In case you missed it, we did a Town Hall this week where we answered a ton of questions from you, the community! Watch the VOD below, or read on for a loooot of Q&A from Richard, our Game Director, and Lauren.
And now, let's dive in to all the questions:
Q: Are there any updates in regards to performance on Xbox and frequent crashes?
A: In the upcoming update, we're focusing heavily on performance improvements. Many of the crashes on Xbox stem from memory issues, so we're actively working on optimizing memory usage to reduce these issues. As players accumulate more hours in the game, managing memory becomes more challenging, but we're making significant strides in this area.
Lauren plans to do a deep dive on what is coming for performance and optimization in the next update, so we’re going to have a super super technical update for you all at some point.
Q: Is it possible to make a controller prompt to transfer the same materials to a storage box?
A: Adding a controller prompt for transferring the same materials to a storage box is something we'd like to add. However, it depends on our current development priorities. We'll keep it in mind as we plan future updates.
Q: Curious what end game balancing will look like. With the addition of blast processing, you can generate a lot of materials...but it doesn't seem like you need that many. Any quests or recipes that would require large volumes of materials?
A: Endgame balancing will continue to evolve as we scale up content. Currently, endgame content may feel a bit unbalanced since it's at the limit of our current content progression rather than the actual endgame. As we add more content, such as quests and recipes, they will naturally require larger volumes of materials to challenge players who reach that stage. Balancing will also consider new players, long-time players and those returning after a break, aiming to provide a positive experience for all stages of gameplay. Our goal is to create a solid experience that scales appropriately with the addition of new content and mechanics.
Q: I'm just wondering if you guys plan on keeping the game on the old gen consoles due to the performance issues that have been going on as the bigger updates have come out?
A: We're committed to supporting the game on Xbox One, despite the challenges. The key issue with Xbox One is its constrained memory, which affects performance. To address this, we're continuously optimizing memory usage by refining how saves are managed, clustering data more efficiently, and streamlining texture loading to reduce memory overhead. Our goal is to implement more optimizations over time to improve performance and ensure a smoother gameplay experience on all platforms, including older generation consoles.
Q: If you could go back, would you still release the laser tag update or do you think it was a mistake?
A: If we could go back, we would still release the laser tag update, but with adjustments. Looking back, we might have marketed it more as part of a Fast Travel update rather than focusing on laser tag. Each of our updates since 0.2 has aimed to cater to different player needs: from quality of life improvements in 0.3, to diverse gameplay modes like sandbox and hardcore in 0.4. In 0.5, recognizing the importance of multiplayer fun, we introduced laser tag alongside features like Fast Travel, improved communication tools, and multiplayer animations, for a more immersive experience.
Through this, we've realized the need to slow down and deliver more comprehensive updates that cater to all players rather than frequent small updates. This change aims to ensure that each update has something for everyone, therefore reducing disappointment and frustration from players who feel the update “isn’t for them”. Our upcoming update, set in the new desert biome, marks the shift towards this approach. It's larger in scope and aims to please a broader range of players. We're excited about its content and confident it will resonate well with our community. Moving forward, we're focused on delivering more substantial updates that enrich the gameplay experience across all fronts.
Q: Could a possible mod menu in-game be incorporated like some other games?
A: We would love to have mod support, however, it’s just not something we’re going to be able to hit as of right now. It takes a lot of time out of other development work that we’re trying to get done, so sadly it’s just not something that we have the bandwidth to support.
Q: Any response to the its_bitz video? More specifically, the direction of the game vs these seemingly extracurricular updates.
A: We actually talked with Bitz for about an hour this morning! We had a really good call with him and went over the direction of the game, and our ideation behind that, and where the game is going. We clarified that while features like laser games might seem extracurricular, they were intended to add fun multiplayer experiences. Regardless, for people concerned laser tag represents a directional change in the game, the core gameplay of Techtonica has been and remains the intersection of automation, terraforming, and narrative exploration. These elements remain fundamental to the game's identity, and our next major update will especially highlight that more than any of our previous updates.
