Techtonica News

Hey there, Groundbreakers!

Are you ready to level up your Techtonica experience with the Super Sandbox Update? With this update, we’re adding more than 80 custom game settings and two new maps to cater to every gameplay style under the sun. Say goodbye to cookie-cutter playthroughs and hello to fully customized challenges and sandboxes.

But wait, hold up - we get it. The pressure of choice can be overwhelming sometimes. That's why we've got six preset modes to get you started. Today, we’re gonna dive into each of those preset game modes.

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[h3]Easy Mode[/h3]

First, we've got Easy Mode. Yep, you guessed it! Easy Mode drops you into the regular Techtonica map with settings that make the game… Easier. Encumbrance is shut off, Base Building crafting is free, and the Production Terminals are easier to unlock. It's perfect for casual players who prefer rapid progression and reduced costs.



Plus, you get easier access to narrative events, advanced machinery, and upgraded technologies. And the cherry on top? Achievements are fully available in this mode, so you can chug through Techtonica in a shorter amount of time while still scratching that completionist itch.

[h3]Sandbox Mode[/h3]

Next up is Sandbox Mode. This one is all about freedom and creativity, baby! With no crafting requirements and minimal power consumption, the world really is your oyster. Build whatever you want, however you want, and revel in the pure joy of creation.



In Sandbox Mode, all doors and tech are fully unlocked, there are no quests, and you’ve got nothing to scan. Fuel and Power consumption are turned down in favor of large-scale builds that don’t need a massive power station. Both encumbrance and M.O.L.E. heat generation is shut off, allowing you to dig out the map with ease. And the ore veins? They’re infinite, letting you build the factories of your dreams without ever needing to move.

[h3]Hardcore Mode[/h3]

Feeling brave? Then Hardcore Mode is calling your name. This one is reserved for the most dedicated and experienced Techtonica players out there. With harsh resource rules and merciless limitations, your factory automation skills will be pushed to the absolute max.



Hardcore Mode drops you into the Faithless Void, a version of the River Biome map devoid of light. There are also some world changes in this map, but we’ll let you discover those on your own.

Ore per vein? Miniscule. Machines, conveyors, inserters? They move slowly. Crafting costs? Sky high. And that’s before you even get to unlocking the Production Terminals... That’s a doozy. Quests and scannable items are turned off in this mode, because it’d be nigh impossible. I can’t wait to see a speedrun time for this one.

[h3]Quantity Mode[/h3]

If you think more is better, then Quantity Mode is for you. This preset is tailor-made for those who want to create large factories with high volumes of lower-quality machines. You gotta go big or go home!



Your journey in Quantity Mode begins in the Mountain King Underhall Map, a vast underground network of caverns with sky-high ceilings. Machines will produce a lot less resources in this world, forcing you to build sprawling factories across the large and unwieldy map.

[h3]Quality Mode[/h3]

On the other hand, if you're all about finesse, then Quality Mode has got your back. Here, smaller factories with lower quantities of higher-quality machines are the name of the game. Attention to detail is key, so make sure you've got your thinking cap on.

Quality Mode is set in the regular River Biome map, and the settings are tweaked - so you’ll need the bare minimum of machines. The challenge here is that they produce really fast, so your organization will need to be top-tier.

[h3]Hyper Mode
[/h3]
And last but not least, Hyper Mode. Are you a Groundbreaker who likes to go fast? Then this is the mode for you. Everything is set to increased speeds, so you'll be sharply scaling and progressing your factory in no time - if you can keep up, that is.



Okay, so these modes look great. But they aren’t exactly what you want. You’re in luck! Every setting can be tweaked after selecting a present. You can also change maps!

We hope you're excited to dive in and try out these modes for yourself. v0.4 is on the horizon, and it’s getting close!

Want to chat about the upcoming update? Hop into our Discord for some memes, dreams, and some sweet debates.

We’re opening up the floodgates, v0.4 PTC is live!

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[h3]Things to know about the PTC[/h3]

Want to chat about the Public Test Cave? We’ve created a new section on Discord just for you! Do not talk about features, narrative, and anything else you see in the Public Test Cave outside of the PTC channels. There is also a subforum on Steam to discuss PTC content. No one likes spoilers!

Your save files from the Public Test Cave will not work once you switch back to the main branch of Techtonica. Make sure you have backed up your main game before switching!

