1.0 Automation Improvements - Frontier News

For a long time, automation has been among our most requested features. We released the Automation Update earlier this year, and for 1.0 we're returning with some highly requested additions to take it to the next level!

Progression re-order

In the Automation Update, the actual automation was a late-game addition to your farming and crafting. We see it as the logical next step in scale and logistics - you start off doing everything by hand as the Exofarmer, you work up to doing everything in the mech, then you reach a point where you can offload a lot of the busywork using automation. The goal was for it to be a have a natural on-ramp for people who had already gotten far in the game.

However, we've seen that a lot of you came mainly for the automation and thus want to get to the good stuff earlier. We've made changes to when stuff unlocks in the progression, so the first automation content will now be available in Milestone 4. This keeps the farmer to mech to automation journey, while also making automation something that grows in scope and power across more of the game.

Automation Pipes and Storage Outputs

We have heard your feedback about Automators feeling like an awkward middle step when creating automated setups.

Automators have now been removed, and their functionality has transferred to the Connector Pipes (now dubbed Automation Pipes). This means you can connect Constructs for Auto Crafting or storage management directly, using just Pipes!

As part of this, we're adding outputs to many Storage Constructs . This means you can get resources for Auto Craft directly from Storages! It's the most heavily requested change for automation, so we're happy to get it in. You can see which Storage Constructs have Inputs and Outputs by hovering over them in the Build Menu.

These changes makes automation easier and more intuitive without sacricifing the logistical challenge. Automation Pipes cost Energy, which you'll need to manage instead of the Automator's connection limits.

Because they are now obsolete, Automators will no longer be part of the progression and will not unlock as part of any Milestone. However, if you already have Automators on your save file, they will stick around and you'll be able to build more.

Resource Filters

Y'all have been asking for ways to filter which items can be sent/stored and not. That's why we're introducing Resource Filters for every Storage Construct!

The Resource Filter tab in Storage Constructs can be used to decide whether that Construct should accept or deny certain resources. A denied resource can not be sent to or placed in the Storage Construct that it's denied in. This can be set for individual resources (including ones you haven't discovered yet) or entire categories. The filter is individual for each built Storage Construct.

This makes it easy to create automated, future-proof setups that divide resources among several connected Storage Constructs. That's right - you can finally make dump chests!

Multi-Queueing

Tired of having to build one Crafting Construct for each recipe you want to Auto Craft? Well now you don't have to!

In 1.0, you'll be able to set up to 3 recipes to Auto Craft in one Crafting Construct. The Construct will cycle between them and loop continuously. Removing a recipe will update the order dynamically. If there's not enough resources for a recipe, it will be skipped and the next available recipe will be queued.

Taken together, these updates to automation make the system both more straightforward and more rewarding to work with. We're looking forward to seeing everyone's new setups!

Dancin' in September

September has plenty of good stuff in store. Not only is the 1.0 beta still ongoing, we also have a bunch more of the game to show you - including an exciting announcement coming up soon! We hope you look forward to it!