature and will continue to improve over time.

Some texts may be adjusted, more pages may be added, and the explanations will be updated when systems change or new features are added.

Thank you 💚

Thank you for playing, testing, reporting bugs, and following the development of Idle Life.

This is another small step toward making the game easier to understand and better prepared for future updates on the Road to 1.0.

Hey everyone,

This update brings a lot of improvements to Idle Life. It includes many new items, reworked crafting recipes, adjusted item drop chances, a reworked main menu, multi save support, start settings, performance improvements, and many bug fixes.

A lot of this update is focused on making the game cleaner, faster, and easier to expand in the future.

New Items 🌿

A large amount of new items has been added to the game.

These new items help expand progression, crafting, gathering, research, and future content paths. Some of them are already used directly, while others prepare the game for upcoming systems and balancing changes.

Reworked Crafting Recipes ⚒️

Many crafting recipes have been reworked and adjusted.

The goal of these changes is to make progression feel smoother, remove confusing recipe steps, and improve the overall item flow.

Reworked Item Drop Chances 🎲

Item drop chances have also been reworked.

This should make gathering, crafting, smelting, and other item sources feel better balanced. Some items may now be easier or harder to obtain depending on their place in progression.

Major Performance Improvements 🚀

This update includes significant performance improvements across multiple areas of the game.

We improved performance for CPU, GPU, VRAM, and RAM.

Since Idle Life is heavily based on UI, widgets, item data, textures, saves, and backend systems, these optimizations are very important for the long-term health of the game. The game should now run lighter and more efficiently, especially as more content gets added over time.

Reworked Main Menu 🖥️

The main menu has been reworked and now includes a few small settings options.

You can now adjust basic options such as:

• Screen Mode

• Screen Percentage

• Max FPS

More settings will be added in future updates.

Multi Save Support 💾

Idle Life now supports multiple saves through the UI.

You can now create and load multiple saves directly in the game, without needing to rely on console commands or manual save handling.

This should make testing, restarting, experimenting, and playing different worlds much easier.

Start Settings 🌍

We also added support for Start Settings.

This means you can now configure special options directly in the create menu when starting a new world.

The first custom start setting is No Durability Mode. With this mode enabled, durability is disabled and items will no longer lose durability.

Important: Any special mode that makes the game easier will disable the Shop and Events for that save.

This is done to keep community systems fair, especially because Shop and Event systems are connected to shared or online features.

Database Item Costs 🛒

Item costs are now handled through the database.

This means we can now reconfigure item prices without needing to release a full game update every time.

This gives us much more flexibility for balancing, the shop system, events, and future economy changes.

Research Highlights ✨

Research entries now support special highlights for different research types.

This should make it easier to understand what kind of research you are looking at and help important research paths stand out more clearly.

Bug Fixes 🛠️

This update also includes numerous bug fixes across different parts of the game.

Some of these fixes are small, while others improve stability, progression, UI behavior, and general gameplay flow.

Why this update matters 💚

This update is another important step toward making Idle Life more stable, flexible, and ready for future content.

The new items, recipe changes, drop chance adjustments, multi save support, start settings, database item costs, UI improvements, and performance optimizations all help build a stronger foundation for the next updates.

Thank you for playing, testing, reporting bugs, and following the development of Idle Life. Your feedback helps a lot and makes it easier to improve the game step by step. 💚

First Small Event: Stone Processing Demand ⛏️

The first small event is also included in this update.

The stone processing works currently need a large amount of stone, and because of that, they are willing to pay well for it.

For this event, players can trade stone for crystals:

5 Stone = 1 Crystal

The event requires a total of 5,000 Stone. A total reward pool of 1,000 Crystals will be distributed based on each player's contribution.

The event runs until 01.08., which means there are around 28 days to contribute.

This is a small first test event to help us test the event system, contribution tracking, time limits, and reward distribution for future community events.

Hey everyone,

This update focuses on the new Event system, several UI improvements, bugfixes, and some important item and recipe adjustments.

Some of these changes are smaller, but they are important for making Idle Life feel cleaner, more stable, and easier to expand in future updates.

Event System 🌍

We started adding the foundation for the new Event system.

Events are planned to become part of the Community area, similar to the Global Shop. The goal is to give players more ways to contribute, work together, and unlock special rewards or optional content over time.

There will be different types of events, including larger community-focused events and reward-based events. This system is still being built step by step, but the backend and first parts of the structure are now being prepared.