Our upcoming updates, including the new biome and its other features, have been in development for years, reflecting our long-term vision for the game. All in all, the new pieces that are going into this update, that we won't share details on, is stuff that has been planned out for ages.
We’re very excited to get this stuff to everybody. That’s the core of the game, whereas laser tag was a mini-game that we thought was a fun build off of the base building pieces in order to get multiplayer a way to goof off with your friends while in the factory. For example, if people wanted to have either factory idle and build stuff for them while they were messing around, or if they wanted to take a break from building for a little bit - we just wanted a fun way to let players have some fun with their friends. However, this is not telling in any way of the actual direction or core of the game. We’re not making a pivot in terms of the direction of the game. Our future updates have not really changed at all.
Q: Where is the game going? Will there be different maps with stories, or DLCs that offer new gameplay styles?
A: We're currently focused on extending the game's story and adding new content like biomes. While we're not introducing entirely new maps, these biomes come with new mechanics and features that aim to improve gameplay beyond just visual changes. We’re trying to make the game feel different in a good way that still tethers back to all the automation and terraforming roots of the game.
Q: I would like to know about the netcode/desync problems. Are they known? My friends and I had to stop playing the game pass version after 5-6 hours because items that are "not there" for one player start polluting belts and assemblers. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any tips about fixing it.
A: If you go on our Discord, our QA team is actively aware of these issues and is actively working on addressing them. They can assist you in troubleshooting and resolving these problems. Desync issues in multiplayer can stem from various factors due to the complexity of simulating multiple factories and processing multiplayer events simultaneously. Reporting specific instances of desyncs helps us identify and fix these edge cases.
Restarting the game can sometimes mitigate desync issues temporarily, although we understand it's not a permanent solution. We're continuously working on improving the netcode and addressing desync issues, so your feedback and reports are invaluable in this process.
Q: Any plans to include calculator-like tools in the game? The community-made website lags behind too often.
A: We've been relying on community-made tools to fill that space because we don't have the capacity to keep them updated regularly. Unfortunately, it's unlikely we'll be developing a built-in calculator tool ourselves. Heyko, who manages the community-made calculator and website, does a great job of updating it. We try to provide him with information to assist in keeping it up-to-date, but we understand that having a calculator tool directly in the game would be nice.
Q: I'm trying to get back into the game. I love the different recipes but they are kinda overwhelming. It would be nice to have a recipe book. Like press R to look up all the recipes for an item. Or U for uses. (Totally stolen idea from Minecraft mods)
A: That idea plays into the calculator tool concept. While it would be nice to have, it would require time that could otherwise be spent on implementing other features we want to include. It's something we'd consider, but feasibility is uncertain. Maybe one day, but our focus is always on what we can realistically achieve given our development priorities. We understand and appreciate your feedback.
Q: Can we eventually get character customization, like changing our suit colors, helmet types, and different skins?
A: At Fire Hose Games, we have "Innovation Weeks" about twice a year where team members prototype fun projects. Skins have been prototyped but are not finalized for the game yet. Character customization is something we've considered. It's been on our minds, and if feasible, we'd like to explore it further for the game. If time allows, we'd love to implement them.
Q: Any plans to make monorail with junctions, like multiple destinations (think train network)? If not, any future techs for versatile material transport?
A: We do have plans for expanding the monorail system, including junctions and more complex routing options. However, we can't provide a timeline for these features as development timelines can be unpredictable. We introduced monorails early due to the terrain challenges, but enhancing them with junctions is something we've thought about a lot. Many players have shown interest in more complicated train network mechanics, and it's definitely on our radar for future updates.
Q: Can the map change so we can drag it around and view other areas we’ve already built in?
A: Fun fact: the map is actually the world map with different rendering.
Right now, basically, everything that is simulated, we’re simulating it visually only right next to you. Implementing a feature to drag the map around and view distant areas would require loading additional resources and could significantly impact performance. Currently, our focus is on optimizing performance, and doubling processing for such a feature isn't reasonable. If we can improve performance sufficiently in the future, this may be considered, but it's not a near-term priority due to current technical limitations.
