Techtonica News

Greetings, Groundbreakers.

We’ve been looking forward to sharing this update with you for the last few months. Mass transport systems are pretty awesome in factory automation games, and we’re excited to finally showcase our take on the mechanic with Techtonica’s Monorail System.



Read on to learn more about how the Monorail System works, see how you can ride it, and explore some of the concept and design work that brought it to life.

Let’s ride.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Please keep your hands and feet clear[/h3]

The Monorail System is a collection of buildable machines, components, and equipment that serves as Techtonica’s mass transit system for cargo (and, occasionally, Groundbreakers). It consists of Monorail Depots, Poles, Haulers, and the Railrunner.



Groundbreakers place two Monorail Depots some distance apart on powered Powerfloors with Accumulators. They connect those depots with tracks built by placing Monorail Poles. Then, it’s all about loading, packing, and shipping.

The Monorail Depots also feature ports to ensure this mass transit serves its purpose in furthering that sweet, sweet automation process.

[h3]Hauling items over cavernous distances[/h3]

The Monorail System is meant to come in handy when you need to get lots of products or materials across vast distances in Calyx.



We love those wild and large buses, too, but they are expensive and rather painstaking to build.

Instead, the Monorail System is put in place by much simpler means. Sure, the Depots are more expensive than Conveyor Belts, but they’re loads easier to afford, manage, and deploy when you consider the scale required to reach factory outposts.

[h3]More on the Railrunner… soon[/h3]

We mentioned the Railrunner above and even showed a brief glimpse of it in the video, but we’ll have loads more to share regarding how it works in the future.

For now, we have a GIF that we genuinely enjoyed snagging.



[h3]Sketches and graybox animations of early Monorail concepts[/h3]

Whenever we show off a new big feature, mechanic, or machine, we try to include some of our concept work.

We had plenty to choose from for the Monorail System.



First, this early sketch of the Monorail Depot reveals some interesting development tidbits. We knew we wanted ports to ensure automation, and we also knew we wanted to make sure players could see the Haulers–which we called crates back when this was drawn–as they load, but we weren’t quite sure what the transition would look like.

Obviously, we solved that, but here’s an early mock-up of the animation process for the Haulers as they were loaded and shipped.



What we wound up with isn’t too far off from what you see in the GIF above.



Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to update my avatar for our Discord.



Techtonica’s releasing into Early Access this year. Thanks for reading, Groundbreakers!

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

The M.O.L.E. doesn’t just dig. No, this upgradeable black hole gun will do lots more as Techtonica’s development continues.

Today, we’re unveiling a M.O.L.E. feature that will be live with our Early Access launch this year. This is Flatten Mode.



A quick note: Much of what you see with Flatten Mode in today’s post will likely change or get tightened up as development progresses. Don’t consider this final!

[h3]Right, what’s the M.O.L.E.?[/h3]

M.O.L.E. stands for Material, Obliteration, Leveling, and Excavation. We kicked lots of names around before landing on this one, but we think it’s a fun representation of one of the things at the heart of Techtonica–underground terrain manipulation.

Once unlocked, built, and fired, the M.O.L.E. shapes the Calyxian terrain by focusing black hole energy into a single point. Gears crank and churn as Groundbreakers fire the M.O.L.E. at cavern walls to clear obstructions and open fresh factory floors.

We love the M.O.L.E.. It’s crunchy, alien, destructive, and industrial. It feels and sounds good.



In the demo and Alpha, the M.O.L.E. clears a 5x5x5 section of voxels. That’s its default firing mode. Today, we’re unveiling something new.

[h3]Say hello to Flatten Mode[/h3]

Groundbreakers that crave industrial organization and clean factory layouts may want nice, flat cavern floors. Once unlocked and upgraded, the M.O.L.E. makes quick work of varied terrain by turning it into a consistently smooth surface.

It’s also super, super satisfying in motion. The Calyxian rock that surrounds the target rushes in place as the black hole forms and collapses into a flat surface, and it feels fantastic when done en masse.

Have a look!



[h3]Wait… it flattens up?[/h3]

Yes! If the GIF above didn’t make the M.O.L.E.’s flattening functionality clear, we’re using the black hole gun to bring terrain to the same level as the Groundbreaker who fires it.

