Our Assemblers were missing a key feature until recently
World-building in games is tough! Establishing a sense of visual, aural, artistic, and narrative consistency can really help make a game feel alive, a world fleshed out, and accomplishments more rewarding. As you can probably tell based on past updates about Techtonica, we’re working hard to establish that sense of “life” in our game. Our team […]
How a single plant changed world design in Techtonica
A few weeks back, we offered a look at Butterfly Cove, PT VICTOR, and a little of what our studio goes through when we name an area in a game for internal reference. Today, we’ll show and explain a little of the process of iterating on a space in Techtonica‘s map in response to new flora, expanding […]
Monorails? Yes! Introducing Techtonica’s Monorail System
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 […]
New black hole gun upgrade? Flatten terrain in 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 […]
Meet the beautiful, new Production Terminals, home to automation in 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 […]
Techtonica’s newest beautiful space is internally called Butterfly Cove
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 […]
Massive updates to Techtonica’s Echosketch mapping system
In the demo for Techtonica, the Echosketch is a functional mapping system that lets you know where you are in Calyx’s network of twisting caverns. In a game design sense, getting the Echosketch is a big part of how players in the demo move from Production Terminal Lima to the more open Production Terminal Victor area. […]
Techtonica multiplayer progress report: Character animations arrive
Techtonica will have four-player co-op when it launches into Early Access next year. We’re still in active development, and that means lots of what we’re sharing and showcasing should be labeled “work in progress.” Some of you eagle-eyed Groundbreakers even noticed a multiplayer clip from a couple of months ago on TikTok that featured dev team members moving […]
Overhauling Techtonica’s resource and product models
Factory automation games tick lots of different boxes for all sorts of players. Whether it’s logistical problem-solving, exploration, accomplishment, objectives, or that flow state we’ve talked about before, these games rely on lots of moving parts (literally and figuratively). In Techtonica, a lot of satisfaction comes from seeing the fruits of your logistical labor reach their intended […]
The Techtonica demo is back
As we announced last week, the Techtonica demo has officially returned! What’s changed? Super, super minor stuff, quite honestly. We did prepare these patch notes for your reference, though, and we’re renaming the Techtonica demo in order to solidify that this will not be updated. The Techtonica demo is now live as the Techtonica Prologue! Here come the patch notes! You, the community, […]