Q: Do we have a roundabout timeline for this new update?
A: You’ll get more information on this in July! We’ll definitely share information when we’re ready to talk about it.
Q: If you're planning on slowing down the bigger update dates. Could you maybe do some more of the small content cosmetic packs ( when the art team is free of course)?
A: The art team is currently fully dedicated to the next major update. Previously, we did cosmetic packs when the team had availability, but now they are focused solely on the upcoming content. With the new biome requiring extensive new art, the entire team is concentrated on this major update. Moving forward, we may reduce smaller updates if they don't cater to everyone's needs. This approach will allow us to focus more on substantial updates that involve the entire team, like the upcoming one, which is quite substantial in scope.
Q: Me and Equinox were modding like mad and really want to get back into it, just need something to bring us back. End game we made our own as you know, so it’s a bit bland. Are we saying 0.6 will be the one to pique interest again? Performance being the biggest issue as we play every factory game, as you know. This is probably the worst at end game, which is a shame as I love it!
A: We often discuss the "end game" in terms of Techtonica, but it's important to remember that this is still early access and not the final end game. Currently, the end game refers to when players finish existing content with some additions to support ongoing gameplay. We have exciting plans for expanding the end-game experience with more mechanics, narrative, and content updates. As we continue to add to the game, the end game will evolve and become more engaging. In the next update, we'll focus on adding mechanics to enhance the end-game experience and address performance issues, aiming to keep players engaged and excited.
Q: In terms of terraforming, any plans to allow us to add any dirt back to the world we may have dug by mistake?
A: This isn’t a great answer, but currently, you can somewhat achieve this with the flattener tool, although we know it's not ideal. We've prototyped various add tools in the past, like a shovel for moving materials, and even created a sand duck once. However, none of these prototypes got to a point where we felt comfortable releasing them. If we find a solution we're happy with, we may introduce it in the future, but we can't make any promises at this time.
Q: Can we expect a mapmaker inside the game?
A: It would be cool to have a map maker, but currently, we don't have the time. Creating tools for players to make maps is complex and not something easily moddable with our current setup. While we can't release our internal tools for map making, it would be interesting to show how we create maps and possibly support community efforts to recreate them through mods.
Q: What is with the mouse and keyboard support for Xbox?
A: From previous discussions, enabling mouse and keyboard support on Xbox isn't as straightforward as on PC, where it's already implemented. The tech team would need to answer this.
Q: More Sparks when?
A: Next update, every update.
Q: Can we get a feature that allows us to build directly from our inventory instead of placing items on hotbar?
A: We used to half-support this feature, and there might be a hacky way to do it now. However, it broke a while ago, and I haven't checked it recently. If it isn't working, we likely won't be adding it back soon due to other priorities. It might be available on Xbox, where the button for it exists on the controller. I'll need to investigate further to confirm.
Q: Will we ever be able to repair existing buildings?
A: Existing buildings were designed as complete structures and then demolished to look weathered and shifted, making their pieces misaligned and they are part of a different system. Repairing them isn't feasible due to this design. If you ever find a working piece of equipment, it’s using a completely separate system from the fragments that you find in the environment. The fragments you find are part of a separate system, same as the plants actually, and not integrated with the pre-built structures.
Q: How is there a laser game game mode?
A: We wanted to create an update focused on multiplayer fun. Initially, we considered a water-gun mini-game but found that laser tag was more enjoyable. It allowed players to build their own laser tag arenas using existing base-building pieces. This update aims to enhance the multiplayer experience with a party-pack theme, featuring fun elements like RGB floors to make it more exciting for summer.
Q: Have you changed any processes/plans because of the "backlash" (besides this stream) just out of curiosity?
A: You won’t be seeing updates coming live every month or so anymore. We’re going to slow down updates and focus on core updates like our next major update without the smaller pattering of updates that are targeted at different subgroups within the player base. These big core updates take a lot of time, our update pacing will look a lot different!
