Before you build
- Access to JOONAS and a capsule catcher in your save.
- A working route from the catcher to a base hatch or processing line.
- Patch 1.0.4 installed if you want the behavior described here.
BUILD IT IN THIS ORDER
Your setup, one connection at a time.
- JOONAS
- Nearest catcher
- Conveyor
- Base or processing
- 01
Give the capsules a destination
Build a capsule catcher and connect its output to a working conveyor route. For a first test, a short route back to the base is easier to observe than a factory with several branches. The 1.0.4 update raises catcher capacity to 100 kg; that buffer is storage, not a promise about production speed.
DragDrop Games · 1.0.4 patch notesDeveloper update · 25 October 2026
- 02
Start with a robot you can follow
Build JOONAS in an area where it can reach dusty ground. Watch its first sector before adding more robots. The developer says it now cleans a single hex from the outside in, finishes it, and moves on. Buildings and unreachable hexes can affect its route: walking around an obstruction is not necessarily an idle robot.
DragDrop Games · 1.0.4 patch notesDeveloper update · 25 October 2026
- 03
Check where the capsule actually lands
JOONAS targets the nearest catcher, so an additional catcher can change which production line receives dust. The Ginger Empire’s demonstration shows this behavior. If one line is starved while another catcher fills up, inspect both destinations before buying more collectors or processing machines.
The Ginger Empire · How to use JOONASPlayer demonstration · 25 October 2026
- 04
Use the map and information panel
The updated map shows robots and their current activity. Look directly at JOONAS for its information panel and sector tracking; the bin gauge flashes red when full. Use these clues to separate a robot still cleaning from a robot whose dust has nowhere useful to go.
DragDrop Games · 1.0.4 patch notesDeveloper update · 25 October 2026
- 05
Confirm the downstream route
Follow a received capsule through the catcher’s output and into the next machine or base. If the catcher fills while the belt or processor stops, work on that downstream stop first. Adding sweepers cannot clear a blocked output. Expand only after the first robot and catcher complete this route.
The Ginger Empire · Fully Automated Factory Basic BuildPlayer demonstration · 25 October 2026
A USEFUL FIRST TEST
A full catcher and an idle factory
Suppose JOONAS is cleaning, the catcher contains dust, and a pressure chamber is idle. Check the connection and the chamber’s power and input state. If the catcher is empty instead, look at the robot’s activity and other nearby catchers. The same idle factory can have two very different causes.
FIND THE FIRST THING THAT STOPS
What do you see?
JOONAS does not return to its dock
That is expected in 1.0.4. It sends capsules to the nearest catcher from wherever it is working; old dock-based instructions no longer describe the intended loop.
JOONAS stops when I leave
The 1.0.4 notes list remote operation as fixed. Confirm your installed version, then check its activity and bin status. If that behavior still repeats, report the version and what the panel shows to the developers.
The bin flashes red
The developer identifies this as the full-bin indicator. Inspect the nearest catcher and its downstream output; the red light does not by itself prove a pathfinding bug.
One catcher gets dust and another does not
Check their distance from the robots. Nearest-catcher selection can direct work away from the line you expected to feed.
DragDrop Games · 1.0.4 patch notesDeveloper update · 25 October 2026
The Ginger Empire · How to use JOONASPlayer demonstration · 25 October 2026
WATCH THE CONNECTIONS
See the player demonstration.
Watch the capsule launch and catcher connection. The creator’s closing warning about robots stopping far from players describes an older problem; the 1.0.4 notes explicitly say robots now keep cleaning without nearby players. Loads YouTube when you press play.
Questions players ask
Do I have to stay near JOONAS?
According to the 1.0.4 patch notes, no: JOONAS should continue cleaning when no players are nearby. This is a developer-stated fix, not a guarantee that every save is bug-free.
How many JOONAS robots should feed one catcher?
This guide does not prescribe a fixed ratio. Watch whether your catcher empties and whether the next machine remains supplied. Add collection when the line is starved; fix transport or processing when dust backs up.
Is JOONAS the same as the early robot vacuum?
No. The early robot-vacuum demonstration uses a bounded cleaning area, while the JOONAS demonstration and 1.0.4 notes describe sector cleaning and capsule launches to catchers. Use the instructions for the machine you actually built.
Sources & version notes
Reviewed against the 1.0.4 update and the sources below on 26 October 2026. Developer changes and player observations are identified separately. These guides are researched from public sources; the site does not claim firsthand playtesting.
DragDrop Games · 1.0.4 patch notesDeveloper update · 25 October 2026
The Ginger Empire · How to use JOONASPlayer demonstration · 25 October 2026
The Ginger Empire · Fully Automated Factory Basic BuildPlayer demonstration · 25 October 2026
The Ginger Empire · How to Use Packer and Robot VacuumPlayer demonstration · 24 October 2026