Revision 1

Resource gathering in Solarpunk provides the raw materials for crafting, building, and energy infrastructure. Resources come from mining rocks, chopping trees, fishing, farming, and collecting items from animals. Many gathering tasks can eventually be offloaded to automation devices.

Mining

Mining uses the Pickaxe, which is crafted from Sticks and Stones. Players mine textured rock formations found across islands. Different rock types yield different materials:

Small black rocks are worth prioritizing because they provide a wider range of materials per hit compared to standard formations. For hands-free mining, players can deploy automatic drills on ore deposits once the technology is researched.

Woodcutting

Trees are chopped using the Axe, producing Wood and Saplings. Wood is the most commonly used material in the game, required for the Crafting Table (6 Wood), building structures, and numerous recipes. One unit of Wood converts to 3 Sticks at the Crafting Table. Saplings can be replanted to grow new trees, maintaining a renewable timber supply.

Water-based gathering

The magnet fisher collects algae from water bodies. Algae is a resource with crafting applications not available through mining or woodcutting. The automatic magnet fisher handles this passively once set up and powered.

Farming and collection

Farming produces food crops, cotton (processed into Cloth), and tree saplings. Animals contribute materials through cooperative behavior: pigs dig up truffles when treated well, and chickens provide products from their coop.

Tool degradation

Tools in Solarpunk degrade with use. However, the degradation system is designed to be forgiving. Tools wear out but can be rebuilt quickly from common resources. The intent is to add a light resource management layer without creating frustrating interruptions where players are stuck without the ability to gather.

Resource summary