Q: Will stacked Planters work in the near future?
A: It’s unlikely because they don’t transfer power easily. It’s something we’d have to investigate further, which will take some time and likely won’t happen until after the next update.
Q: Have you tried not rendering the items on belts on the mini-map? It seems quite useless and maybe could help performance.
A: It's actually super cheap to render those on the mini-map because they’re all represented by the same box. So, it doesn’t significantly impact performance to display them.
Q: Will we ever be able to make use of the red stations (repair, clean, arrange items inside, etc.)?
A: No, the Red Stations are part of a different system that is strictly narrative-focused. They are not designed to be easily integrated into the gameplay mechanics. Players can sort of repair abandoned base building facilities by scanning items and rebuilding them, which many do. Adding support for something like that to the red stations would be too chaotic for us to manage.
Q: Will we get fluids added at some point?
A: We have ideas on how we might implement fluids, but it depends on the overall development flow. While we have many plans, we can't promise this feature at the moment. If we do add fluids, we want to ensure it's done in an interesting way.
Q: With the new biomes, will we get an option to start the game in a certain biome rather than at the tutorial zone?
A: We've discussed it, but the main focus is on maintaining a cohesive narrative and game flow. In the far future, we might add maps or alternative progression without a narrative, but it's tricky because progression is linked to machines being exposed at certain times. It's more likely that this feature would be added through a mod rather than by us due to time constraints.
Q: Why did you choose Unity at the beginning of development and not Unreal, for example? I personally think Unity is good for simpler games. but it feels like it needs more resources than other engines for graphically complex games.
A: Both Unity and Unreal are engines capable of complex graphics. Our choice of Unity was based on our team's previous experience with it. While creating advanced graphics in Unreal isn't magically easier, Unity allows us to leverage our existing knowledge and tools. Switching to Unreal would require significant time for our developers to learn the new engine. Unity isn't just for simpler games; with the right expertise and enhancements, it can handle complex projects effectively. We've added many advanced features on top of Unity to achieve our desired results.
Q: Have you got any more easter eggs planned for the future?
A: We’re always adding easter eggs!
Q: Please show us that you also use the feature upvote site. Finding posts that stay "unread by dev" for...ever makes one wonder. I'm pretty sure you also take notice of those reports that remain tagged as unread, but it'd be great if communication there was bidirectional.
Lauren: I oversee reading Feature Upvote, and I was on vacation recently. Before the release of 0.5, there was a lot of work, and then I took some time off. I’ll be catching up on reading it this week. I check it at least once every two weeks during our Sprint review. I note all submissions and group similar ones together. Bugs are forwarded to QA for troubleshooting. During our bi-weekly Sprint Review, I present a slide deck to the team with top-upvoted ideas, interesting suggestions, and feedback. While I can’t respond to every individual post due to time constraints, rest assured that all feedback is read, noted, and shared with the team. Many suggestions do make it into game updates.
Richard: We highly value player feedback, especially on high-priority issues. We’re continually looking for ways to incorporate your suggestions unless it’s something we know we can’t do, which is rare. We’re always trying to find ways to implement your ideas, even if it requires slight adjustments.
Q: Was it worth it as a dev to have your game on Game Pass?
A: Absolutely. Game Pass definitely helped make the game a lot bigger. We would say a large amount of our players are on Xbox, so we do get a lot of support there, which is great.
Q: When will you be able to talk about the future? July?
A: We’re gonna do an anniversary party in July where we’ll be announcing a lot of information there.
Q: When will the road map be updated?
A: We don’t like sharing info until it's 100% certain, and there’s a lot we might add. We don’t want to add something to the roadmap and then disappoint players by having to cut it.
Q: I don't understand the backlash, they gave us something fun to do, people really dislike it? why? Do they just want to invite their friends into their game and stare at conveyors for hours?
