- Update 0.7.0: Gameplay tweaks - 11 September 2026
The update 0.7.0 is now available!This version contains a mix of various gameplay improvements and bug fixes that provide more clarity and fix some issues in the mid game. The main changes to highlight are:Immigration is now more continuous and regular. It partially depends on the Food need % in your city. If your citizens are well fed, immigrants will arrive more quickly. Citizens migrating from a house within the city can also build new Towns, so that there is less emigration overall.Citizens that are not in range of a Market or their local Market has not enough Food for them to buy, will be able to buy Food somewhere else, as long as they have money and there's Food in the city. If they do so, they receive a Productivity debuff (because of the inconvenience) but Food Theft will become less likely.I have addressed the issue of blurry sprites when zoomed in on some resolutions. Please…
- Update 0.6.9: Visualising routes - 31 August 2026
The update 0.6.9 is now available!This update adds the ability to visualise the routes that vehicles will follow when making a delivery, as well as the route that vehicles are currently following. This feature will be available in a few places:When hovering Orders made and received from the details view.When hovering Cargoes in transit at Railway Stations and Ports from the details view.When hovering the Next Delivery before it leaves.When selecting vehicles, it will show the current route and its Cargo.When selecting migrants' carriages, it will show the current route and some information about the migrants and where they are going. Change log:recalculate Routes in saved scene on LoadWorldspawn a SelectionTile for each tile not only for flat itemsfix SelectionItemIcon not showing up on Land tilesshow Routes for OrdersMade and OrdersReceived on Order hoverfix bug with SubKind cells when…
- Update 0.6.8: Performance improvements - 14 August 2026
The update 0.6.8 is now available!In this update, the main feature added is the caching of routes to prevent running the pathfinding too often. For now, it will not change much visually, but it has two important benefits:It improves performance for larger cites. Now larger cities should scale much better, especially when steamships are involved, because the pathfinding for them was more expensive.It will allow to visualise routes in one of the next updates, hopefully the next one. Once implemented, it will be possible to visualise the whole route followed by vehicles, as well as the route that waiting orders will take, once they start being delivered. This should help to better understand how resources are moved around and find out possible issues and inefficiencies.The other changes are small fixes and improvements.Change log:prevent multiple RouteCalc tasks on ConnectBuildings objecti…
- 0.6.7 Update: UI scaling and no more houses on roads - 7 August 2026
The update 0.6.7 for Times of Progress is now available! In this update two of the most requested changes have been implemented:No more houses on roads! This is the single most frequent feedback that Times of Progress received. The reason for implementing as it was before, was to give more flexibility, but I do understand that many people didn't like it both for gameplay and aesthetic reasons. This is a big change though! Now that houses block roads, you might have to delete them more often. Now it becomes way more about optimising routes and letting vehicles flow through the city avoiding waste of time. Let me know how you feel about it and if it makes more sense now. Warning: this change will not break save-files in the literal sense but if you load an old save you will probably have to rework your road network and give access to buildings that now need to reach a road directly. I hav…
- The version 0.6.6 of Times of Progress is now available - 31 July 2026
Version 0.6.6 contains a few bug fixes, especially the weird inverted columns in the Progress Timeline on larger screens and a few rebalancing tweaks that should help with resources and markets. In particular:All resource deposits have now been roughly doubled, while Forests now have roughly 4x the amount of Wood. The extracting buildings now extract more slowly, so you will need more buildings of the same kind, but they will last longer and you won't have to destroy them and rebuild them as often.Markets used to order a buffer of 20% extra Food of the needed demand, I have now increased it to 40%. So once they sell their Food at the end of the month, if they have received all of the food they demanded, they will start the new month with already 40% of their demand filled. I will show this information in a better way when I revamp the UI for Markers, I know they are a pain point.I have…
- The demo of Times of Progress is out now as part of SimFest 2026 - 20 July 2026
The demo of Times of Progress has just been released as part of SimFest 2026!You can check out the event here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/SimFest2026The demo will stay available after SimFest until the full release of the game.Enjoy the demo and let me know your feedback!You can reach me at the links below or at: [email protected]
- The demo of Times of Progress will be released on the 20th of July - 13 July 2026
I am pleased to announce that the demo of Times of Progress will be released on the 20th of July as part of SimFest.After 3.5 years of development by mostly a solo dev, the first public version of the game will be playable on Steam in a week from today. If you have it on your wishlist, you will get an email from Steam when the demo is released. It will stay available until the full game launch.It has been a long journey and I look forward to your feedback to further improve the game before it is released.
