Survival Elements
A comprehensive survival mechanics mod for Techtonica
Survival Elements transforms the Techtonica experience by adding meaningful survival mechanics including machine health systems, player hunger and health management, a death and respawn system, and a complete food crafting system. This mod adds depth and challenge to your factory-building adventure.
Table of Contents
Features
Machine Health System
- Machine Health Points: All machines now have health that can be damaged and must be maintained
- Default HP: Machines start with 100 HP (configurable)
- Visual Damage Indicators: Machines change color based on health status
- Healthy (>75%): Normal appearance
- Damaged (25-75%): Yellow tint
- Critical (<25%): Red tint with warning indication
- Machine Health Display: Look at any machine to see its current health status
Power Grid Hazards
- Power Surges: Random electrical surges can damage machines connected to your power grid
- Configurable chance per minute (default: 5%)
- Configurable damage amount (default: 25 HP)
- Affects approximately 30% of machines on the grid per surge
- Overload Damage: When your power grid is overloaded, machines take continuous damage
- Configurable damage rate (default: 5 HP/second)
Repair Tool
- Craftable Equipment: Research and craft the Repair Tool to maintain your machines
- Tech Tree Unlock: Available in the VICTOR tier (Tier 6) under the Modded category
- Crafting Recipe:
- 5x Iron Frame
- 10x Copper Wire
- 5x Iron Components
- Usage: Aim at damaged machines and hold left mouse button to repair
- Repair Rate: Restores 10 HP per second while actively repairing
Player Survival
Health System
- Player Health: 100 HP maximum health pool
- Health Regeneration: Automatically regenerate health when well-fed (hunger >50%)
- Configurable regeneration rate (default: 0.5 HP/second)
- Damage Sources: Take damage from starvation, environmental hazards, and hostile entities
- Visual Feedback: Screen flashes red when taking damage with vignette effect
Hunger System
- Hunger Meter: 100-point hunger system that depletes over time
- Decay Rate: Configurable hunger loss per minute (default: 2 points/minute)
- Starvation: When hunger reaches 0, you take continuous damage
- Configurable starvation damage (default: 1 HP/second)
- Warning System: Visual and text warnings at 25% and 0% hunger
Food and Hunger System
Research the "Sustenance Tech" unlock (available in LIMA tier, Tier 2) to access food crafting.
Available Food Items
| Food Item |
Hunger Restored |
Crafting Station |
Ingredients |
| Cooked Meat |
40 |
Smelter |
5x Plantmatter |
| Plant Stew |
30 |
Smelter |
10x Plantmatter, 2x Kindlevine |
| Energy Bar |
25 |
Assembler |
5x Plantmatter Fiber, 2x Kindlevine Extract |
| Nutrient Paste |
50 |
Assembler |
5x Biobrick, 20x Plantmatter, 1x Shiverthorn Extract |
| Raw Meat |
10 |
N/A (drop) |
Obtained from wildlife |
Death and Respawn
- Death Screen: Dramatic "YOU DIED" display with death cause and tips
- Death Causes: Contextual messages for different death types (starvation, combat, environmental, etc.)
- Respawn System:
- Configurable respawn delay (default: 5 seconds)
- Option to respawn at the main elevator
- Death penalty: Respawn at 50% health and 30% hunger
- Helpful Tips: Random survival tips displayed on death screen
User Interface
Health and Hunger Bars
- Position: Bottom-right corner of the screen
- Health Bar: Red gradient bar with heart icon, shows exact HP values
- Hunger Bar: Orange gradient bar showing hunger percentage
- Dynamic Colors: Bars change color based on status (green > yellow > red)
- Warning Messages: Flashing text warnings for critical hunger and health
- Damage Vignette: Red screen flash effect when taking damage
Machine Health Display
- Crosshair Targeting: Look at machines to see their health
- Health Bar: Centered above crosshair with percentage display
- Repair Prompt: Shows "[LMB] Hold to Repair" when looking at damaged machines
- Real-time Updates: Health bar updates while repairing
How to Use
Repair Tool Usage
- Research "Repair Tool Tech" in the tech tree (VICTOR tier)
- Craft the Repair Tool at an Assembler
- Equip the Repair Tool from your inventory
- Look at a damaged machine (health bar will appear)
- Hold left mouse button to repair
- Release when the machine is fully repaired
Food Consumption
- Research "Sustenance Tech" in the tech tree (LIMA tier)
- Craft food items at a Smelter or Assembler
- Keep food in your inventory
- Use food items when hungry to restore hunger points
- Maintain hunger above 50% for health regeneration
Surviving Power Surges
- Monitor your machines for damage indicators (yellow/red tinting)
- Keep a Repair Tool handy for emergency repairs