A: We understand why people were upset. We think people thought that this update kind of came out of nowhere and that it was distracting from the core of the game. We shared a video with more details about the update to educate players on all the other features coming in the update besides Laser Games.
Q: Can we get blueprints like in Factorio?
A: There is currently a mod available for this. We can’t speak to when or if we’ll get to something like that, but we’ve certainly wanted to do that.
Q: Is there a number somewhere to tell us how much concrete is required for the achievement?
A: It's a lot - we can’t tell you - but it's a lot.
Q: Will the monorails ever be fixed for being full causing lines to back up, which starts to create materials out of thin air? Also, storage limiting on monorails pls?
A: Storage limiting would be a good idea. Monorails backing up is a known issue and something that we’ll be looking into in the future. It’s a bug that we kind of have to balance with other things we’re trying to add.
Q: Can we get a way to set the stack size on the stack inserters vs defaulting to the highest unlocked?
A: You can control them with the deactivate option, however, it only happens on a global level. We don’t have plans for stack inserters to have their own UI to control each one individually.
Q: Has the game grown bigger than you thought it would when you released the game a year ago or is it at a stage that you expected?
A: It’s about where we expected it to be. We certainly have shifted timelines, but we’re pretty happy where it is and view the game as a success.
Q: I would have spent time/money on dedicated servers, instead of an unrelated “feature” like laser games.
A: You are misrepresenting the cost and time it takes for laser or dedicated servers. It would be a lot more expensive, and Laser Games was a very small update comparatively.
Q: Any plans for automation and smart control of the machines?
A: Someone during innovation week prototyped something like that, so it’s something we’re interested in, but we don’t know if or when we’ll be able to put it into the game. It’s certainly something high on the request list.
Q: Can we get modes to scan larger areas with the scanner?
A: It's certainly something we’ve talked about doing, but we can't promise it.
Q: Will there be a day when protected areas will be removed? They are so annoying.
A: We do that so you don’t break the game. There is a mod to remove it, but it will break. It’s to protect things in the game so it doesn’t become janky.
Q: You said that Game Pass is more important than Steam, does it mean you consider stability for Game Pass to be your priority over Steam?
A: We never said they were more important, we said that we had a lot of players there. Anything we do on Steam will help Xbox performance as well.
Q: Have we figured out "the wall/door" issue?
A: Yes, thankfully. That was either a “we delay an update” or remove a wall. We chose to remove the wall in order to not block people who have been in the game a long time from narrative content.
Q: Will we get an angled mode for the mole to make ramps easier?
A: We have a plan for it, but we can’t promise when (or if) it will be implemented.
Q: Have you solved the invisible land?
A: There are actually two different types of invisibility bugs in the game. If you're encountering invisible objects when you load a save, it typically indicates a critical failure during the loading process, often related to a specific machine or component in the save file. This issue is relatively rare but can occur. Our QA team has a few recommended solutions, such as loading older saves or trying to resave the game, but for specific cases, it's best to join our Discord and discuss with QA to provide them with detailed logs and information about your issue.
If you're referring to the voxel land issue where chunks of land appear missing or invisible, this is generally resolved by simply reloading the game. It's not indicative of a serious game issue but rather a rare visual glitch.
In both cases, if you're experiencing these problems, reaching out to our QA team via Discord will help us understand and address the issue more effectively.
Addendum: This comment originally addressed some older issues we were familiar with. We definitely know about the newer Fast Travel problem and how using Nexuses to teleport around can make machines disappear. Reloading should remedy this, and we are actively working to fix it permanently!
Q: Are there any plans for a way to throw away items? Or maybe you plan to solve this with recipe changes down the road? #biomass
A: We added an incineration recipe for a lot of different items. Not everything, but you can burn quite a lot of things into carbon powder, and then you can burn carbon powder into less carbon powder.
[Addendum] Plantmatter Bricks can be smelted into Carbon Powder and Incinerated away. There are 4 recipes for Plantmatter Bricks to support incinerating various forms of plant byproducts. Plantmatter is completely incineratable already!
