- How's Early Access progressing? Let's take a look! [Dev update 20260909] - 9 September 2026
Hi everyone!Something a bit different this time. It's been a while since I've given a 'robust' update (well, at least here on Steam) on how things are progressing with Early Access build of Empire Water Works. From looking at the Empire Water Works Steam News page, you might be forgiven to think that it's all demo-demo-demo updates, and not much more! 😅 However, please rest assured that I am head-down and have been for many weeks now, developing and adding ever-more features, fixes and enhancements to the Early Access as we steam closer and closer towards the Early Access release date of November 27th 2026!With this post, I wanted to give you a bit of a summarization of a lot of the cool new features that will be making their way into the Early Access build, from day 1 of release!NOTE: a lot of this info below has been posted on my Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/cw/empirewaterwo…
- Demo update 20260818 has landed - 23 August 2026
Hi everyone!Just a quick 'regular' update to the Demo, again mostly 'porting' some changes over from the latest Early Access developments (including a bug fix).--Cosmetic: 'Dirty Wooden Planks' material for the main floor instead of the concrete. --Bug fix: Improved the 'water splashing' SFX triggers so that they should trigger a bit more reliably only when the player is actually stepping in (or is otherwise 'immersed' in) flood waters.--Cosmetic (in the demo at least): Added the coal crane prop to the demo! This will be an upgrade-unlock item in Early Access and will be fully functional, allowing you to quickly and easily lift and lower around 8 coal sacks from main floor level to basement (or vice versa). If you want to see this (and other behind the scenes content) in more detail, check out my Patreon, where your support will also reward you with your name in the Early Access game's…
- Empire Demo Update 20260808 is live - 8 August 2026
Hi all!Just checking-in to let you know of another update that just dropped for the Empire Water Works demo. This takes the demo to build 20260808 (you can confirm this from the main menu and on-screen during play)Details below:BUG FIX: increased the bounding box that controls whether items can dropped onto the workshop table; items should now more reliably get 'placed' onto the table when player is standing near it (still not 100%, but better than before); see also related QoL item below...QoL: If player is holding 'eligible' workshop table place-able item (Boiler Brush, Lighter, Lantern, Wrenches, Adjustable Wrench) AND they are standing near enough to workshop table, then the UI display changes to 'Place on Table (F)', letting the player know if they hit 'F' at that moment, the item is guaranteed to be placed on the tableBUG FIX: when holding Boiler Brush, the 'Drop Item (F)' widget…
- Empire Demo 20260801 is here! - 31 July 2026
Hi all, We've hit August! (well, according to my timezone 😅)Another regular update to the Empire demo which takes it to build 20260801 (confirm from the main menu). This update is a combination of your feedback, some QoL, plus some 'ports' from the Early Access build (teasers, admittedly...).Here's the list of changes:Balance: increased coal order qty max to 10 (was 7) - you can now order a maximum of 10 coal sacks in one go, instead of just 7. I have also re-done the coal sack placements when they are delivered (development screenshot below):QoL: reduced Gatehouse night shift whistle blast requirement to 30s total not 60s - admittedly, blasting the large whistle outside for one whole minute was a bit of an ask, so I have halved this to just 30 seconds to summon the Gatehouse after hoursQoL: when the player attempts to go to rest and the phone is ringing, the "Telephone ringing..." err…
- EARLY ACCESS ANNOUNCEMENT! + YouTube Dev Log #4! + New Discord! - 27 July 2026
Hi everyone!I have been absolutely head-down and busily working on Early Access development now for the past several weeks, and I am very pleased to 'officially' announce the Early Access release date for Empire Water Works......drum roll...November 27th 2026!It's a few months out, and whilst I'm being slightly conservative with the date, it's mostly because I am (believe it or not), a bit of a perfectionist....and I must add that the date also seems scarily close! 😅Without promising too much, in a nutshell, on day 1 of Early Access launch I do plan to include:Everything from the demo + no day limit (obvious!)At least 3 more upgrades (right now, I'm working towards the Jet Condenser, Cylinder Temp Gage and Boiler Water Tank Electric Pump)Addition of the 'Repair Service' - formerly known as the 'Machine Shop' - (allows the ability to repair damaged/destroyed equipment, such as the boile…