- Consider building redundant machines for critical operations
- Repair damaged machines before they reach critical health
Installation
Using r2modman (Recommended)
- Install r2modman
- Select Techtonica as your game
- Search for "Survival Elements" in the mod browser
- Click "Download" to install with all dependencies
Manual Installation
- Install BepInEx 5.4.21 or newer
- Install all required dependencies (see Requirements)
- Download the latest
SurvivalElements.dll
- Place the DLL in your
BepInEx/plugins folder
- Launch the game
Configuration
Configuration file is automatically generated at:
BepInEx/config/com.certifired.SurvivalElements.cfg
Machine Health Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Range |
Description |
| Enable Machine Health |
true |
true/false |
Enable health system for machines |
| Default Machine HP |
100 |
10-1000 |
Default health points for machines |
Power Surge Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Range |
Description |
| Enable Power Surges |
true |
true/false |
Random power surges can damage machines |
| Surge Chance Per Minute |
0.05 |
0-1 |
Chance of power surge per minute (5% default) |
| Surge Damage |
25 |
1-100 |
Damage dealt by power surges |
Overload Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Range |
Description |
| Enable Overload Damage |
true |
true/false |
Machines take damage when power grid is overloaded |
| Overload Damage Rate |
5 |
0.1-50 |
Damage per second during overload |
Hunger Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Range |
Description |
| Enable Hunger System |
true |
true/false |
Enable hunger that depletes over time |
| Hunger Decay Per Minute |
2 |
0.1-10 |
Hunger points lost per minute |
| Starvation Damage Per Second |
1 |
0.1-10 |
Damage per second when starving |
Player Health Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Range |
Description |
| Enable Player Health |
true |
true/false |
Enable player health system |
| Health Regen Per Second |
0.5 |
0-5 |
Health regeneration when well-fed |
UI Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
| Show Health/Hunger UI |
true |
Display health and hunger bars on screen |
Death Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Range |
Description |
| Respawn Delay |
5 |
1-30 |
Seconds to wait before respawning |
| Respawn At Elevator |
true |
true/false |
Respawn at the main elevator |
Debug Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
| Debug Mode |
false |
Enable verbose debug logging |
Requirements
Required Dependencies
Game Version
- Techtonica (Steam version recommended)
- .NET Framework 4.7.2
Compatibility
Compatible Mods
- Most content mods that add machines will automatically have health applied
- UI mods that don't modify the bottom-right corner
- Other survival/challenge mods
Potential Conflicts
- Mods that heavily modify the Player class
- Mods that modify machine building/removal hooks
- UI mods that use the same screen positions
Known Issues
- Machine visual damage tinting may not work on all machine types
- Elevator respawn point detection may fail in some save files
- Raw Meat item registered but wildlife drops not yet implemented
Changelog
[2.6.1] - Current
- Enhanced player health and hunger systems
- Added death screen with respawn mechanics
- Added machine health display UI when looking at machines
- Improved visual feedback for damage
- Added food items: Cooked Meat, Plant Stew, Energy Bar, Nutrient Paste
- Configurable respawn at elevator option
- Death penalty system (respawn at 50% health, 30% hunger)
[2.0.0]
- Added hunger system with decay and starvation
- Added player health with regeneration
- Added health/hunger UI bars
- Added power surge and overload damage systems
[1.0.0] - 2025-01-05
- Initial release
- Repair Tool equipment
- Machine health integration
- Tech tree unlock for Repair Tool
Credits
Development
- Certifired - Primary developer
- Claude Code (Anthropic) - AI-assisted development, code architecture, and documentation
Special Thanks
- Equinox - For EquinoxsModUtils and EMUAdditions which make Techtonica modding possible
- Fire Hose Games - For creating Techtonica
- Techtonica Modding Community - For support and feedback
License
This mod is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0).
You are free to:
- Use this mod for personal and commercial purposes
- Modify and distribute this mod
- Include this mod in modpacks
Under the following conditions:
- You must include the original license and copyright notice
- Any modifications must also be licensed under GPL-3.0
- Source code must be made available when distributing
For the full license text, see: GNU GPL v3.0
Links
Mod Resources
Dependencies
Community
Made with passion for the Techtonica community