- Sign up for the Times of Progress beta - 2 June 2026
After 3.5 years of development, the first playable version of Times of Progress will be available as a close beta on the 26th of June!You can sign up for it here: https://pressingthumbs.subscribepage.io/ The beta will run for a weekend until the 29th of June. I am looking to gather as much early feedback as possible from players and would love your input.During the beta you will be able to play through the first basic scenario and learn the main mechanics of the game. Here is a play-through video to have a better idea of how the game unfolds:
- What do Welfare State, Robber Baron, Epidemic and Bohemian Life have in common? - 24 September 2025
Let's dive a little bit into another aspect of the game: Scenarios, which you can choose at the beginning of the game.Scenarios determine the starting conditions and progression of a run: from the general characteristics of the map, to the resources available, from the initial buildings, to the modifiers applied throughout the game.These are the 19th century inspired Scenarios that are currently planned for the full game:First Steps (the tutorial): normal starting conditions, learn the basics of the game.The Love of Science: build a highly educated city, focusing on Research and technology.Welfare State: implement workers reforms and rights to your citizens, with a focus on signing new Laws.Robber Baron: make your city function with low taxes, no workers rights, no welfare.Epidemic: an epidemic in your city will require that you manage waves of infections, quarantines and vaccine distri…
- Times of Progress is part of Games Forged in Germany 2025 - 24 July 2025
Times of Progress is part of the Games Forged in Germany Steam event! You can check out the other games in the festival here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Games-Forged-in-Germany I'm going to run a closed beta when it's ready. You can join by subscribing to the newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/pressingthumbs/ Once the beta is ready, you will be notified there and receive a key for testing.
- Simulating the economy in Times of Progress - 20 May 2025
Lately I have been working on implementing the core of the economy simulation in the game. At a high level, this is how it works: Industries receive payments when they deliver the materials they extract or goods they produce. Their workers get paid a Wage at the end of each month. Citizens are organised in families. At the end of each month, those that work in each family (normally the adults, but, depending on your city Laws, it might be the children too, since we're in the 1800s), put together their earned wages and purchase the Consumer Goods they need. These are organised by priority, first they'll buy Food, then better Clothes, then better Furniture etc. Eventually if they earn more and have extra income, they'll spend their money in Entertainment (at the Pub or Theatre) and Prestige items (Fancy Clothes, Pottery, etc.). Since there are also Public Services in the city (Police, Sch…
- Times of Progress is part of Indie Assemble - 5 May 2025
Times of Progress is part of Indie Assemble! You can check out the other games in the festival here: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44717737/sale/IndieAssemble I'm going to run a closed beta when it's ready. You can join by subscribing to the newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/pressingthumbs/ Once the beta is ready, you will be notified there and receive a key for testing.
- Times of Progress is part of City Builder & Colony Sim Steam Fest - 24 March 2025
Times of Progress is part of City Builder & Colony Sim Steam Fest! You can check out the other games in the festival here: https://store.steampowered.com/category/strategy_cities_settlements/ I'm going to run a closed beta when it's ready! You can join by subscribing to the newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/pressingthumbs Once the beta is ready, you will be notified there and receive a key for testing.
- Times of Progress is part of Days of Ramadan Festival - 28 February 2025
Times of Progress is part of Days of Ramadan Festival! Have a look at the other games made participating in the event by visiting the Steam page event: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45022621/sale/RamadanFestival2025 Thank you to the organisers for including Times of Progress! I'm going to run a closed beta when it's ready! You can join by subscribing to the newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/pressingthumbs Once the beta is ready, you will be notified there and receive a key for testing.
