Introduction

Techtonica is a first-person factory automation game set beneath the surface of an alien planet. In this game, players are tasked with building factories, gathering resources, researching new technologies, molding the destructible terrain, establishing a base of operations, and uncovering long-forgotten secrets. While the game offers an immersive and engaging experience, there are some limitations and challenges that players face during their gameplay.

Limitations and Challenges

Having put a few hours into the game, it becomes evident that there are some quality of life (QoL) improvements that could greatly enhance the overall gameplay experience. Some players have already highlighted these suggestions, but it’s worth reinforcing their importance.

Hilight Empty Boxes

One suggestion is to highlight empty boxes in a different color from full boxes. Once a box is emptied by the player, there is no need to keep reminding them that it is empty. By visually differentiating between empty and full boxes, players can easily identify which resources still need to be gathered.

Hilight Unscanned Equipment on the Minimap

Another suggestion is to highlight unscanned equipment on the minimap. Often, players overlook small objects like inserters, making them easy to miss. By highlighting such equipment on the minimap, players can ensure that they don’t overlook any crucial components of their factory.

Improving Navigation

One major challenge in the game is navigating and finding your way back to a specific location. The current map is limited and does not allow players to zoom out or see previously explored areas. To address this, a suggested improvement is to implement a Techtonica overlay that guides players to a selected beacon. This overlay would allow players to mark important locations and help them navigate with ease. However, implementing such a feature would come at a cost, adding a new dimension of challenge to the gameplay.

Point of Interest HUD

There should also be a way to display a heads-up display (HUD) for points of interest, such as locked doors. Players may have the necessary materials to unlock these doors, but without any indication of their location, they may never find them again. Having a HUD that highlights and guides players to these locked doors would be a valuable addition to the game.

Assembler and Box Information

Players would benefit from a way to identify what an assembler is producing from a distance. Similarly, having the ability to easily view the contents of a box, or at least the first slot, would greatly improve resource management. This would eliminate the need for players to constantly check each individual assembler or box to determine its contents.

Limiting Box Capacity

Currently, players have to manage box capacity by putting single units of items into undesired slots, which can become tedious. Implementing a way to limit how much a box can hold would simplify this process and eliminate the need for complex workarounds. Additionally, this would allow players to use filter inserters for outputs, streamlining their automation process.

Disabling Movement on Belts

Another improvement would be to provide players with the option to disable movement when stepping on a belt. This would be particularly useful in constrained areas where players are unable to fly. Disabling movement on belts would prevent players from being unnecessarily moved and allow for more precise building in such areas.

Improved Item Placement

The current item placement system could benefit from some enhancements. Placing items should only snap to valid locations for that specific item in its current orientation. In the case of waterwheels, for example, they often snap and flicker to invalid locations, making the placement process frustrating. Implementing a system that only allows snapping to valid locations would greatly improve the building experience.

Belt-Level Adjustments

While the current system allows belts to hop over other belts, it would be even better if players had the ability to explicitly raise and lower belt levels during the layout process. This would result in cleaner and more organized factory layouts. Currently, players have to lay out raised floors, install the belt, and then remove the floors to achieve desired belt levels. Allowing direct adjustment of belt levels would simplify this process.

Enhanced Mass-Deletion

The mass-deletion feature could be further improved by limiting it to a single layer at a time, unless a modifier key is held down. This would prevent accidental deletion of floors when the intention is only to remove some equipment on the floor. Minimizing accidental deletions would enhance the overall experience and reduce frustration during gameplay.

Conclusion

Techtonica is an exciting game that offers a unique and challenging factory automation experience. However, there are several areas that can be improved to enhance the gameplay. By implementing a Techtonica overlay to guide players to selected beacons, addressing navigation issues, enhancing HUD functionality, improving item placement, allowing belt-level adjustments, and optimizing mass-deletion, players will enjoy a more streamlined and immersive gaming experience. While these improvements may come at a cost, the benefits they bring in terms of alleviating frustration and enhancing gameplay are well worth it.