UI Improvements 🧭

We also made several UI adjustments to improve the overall flow and readability of the game.

The goal of these changes is to make menus feel cleaner, reduce confusion, and make important information easier to understand while playing.

Bugfixes 🛠️

This update includes multiple bugfixes across different parts of the game.

We fixed several issues that could cause confusing behavior, incorrect requirements, or problems with normal progression.

As always, bugfixing is an ongoing process, especially while larger systems like Events, the Global Shop, unique items, and progression are still being expanded.

Item and Recipe Adjustments ⚖️

Some items and recipes have been adjusted to improve progression and remove confusing requirement loops.

One important example was the stick recipe. Previously, you needed an axe to create sticks, but creating an axe also required sticks. This created a progression problem where players could get stuck or confused.

This has been adjusted so the early item flow should now make more sense and feel smoother.

Why this update matters 💚

This update is another step toward making Idle Life more stable and better structured for future content.

The Event system gives us a new foundation for community-driven content, while the UI changes, bugfixes, and item adjustments help improve the current gameplay experience.

Thank you for playing, testing, and reporting issues. Your feedback helps a lot and makes it easier to find problems like broken recipe loops or confusing progression steps. 💚

Hey everyone,

This update brings one of the first bigger gameplay expansions to Idle Life: Wildground.

With Wildground, we are adding a new area where you can hunt animals and wildlife to gather new resources. This is an important step for making Idle Life feel less static and giving players more ways to collect materials outside of the usual gathering, crafting, and smelting loop.

New Feature: Wildground 🐗

Wildground is the main focus of this update.

In this new area, you can hunt wildlife and collect additional resources from animals. The system currently includes 3 animals, but this is only the beginning. Wildground is planned to grow over time with more animals, more resources, more balancing, and more gameplay connected to equipment and progression.

This feature also gives us a stronger foundation for future combat-related systems, animal drops, special resources, and more meaningful use of weapons, tools, armor, and consumables later on.

New Items 🌱

We also added 20 new items with this update.

These new items help expand the early game and support the new Wildground content. Some of them are connected to new resources, while others help improve crafting, research, and future progression paths.

Recipe and Research Balancing ⚖️

Some crafting recipe costs and research costs have been changed.

These changes are part of improving the general progression flow. Some recipes were adjusted to feel better with the new items, the new Wildground resources, and the current state of the game.

Major Bugfixes 🛠️

This update also includes important bugfixes for some very old issues.

We fixed major bugs related to Crafting, Gathering, and Smelting. Some of these problems have existed since the very beginning of Idle Life, so getting them fixed is a big improvement for the stability of the core gameplay loop.

These fixes should make the basic systems feel more reliable and reduce issues that could happen while collecting, crafting, or processing resources.

Storage and VRAM Optimizations ⚙️

We also improved the storage size of the game. Idle Life now requires less disk space, with the build size reduced by around 200 MB.

On top of that, we significantly reduced VRAM usage. This should help the game run more smoothly, especially on systems with less available graphics memory.

Idle Life is heavily based on UI, item data, widgets, and icons, so reducing unnecessary memory usage is very important for the long-term performance and stability of the game.

Why this update matters 💚

Wildground is a big step for Idle Life because it adds a new way to interact with the world. Instead of only gathering from static resources, players can now hunt wildlife and use animal-based resources as part of their progression.

The current version of Wildground is still the beginning, but it gives us a strong base to build on in future updates.

Together with the bugfixes, balancing changes, new items, storage improvements, and reduced VRAM usage, this update should make Idle Life feel more stable, cleaner, and better prepared for future content.

Thank you for playing, testing, reporting bugs, and following the development of Idle Life. Your feedback helps a lot, and we are excited to keep improving the game step by step. 💚

☀️ Idle Life Summer Sale - Last Sale Before 1.0

The Steam Summer Sale has arrived, and Idle Life is joining the celebration with 25% off from June 25th until July 9th (14 days)! If you've been waiting for the right time to pick up the game, this is your chance.

Last Sale Before 1.0

This will be the last discount before the full 1.0 release. Development is progressing every day, and the focus is now entirely on finishing the game and preparing for launch.

Play 1.0 Early (Beta)

You don't have to wait for the official release! You can already experience the upcoming 1.0 version by switching to the "road-to-1.0" beta branch on Steam. Simply right-click Idle Life in your Steam Library, open Properties > Betas, and select road-to-1.0.

Please keep in mind that this version is still under active development, so you may encounter unfinished content, balancing changes, or bugs as new features are being implemented.