The elevation in Techtonica changes, with some caves offering gradual slopes and others featuring sheer cliffs. You may want to reshape those spaces to suit the needs of your factory layouts better.

With the M.O.L.E.’s Flatten Mode, you stand at the level you wish to flatten, and the terrain will level up to meet you where you are.



We made quick work of this small space near Production Terminal VICTOR, for instance, to add a mini Kindlevine harvesting farm. Check the before above and the after below.



It’s super easy to use the M.O.L.E. to turn unfriendly building terrain into something more hospitable. With Flatten Mode, you can get really creative about layering factory floors with the terrain.

[h3]You ever design a black hole before?[/h3]

We knew, effectively, how we wanted the M.O.L.E.’s Flatten Mode to work for a while before it came time to implement it. We weren’t sure, however, how it should look.

During the concept and design phase for Flatten Mode, we started kicking around five-ish unique ideas on how the M.O.L.E. should visually level space before landing on the hybrid final design. Four of those (informally referred to as the Seismic Target, Rock Blast, Energy Hammer, and Lightning Pillar) were sketched and considered.



Once we landed on the more seismic rock blast approach, we worked up the stages of M.O.L.E. Flatten as the gun warms up and fires.



From there, we landed on the M.O.L.E. Flatten Mode design you’ll see in Techtonica once we launch into Early Access this year.

Thanks for reading, Groundbreakers! If you have any questions or thoughts, sound off in the comments or join our Discord!

We’ll see you next week with something new and special.

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

The first few moments of a game matter, don’t they?

What are you doing? How does it feel? What sounds do you hear? How’s the view?

In the Techtonica demo, there’s this moment when you break out of the buried facility and make your way into a small, open floor in front of a big machine. This whole place was temporary, a proof of concept space put together specifically for the alpha and demo that we knew we’d eventually change.

Here’s a screenshot of that moment in the demo to jog your memory.



That big machine at the front of the dark cave? That’s Production Terminal LIMA, or PT LIMA for short. Production Terminals are a big portion of Techtonica. They’re where you feed materials to earn upgrade levels on your Tech Tree, and they serve as outposts pushing you further into the cavernous world of Calyx.

We teased PT VICTOR in our last post, and we’re excited to take a much closer look at PT LIMA today. Here it is.



Massive change, right?

In this week’s update, we’ll explore the brand-new Production Terminal LIMA space and what makes LIMA (and all PTs, for that matter) special.

Let’s dig in…

[h3]Emerging to a beautiful moment[/h3]

As for that moment when you leave the buried facility… Here’s what it looks like with the new Production Terminal LIMA and its surroundings.



The smoke above the terminal, its hulking scale, the way we guide players to the panel with lighting and plant placement, it’s all done to give players a really nice feeling when they see LIMA for the first time. I love it, personally.

My favorite part is the label on the front of the PT, “LIMA.” They’ll all bear their names with a similar mark, making distinction among players much easier.

[h3]Making a Production Terminal focused on production[/h3]

PTs have ports. These ports accept materials on Conveyor Belts delivered via Inserters, and they facilitate the automation of PT upgrades when demands get really, really large later in Techtonica.

The ports are essential to a positive player experience, especially for Groundbreakers who expect pure automation. Why carry things and dump them when machines can do it for you?

Production Terminal LIMA and VICTOR only featured three ports in the demo. Each PT will feature different counts in the Early Access version of Techtonica. PT LIMA features six ports…



…and PT VICTOR features lots, lots more.



The counts of ports on later PTs will change in conjunction with the scale of industry required for repairs or upgrades. Interestingly, changing port counts required a modular approach to Production Terminal design, as you’ll see throughout the caverns of Calyx.

[h3]Finding inspiration in ruins and brutalist design[/h3]

Production Terminals are massive relative to the other machines. They had to be modular to allow for various combinations, unique footprints, and silhouettes based on design and narrative needs. They also needed visual consistency regardless of scale, footprint, or location.

We wanted Production Terminals to be like lost industrial temples–mysterious structures full of latent energy waiting to be tapped.



For inspiration and reference, the art team looked at the cantilevered structures of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, the imposing silhouettes of Brutalism, and the exotic aspect of ancient ziggurats.



