The short version
Farming automation is a new end-game system in version 1.0. This guide will document the unlock path and actual drone behavior before recommending a best setup.
Testing plan
Unlock requirements, supported farm operations, drone capacity, routing, power use, storage interaction, crop compatibility, and layouts for small and expanded farms.
What version 1.0 confirms
The official full-release description introduces farming automation as a version 1.0 system. That confirms its place in late-game progression but does not establish a best layout, universal drone range, or automatic compatibility with every crop and storage design. Advice written before the full release may not include the system at all.
Measure the bottleneck before automating
Automation is most useful when it removes a repeated task that limits the rest of the farm. Record whether planting, watering, harvesting, hauling, storage, power, or machine throughput is the actual bottleneck. Automating one step can simply move the delay elsewhere. Start with a small test plot so range, routing, and inventory behavior are visible before rebuilding a large farm.
What the final layout comparison will show
Each layout will include unlocks, drone roles, plot size, access lanes, power, storage position, supported crops, unattended duration, and recovery behavior when a route fails. A compact beginner automation layout and an expanded late-game production layout will be compared separately. This page stays noindex until those measurements can support an actual recommendation.
Sources and verification
Primary sources are linked beside the claims they support. Community material is used only as a lead or is labeled as community-tested.
- Official Steam store ↗Version 1.0 farming-automation announcement.
- Official Steam news ↗Release and patch boundaries for automation tests.