Prefer a more stable experience? You can also continue playing the current Early Access version and earn exclusive rewards that will carry over to the full 1.0 release!

Thank You ❤️

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported Idle Life during Early Access. Every purchase, review, bug report, and piece of feedback has helped shape the game into what it is today.

Whether you decide to jump into the 1.0 Beta or continue your Early Access adventure, thank you for being part of this journey. See you in 1.0!

We fixed an issue for players with other keyboards and changed the Key for the Console to TAB.

Hey everyone,

Big Milestone #2 is finally finished, and this is one of the biggest updates Idle Life has received so far. A lot of the work in this milestone happened deep inside the game systems, so it might not look massive at first glance - but for the future of Idle Life, this update is a very important step. 💚

What changed?

This update includes:

• Fully implemented Global Shop

• Enchanting of items

• Combining of items

• New side menu

• Unlockable side menu regions

• New items

• Performance optimizations

Global Shop 🛒

The Global Shop is now fully implemented. Items can now be bought and sold through a shared shop structure, with stock values that can change over time.

This is an important foundation for future economy features, balancing, events, item demand, and a world that feels a little more alive instead of completely static.

Enchanting & Combining ✨

Items can now be enchanted and combined. This is a big step for equipment progression, because items are no longer just simple tools or resources. They can now become more useful, more valuable, and more personal over time.

These systems were also reworked internally to make future enchantments, modifiers, durability changes, and special item effects much easier and safer to expand.

New Side Menu & Unlockable Regions 🧭

The side menu has been reworked and expanded. It now supports unlockable regions, which means the menu can grow together with your progress instead of showing everything right from the beginning.

This should make the game feel cleaner early on, while still giving us enough room for more features, areas, and progression later in development.

New Items 🌿

Several new items have been added with this milestone. Some of them are connected to the new systems, while others help expand early progression and give more structure to crafting, combining, enchanting, and future content.

Performance Optimizations ⚙️

We also worked on performance improvements, especially around UI and internal systems. Idle Life is heavily based on menus, widgets, item data, and save data, so keeping these systems clean and efficient is very important for the long-term health of the game.

Important downside: Save compatibility ⚠️

Unfortunately, saves from Big Milestone #1 are no longer fully compatible with Big Milestone #2. To prevent bugs, broken data, and issues caused by old save structures, the game now uses a new save name: BETA2.

Your old save is not deleted. You can still load your previous beta save through the console with:

save load BETA

However, all unique items from the old save will definitely be gone. This is because the unique item system has been reworked internally, and keeping old unique item data would very likely cause problems later.

We know that save resets and lost items are frustrating. We do not like doing this either. But this change was needed to make the new systems cleaner, safer, and better prepared for the future.

The goal is that this is most likely the last time these downsides happen. We cannot promise this 100%, but the new systems are built with the future 1.0 save structure in mind. Our plan is that BETA2 can continue forward and later be converted into the full 1.0 save. 🌱

Why this update matters 💚

This update might not look as huge in screenshots as a new world or a complete visual overhaul, but internally it is a very big milestone for us. Many core systems are now in place, and that gives us a much stronger foundation for the next parts of Idle Life.

Thank you for playing, testing, reporting bugs, and following the development. Your feedback helps a lot, and we are excited to continue building Idle Life step by step. 💚

Road to Idle Life 1.0 - Unique Item Modifications

Another major step towards Idle Life 1.0 has been completed! Today we are introducing the first version of our Unique Item Modification System. This update adds entirely new ways to improve equipment and create truly unique items.

Modification System

Tools and equipment can now be modified with powerful effects. Instead of every player using exactly the same items, you can now start creating equipment that reflects your own progression and choices.

Current available modifications include:

• Strength

• Luck

• Durability

• Unbreaking

• Unbreakable

This is only the beginning. More modifications and balancing changes will be added throughout future updates.

Combining System

Alongside Modifications, we have also implemented the first version of the Combining System.

Compatible items can now be combined together. One example is combining equipment with enchanted books to transfer powerful modifications onto your tools and create stronger versions of existing equipment.

The system was built with future expansion in mind and will support many additional item interactions later during the Road to Idle Life 1.0 development cycle.

Unique Items

One of our long-term goals for Idle Life is to create meaningful item progression. Crafting a tool should only be the beginning of its journey. Through Modifications and Combining, equipment can evolve into something far more valuable than its original version.

Two players may own the same base item, but their final equipment can become completely different depending on the modifications and combinations they choose.