- Empire Water Works Demo update 20260722 is here! - 22 July 2026
Hi everyone! Another demo update is here! This takes the demo to version 20260722 (confirm this from the main menu). Here's the details of this update!Balance: a rather important change with this update is that for the first time, loose water pump head bolts will actually affect pumping volumes! Previously the bolt looseness only contributed to basement flooding. This is a key balance change that will add more value to tightening the bolts, and I have been careful to test it to ensure that the game hasn't become overly difficult on the 'default' settings. I found that at the default setting of 25% maximum pumping losses (with the pump bolts loose), the player is still able to maintain reservoir pressures, so long as they increase the River Inlet Valves to ~60-70% (and perhaps 100% during reservoir leak periods).This new change is controlled by a brand new setting "Minimum water pump eff…
- Empire Water Works Demo 20260711 is live! - 11 July 2026
Hello fellow steam engine enthusiasts!This update adds a bunch of quality-of-life (QoL) features, some of which have been bug bears for a while:-QoL: made the graphics/audio 'Options' menu accessible in-game from the Pause menu!-QoL: demo now starts with master volume level at 50% by default (not 100%) - any players with saved games won't be affected by this change (you can still freely adjust the master volume however you like, however the default audio level if no audio save file is detected, is now 50%)-Cosmetic: I have updated the look of the motorized water pump downstairs to be more indicative of a period-era pumping machine (the previous model was too modern)! This is (still) not functional in the demo, but is a teaser for what will be in Early Access and beyond!-Cosmetic: bunch of other little sound FX tweaks for some of the menus when clicking/hovering buttonsThat's it for this…
- Empire Water Works Demo 20260706 is live! - 6 July 2026
Hello fellow steam engine experts!A bunch of additional cosmetic, quality of life (QoL) and bug fixes have landed for Empire Water Works demo! This updates takes the build to 20260706 (you can confirm this from the main menu).Here's the details of the update:Cosmetic: applied new coal textures to the coal (including when the coal is lit)QoL: when resting, the player could previously hit 'Continue' immediately upon initiating the rest, and get a rather 'jarring' day/night transition. This wasn't a deal-breaker as the resting logic still got processed, but I have now mitigated this with a short 'Please wait...' message that lasts for about 2 seconds whilst the rest phase 'processing' occurs...and then you can click 'Continue' to skip the rest of the rest phase if desired (skip about 8s of the remaining rest phase delay)QoL: added two arrows pointing to the valve gear gauges during the Sta…
- Empire Water Works Demo 20260624C is live! - 1 July 2026
Hello fellow pump house masters! I've been busily working away on updating the Empire Water Works Demo yet again and I hereby present to you, demo build 20260624C! (confirm the version from the main menu)Here's what's coming down the tubes:Balance: reduced the coal sack yield by 1/2 (50%). Previously, a coal sack could provide between 29-31% coal. This meant that the entire coal hopper could be filled with just 3 coal sacks! Now. each coal sack only provides between 14-16% coal refill to the hopper, meaning it will take at least 6 coal sacks to totally fill the coal hopper from completely empty. Note with new damper, it's possible to cut coal usage by 60-70% so a 50% reduction in coal sack yield should not hurt anything. In any case, I am providing an additional THREE coal sacks upon New Game start, just in case (meaning there are now a total of ten (10) coal sacks provided to you for f…
- Empire Water Works Demo 20260624B is live! - 26 June 2026
Hi everyone,I hope the end of the week is treating you well. I can't believe the week is almost over already! Let's dive into this latest demo build update...confirm version 20260624B from the main menu...Implemented a damper control for the firebox! The damper controls the amount of airflow through the firebox and allows you to 'tune' your fire burn rate and fire temperatures. Once your fire is up to temperature (e.g. 500 degrees or more), you can turn down the damper and immediately reduce coal consumption, and begin to stabilize your fire temperatures, so your fire temps will no longer max out at 800 degrees the entire time, and burn-up all your coal so fast.The best thing about this, is that you can really dial-in your damper and get the engine running at a steady rate, whilst using significantly less coal! And if you ever need to stop the engine and don't want to burn-up so much co…
