Fix Techtonica Factory Balancing
About Techtonica
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.
Introduction
Although Techtonica is in its early access stage, players have expressed concerns about the balancing of machines’ inputs/outputs with belt items per second/minute and inserter speed. In this article, we will discuss the current challenges faced by players in balancing their factories, and the expectations for future balancing efforts from the developers.
The Need for Balancing
In Techtonica, players aim to fully saturate belts with resources using inserters. However, the current state of the game requires an excessive number of inserters to achieve this goal, which is not ideal for efficient factory building. For example, it takes 8 standard inserters to fully saturate a tier 1 belt. This limitation makes it difficult to establish a balanced factory with proper chest buffering.
Additionally, players have noticed that inserters are unable to scoot items around the belt, which further complicates the process of achieving consistent belt saturation. To overcome this inconsistency, players suggest delaying the inserters’ placement of items at the end of the belt, ensuring proper spacing between items for optimal throughput.
The Lack of Symbiosis
One major concern raised by players is the lack of symbiosis between inserters, belt speed, and machine production. Some machines produce resources at a faster rate than there are output slots available. This imbalance disrupts the goal of establishing a perfectly balanced factory where all resources are utilized without downtime or backups on belts and machines.
Players acknowledge that their observations are based on their experience with tier 2 and fast inserters, and it is possible that later game content introduces better balancing mechanics. However, the introduction of core boosters undermines the idea of creating a well-balanced factory. Players express their preference for a factory setup where all resources are utilized efficiently, even if it means foregoing the use of core boosts and speed upgrades.
The Desire for Balanced Factories
Many players enjoy the challenge of building a factory that achieves perfect balance, ensuring that all resources are utilized effectively without any wastage or backups. The ability to tear down and rebuild the factory without generating excess inventory is a key aspect that players appreciate.
The balance of machines, inserters, belts, drills, smelters, planters, threshers, and other elements plays a crucial role in achieving this desired balance. Players hope that in future updates, the speed of all these components can be adjusted to create a more balanced factory setup.
Community Perspective
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of specific players, and it is important to remember that they are based on their personal experience and preferences. Techtonica has a diverse player base, with some players favoring a more manifold approach, while others strive for balanced setups.
For those interested in exploring more about balance and proper setups, resources such as balancers and manifold designs from other automation games like Satisfactory can provide inspiration and ideas for achieving balance in Techtonica.
Balancer
https://satisfactory.wiki.gg/wiki/Balancer
Manifold
https://satisfactory.wiki.gg/wiki/Manifold