Work In Progress

This is the first version of the system and there is still a lot more planned.

• More modifications

• Additional combining possibilities

• UI improvements

• Balancing adjustments

• New item interactions

• Future progression integrations

Every milestone brings us one step closer to the full Idle Life 1.0 experience and we are excited to finally put these systems into your hands.

See you in the next update!

Small Idle Life Update for all Road to 1.0 Players.

• Added 5 new Items (+3 new Shop Items)

• Reworked a bunch of Shop UI's

• Reworked some code to boost performance

All of the new Items are there, so you can prepare your save to the next Enchanting Update.

Idle Life 1.0 Beta #1 Is Now Live! 🚀

The first Beta Build of Idle Life 1.0 is now available and ready for testing! 🎉

How To Access The Beta

To access the beta version simply follow these steps:

• Open your Steam Library

• Right-click Idle Life

• Select Properties

• Open the Betas tab

• Choose road-to-1.0

• Install the update

Beta Highlights

This beta introduces the foundation for Idle Life 1.0 and contains a complete redesign of many core systems.

• New Inventory & Equipment System

• New Research System

• New Queue, Worker & Working Slot Systems

• Completely Redesigned UI

• Admin Console For Testing

• Gathering, Crafting and Smelting/Cooking Mechanics

• Backend Support For Enchantments

• Early Version Of The Global Market

The Global Market is currently included in a very early state and will continue receiving updates, balancing changes and additional features throughout future beta builds.

Important Information

Because this beta replaces many old systems from previous versions of the game, some players may experience issues caused by outdated files remaining on their system. If you encounter crashes, loading issues, missing UI elements, save problems or other unexpected behavior, please try the following first:

• Completely Uninstall Idle Life

• Install The Game Again

• Launch The Beta Build Once More

Many issues can be resolved simply by performing a clean installation due to the large amount of systems that were replaced during development of the 1.0 version.

Feedback, Bugs & Suggestions

This beta exists to gather feedback before moving further towards the full 1.0 release. If you encounter bugs, balancing issues, UI problems, crashes or simply have suggestions, please let us know.

• Post Feedback In The Steam Discussions

• Report Bugs Through Our Discord Server

• Share Screenshots, Ideas And Suggestions

Every piece of feedback helps us improve the game and shape the future of Idle Life.

Thank You ❤️

A huge thank you to everyone participating in the beta test. We are excited to finally put these new systems into your hands and hear what you think about the future direction of Idle Life.

Have fun testing and welcome to the Road to 1.0! 🚀

Idle Life 1.0 Beta #1 Starts In Less Than 32 Hours! 🚀

We are incredibly happy to finally announce the first public Beta Build of Idle Life 1.0!

This update contains months of redesigns, rewrites and improvements based directly on community feedback. Many systems have been rebuilt from the ground up to better support the future of Idle Life and all planned 1.0 content.

The first beta starts in less than 32 hours! 🎉

What's Included In Beta #1

This first beta already includes a large amount of core gameplay systems:

• Inventory System

• Profile System

• Equipment System

• Gathering Mechanics

• Crafting Mechanics

• Smelting & Cooking Mechanics

• Research System

• Worker System

• Queue System

• Working Slot System

• Admin Console

• Enchanting Backend Functions

• (Possibly) an early version of the Global Market

Enchantments are already fully functional internally. However, there is currently no normal gameplay method available to enchant items yourself. During this beta, enchanted equipment can only be obtained through the Admin Console for testing purposes.

This Is Only The Beginning

It is important to understand that this is only the first of many upcoming Idle Life 1.0 beta versions.

Every future beta will introduce additional content, mechanics, balancing changes and quality-of-life improvements.

The main purpose of Beta #1 is gathering feedback on our completely redesigned systems.

What We Need Feedback On

• The new Worker System

• Queue Management

• Working Slots

• Research Progression

• Overall User Interface

• General Gameplay Flow

We want to know what feels good, what feels confusing, and what can be improved before moving further towards the final 1.0 release.

Admin Console Information

The Admin Console is enabled during beta testing to make testing easier and allow players to experiment with systems that are still under development.

To open the Admin Console press:

The key directly left of your 1 key or the key directly above your TAB key

Useful commands:

• help — Displays a list of all available commands

Additional commands and functionality can be explored directly through the console.

Thank You ❤️

A huge thank you to everyone who provided feedback, suggestions and ideas throughout development. This beta would not look the way it does without the community helping shape Idle Life into what it is becoming.