- Empire Water Works Demo 20260624A is live! - 25 June 2026
Hi all,The updates for the Empire Water Works Demo have been coming in thick and fast lately, and here's yet another to improve your pumping station experience!This update takes the Demo build to 20260624A. Confirm this from the main menu.Here's all the details!Optimization: One of the bigger improvements with this update is the performance improvement related to the trees and foliage outside the pumping station. Previously, when walking towards the player's vehicle, you may have noticed the frame rates drop and the GPU usage increase. This has been optimized a bit better now. I will continue to test and optimize in this regard however.Bug fix: when placing an order for coal, the labelling in the dialog incorrectly stated qty max of "5" but it was in fact possible to order 7 sacks of coal. Also, when decreasing the qty from 7 downwards, it would 'skip' 6 and go straight to 5. Both fixed…
- Empire Water Works Demo 20260624 is live - 23 June 2026
Hi all,I hope you all had a great weekend! As we roll into the new week, I wanted to drop another quick small update to the demo build, taking it to 20260624 (you can confirm from the main menu).Here's the goodies that arrive with this update:Brand new demo on-boarding dialog box for new players! This 'welcome' dialog is now a lot 'cleaner' and succinct and also sports a brand set of 'presets' that players can quickly choose from:Note that players can still adjust the checkbox settings individually and also from the Game Options later on in-game from the Pause menu, but I hope this new dialog box will make the introduction process for new players much smoother! The 'balanced' preset is what the game is set to by default if you simply click 'OK' on this dialog without making changes, and this is also the preset that is chosen if you later click 'Set Defaults' from the Game Options dialog…
- Empire Water Works Demo 20260620B is live - 22 June 2026
Dear pump house brothers and sisters! 😀I have released update demo build 20260620B to the main branch. You can confirm the version from the main menu of the game. The details of the update are below:The big focus of this update is addressing some recent player frustrations with the sudden water pump head bolt 'failures' that occur within the game (the loud metal 'clang!' sounds of which you may be quite familiar with! 😅) and the frequency at which they occurred. Whilst a ton of development effort has gone into tuning these 'sudden failures' so far (and there is a lot of complexity and random chance behind when they occur), I admit that more tuning may be required. This was also admittedly a fairly late development addition to the demo prior to release, and in hindsight, I should have placed it behind a toggle-able Game Option. I'm glad to say, this has now been done :) I have taken th…
- Empire Water Works Demo Small Update 20260620A - 21 June 2026
Hi all!It's been a busy weekend for me responding to all your feedback and commentary about the demo post-release and I'm so appreciative of all the support so far!I've returned with a 2nd quick small update to the game, the urgency of which is to address a small (but potentially frustrating) bug with the Upgrades, Ledger and Operations Manual books, as well as a adding a few cool new features and QoL! This update takes the demo to 20260620A - you can confirm the version from the main menu.Details below:Bug Fix: when opening the Ledger, Operations Manual or Upgrades books, the player could hit 'E' after the cover page was already displaying on-screen (because they could have been unsure how to open the books, and hitting E again was totally logical rather than clicking) and this would result in additional books of the same type displaying on-screen. This could become a UI issue at times…
- Empire Water Works Demo small update - 20 June 2026
Hi everyone, I'm so grateful for the reception that the Empire Water Works demo has received so far only just over 24 hours since its release! Thanks so much!With the support and feedback that you've been providing in this thread, it has helped me push a small (but mighty) update to the demo build today, which has a number of nifty quality-of-life (QoL) improvements and bug fixes! This updates the Demo to build 20260620 (confirm this from the main menu of the game).The changes included with this update are listed below:Bug fix: Fixed the tool icon symbols occasionally going 'missing' even when they were enabled (note that you can hit the 'T' key once or twice to refresh these icons if you ever need to, as well).Bug fix: previously if the phone was ringing and the player answered it, if they hit 'E' again whilst an incoming call dialog box was already displaying, the new call/contact lis…
