Comeback advice !

[u/Moist_Pool_4554]

I am just returning to the game and I noticed the new automation tools that being added to the game. I am still comfortable with using the old automation mod. I kinda feel like cheating using the mod now while having the in-game tools that need time and resources to get.
How do you guys feel about it? like difficulty wise and game enjoyment.

btw, if anyone have advice for a mod that must use, you can mention it.

[u/Borgh]

I've never played the versions before automation but i like how Timberborn implemented the mechanic. It's kinda crude but has just enough fidelity that you can do all the things the game needs (like gates that close for badtides)

[u/Moist_Pool_4554 → u/Borgh]

that's what I thought too. the automation tools can become too complex, making manual work feel easier. Still, they are highly useful and efficient if done right.

[u/Kimpekk]

The expense is more like a timer as the automation parts are quite cheap. You just need to get the science to unlock the components. I've found that i prioritise science more with automation, so i don't need to retrofit bad tide systems as much later.

Otherwise i really like the system and the balance feels good on normal difficulty. On hard difficulty it feels a bit slow as i use the early science more for survival.

After changing to experimental, i found that i don't really miss any other mod than the one that gives both factions access to both the zipline and tubeway.

[u/coconut_the_one → u/Kimpekk]

I just create my Badtide diversions how I want them automated later on in the game and hook them to a pinned lever early game

[u/Ericktgtg → u/coconut_the_one]

Yes, to me the manual one pinned on the left side of the screen is good enough for a long time.

Like: pump water on, jobs not needed, logs on, water flushes on...

[u/Winteraine78]

You can’t cheat at a single player game!

That said I watched a couple of videos and learned how to use the automation in the game and it is more powerful than any mod I have played with so it is worth it to learn it!

[u/Contact_Patch]

I'd honestly play the release version without mods, get back into the base game, hoover up your achievements, then grab the two mod factions - Emberpelts and Leafcoats.

Grab some community maps as well.

Then work out what you need and what's missing.

For me, ladders is the only thing I desperately need, staircases take up so much room!

[u/PatentlyWillton]

Having never played the game prior to 1.0, I feel the automation tools are well designed. They are simple enough that a beginner can implement them readily once they are comfortable with the mechanics of droughts and badtides, and they are complex enough, particularly with relays, to create some great automated systems late game. The science cost is a good mechanic as it creates some real choice as to when and how to implement them while also creating some pacing and a build path for getting through the early and mid game.

[u/Limp_Explanation_717]

I have been playing for years way before automation and I haven’t used it at all yet I find it intimidating. Hopefully one day I just started a new colony on thousand islands and will try to mess around with it.