- A deep dive into the Progress Timeline UI - 10 January 2025
With this update I would like to show you the Progress Timeline UI, which is where you will be acquiring Inventions and signing Laws in Times of Progress. The overall idea is that there will be new Inventions and Laws available following a timeline from 1800 to 1900, which is where the game takes place. These upgrades mirror real-life technological and legal advancement from the 19th century. Here is how the UI looks: And here is an assortment of the kind of upgrades available (click to enlarge): Some upgrades will be dependent on a previous upgrade being acquired or signed, and all upgrades will depend on having reached their year along the timeline. However, you will be able to spend Research and Political Points to make these upgrades happen sooner. This represents your city's scientists and lawmakers contributing to the global community with their research so that these inventions a…
- Times Of Progress is an elegant, focussed city builder set during the Industrial Revolution - 18 December 2024
Times Of Progress is a special game for me, because it's the first news tip I have ever received from Sin Vega, Prime Minister of Strategy Gaming . Sin once described writing news articles for our former news editor Alice0 (RPS in peace) as like practising backflips in front of the kung fu master. Writing about a new city builder at Sin's suggestion is like being invited to budget the development of Londinium by Julius Caesar. The terror of screwing it up - together with other, more trivial distractions, like international games industry conferences - has stopped me from writing about Times Of Progress for months. Today I bite the bullet, and emerge from my lodgings to issue a hesitant speech to the masses, hoping like hell that Caesar is too preoccupied with the latest Gaul uprising to notice my errors. Read more
- Times of Progress is part of Be a Hero! Comic Con Stuttgart - 30 November 2024
Times of Progress is part of Be a Hero! Comic Con Stuttgart Steam Event! Have a look at the other games made participating in the event by visiting the Steam page event: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45066451/sale/Be-a-hero-sale I'm going to run a closed beta when it's ready! You can join by subscribing to the newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/pressingthumbs Once the beta is ready, you will be notified there and receive a key for testing.
- Set goals for your city, become an industrial powerhouse - 17 October 2024
Let's dive a bit deeper into one of the core ideas in Times of Progress. As you know, the Industrial Revolution was a global phenomenon and in ToP that is represented by the fact that your city does not exist in a void. As I discussed in a previous announcement (if you missed it you can read more about it here), new inventions are happening throughout the game world, not just in the local Research Institute in your own city. You can import those new technologies by spending Research Points. One of the ways in which you can earn them is by showing to the world that your city is at the forefront of industrial progress, in terms of quantity, quality and efficiency of your industries, products and transportation networks. You can do that by setting, and achieving, quantitative Goals for your city and building a sort of reputation in the game world. This is how choosing new Goals works: You…
- Times of Progress is part of the Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Fest - 16 September 2024
Times of Progress is part of the Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Fest! Trains are a key mode of transportation in the game. They are used to deliver materials and goods, as well as extending the area of effect of relevant buildings, if there is a passenger train station in range. If you want to stay in touch or have questions you can find me here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElmoSampedro Mastodon: https://mastodon.online/@elmowilk Newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/pressingthumbs Mail: [email protected]
- Signing laws to improve your citizens' lives - 6 August 2024
Let's dive a bit into the Laws mechanic and the City Hall building. They are the administrative equivalent of Research upgrades and the Research Institute building. I talked about those in a previous newsletter issue. If you missed it, you can read up about it here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2628450/view/5997186379223382084?l=english The City Hall is a building that allows you to start signing Laws for your citizens that unlock new buildings, change stats and affect the needs of the population. Signing Laws requires Political Points, which are obtained by completing Goals (like Research Points) or passively via various buildings. Here are some examples of Laws that you can decide to sign in Times of Progress, with their implications and the chain of laws that are made available: Public Health → Disease Prevention and Anatomy Act. Public Health increases the efficiency of I…
