The Techtonica demo officially launched on September 20th, 2022. Today marks the start of Steam Next Fest. We’re proud to be a part of the pack of developers showcasing their upcoming work. Play our demo, play their demos, play all demos!

With that said, welcome to all the new Groundbreakers! We hope you find Calyx hospitable, the M.O.L.E. destructive, and the factories fun to build.

We wanted to roll out the red, bioluminescent carpet to Calyx with a few handy tips that sprung up over the last few weeks as players played. Here we go!

#1 – Scan all the things!

Once you complete the first Production Terminal upgrade, a Scanner will rise from the innards of PT Lima. That Scanner is essential for unlocking new tech.

Our advice? Take a few minutes to search the area and scan everything around you. You’ll unlock new tech for research, yes, but you’ll also get back some handy intermediates that’ll make crafting go by that much faster.

#2 – Dump excess ore into Smelters immediately

Once you have your Smelters built and rolling, the best thing you can do is dump all the ore into them straight away. Why?

In Techtonica, we don’t ask that you craft intermediates to reach final products. For instance, you’ll need Iron Components and Mechanical Components for some machines. Rather than having you craft those things before you can build the next stage, we do the work for you in your inventory by crafting straight from raw materials.

Our crafting system is super convenient when making one or two things. When crafting a lot of stuff, it’s slow. Smelting by hand takes forever, so get rid of the ore and handcraft things using ingot.

#3 – Meet the Research Cores and your Tech Tree

The Research Core system will evolve throughout Techtonica’s development; however, what stands today is pretty friendly for newer players once you learn how to use it.

Each item on the Tech Tree requires a specific amount of Research Cores to unlock (after scanning the item, in most cases). You’ll need to craft and place Research Cores to unlock the required technology.

But! If you are running short and need an item immediately, you can hold-right-click on an activated tech to deactivate it and get your Research Cores back. This is super handy in the first couple of hours of play.

#4 – Two Planters, Two Threshers

Ready to get fuel automated for machines? You’ll want Planters and Threshers.

We’ve found that the magic number is two of each. Build two Planters, and stack them with seeds. Build two Threshers; one to complete the plant loop by threshing for stems and seeds, and the other to thresh stems into plantmatter fiber and extract.

This loop will keep any demo factory fueled super, super well.

#5 – Meet R and Q

Alright, Groundbreaker, these two tips are pretty simple yet easy to overlook, so pay attention.

Press Q to put items away, cancel builds, or cancel back to the last rotation of your Conveyor Belts.

Press R to rotate items before building, rotate items after building, and place turns in Belts mid-build.

BONUS TIP #6 – Hide the UI for extra good-looking screenshots

With the most recent patch for Techtonica, we rolled out a UI hiding feature to make screenshots and capturing a little nicer. Press Right Shift+Right Control+H to hide/unhide the UI. Pressing Escape will also bring the UI back if you start to panic.

If you like the demo, be sure to Wishlist us on Steam! If you’re looking for some other Groundbreakers to talk to, we’re proud to have a fun and active Discord community.

Until next time!