You can access it by switching branches on Steam. Right-click Techtonica in your library, then select the “Properties” tab which will bring up a new window. Next, click “Betas”, and under Beta Participation, select the Public Test Cave.

As a reminder, the Public Test Cave is a work-in-progress build. Please be aware that PTC game content may not be complete, will contain bugs, and is subject to change.

The features in our updates are accessible in all supported languages; however, due to these features not being finalized, they may not include translations of related in-game text. A 'TEMP' prefix or '???' indicates localized text that isn't yet fully available.

With the how out of the way, let’s get to the what - a brief overview of what you can find on the Super Sandbox update, now available on the PTC.

[h3]Custom Games
[/h3]Custom Games Settings, Presets, and Maps are available from the New Game Menu. We’ve added 80+ settings that players can experiment with, along with two new maps and 6 new game modes.

[h3]New maps
[/h3]We are so excited to give players new maps for the first time! We would love to add more maps in the future so let us know how you like them!

Mountain King Underhall Map - A dwarven-inspired paradise of material opportunity. Carve your way through deep rock to uncover a mythological amount of fantastical wealth. Incredible amounts of open space to build to your heart's content.



Faithless Void Map - A sector of great riches for the ambitious Groundbreaker is hidden within what first appears to be a bleak, barren, and timeless landscape. Experience a reimagination of the standard Techtonica map in the dark with some new secrets and challenges.



[h3]Game Modes[/h3]
The real meat of this update is the nearly 100 custom game settings we have added to make your play customizable in just the way you like. These settings will allow you to change balance, game rules, maps, and more to create your ideal challenge or perfect sandbox.

For those of us who are easily panicked by choice, we have set up six preset modes:

• Easy - Reduced costs and rapid progression for casual players. Easier access to narrative events, advanced machines, and upgraded technologies. Achievements are fully available in this Game Mode.
  
• Sandbox - Do whatever you want! The world is yours! No crafting requirements and minimal power consumption make this the perfect mode for getting creative.
  
• Hardcore - A challenge for dedicated and experienced players. Harsh resource rules and merciless limitations will push your factory automation skills to the max. I like to call it the Dark Souls of factory games, except you won’t die 1 million times.
  
• Quantity - A preset inclined towards making larger factories with high quantities of lower-quality machines. Go big or go home!
  
• Quality - A preset inclined towards making smaller factories with lower quantities of higher-quality machines. Finesse is mandatory!
  
• Hyper - Appropriate for Groundbreakers who gotta go fast. Increased speeds for nearly everything will empower you to sharply scale and progress your factory - if you can keep up with it!

[h3]Incinerator[/h3]
We have introduced an incinerator function that allows you to destroy with maximum prejudice any machines, tools, or base building pieces you may have created using your already-existing smelters and blast smelters into carbon powder. You can also incinerate some basic resources like quicklime and limestone, as well as incinerate carbon powder into less carbon powder. The exceptions to this are cores and components - you’re gonna need those!

[h3]Recipe Changes and Tutorialization Updates[/h3]
As always, the team continues to iterate and update our existing recipes and new player experience, and that continues in .4. Some of the changes include:

• New Alt Recipes
  
• Revisions to early game tutorialization to improve onboarding for new players.
  
• Gathering Kindlevine and Shiverthorn plants now gives raw plants instead of seeds.
  
• New condensed biobricks and biobrick diesel fuel.
  
• We now show ore vein health on veins that have been hit (Please note: mining drills dig from the bottom corner voxels up, not from the center).
  
• Added Vertical Belt Upgrades to the Tech Tree.

[h3]Known Issues: [/h3]
Like we said above, there will be bugs! These are some that we currently know about in v0.4 of PTC.

• While playing in multiplayer, it is possible while MOLEing very fast that a player will no longer see the results of their or other players’ digging reflected in their game. This may cause you to drop out of the world map. If you are the host save and reload to fix, if you are a client, leave and rejoin.
  
• Dialog triggers may fire at the wrong time, but should not impact player progress.
  
• Planter timing if you adjust them doesn’t reflect a difference in the inspector UI.

Techtonica now includes more custom game combinations than there are particles in the universe (it’s true, we did the math), so it’s a mortal certainty that some of those combinations of custom settings will work better than others.

