Techtonica is a first-person factory automation game set beneath the surface of an alien planet. Work alone or in co-op to build factories, gather resources, research new technologies, mold the destructible terrain, establish a base of operations, and uncover long-forgotten secrets.

Is it intended that the “pickers” don’t fill a machine with things like ore or fuel? They only seem to keep just enough inside to craft a single item, then put enough in to do 1 more, etc. This creates production slowdowns and causes belts to become clogged, ultimately leading to general logistical problems. Many players have experienced major production issues due to this limitation.

One potential solution could be to introduce an upgrade for the pickers in Techtonica. This upgrade would allow them to continue grabbing resources even when the machines are not actively crafting. By keeping the machines consistently topped off, production slowdowns and logistical issues would be significantly reduced. It would create a smoother workflow and improve overall efficiency in the factories.

Another option is to introduce a resource queuing system. This system would allow players to set a predetermined amount of resources to be kept inside the machines at all times. For example, players could specify that they always want 100 units of ore in the machine ready for crafting. Once the machine falls below this threshold, the pickers would automatically replenish the resources, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted production.

Alternatively, Techtonica could revise the crafting requirements for each item. Instead of requiring only the exact amount of resources for a single item, the game could introduce a higher resource requirement. This change would allow the pickers to fill the machines with a surplus amount of resources, ensuring that there is always enough for continuous production. This approach may require some balancing to avoid excessive resource consumption, but it could solve the production issues experienced by players.

Many players have raised concerns about the current limitations of pickers in Techtonica. They have discussed the issues on the Techtonica General Discussions forum, where the community has actively engaged in finding potential solutions. Some players have even shared their own workarounds to mitigate the problem, such as creating multiple pickers for each machine or manually managing resource distribution. However, these are temporary solutions and do not address the root cause of the issue.

The Techtonica development team has acknowledged the feedback and expressed their commitment to addressing the problem. They have stated that they are currently exploring different options to improve the functioning of pickers and enhance the gameplay experience.

Player feedback is crucial for the development of any game, and the Techtonica community has been actively participating in discussions to help shape the future updates and improvements. By collaborating with the developers, players can contribute to finding a suitable solution that satisfies both gameplay mechanics and player expectations.

Regardless of the chosen solution, it is evident that the current limitations of pickers in Techtonica have created significant challenges for players in terms of production efficiency and logistics. A solution that enables pickers to continuously grab resources or implement a resource queuing system would greatly enhance the gameplay experience and alleviate the frustrations caused by the current limitations.