Find The Needle strands you inside an unfamiliar warehouse facing an endless mountain of straw. The core objective of the game gives you a single instruction to locate every needle hidden across the facility. There are some in the pile. Your initial search begins manually on foot, sweeping the floor with a metal detector. Eventually your operation evolves into a fully mechanized layout where belts, balers, scanners, and robotic arms locate targets automatically. Somewhere inside there’s a needle. Uncovering every hidden target requires transitioning methodically from manual sweeping to industrial automation.
Haystack Scale
Your starting equipment consists of a basic shovel alongside a haystack containing about six million strands. In early demo play, clearing efforts center around 13 million strands of hay. As factory operations expand across the facility, players manage stacks where 13 million hay and this one has over 315 million. Endgame production lines confront the monumental task of finding a needle in a 300 million pile. Across the demo warehouse volume, methodical players locate and collect all six needles that were needed. Players often ask what happens after collecting every needle in the warehouse. The developer has not revealed what outcome awaits once you finish the collection. Your core loop remains clear: sell processed hay, purchase additional machinery, and take on progressively larger piles.
Metal Detector
Your first specialized search device is the handheld metal detector. Available in SUPPLY CO after unlocking Prospecting Tech. The device is listed under the Tools and Containers catalog with a retail price of $390.00. Beeps faster the closer you get to a hidden needle. In the open it hears about 7 m. Hay muffles it, so it only hears about a metre into the pile. Because dense straw dampens the detection frequency, sweeping deep interior tunnels yields faint acoustic feedback until surface layers are cleared.
Automated Detection
Clear early straw manually, sell the raw hay, and reinvest those funds into belts and machinery until manual labor is phased out. Construct specialized robots, drones, transport belts, wrappers, paper processors, and sorters so your processing lines scan for needles while you expand warehouse infrastructure. Standard motorized conveyor belt used to transport loose hay and products across the yard. Articulated robotic arm that automatically picks loose hay or items from the ground and places them onto conveyors. Programmable sorting conveyor that filters and directs items based on item classification. Conveyor junction splitter that alternates incoming items evenly between multiple output belts. Directional sorting arm that routes items with priority to a designated primary belt line. Construct physical machines on the floor, wire electrical connections, and route hay into them using conveyor lines.
| Equipment Name | Category | Cost / Unlock | Detection / Routing Specification | Key Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Detector | Tools and Containers | $390.00 | 7 m range in open / ~1 m in hay | Auditory proximity pinging for buried needles |
| Robotic Arm | Automation | Tech Tree unlock | Ground pickup radius | Picks loose items and places onto conveyors |
| Smart Splitter | Hay Lines | Tech Tree unlock | Item classification filter | Splits needles away from standard hay lines |
| Priority Arm | Hay Lines | Tech Tree unlock | Priority diverter | Routes items with priority to designated primary belt line |
Generator Hazard
Combustion generator that burns hay fuel in a boiler to produce electricity for yard automation. Operating a combustion generator introduces a catastrophic hazard for unmonitored conveyor layouts. The generator burns any hidden needle caught in fuel feed. Any needle accidentally routed into an electrical boiler is incinerated and lost forever. The generator will burn 4,000 strands of hay in 60 seconds to maintain power. Operating continuously, the generator burns hay fuel in a boiler to produce electricity for yard automation. Never route raw hay conveyors directly from the digging face into power generation without intermediate scanning.
| Machine | Burn Rate | Fuel Types | Critical Hazard Warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hay Generator | 4,000 strands in 60 seconds | loose hay, eco bricks, hay pellets | Burns any needle caught in fuel feed |
Search Strategy
Locating every needle without destruction requires establishing a strict multi-tier containment pipeline. Every run begins with manual sweeping using a metal detector before machinery takes over.
Perimeter Sweeping
Begin by patrolling the concrete floor perimeter where the bottom rim of the haystack sits. Beeps faster the closer you get to a hidden needle. In the open it hears about 7 m. Hay muffles it, so it only hears about a metre into the pile. Available in SUPPLY CO after unlocking Prospecting Tech.
Trench Excavation
Equip manual gear such as shovels, buckets, wheelbarrows, pitchforks, and vacuums from the shop. Anything that helps you process hay manually speeds up early capital generation. Standard digging shovel to dig 54 strands at a time. Lifts 68 strands at a time. Holds 600 strands of hay. Holds 2100 strands of hay. Carve narrow radial trenches into the pile to stay within the one meter detection threshold.
Automated Sorting
Blueprints to place motorized conveyor belts in the yard. Increases the transit speed of hay strands along conveyor belts. Position robotic arms alongside collection hoppers and conveyor interchanges. Articulated robotic arm that automatically picks loose hay or items from the ground and places them onto conveyors. Programmable sorting conveyor that filters and directs items based on item classification. Conveyor junction splitter that alternates incoming items evenly between multiple output belts. Directional sorting arm that routes items with priority to a designated primary belt line. At this final stage, interconnected belts, balers, scanners, and robotic arms handle all detection without any manual digging. Only after passing these automated checkpoints should remaining straw travel to the hay generator.
Sources
- Steam Store Snapshot (App 5160800)
- Game Data Extraction (Demo Build)
- YouTube Transcripts (JFItq8LcJyk, o-QbLhfcxjE, 8Fjw26gLVDE)