We can't wait to see what you think about the first step towards Idle Life 1.0. 🚀

Road To Idle Life 1.0 - BIG Milestone #1 Progress Update

Over the last days we made massive progress towards BIG Milestone #1 and are now entering the final phase before the first Idle Life 1.0 Beta Build. 🚀

Many of the systems developed recently are not only visual improvements, but complete rebuilds of older foundations to properly support future mechanics like Enchanting, Arena Systems, Automation, Community Features and much more.

🔔 Notification System Finished

We officially finished the first version of the new Notification System.

The system was designed around a clean and minimalistic style that properly fits the overall UI direction of Idle Life 1.0 while still providing important gameplay information in a much cleaner way.

The Notification System now supports:

• Queue finished notifications

• Worker status warnings

• Empty queue warnings

• Progression updates

• Future market notifications

• Future community goal updates

• General system information

This system will continue expanding during future updates as more gameplay systems get implemented into the game. 🌱

🔧 AC Console / Admin Console

Another huge system we worked on recently is the new AC Console.

The AC Console is mainly designed as a lightweight developer/debug/admin tool that massively improves testing workflows during Beta development.

Currently implemented commands include:

• give item/research*

• cheat true

• debug true/false

• autosave/save/load

• save rename/delete

• set worker/working/queue

*The give command opens a dedicated menu where players can directly give themselves items or even enchanted equipment for testing purposes.

The console itself intentionally keeps a very simple and functional design because it is meant to be a utility system and not an official gameplay feature.

During Beta testing:

• Cheats are enabled by default

• Debug mode is enabled for testers

• Achievements are disabled while cheating

• Leaderboard uploads are disabled while cheating

We are also currently close to finishing the first major version of the AC Console completely. Only a few management functions are still missing, like directly controlling workers, queue slots and researching items through commands.

🌳 Research & Progression Tree Rework

One of the largest redesigns during the last days was the completely new Research & Progression Tree system.

The old progression tree required manually placing multiple connected elements to visually build large trees, which many players found confusing and visually overwhelming.

The new system is:

• Cleaner

• More modular

• Easier to expand

• Less confusing

• Better visually structured

• More stable internally

Players can now clearly differentiate between:

• Categories

• Already researched items

• Locked items

• Available researches

The new system also introduces much cleaner progression visibility directly on item icons and supports far more dynamic UI behavior internally.

One of the biggest quality-of-life additions is the new:

• "Stay Where You Left It" feature

This automatically reloads the last visited research page and massively improves navigation once the progression tree becomes larger later in development. 📖

💾 Save System Improvements

We also continued improving the overall Save System foundation.

Since many systems were already designed around scalable save structures, recent work mainly focused on:

• Improved autosaving

• Cleaner save handling

• Better save management

• Future settings integration

• More stable loading behavior

Currently manual saves outside of autosave are mainly handled through:

• The AC Console

• Leaving the game

📦 Inventory & Profile System Update #2

We are now actively working on the Inventory/Profile System Update #2, which will become the final major update for BIG Milestone #1.

This system is more complicated than previous pages because it will become the first larger interface fully supporting Sub-Tabs combined with the new modernized UI direction of Idle Life 1.0.

The goal is creating a much cleaner and more scalable inventory/profile structure that properly supports:

• Stackable resources

• Unique equipment

• Enchantments

• Modifications

• Durability

• Future Arena systems

• Future loadout systems

📅 Current Beta Goal

We are currently still targeting the first public Idle Life 1.0 Beta Build around:

• 01.06.2026

This would be roughly one month after officially starting development of the complete 1.0 rebuild version of Idle Life.

❤️ Thank You

A huge thank you to everyone following development, testing systems and giving feedback.

Many of the redesigns currently happening were heavily influenced by community feedback and continue helping shape Idle Life into a much stronger and cleaner experience overall.

Development Update - Inventory System & New Progression Tree

First Version Of The Inventory System Finished 📦

We officially finished the first version of the new Inventory System and already started working on the completely redesigned Progression Tree. 👀

The new inventory system is designed to properly support future mechanics and systems planned for 1.0 and beyond.

This currently includes:

• Stackable resources

• Unique equipment items

• Modifications & enchantments

• Durability systems

• Better item structures

• Improved inventory handling

• Future arena equipment support

• Better support for progression systems

A very large part of recent development involved rebuilding older systems internally so future updates can properly work together without creating major technical limitations later on.

