Yes, we don't really have an equivalent of the Steam Bot in the next version, we'll only have Mk1 and Mk2 bot parts which require winding, but Mk3 will probably be like the old Steam Bot and will appear in a subsequent version. We'll also be adding lots of Steam Age related buildings and activities.
I'm sorry to hear that there won't be "an equivalent of the Steam Bot in the next version". I recall spending a lot of time creating multiple Basic Bots in the current version that could wind other bots and each other. I found sometimes that if I only had two Basic Bots winding other bots in an area that was not being watched, that after I came back to look at that area after several minutes, all of the bots had run down already, including the two who should have been winding them and each other. Having the Steam Bots overcame that issue. Hopefully, when you create the Mk3 in the subsequent version, it will not need to be wound and will appear in an early subsequent version. Thank you.
Yes, we appreciate the value of Steam Bots being able to self fuel. The next version will only go up to a certain point on our tech tree and subsequent versions will extent this. It just happens that the next version doesn't reach the Steam Age and so your bot tech is limited. The Mk3 bot will most likely be very similar to the original Steam Bot and future versions might include even more advanced bots like charged batteries or solar powered that don't require fuel.