Sell hay by hand, unlock better tools, build the cabinet and first belt, add powered clearing, route every product through scanning, and expand processing only after the base line stays stable.
Stage 1: learn the manual loop
Pick up hay and move it to the sell stand. The opening is intentionally slow: it teaches the difference between dropping and throwing, introduces stamina, and makes every capacity improvement easy to feel. Keep loose hay near the work zone rather than scattering it across the warehouse.
Open the tech tree when the objective points there. Early licenses unlock shop purchases, while upgrades improve the player or an entire machine category. Buy the required tool first, then spend spare money on the bottleneck that is actually costing time.
Stage 2: upgrade hand tools without overspending
Shovels, buckets, wheelbarrows, pitchforks, and vacuums support different jobs. A stronger digging tool is useful while you still cut directly into the pile. A container helps when the sell point is the long part of the trip. A broom or cleanup option matters when physics leaves too much loose hay on the floor.
Do not assume every new tool replaces the previous one. Recorded runs continue using a pitchfork after automation begins because manual input can still feed a line or clear a precise search area faster than rearranging the whole factory.
Stage 3: build the needle cabinet
Place the cabinet where you can reach it without crossing active belts. When a needle appears, carry it to the cabinet and add it through the cabinet interface. That identifies the specimen, records the label, and shows any effect attached to the entry.
Never send an unrecorded needle toward the sell stand. If machinery exposes one, pause nearby equipment and collect it before restarting the line.
Stage 4: place the first conveyor
- Buy the conveyor plans when the objective unlocks them.
- Place a short belt with its arrows pointing toward the destination.
- Feed a small amount of hay and watch the complete trip.
- Fix spills or gaps before increasing the input rate.
- Upgrade speed only after the downstream sell intake can keep up.
A belt full of hay does not always mean the belt itself is too slow. The sell stand or next machine may be the true bottleneck. Trace the line from the final output backward.
Stage 5: add power and automatic clearing
Powered machines need a generator, fuel, and a valid connection. Feed the hay generator, place power distribution within range, and check demand after each new machine. If several machines stop together, inspect the grid before rebuilding them.
Piston rakes and robotic arms can pull material away from the pile, but their throw or reach must meet the next belt. Use a small test load, adjust placement, and keep enough floor space to recover needles or loose hay.
Stage 6: detect needles before selling
Use the metal detector and pinpointer for targeted manual digging. For automated lines, scanners are the protective step between clearing and selling. A needle can remain inside a bale or brick, so every processed branch needs to return to a scan-capable route.
Watch scanner input and output separately. If input piles up, improve batch or cycle throughput or split the flow across another verified route. If the scanner stops with an item, check its drawer. Empty drawers before they become another bottleneck.
Stage 7: expand into hay products
The official demo lists pulp, compressed bales, eco bricks, paper, pellets, and other products. Processing can increase value, but each additional machine creates another point where hay can stall or bypass detection.
Build one product chain at a time. Confirm the machine input, output, power use, and scanner route before duplicating it. Keep the original simple sell line available while testing so one placement mistake does not stop all income.
The 30 eco bricks objective
Recorded gameplay shows an objective asking for 30 eco bricks after earlier product work. Treat it as a production goal, not a hidden quest. Unlock the required processing path, supply its input consistently, and count accepted output through the objective display. If the number does not move, verify that the produced item is an eco brick and reaches the required destination.
Stage 8: scale without losing needles
Late factories become CPU-heavy and physically crowded. Leave inspection lanes, keep scanner drawers accessible, and avoid routing multiple branches into a point you cannot observe. Faster clearing is not progress if it creates an unscanned bypass.
As the pile shrinks, move clearing equipment inward carefully. Use the detector before consuming a new section, and inspect the floor after moving machinery. Continue checking the cabinet and remaining-hay count rather than assuming the last item will appear automatically.
When to stop and report a problem
If the pile reaches zero but the expected needle progress does not, do not edit the save to force completion. Preserve the current save, document the cabinet count and factory route, and report the issue through the official Discord bug channel. The developer has described the demo as actively developed, so reproducible evidence is more useful than an unverified workaround.