We all know that the heart of Techtonica belongs to sprawling factories and clever logistics chains, but what happens when we step back from our creations and think “Why does this look like a pile of spaghetti that’s been barfed up by the dog and then covered in rivets and rusty paint?” Well Groundbreakers, we’re here to tell you that you’re not alone. Here are 9 helpful tips on how to build aesthetically pleasing structures in your very own playthrough!
Build Bigger
Nothing is worse than building out a whole structure and realizing that you’re a few spaces short of the perfect machine layout. They say measure twice, cut once, but really, who has time for measuring? Just build huge instead! We promise that once you’ve fit all of the embellishments, decorations, lights, and supports your bases need to look beautiful, that factory floor isn’t going to be quite as big as you thought it would be. Just throw down a few more of those 5x5 Floor pieces and you won’t regret it. Make that ceiling just a bit higher than you think, and your bases will start feeling airy and effective, rather than cramped and oppressive. We might be living in a cave, but we’re not dwarves, we’re Groundbreakers!
Mixing Materials
Now you may have noticed that the majority of base building pieces in Techtonica are made of two distinct materials, concrete and steel. That doesn’t mean that you’re stuck making bland boxes of gray walls with brown lines all over them! By mixing up your ratios of concrete pillars and metal beams, or pairing concrete walls with metal catwalks, you can create interesting patterns that outline your machine layouts in visually pleasing ways. In the Oops All Concrete! Pack we’ve even given you the ability to forgo metal supports altogether, allowing you the flexibility to frame your factories the way you want, where you want.
Lots of Layers
If there’s a single word that defines beautiful base building in Techtonica, it’s “layers”. What’s that? What does that even mean? Why do you keep saying it over and over while I’m just trying to build my main bus in peace? Well, it’s because that main bus could be a beautiful bus if you just listen! The key to crafting truly attractive outposts is all about creating patterns on top of patterns, supports in front of walls, beams under walkways, and wallplants overtop those very same beams. This is the reason you should be building bigger because that 1-voxel thick wall suddenly balloons into a 3-voxel thick facade that also somehow looks even better with a 5-voxel thick matrix of pillars and angled supports in front of it.
Repetition Repetition
The architectural assets in Techtonica are largely inspired by the design sensibilities of the Brutalist movement in the 1950s and 60s. The style is characterized by raw concrete, simple geometric shapes, and repeated patterns. The same holds true for building in Techtonica, and each base building piece lends itself to being used in large quantities. Why use 6 walls when 24 will look more imposing? Why design a 2-floor structure when you can build 8? Repeating patterns by spacing the same piece out over and over can not only help your buildings look sharp but also help you expand your buildings quickly and easily when it comes time to grow your factory.
Mesmerizing Motifs
Repeating one type of piece can boost your look, but what should you do when you want to enhance your architectural aesthetics even further? Try creating small designs out of multiple pieces, keeping in mind the previous tips about mixing materials and layering pieces, and using that design in different parts of your buildings. Build a 10x10 facade using walls, pillars, beams, and angled pieces, then repeat that design over an entire 20x50 building for a cohesive and pleasing look.
Level Up Your Lighting
While the bioluminescent flora is enough to illuminate much of the wilderness of Calyx, it’s often not enough to illuminate your more industrialized sectors. Using the various light assets in Techtonica is a great way to not only show off your factories and bases but also enhance them with bright points of interest. Hiding colored lights behind walls or in recessed pockets between pillars is also a great way to direct yourself or other Groundbreakers through your factories with subtle cues. Try rotating your lights using the Variants feature to create dramatic uplighting along your walls, or downlighting to highlight your machines! And remember that vast factory floors will require an equally vast number of lights, so don’t forget our tip about repetition!
Elevating Elevation
With the release of the Factory Efficiency Update, it’s never been easier to build up, and up, and up. Why limit yourself to two dimensions when the possibility of creating a towering city of steel spires is so enticing? And while your factories don’t necessarily need proper support structures to hold them up, you can elevate your designs by reinforcing your floors with a variety of pillars and brackets. While a concrete cube may not look compelling on its own, two concrete boxes stacked on top of each other with some pillars in between starts to look like a deliberate design choice, and in the design world, intent is half the battle.
Don’t Forget Decorations
Don’t forget to festune your factories with the many decorative pieces available to you in Techtonica, from angled support struts, to wall planters, to tiny bonsai versions of the flora that appears naturally on Calyx. Tired of bare metal girders? Try adding some hanging plants to cozy them up! Bored of concrete? Checkerboard your vast walls with the various living wall pieces to add some plush plantification! And don’t forget to throw some lights above your bonsai to let them really shine.
Break the Rules
Last but certainly not least is the tip that overrides all of the others, but only after you’ve learned them! While the previous guidelines can point you in the right direction, we’ve tried to design the base building pieces in Techtonica to allow you to express your industrialist architectural self in ways we couldn’t have anticipated!
We hope that by following these tips help you to realize your full potential when it comes to building bases in Techtonica. Feel free to drop by our Discord and show off your creations in the #show-off-your-factory or #base-showcase channels! We look forward to seeing what you come up with, Groundbreaker! Now, let’s get to work.