While this takes significantly more time now, it will massively help long-term development and allow us to add future mechanics much easier. 🚀

New Progression Tree 🌳

The old progression system was honestly becoming too confusing and overloaded.

Research here, click there, giant tree everywhere... and we honestly did not really like that ourselves anymore.

The new progression tree is much more: * Organized * Structured * Cleaner visually * Easier to understand * Less overwhelming

while still keeping the freedom to progress however YOU want. ❤️

Idle Life is not supposed to be a simple straight-line idle game where the best path is instantly obvious. We still want players to experiment, discover things and progress in completely different ways depending on how they want to play.

The new progression system will also support:

• Multiple researches at the same time

• Better progress visibility

• Cleaner research managemet

• Improved progression flow

• Less visual overload

Started researches will now directly display their progress on the tree itself instead of only showing information in the top bar. 🌱

We also redesigned visibility handling for the tree. Instead of instantly showing hundreds of researches and items at once, the game will now focus much more on showing what you currently can unlock or already discovered.

Early Access Rewards ✨

We also decided how the rewards for Early Access players will currently work.

For every:

• 📖 10 unlocked recipes

in the Early Access version of the game, players will receive:

• ✨ 1 Orb of Unbreakable

These orbs can be used to modify tools, weapons or armor pieces so they will never break.

Items will only be able to hold a limited amount of orb strength.

Example:

• ⛏️ Pickaxe Limit = 5

This means you could use:

• ⚡ 4 Efficiency Strength

• ✨ 1 Unbreakable Strength

without any penalty.

Going above the limit will still be possible, but the costs will increase exponentially. The exact balancing and formulas are still work in progress and may change during development.

We may also add additional rewards for Early Access players later if needed. We mainly want to make sure that active Early Access players receive meaningful long-term rewards for supporting the game before 1.0. ❤️

Development Progress 📌

We also want to stay transparent regarding development progress.

Sadly, development is currently progressing slower than we originally hoped. Our first internal goal was to reach 1.0 around the anniversary of Idle Life, but this unfortunately will no longer be possible. 😔

As always, thank you all for the support, patience and feedback so far. ❤️

BIG MILESTONE #1 - Progress Update

Queue / Working System Finished

We officially finished Milestone #2 of BIG MILESTONE #1. The new Queue / Working System is now fully implemented and functional ingame.

This system now includes: - Worker management - Queue handling - Active working slots - Manual queue controls - Resource processing - Improved UI interaction - Better internal structure for future updates

A very large part of the last weeks was spent redesigning this system from the ground up. While the old version worked, it quickly became clear that it would create major limitations once systems like enchanting, automation, progression and future mechanics started getting added into the game.

The new version is significantly cleaner internally, easier to expand and gives us much more freedom for balancing and future content updates.

What We Are Working On Right Now

Our current main focus is the new Inventory System.

This includes: - Stackable resources - Unique equipment items - Modifications & enchantments - Durability systems - Better item structures - Improved inventory handling

Alongside this, we are also continuing to redesign large parts of the overall UI. Many interfaces currently visible ingame are still placeholders or early versions and are being rebuilt to better match the final direction planned for 1.0.

Preview Builds

As mentioned previously, future preview builds will continue releasing during development. These previews allow everyone to test new systems early while we continue expanding and polishing them step by step.

Unlike originally planned, these previews are currently available for everyone through the beta branch.

Thank You

A huge thank you to everyone giving feedback, ideas and suggestions. Many of the systems currently being redesigned were heavily influenced by community feedback over the last months and continue shaping the direction of the game.

Steam Update – Road to 1.0

We’re currently working towards Version 1.0 and are redesigning our core systems one last time to make sure everything feels clean, consistent, and future-proof.

To keep you involved, we’re introducing Preview Builds for every major milestone. These previews can be activated via the Beta Branches on Steam – and unlike originally planned, the first preview will be available for everyone.

From here on, each new milestone will bring a new preview build, containing more content and improvements based on your feedback.

Roadmap

Big Milestone #1

• Gathering / Crafting / Smelting

• Working Queue <- WE ARE HERE

• Inventory System

• Progress Points

• Save System

• AC Console

Big Milestone #2

• Enchanting of Items

• Brewing of Potions

Big Milestone #3

• Arena

• Steam Achievements (new + reworked existing ones)

Big Milestone #4

• (*Global) Shop

• Events

Big Milestone #5

• Main Menu

• Game Settings

• Game Sounds

Big Milestone #6

• Tutorials

Big Milestone #7

• Reward System for Early Access players

More milestones may be added if needed – this is our current roadmap.

