Some Steam players report lower frame rates in large worlds with many J.O.O.N.A.S. robots. Those reports do not establish a universal robot limit or prove one cause for every slowdown. Start by checking the installed version and preserving your save before changing a large factory.
What patches actually fixed
DragDrop Games says 1.0.4 improved save speed in large bases and fixed an older Proton launch issue. In 1.0.5 the developer reports fewer garbage-collection stutters in big bases, fixes for memory leaks after leaving a world or removing structures, and a fix for a repeatable freeze after loading some worlds. Update 1.0.5 also fixed capsule packing in large bases. These are specific fixes, not a promise that every late-game frame-rate issue is solved.
Reading the fixes by version
Version 1.0.3 targeted performance at large bases; the developer reported up to approximately 20% higher frame rates in its own tests. That is not a measured gain on every computer. Version 1.0.4 improved large-base saving and added automatic backups, while 1.0.5 addressed garbage-collection stutter, memory leaks and a freeze after loading certain worlds. Record the timing of a freeze so a world-load issue is not mistaken for a general frame-rate drop.
The developer’s 600,000-player announcement discussed further performance and automation work for a planned 1.1 update. A plan is not a released fix, and its contents and timing can change. Check the actual installed build and subsequent notes before relying on a future improvement.
Narrow down a slowdown
- Confirm all players use the current intended game version, then note whether the slowdown appears on load, while saving, near a factory or throughout the world.
- Keep a backup before changing a save. Version 1.0.4 introduced automatic backups, and its notes warn saves from that version cannot be opened in earlier versions.
- As an experiment, reduce active machines or robots in a copied world if your setup permits it, and compare the same location and conditions. This is a diagnostic idea, not a developer-confirmed fix.
- Check for blocked belts or accumulated material and simplify the first congested section. Do not assume that dismantling a factory will repair a corrupted save.
Backups and recovery in 1.0.4
The developer says each slot keeps up to five local backups, taken one minute into a session and then every 30 minutes. They are stored outside Steam Cloud. The game can report automatic repair on load; keep a separate copy before experimenting. A 1.0.4 save cannot be opened in older versions, so rolling back the executable is not a safe substitute for a compatible backup.
In their launch letter, the developers acknowledged crashes, multiplayer faults, performance issues and automation reliability as areas requiring work. A reported fix in a later patch is specific to its stated cause; a similar symptom can still need investigation.
When it still happens
Send the developer your version, hardware, whether you host or join, the affected world and a description of when performance changes. Include the result of any controlled comparison, not just a total robot count. The Steam news and community links below point to official updates and discussion. See patch notes for version-specific behavior.
Make a useful comparison
Change one condition at a time and write down what you changed. Compare the same location after the world has loaded, with the same graphics settings and a similar number of players. If you test with fewer active machines in a copy, record which machines were changed and whether the slowdown occurs before and after the change. A single comparison can suggest where to look; it cannot establish a universal machine or robot limit.
Also distinguish a slow save from low frame rate during play. If the problem happens on returning to the menu or shortly after loading, say so in a report. The developer’s 1.0.4 and 1.0.5 notes describe different fixes for those moments, so the timing is useful even when the screen appears frozen in both cases.
Windows graphics and input checks
The 1.0.4 notes say DirectX 11 became the Windows default to prevent the AMD GPU crashes described by the developer. They give -force-d3d12 as a Steam launch option for DirectX 12. Treat changing the graphics API as a comparison, not a guaranteed performance improvement: record which mode was in use and restore the previous setting if the change makes things worse.
If movement appears stuck or keyboard and mouse stop responding, check connected controllers, wheels and pedals as well as the keyboard. Version 1.0.5 fixed a specific case involving an off-centre device. Similar symptoms on another version or setup may have another cause.
Steam PC requirements
The November 10 store snapshot lists Windows 10, 8 GB RAM, a GTX 1650 or Radeon RX 570, DirectX 11 and 2 GB available storage as minimum requirements. Its recommended configuration lists Windows 11, 16 GB RAM, a GTX 1660 Super or Radeon RX 5600 XT and 4 GB storage. Requirements are a starting point for checking compatibility, not a promised frame rate for a particular factory size.