Over the last few weeks, we’ve teased some of the outposts that we’ve been working on as we test the waters of the Base Building Update in

Techtonica here behind the scenes at Fire Hose.

Here’s one I built, for example, to house a small Quicklime and Cement assembly depot.

Everything you see in this screenshot, aside from the machines and colored lights, is completely new with the Base Building Update.

This week, we’re pulling back the curtain on the base building pieces and deco that you’ll be able to work with when we drop the update next month.

As always, here’s the video, and you’ll find the post below.

Let’s dig in!

A sampling of the pieces at your disposal

Base building in Techtonica works with our universal grid. Everything’s voxel-based, and that means your bases will be as clean and organized as you’d like them to be.

That also means, in order to offer as much variety as possible, we’ve been working on a whole slew of unique pieces. When you mix and match things? Well, a whole lot is possible. One of our artists, Ryan, spent some time building a smattering of floor and wall concepts that the rest of the team could use when building bases. It looks cool enough that I thought we should share it with you folks.

Let’s take a look at a few of these pieces now.

We’ll start with three flavors of floors, below. A 1×1, 3×3, and a 5×5.

And here are some of the wall choices you’ll have available.

Next, curved pieces for a decorative touch or the impression of support.

Doorways? Of course.

We also have some railings for UNIHAZ safety.

Finally, my favorite, a few of the lights!

What’s a good home without some potted plants?

We’ve heard, since we announced the game, that players want a way to build their own greenhouses for all the beautiful neon fauna at home on Calyx. So, some of the early decorations we’re including in the Base Building Update are the potted plants you’ve been after.

Here’s a greenhouse that I built specifically for this section of the update!

The deco extends beyond one-sized planters, too, as our art team’s cooked up plants of a host of sizes and varieties. That includes these wall planters that I can’t stop staring at.

On art and inspiration…

What were we trying to accomplish with our approach to base building in Techtonica? To answer that question, I turned to our art team.

With the Base Building update, we’re really interested in player-produced storytelling. I’m not talking about the narrative we’ve constructed in the game. I’m referring to the bits of story you tell as you build your factories and outposts. My greenhouse above is a great example of this. But, how about this peaceful retreat one of our team members built last week? It tells a small story of its own!

We wanted the stories you tell with the Base Building Update to feel at home in the world of Techtonica, too, so we’ve worked to give you a set of pieces that create a brutalist, industrial, minimalist feel. And that process can be seen in our concept art and inspirations.

Here’s a look at a much, much earlier iteration in-game of some of these tools we were toying with. Not all of these pieces are present in the update, before you ask, but versions of them might be soon.

We’re really looking to give you the ability to be creative beyond just laying out your factory or terraforming, and we believe the Base Building Update will provide the tools and materials you need to really have a lot of fun with our game. That was the true inspiration.

There’s a lot more to come after this update

“Is this everything?” you might be asking. No. There’s a lot more coming with the Base Building update that I didn’t specifically call out here. You might see it in screenshots or the video above, or you might not see it until you get your hands on the update next month.

In addition to the pieces we’ll have ready for you this December, we’re working on a plan to give you more to build with on a regular basis. Nothing to announce here and now, but, in the new year, we’re hoping to be able to share our approach to growing the base building side of Techtonica.

We hope you look forward to it!

Heads up! Techtonica’s going on sale…

That’s right! Starting tomorrow (November 21st, 2023, at 10am Pacific), Techtonica will be 20% off on Steam as part of the annual Steam Autumn Sale. The discount will run through November 28th, 2023, so grab a copy (or tell your friends to grab a copy) now.

Get the game at a discounted price ahead of our Base Building update next month!

As always, you’re invited to come hang out in our Discord–home of memes, dreams, and our friendly team.