About the Global Shop

*We’re currently exploring the idea of a global shop system. This would mean prices are influenced by all players (e.g. low stock → higher prices, high stock → lower prices). However, we can’t guarantee yet if this system will make it into the final version.

Thanks for being part of this journey ❤️ More updates and previews coming soon.

💔 A Difficult but Important Step Towards 1.0

Hey everyone,

Today I want to speak openly with you - not just as a developer, but as someone who truly cares about this project and the people playing it.

🚀 The Road to 1.0

Idle Life has grown a lot during Early Access. With every update, every piece of feedback and every hour you spent in the game, it slowly became something bigger than it originally was.

Now we are getting closer to the 1.0 release, and that means taking the next big step - rebuilding and improving core systems so the game can have a strong and long lasting future.

⚠️ What This Means for Your Progress

Because of these major changes, your current savegames will NOT be compatible with version 1.0 💔

I know this is hard to hear. You invested time, progress and trust into Idle Life. Losing that progress is frustrating, and I completely understand that.

🤍 Why This Step Is Necessary

Keeping the old saves would limit what the game can become. It could cause bugs, broken systems and hold back improvements that 1.0 truly needs.

Instead of building on a shaky foundation, I want to give Idle Life a clean, stable and scalable base - something that will feel better in every aspect once you start fresh.

🎁 Looking Forward

You are not forgotten.

I am currently working on ways to make your restart feel better and more rewarding:

- A smoother and faster start for returning players

- A small thank you bonus for Early Access players 🎁

- Improvements to the early game so it feels fresh, not repetitive

I will share more details as we move closer to 1.0.

🧪 Beta Testing for 1.0

There will soon be a chance to apply as a Beta Tester for version 1.0.

This will happen exclusively through Discord, as it allows a much more direct and faster communication between you and me during testing.

If you want to be part of shaping 1.0 and give feedback early, make sure to keep an eye on the Discord announcements 👀

❤️ Thank You ❤️

Idle Life would not be where it is today without you. Your feedback, your time and your support mean everything to me.

This reset is not the end of your progress - it is the beginning of a better version of the game.

Thank you for being part of this journey. The best is still ahead 🚀

🆕 Idle Life – Update

This update brings new content, improvements, and important fixes based on your recent feedback.

🎁 New Content

We added 6 new items to expand your progression and give you more things to discover and craft.

🌍 Localization Improvements

All remaining untranslated words from the last few updates have now been fully translated. The game should feel much more consistent across all texts now.

🛠️ Fixes

Fixed several issues that were caused by the Arena Combat Skill. These problems could lead to unintended behavior during fights and progression.

⚖️ Balancing

Adjusted and rebalanced multiple levels across all skills to improve progression pacing and overall gameplay feel.

❓ Q&A

When do we add the next achievement?

We are adding new achievements once the newest one reaches around 1% of achieved players.

How many achievements are planned?

We plan to add as many achievements as possible, aiming to eventually have one for every item and every monster in the game.

Thanks for all the feedback – more updates coming soon.

🆕 Idle Life – Skill System (Version 2)

We’ve expanded the Skill System with new skills and improvements based on your feedback.

⚔️ New Skills

Arena Combat Skill has been added. Every damage you deal in the Arena now grants XP.

Smelting Skill has also been introduced, allowing you to further improve your efficiency while processing materials.

🛠️ Fixes

We fixed an issue where the Automated Arena button was displayed even if it was not unlocked.

Now, if you haven’t unlocked it yet, it will no longer appear.

🆕 Idle Life – Skill System (Version 1)

We’ve introduced the first version of our new Skill System, and this is just the beginning. We want to build and improve this together with you over time.

For now, we added two skills: Wood Skill and Mine Skill. We decided to call them Skills because it simply fits the game better than calling them levels.

📈 How it works

Every manual interaction you perform grants XP. Once enough XP is collected, your skill levels up and improves your efficiency.

With each level, your actions become faster. For the first time, this also includes your restocking and waiting time, not just the working speed.

⚠️ Important

Workers are not affected by this system. Only actions that you actively click yourself will benefit from the speed improvements and grant XP.

If a worker performs an action, no skill bonus is applied and no XP is gained from it.

🎯 Current Limits

The current maximum level is 50. At max level, you can reach up to 25% total time reduction for both working and restocking/waiting time.

🔁 Reset Behavior

When upgrading or prestiging, your skill levels are only reduced by 50% instead of being fully reset.