- Empire Water Works Demo NOW AVAILABLE! - 19 June 2026
Hi everyone, I am so excited to announce the public demo for Empire Water Works is now live!It's taken 7 months to reach this point working as a solo dev on this project in my 'spare time', and I'm over the moon to bring this experience to you!But my work's not over yet, as I continue to polish and balance the demo build, making it the best it can be! In that regard, I invite you to use the Steam discussion boards to post feedback, specifically in the 'Demo Feedback Goes Here' thread, please.Please note the demo as it stands is still considered a 'work in progress' optimization-wise and you may encounter some bugs here and there as well. I will also continue to test and balance the game.Also, the features and content you will encounter in the demo, is only a small slice of what I intend to bring to market with the Early Access, and subsequent v1.0 release.For more details on how Empire…
- Dev Log #4! | Empire Water Works [DEMO RELEASE IMMINENT!] - 16 June 2026
Hi everyone!Empire Water Works' Demo is just DAYS away (June 19th!), so I wanted to post a development update (#4!) here on Steam about all the latest notable inclusions to the game since my last Dev Log (#3) in early April!In a word, a MOUNTAIN of stuff has been happening! I have hardly had time to scratch myself (I am a solo dev working on this outside of real life commitments) 😅 hence why I've been a bit lacking on the dev log front, but I can't wait for you all to experience the Demo!Whilst a lot of the features below are included in the Demo, once we hit Early Access paid release (and beyond), they will start to become enhanced even further, so please don't take any of what you see below as final - in fact, this is just the start of the journey, and if you're here, you're getting-in on the ground floor. 😎Also a quick note, whilst the Demo is due for release on the 19th June, my w…
- Stuff+ YouTube Channel Pre-release Demo Let's Play! - 14 June 2026
Hi all!OfficialStuffPlus on YouTube has kindly given the pre-release demo build of Empire Water Works a play and recorded a great video for you to check out!This is a great overall representation of what you will all get to experience in just a matter of days! Knowing me however (being the perfectionist that I am), I have been making some further last minute polishes to the demo post this video... 😅Check it out below!The demo itself is due to drop on the 19th June (just a few days to go!!!!) so start the countdown and make sure you Wishlist the game so that you're informed as soon as the demo is out!More soon!
- STEAM WHISTLE! - Empire Water Works Demo Teaser - 30 May 2026
As we get closer and closer to the June 19th release date for the Empire Water Works demo, I thought I would drop another little teaser video showcasing some of the latest features!Seen in this video linked below:A new steam whistle! Recorded from a REAL steam whistle! (SEE VIDEO BELOW TO HEAR THE AUDIO! ːsteamhappyː) This will be featured in the demo build and it will be expanded-upon in Early Access and full release with additional functionality and gameplay integration (such as adherance to a strict 'whistle code' and for marking time); for now in the demo, you will be able to manually operate it and use it for your own fun! The cool thing is that the audio tone of the whistle will respond dynamically to the boiler's pressure, so you'll be able to use it as a very effective tonal signal for how the boiler's status is (i.e. whether it's losing pressure or gaining pressure)More 'sudden…
- Public Demo Release Date Announcement! - 15 May 2026
Hi everyone, I am so excited to announce that I have now locked in a release date for the Empire Water Works Demo! Drum roll........JUNE 19th 2026 😎The Demo build will be just a limited vertical slice of gameplay to show-off what will be in the Early Access coming later and eventual v1.0 release which will follow that!Here's a taste of things you'll be able to do in the Demo build very soon!:Full access to the pumping station; as a new employee, walk in and take a look around! All going well, you'll be spending a lot of time here in future!Start and operate the massive double-expansion steam engine; this can be from a 'cold and dark' state as well as from normal operating temperature - the process varies depending on its temperature! You don't want to get it wrong and cause undue cylinder wear...Control the two water pumps to pump water to the city's three (3) reservoirs: Residential,…
