Revision 1

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.

Each sprinkler tier covers a larger radius than the previous one. The base Sprinkler waters a small area around its placement point. Sprinkler I extends this range slightly. Sprinkler II covers a medium area, and Sprinkler III (the Pressurized Sprinkler) covers the largest area. Plan your field layout around sprinkler placement to maximize coverage and minimize wasted space.

Note that 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. Make sure to 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.

Robot Crafting Materials

Each robot requires the same set of high-tier materials, all crafted at Worktable III:

• 3 Eternal Alloy

• 2 Chips

• 1 Lunar Crystal

• 5 High-Performance Wire Sets

• 3 Springs

• 1 Spirit Cube III

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.

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 that connects to processing stations. When a Realm Box is placed near processing stations, those stations can pull raw materials directly from the Realm Box instead of requiring manual loading. This was added in patch v0.2.0909 and is one of the most powerful automation features in the game.

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:

• Jam production: Run 10+ Jam Makers simultaneously with fruit from Gmax crops and sugar processed from beets. Each cycle uses 2 fruits and 3 sugar. At scale, this can generate over 100,000 Coins daily.

• Pickle production: Run 20+ Pickling Jars with vegetables and salt gathered by Mining Robots in the Moonlit Forest. Each cycle uses 2 vegetables plus salt. Production at scale can exceed 200,000 Coins daily.

• Merchant Ship sales: Sell processed goods via the Merchant Ship for a 200% value multiplier, dramatically increasing profits.

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

The Fertilizer Box automates fertilizer application on crops. The blueprint is unlocked through the Farmer profession tiers. Place Fertilizer Boxes near your crop fields, load them with fertilizer, and they apply it to nearby crops automatically. This pairs especially well with sprinklers for a fully hands-off farming setup.

You can also craft fertilizer using a Fertilizer Box rather than purchasing it from Graminova's shop. The crafted fertilizer uses farm byproducts, reducing your dependency on buying fertilizer with Coins.

Automation Bug History

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

Building an Automated Farm

A recommended progression for building a fully automated farm:

• Step 1: Sprinklers. Reach Intermediate Farmer and deploy sprinklers. This is the single biggest time saver in the game.

• Step 2: Processing pipeline. Set up a Realm Box with Separator, Furnace, Brewing Barrel, Jam Maker, and Pickling Jar nearby for automated material processing.

• Step 3: Fertilizer Boxes. Automate fertilizer application alongside sprinklers for fully hands-off crop growth.

• Step 4: Robots. At Expert Crafter, deploy Mining and Logging Robots with a Robot Terminal in the Moonlit Forest for passive resource gathering.

• Step 5: Ranching automation. Install Auto Milkers, Auto Shearers, and Love Feeders in your barns to automate animal care.

• Step 6: Scale processing. Build 10+ Jam Makers and 20+ Pickling Jars. Sell via the Merchant Ship for maximum profit.

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.