Want to chat about PTC? Head to the Public Test Cave channels in our Discord or check out the Steam Sub-forum for PTC!

Let’s get to work!

Now that v0.3 has been launched, it’s time for a roadmap update! We’re gonna dive in to chat about all the new updates and content coming to Techtonica, but first, the roadmap.



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First, let’s chat about the two new updates on the roadmap!

[h3]Super Sandbox[/h3]

This one is a big one, so let’s break down some of the featured items!

[h3]New Game Modes[/h3]

We’re adding 6 new game modes to Techtonica, including Sandbox Mode and Hardcore Mode. In Sandbox Mode, all handcrafting is free, meaning you can build the factory of your dreams without needing any resources at all.

In Hardcore Mode, everything is, well, harder. It’s like playing the Dark Souls of factory games. May god have mercy on your soul.

Oh, and we’re actually adding Big Head mode to Techtonica. April Fools, it’s real.

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[h3]New Game Maps[/h3]

We’re adding two new maps to Techtonica; the Mountain King Underhill map and the Faithless Void.

The Mountain King Underhill is a brand new, handcrafted map with massive underground caverns and spread out resources. There is no scanning for unlocks in this map - all tech is unlocked and just requires cores to achieve it.

The Faithless Void is a revamped version of the existing River Biome map you’ve all grown to love, with a few big differences. The biggest change? The lights are off.

We’ll dive deeper into the game modes and maps in a later post, but those are some of the highlights!

[h3]Settings Customization[/h3]

We’ve added just under 100 customizable settings to modify the game experience or make your own version of Techtonica including but not by any means limited to:

• Infinite Ore
  
• Ignore Encumbrance
  
• Free Crafting
  
• Machine Statistic Parameters
  
• MOLE Heat

Yes, you read that correctly. You can now turn off ore depletion for veins, meaning you’ll never have to move a mining drill again! There are millions of combinations of game settings, giving you a new experience every time you open Techtonica. Endless replayability? Check.

[h3]Opening Cutscene[/h3]

We’ve added a swanky new opening cutscene to Techtonica! We’ll let you figure out what it means…

[h3]Bug Fixes and additional optimization[/h3]

We’re chugging along with a whole slew of bug fixes and performance upgrades for v0.4.

[h3]Some other stuff for v0.4 that isn’t mentioned…[/h3]

We’re adding incinerator recipes to smelters and a new fuel type! Regular smelters will be able to incinerate Gravel and Quicklime into Carbon Powder. Blast Smelters will be able to incinerate all machines into Carbon Powder. And both can incinerate Carbon Powder into… less Carbon Powder. You asked, we delivered.

Biobrick Diesel is a new, supercharged fuel with an interesting automation loop. We’ll give ya more details on that soon!

[h3]Laser Games, what’s that?[/h3]

There will be games that involve lasers. We’ll let you speculate on what that means, for now hehe.

[h3]What happened to Take Flight?[/h3]

As we’ve said before, the roadmap is a living object subject to change. As we’ve chugged along through Early Access development of Techtonica, we’ve shifted some timelines for adding things to the game and made changes based on community feedback.

A lot of the items for Super Sandbox were tools being added for future updates, and we realized we could make those public for players to have! We’ve also had a lot of requests for a sandbox mode and wanted to honor that as well. Adding replayability to Techtonica is really important for existing fans and new ones.

The items in Take Flight haven’t been removed from development, either. We shifted that update further down the line as the schedule works better for internal development. So you’ll still be getting the same content (actually, more content), just in a different timeline!

That’s it for this week’s update! We’ll also be launching the Public Test Cave version of v0.4 soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Want to chat about all the upcoming changes? Join our Discord!

See you next week!

Groundbreakers!

As a part of Early Access, we wanted to give the Groundbreaker character model an overhaul. Watch the video below, you won't regret it.

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We're adding a new Big Head mode to Techtonica! For all of your bobblehead and ragdoll needs. It's actually really fun and hilarious to play in multiplayer.

We'll have more news on game modes shortly! See you... tomorrow?

Techtonica is officially 34% off here on Steam, which is our biggest discount ever. We've just launched v0.3 and there's a ton of new features to sink your teeth into.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1457320/Techtonica/

Grab the game, tell a friend, and experience 4-player co-op. Together, you’ll plan your factories, dig into the terrain, and argue over who has the best layout.

Let’s get to work!