🌍 Localization

At the moment, this update is only available in English. Additional translations will be added once the system is more finalized.

This is only Version 1, and we are excited to expand this system further based on your feedback.

🎉 Community Update

🎁 Discord Giveaway

We are currently hosting a giveaway on our Discord server for our new small “April” game 👀

Due to some issues on Steam, the release has been moved to May 1st — but we still wanted to celebrate it with you.

We plan to do more giveaways like this in the future, especially with new releases 🎁

🗳️ Community Vote

At the same time, we’ve started a community vote for the next bigger Idle Life update.

This is something we want to do more often — giving you a direct impact on what we build next.

💬 Join Us

Take part in the vote, join the giveaway, and help shape the future of the game 👇

https://discord.gg/ZxSM94nAt5

🛠️ Hotfix Update

Thanks to Discord user grave23, we were able to quickly identify and fix issues related to the Progress Tree.

We also adjusted the system so that Event and Prestige materials are no longer reset after upgrades.

🔓 Loot & Progression Overhaul Update

This update brings a fresh twist to how you unlock items and progress through the game. We've reworked parts of the Progress Tree to make room for a more rewarding and dynamic system!

🧹 Removed from Progress Tree

To prepare for the new system, the following items have been removed from the Progress Tree: Leather, Leather Helm, Leather Chestplate, Leather Boots, Clownshelm, Fur Coat, Wolf tooth chain

⚔️ New Feature: Crafting Recipes from Enemies

From now on, you can unlock up to one crafting recipe per fight directly from defeated enemies. Already unlocked recipes will not drop again, ensuring meaningful progression with every battle. Newly unlocked recipes will be clearly displayed in your Last Fight summary, so you always know what you’ve earned.

🔮 What's Next? (Spoiler)

With this system in place, we’re preparing to introduce a completely new chain of items. These are not yet available in the game, but will arrive in the next 1–2 updates. To access this upcoming content, you will need to progress further and unlock the Technology Tree.

More depth, more rewards, and more reasons to fight - this is just the beginning.

🛠️ Hotfix Update

Thanks to Discord user grave23, we were able to quickly identify and fix issues where some items were not displayed correctly.

We also fixed a bug where Moonwater was not craftable due to an incorrectly assigned resource.

Iron Helm unlock issue fixed.

🛠️ Hotfix Update

Thanks to Discord user blue_313131, we were able to quickly identify and fix a bug that prevented new players from starting with their first item.

⚔️ Arena Power & Inventory Rework Update

⚔️ Arena Improvements & Rewards

🎯 Automated Arena Upgrade: A new upgrade is now available.

📘 Tutorial Fix: The Arena tutorial will no longer appear after it has already been completed.

📊 Run Rewards Overview: You can now clearly see what you earned from your last Arena run.

⛏️ Mining & Inventory Changes

🔄 System Rework: The mining and inventory system has been updated again to improve structure and scalability.

📦 Important: Due to these changes, your item sorting has been reset and needs to be reorganized.

🧠 Why? This allows us to add future content much more easily and keep everything clean and flexible.

🌍 Localization & Fixes

🛠️ Translation Improvements: We are working on fixing all remaining translation issues so the game can fully be played in your selected language.

💬 Your Help Matters: If you find any missing or incorrect translations, please let us know so we can fix them.

💬 A Personal Note

❤️ Thank You: Your support over the past months has been amazing.

🔄 Ongoing Development: A lot has changed, and a lot more will continue to evolve.

🙏 Gratitude: I’m truly grateful that I can keep working on this project.

💡 Got Ideas? Feel free to share your feedback via Steam or join our Discord community.

✨ The journey continues...

🔧 Update – Language & Settings Fixes

This patch resolves several issues related to language settings and save data behavior.

🌐 Language Fixes

🛠️ Fixed an issue where the default language was set to German instead of English 💾 Fixed an issue where the selected language was not saved properly

⚙️ Settings

🛠️ Fixed an issue where deleting a save game also removed your settings ℹ️ You may need to reconfigure your settings once after this update

⚙️ Update – Community Feedback & Improvements

This update focuses on community-driven improvements, system adjustments, and performance optimizations to improve overall clarity and gameplay flow.

🧠 Community Feedback

💬 Continued adjustments based on your feedback 👷 Workers have been further refined and improved 🧩 Multiple adjustments to the Progress Tree ✨ Important factors are now clearer and better highlighted

🚀 Performance

⚡ Fixed several performance issues