Q: Is it possible to have a MOLE mode to sculpt rivers?
A: No, because we’d have to do water physics. It would take a lot of time and cause performance issues.
Q: I found a dummy waypoint manager in the code, will we be able to place custom waypoints similar to the quest markers?
A: You can do that with a beacon, that is a waypoint. It only shows up on the compass right now. However, we do want to revamp that at some point in the future.
Q: On the water thing. How is water coming into the world (lore-wise) It says "scanner needed" Is there a reason behind it or is it just a placeholder?
A: You can’t scan the water, but there are items that if you follow the water you can find things you can scan.
Q: Are there plans to expand the map technology?
A: Currently, the river biome is at the largest size it can be. We’re adding a new desert biome, which is a new space. In terms of Echosketch size - that is a performance limit.
Q: Are there any plans for an overflow system for belts or some kind of priority output for storage boxes?
A: Logic is a thing that we’ve prototyped but we don’t have a timeline yet.
Q: Speaking of the desert... Does Calyx have more than one sun?
A: The answers are in the lore about the type of planet Calyx is!
Q: With respect to power gen, I do think there's a reason why every advancement civilization has had for power generation comes back to more ways to boil water haha - in some ways certain things become staples in a genre like chopping trees and mining stone are part of survival games, but I guess this is a topic bigger than this town hall.
A: We very much enjoy it when games have unique ways to generate power - and we have that coming!
Q: Can we expect more technological storage than boxes?
A: We certainly have plans for it, but no timeline
Q: Do you look for new voices?
A: Yes! We’ll have a blog up soon about this.
Q: Is there a way to keep the lights on? I play on Ultrawide and notice flickering on the sides of the screen with lights at the set LOD.
Currently, the way lights function in the game is divided into two types: Unity lights, which are more resource-intensive, and "fast lights," which are a modified version of a plugin designed for faster performance. We support up to 2048 of these fast lights per quadrant of the screen. If there are more lights than this maximum, they will start to blink out, prioritized by their distance from the screen. Using fewer lights or adjusting their quantity can help mitigate this issue, but currently, breaking this limit or altering the system to handle more lights per quadrant isn't straightforward. In the future, we may explore options like breaking up the lighting system into smaller sections or optimizing it further, but for now, this is the technical constraint we're working with.
Q: Is there anywhere else where we can provide feedback in addition to Steam reviews that can help your team out?
A: Absolutely! We have our feedback website, Steam forums, and Discord.
Q: How did you guys meet Cityfires?
A: He’s been working with us for a very long time!
Q: You mentioned the hamster wheel as a fun off-spec addition to the game, what is a fun off-spec that might actually make it into the game down the road? Definitely under the context of no promises and how you foresee the development of the game right now.
A: We’re still rooting for aquaponics, but we don’t want to spoil anything. We also had a cool pneumatic power system as a plan, and I’m still hoping we figure out a way to do it.
Q: Is there a plan for signs in the game?
A: We hope we can get something like that soon in the game.
Q: Where do you get inspiration for environments in the game or planned to be in the game?
A: We have so many environments that we have wanted to do - and choose the best ones. Inspirations come from all over, traveling, games, etc. Some are from mechanics - such as the desert - but we don’t want to spoil anything.
Q: How long do you plan to update the game?
A: For as long as the game continues to fund the development.
Q: How much coffee does everyone drink?
A: Somehow, Richard does not drink coffee.
Q: Are there plans for 2x2 and 4x4 walls and floors? My OCD flares up when I play this game.
A: No, it bothers us too. We do have the 1x1s though. We used odd-numbered things as we didn’t want to add a million pieces. We also just don’t have the time to create all those pieces. It would super bloat the crafting UI.
Q: Since 0.6 involves going up the elevator, will the current elevator sequence be replaced with a new one, or will additional repairs be required?
A: We can’t talk about that yet!
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! As always, we're a small indie team that truly appreciates your support and feedback. You're what makes Techtonica so great! We'll see you next week for a special announce.