Glad to see this update and can't believe I missed it for a whole week!
Some notes:
The resource collection range seems to be off. I had upgraded it to more than 2k% but still only collected resources about 2 feet or so in front of me.
I love the overpowered feeling of mining at insane speeds/distances but by the end of this recent run I had the issue of mining things way off screen long before I could reach them to collect, to the point I would lag pretty badly when not on the Archive.
Maybe issue isn't the right word to use because it was hilariously fun, and now writing this out maybe I'm just smooth brained and didn't realize collection range upgrades don't affect pick-up distance?
(Edit: Got it. Collection and Pick-up different categories.)
On some positives
The increased starting allowance is a very nice change. Getting through that early game prior to this update was indeed fun but also quite grindy, so this change was great.
The repeater is so much more powerful now, and with 30 or 40 upgrades it becomes a beast! It took out the enemy castled off screen, had me wondering if it just bugged and disappeared. Would much rather it be OP than be as inefficient as it was before.
All in all, solid first update, still voting for expanding the interactions between the caretaker and the castle. It's a loveable duo and I'd love to see more of the lore of this universe. On that note would also love to see cosmetic/character upgrades/options? Maybe our Owl friend has a Mouse disciple? Or they know a curator Bookworm? Maybe they've stumbled across the forgotten Black Keep that holds Dark knowledge and is in needs of repairs or a new driver?
I'll leave it there, great job, you have a fantastic project coming together here and can't wait to see what rolls out next. 👍👍