Mechanoid creation

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Mechanitor

For the enemy structure that creates mechanoids in the Royalty DLC, see Mech assembler.

With the release of the Biotech DLC, mechanoids may be built, gestated, and controlled by a colony - specifically, by a mechanitor.

Acquisition

Mechanitors are required to build, gestate, and control your own mechanoids. Research must be done with a valid mechanitor in the colony, and only the mechanitor may initiate any of the mech creation processes. First, creating your own mechs requires the Basic Mechtech research, which in turn requires the Electricity research to be completed first.

Mechanitors must have enough bandwidth for the mechanoid in question. The larger and more complex the mechanoid is, the more bandwidth is required.
All mechanoids require a subcore to create, along with other materials like steel. Simple mechs use a basic subcore (from a subcore encoder), while more complex ones require a standard subcore (from a subcore softscanner) or high subcore (from a subcore ripscanner). The ripscanner in particular requires killing a human pawn to create.
After being "built" for a tiny amount of a mechanitor's work, mechs must gestate at a mech gestator or large mech gestator.

Gestation types are measured in cycles, where larger mechs require more cycles, and each cycle will need to be initiated by the mechanitor after the previous one is completed. When cycling is done, the mechanitor must take the mech out. If power is lost during gestation, the cycle will be paused, but no other adverse effects will occur.

More complex mechanoids require more research. Mechanoid research in particular requires killing one of three mechanoid commanders - the diabolus, war queen, and apocriton, in order of progression - and studying their specific item before it is possible.

Hostile mechanoids cannot be tamed or converted in any way, even if once part of your colony. You can create every mechanoid in the game, except for the termite and apocriton.

Gestation cycles

Rather than traditional work to make them, creating mechanoids requires the undertaking of some number of gestation cycles. A mechanitor must work at the gestator for 1,800 ticks (30 secs)^[Modified?] in order to initiate each cycle, but once initiated each cycle will run independently for its duration. Initiating a gestation cycle is considered Smithing work.

Each gestation cycle lasts for a baseline of 2 days, modified by the initiating mechanitor's Mech Gestation Speed. Mech Gestation Speed is controlled by the mechanitor's Crafting skill and the number of mech gestation processors they have installed. This varies the resulting duration from 64 hrs with 0 Crafting skill and no processors, to 14.77 hrs with 20 Crafting and 6 processors. Gestation cycle time is updated when Mechanoid Gestation Speed is, even if a cycle is already running - if you start a cycle, then install a Mech gestation processor or level the Crafting skill, then it will reduce the remaining cycle time proportional to ratio of the new speed to the old. For a full breakdown of the factors affecting mech gestation speed and the resulting cycle durations, see Mech Gestation Speed.

If a cycle is interrupted temporarily (e.g. by losing power), the cycle will pause until the interruption is ended (e.g. by power being restored), but no other adverse effects will occur

Summary

Mechanitors are required to control mechanoids. A mechanitor has a limited amount of bandwidth, which limits the number of mechanoids they can command. Larger and more complex mechanoids require more bandwidth.

In general, mechanoids are immune to fire, toxicity, and temperature extremes, despite having a Comfortable Temperature. They are vulnerable to EMP attacks, being stunned by them. Mechanoids do not need to eat, sleep, and have no mood. However, they require power, and cause pollution in the process.

Mechs considered "light" use a regular mech recharger and mech gestator. Mechs considered "medium" or heavier use the large mech recharger and large mech gestator.

Behavior

Mech are fully autonomous. Mechanoids assigned to work tasks have an effective Skill of 10, though most have a 50% Global Work Speed, and some of them work even slower. You cannot order mechanoid work in any direct way, though you can indirectly control it through setting zones. Specifically, mechs are put into control groups, which can then be assigned to one of four orders:

Work: Do available work tasks. Start charging after reaching a configurable % of power left.
Escort: Follow the mechanitor around and fight enemies. Start charging after reaching a configurable % of power left.
Recharge: Look for available recharging stations and use them. Enter dormant self-charging if full or no available charging stations.
Dormant self-charging: Turns off the mechs. While dormant, mechs recharge a very small amount of power (+1% power / day) without a charger or any pollution.

Control groups and orders may be changed, though the mechanitor must be controllable (not downed and not under a mental break), and their mechs must be in the same map. If they are separated, mechs will continue to do their tasks without a problem, and won't become hostile. However, control groups and their orders cannot be changed. Mechs can be rezoned regardless of the state of the mechanitor, allowing for them to be imprecisely controlled even when the mechanitor is having a mental break.

Mechs can also be drafted for combat, where they are controlled like any colonist. However, the mechanoid can only be ordered to move to spaces within a 25-tile radius from their master, and they can only be ordered to do other commands while in said radius. Mechs can be drafted outside of this range (but not if the mechanitor is downed), where they can defend themselves, carry out previous combat commands, or be commanded to go near the mechanitor.

Mechanoids in a caravan contribute towards its carrying capacity. They do not use power as long as they are on the world map.

If the mechanitor dies or runs out of bandwidth, mechanoids will go into the Uncontrolled state. They will not be uncontrolled if the mechanitor is downed, in a caravan, etc. After 1 game-day, or 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins) uncontrolled, they may go feral, joining the enemy mech hive. There is a MTB of 10 in-game days, with a cascade radius of 25 tiles.^[Verify]

Work Speed

Most mechanoids have a natural Global Work Speed of 50%. Tunnelers have a Global Work Speed of 150%, and the agrihand and constructoid have special modifiers to their specific job's work speed (applied after all Global Work Speed calculations).

Work speed can be increased in a number of ways, and final work speed is controlled by the following equation:

Final work speed = (Base Work Speed × Mech booster) + (6% * Num. Sublinks) + Mechanoid Labor Bonus

Being in range of a mech booster boosts workspeed by 50%, multiplicative. This does not multiply any future factors to work speed.
Each control sublink installed into the mechanitor increases Global Work Speed by +6%, after the mech booster is applied. Up to 3 standard and 3 high control sublinks can be installed at a time, for a +36% boost.
If their mechanitor follows an ideoligion with the Mechanoid Labor: Enhanced precept, mechs gain an additive +20% boost to Global Work Speed, at the cost of colonist work speed. This boost is additive with sublinks and the booster but its effect is not multiplied by the boosters.

As most mechs start with 50% Global Work Speed, additive boosts are larger than they seem. For example, Labor: Enhanced will boost most mechs from 50% to 70% - that's a ×140% increase.

For example, with a work speed of 50%:

Control Sublinks	Work Speed	Mech Boosted	Mech Boosted + Labor: Enhanced
0	50%	75%	95%
1	56%	81%	101%
2	62%	87%	107%
3	68%	93%	113%
4	74%	99%	119%
5	80%	105%	125%
6	86%	111%	131%

Work speed can be further modified by regular factors, such as light and the Manipulation stat.

Bandwidth

Mechanoid Type	Bandwidth	Wastepacks Per Recharge
	1	5
	2	10
	3	15
	4	20
	5	25