[h3]From inspiration to concept and modeling[/h3]

After landing on an inspired look and feel, there’s lots of work to bring things like Production Terminals into Techtonica. That includes experimenting with gray box shapes and playing with scale.

Here’s some work done way back during the summer of 2022 while we were still in the concept and design phase for the Production Terminals.



Finally, here’s a paintover for what is now PT VICTOR and Butterfly Cove.



And here’s a recent screenshot of the same space in the development version of Techtonica.



Thanks for reading, Groundbreakers!

Wishlist Techtonica, and we’ll see you in next week’s update focused on the M.O.L.E.’s upcoming flatten mode.

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

Have you ever wondered how developers talk about unnamed spaces in larger video game worlds? That is, how do teams talk about a single location on a map that never really gets a formal name?

It’s like callouts in a competitive multiplayer title back before games started naming specific areas in the UI. We pick one or two distinct features and start referring to the place in question by said features. Names can and do often change, though, and that happened with the place we’re spotlighting today, Butterfly Grove Cove. Sorry, caught myself.

Butterfly Cove is the space right near Production Terminal Victor. It was initially called “Butterfly Grove” because it’s the first place to feature the Waterglass Monarch, a beautiful name for a beautiful tree.



“Butterfly Grove” is actually present in the Techtonica demo that’s live on Steam right now. But! That version of this beautiful little space isn’t what we’re going for when we launch into Early Access.

The name evolved to Butterfly Cove when Ben, our Level Designer, added sand to the shoreline and gave the space an alien beach-like feel. Plus, as Game Director Richard points out, they rhyme.



What else changed? What can Groundbreakers like you expect to find in this new take on an already pretty spot? Let’s dig in.

[h3]The Waterglass Monarchs and their neighboring flock of plants take root[/h3]

The flora is core to Techtonica’s art design, and its bioluminescence on Calyx has been central to our art direction from the beginning. These glowing plants and trees are meant to light the darkness, turning what should be a terrifying space into something bright and inviting.

That continues with the Waterglass Monarchs, Moon Blossoms, Maelstrom Lotuses, Yellow Emberstalk, and Painter’s Lilies that pock and spot the landscape in Butterfly Cove.



And yes! All of the plants and trees on Calyx are named, and you can learn more about them by scanning them and reading the databank entries that scans unlock.

[h3]Look up! The ceilings are alive with detail[/h3]

The Butterfly Cove is now home to detail above, too. The cavern ceilings now feature dripping plant life and stalactites, making the space feel more alive.



The fluorescent flora on the cavern ceilings of Calyx often reminds me of starry skies from a planet’s surface, and seeing this already pretty space teeming with “stars” is beautiful.

[h3]Fully flowing waterfalls and rivers[/h3]

Butterfly Cove got its new name from the sand added to the shoreline. That shoreline marks the boundary between Calyxian cavern floor and freshly flowing rivers fed by brand-new waterfalls.



This is the first time we’re sharing imagery of flowing waterfalls in Techtonica, and you’ll find them throughout the area you’ll discover upon Early Access release.

[h3]Surprises surround Butterfly Cove[/h3]

If you played the Techtonica demo, you likely stumbled across a few narrative set pieces. Sparks was with you when you found, for instance, the mineshaft or the makeshift camp. These small narrative tidbits, and more like them, now surround Butterfly Cove.

We’re telling the story of Techtonica with big moments, of course, but little surprises like the ones in the demo will help breathe more narrative life into the smaller moments. We hope you like discovering them.

[h3]A sneak peek at the new Production Terminal Victor[/h3]

Okay, so you’ve likely noticed the massive structure in the screenshots and clips throughout this post. As the letters on the building indicate, that’s the new design for Production Terminal Victor.



Next week, we’ll dive into the updated Production Terminals with a much closer look at Production Terminal Lima and how it works.

Stay tuned, Groundbreakers! Don't forget to Wishlist Techtonica!

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

If 'Satisfactory but underground and with destructible terrain' sounds appealing, you might want to stop reading this and start downloading Techtonica's demo - then come back and finish reading this, so I still feel useful. It's a first-person factory-building game set in an alien cavern complex with pretty bioluminescent plants. I am excited to lose dozens or hundreds of hours to it when it launches on early access.

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