Automation

Overview

Automation in Starsand Island allows players to reduce manual labor through sprinklers, robots, automated processing devices, and ranching equipment. As you advance through the Crafter and Farmer profession tiers, progressively powerful automation tools become available. A well-automated farm saves significant daily time, letting you focus on exploration, fishing, and relationship building.

Sprinkler System

Sprinklers are the first automation tool most players encounter. They automatically water nearby crops each morning, eliminating the daily watering chore. Sprinklers are placed between crop tiles rather than on top of them, so they do not consume farmland space. Higher-tier sprinklers cover more tiles, meaning fewer are needed to cover your fields.

Sprinklers are placed between crop tiles and do not occupy farmland space. Sprinkler I covers 4 adjacent tiles, Sprinkler II covers up to 20 tiles, and Sprinkler III covers 60 fields in an 8x8 grid minus the four corner patches. The Pressurized Sprinkler is an upgraded variant of the base Sprinkler rather than part of the numbered tier chain. Plan your field layout around sprinkler coverage to maximize efficiency.

Note that sprinklers can be accidentally toggled off while harvesting nearby crops. If your sprinklers stop working, interact with them (F key on PC) to reactivate. Higher-tier sprinklers require materials from the Crafter profession. Items like Alloy, Solid-State Batteries, and Mini Reactors are processed at crafting stations unlocked through the Crafter advancement chain. Progress both the Farmer and Crafter professions in parallel to unlock the full sprinkler lineup.

Robots

Robots are advanced automation devices unlocked at Expert Crafter tier. They autonomously gather resources from designated areas and deposit their inventory once a day. All three robot types share the same crafting recipe and cost.

Upon completing the Expert Crafter certification quest (building the Robot Terminal), Zerine rewards you with one of each robot type for free. Additional robots can be purchased and crafted at Worktable III. All three types use the same materials:

• 3 Eternal Alloy

• 2 Chips

• 1 Lunar Crystal

• 5 High-Performance Wire Sets

• 3 Springs

• 1 Spirit Cube III

Robot Limitations

Robots have several restrictions to keep in mind. Mining and Logging Robots are generally reliable, but the Gathering Robot has known issues:

• Gathering Robots can ruin Gmax crops because individual crops in a 3x3 grid mature at staggered intervals, and the robot harvests them before mutation triggers.

• Gathering Robots lack item filtering. They may harvest flowers you want bees to pollinate or collect items you intended to leave.

• Robots cannot retrieve ammo, collect treasure maps, gather zero-stamina plants, open chests, or obtain enhanced seed drops.

• Robots occasionally get stuck on terrain objects. Moving away from the area lets them unstick. If they remain unresponsive, recall them through the Robot Terminal.

Robot Terminal

The Robot Terminal is the control hub for all automation robots. You receive it as a reward for completing the Expert Crafter questline. Place the terminal down, then interact with it to access the workforce menu where you can add or remove robots and designate what you want them to collect.

Robot Terminal Crafting

The Robot Terminal is crafted at Worktable III using:

• 5 Meteor Plank (Cutter III with Lunar Crystals and Premium Wood)

• 4 Eternal Alloy (Flamecore Ingots, Alloys, and Coal)

• 2 Perpetual Reactor (Energy Converter)

• 3 Spirit Cube II

Place the terminal near resource-rich areas for best results. The Moonlit Forest is the most popular location for robot deployment, as mining robots there passively farm valuable ores like primarite and salt bricks without manual effort. If robots appear stuck or unresponsive, try recalling them through the terminal menu to force them to unload their inventories.

Automated Processing

Processing stations run automatically once loaded with raw materials. You do not need to stand next to them or interact while they work. The following stations support automated processing:

Realm Box Integration

The Realm Box is a shared storage system (similar to an Ender Chest) where all Realm Boxes share the same inventory. Since patch v0.2.0909, processing stations can pull raw materials directly from a nearby Realm Box instead of requiring manual loading. This is one of the most powerful automation features in the game.

The Realm Box is crafted at Worktable II (Intermediate Crafter tier) using 5 Alloy, 5 Starflare Core, 3 Spirit Cube I, and 6 Hardwood Plank. It can be upgraded to hold more slots: Tier 1 holds 48 slots (costs 5 Spirit Cube I and 3 Starflare Crystal), and Tier 2 holds 72 slots (costs 5 Spirit Cube II and 6 Starflare Crystal).

To set up a processing pipeline: place a Realm Box in your crafting area, stock it with raw materials, then position your processing stations nearby. The stations draw from the Realm Box automatically, letting you run batch processing without constant inventory management.

Late-Game Processing Setups

The most profitable automated setups combine robot-gathered resources with mass processing:

Ranching Automation

Animal product collection can be automated with equipment unlocked through the Rancher profession and crafted at Worktable III:

Place the Auto Milker and Auto Shearer inside your barns near the animals. These devices work passively, collecting products without player interaction. Combined with the Love Feeder for automated feeding, a fully automated barn requires almost no daily attention.

Fertilizer Automation

Standard Fertilizer Boxes (tiers I through V) are available from the Happiness Seed Shop at various Farming levels from Apprentice through Expert. They convert animal manure and organic waste into usable fertilizer, with higher tiers producing stronger output.

The Auto Fertilizer Box, unlocked at Senior Farmer tier, is a separate device that automatically applies fertilizer to nearby crops without player interaction. It is distinct from the standard Fertilizer Boxes and is required for the Expert Farmer certification quest (along with 3 Sprinkler IIs and 15 Immortal Seeds). Place the Auto Fertilizer Box near your crop fields and keep it stocked with fertilizer for fully hands-off crop treatment.

Automation Bug History

Automation devices had some bugs during early Early Access. Key fixes include:

Fiber Automation with Logging Robots

The Logging Robot is not only useful for wood collection; it also provides a reliable source of fiber. Each robot produces approximately 400 fiber per in-game day when placed in a vegetation-dense area. Plants regrow automatically between harvest cycles, so the supply is effectively unlimited. Deploying multiple robots in separate, non-overlapping zones scales production linearly (2 robots produce ~800 fiber/day, 3 robots produce ~1,200 fiber/day, and so on).

Fiber is consumed in large quantities for rope, fabric, and various crafting recipes throughout the game. Automating fiber collection early in the Expert Crafter tier frees up significant daily time that would otherwise be spent manually harvesting grass and bushes.

Building an Automated Farm

A recommended progression for building a fully automated farm:

Tips

• Sprinklers are the highest-priority automation investment. Build them as soon as you hit Intermediate Farmer.

• Place the Robot Terminal in a Moonlit Forest campsite for passive ore farming while you do other activities on the surface.

• Each Robot Terminal supports up to 12 robots. One well-placed terminal is usually enough for a full resource zone.

• Load processing stations before bed. Timed stations like the Brewing Barrel and Jam Maker work overnight.

• Plan crop field layouts around sprinkler coverage. A grid pattern with sprinklers at regular intervals wastes the least farmland space.

• The Realm Box eliminates manual loading of processing stations. Place one near your crafting area and keep it stocked.

• If robots seem stuck or unproductive, recall them through the Robot Terminal menu to force them to deposit their inventory.

• Progress both Farmer and Crafter professions in parallel. Higher-tier sprinklers require Crafter-processed materials like Alloy and Mini Reactors.