This stack expands gameplay, improves automation depth, speeds building, surfaces bottlenecks, and preserves performance on larger factories.
If you want, I can:
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The best way to make Automation Empire better is through the Better Empire mod, which fixes the game's biggest logistical bottlenecks and adds essential "quality of life" features. 🛠️ Key Improvements from Better Empire
Massive Throughput: Increases the capacity and speed of transfer tubes and claws.
Smart Logistics: Adds filtered outputs for crates, allowing for complex sorting.
Infinite Resources: Options to make resource nodes never run dry.
Faster Belts: Upgrades belt speeds to prevent massive factory backups.
Expanded Storage: Larger internal buffers for machines and containers. 🚀 Top Essential Mods
Better Empire (All-in-One): The gold standard for rebalancing the entire game.
Creative Mode: Removes cost restrictions to let you design massive, complex loops freely. automation empire mods better
Speed Control: Allows you to speed up time significantly during the "waiting" phases of production. 📦 How to Install Visit the Automation Empire page on Nexus Mods.
Download the BepInEx framework (most mods require this to run).
Place the mod files into the BepInEx/plugins folder in your game directory.
📍 Pro Tip: Focus on Tube Throughput first. In the base game, tubes are the #1 reason factories fail to scale. Modding them transforms the game from a "frustrating bottleneck simulator" into a true automation powerhouse. If you'd like, I can help you: Find the direct download links for these mods. Troubleshoot BepInEx installation errors. Give you a step-by-step guide for a specific mod setup.
Since Automation Empire does not have official Steam Workshop support, the modding scene is smaller and primarily hosted on platforms like Nexus Mods. To make your gameplay "better," you should focus on mods that streamline logistics, improve UI, and fix common late-game bottlenecks. 1. Getting Started: The Mod Loader
Before you can install any gameplay tweaks, you need a way to inject them into the game.
BepInEx: Most Automation Empire mods require BepInEx. It is a plugin framework that allows the game to load custom code.
Installation: You typically download the BepInEx folder and drop it into your game's root directory (where AutomationEmpire.exe is located). 2. Essential "Quality of Life" Mods
These mods don't change the core mechanics but remove the frustrations of the vanilla experience.
Blueprint Mod: One of the most requested features. This allows you to copy and paste entire factory segments, which is vital for the massive scale required in late-game production. Which would you like next
Camera Unlocker: Removes the restrictive zoom and tilt limits, allowing you to see your entire empire at once or get closer to specific belt junctions.
UI Enhancements: Look for mods that add detailed throughput statistics. Knowing exactly how many kilograms per second a belt is moving helps prevent "clogging." 3. Logistics & Efficiency Mods
To truly make the empire "better," you need to address the game's strict throughput limits.
Increased Belt Speeds: Vanilla belts can sometimes feel sluggish during high-volume transfers. Mods that add a "Tier 4" or "Tier 5" belt can help clear out mining backlogs.
Infinite Resources: If you prefer the "creative" side of building over constant expansion, some mods allow resource nodes to never deplete, letting you focus on permanent factory layouts.
Drone Logic Tweaks: Vanilla drones can be inefficient. Look for scripts that improve pathfinding or allow for larger drone capacities. 4. Where to Find Mods
Because the game isn't actively updated by the developers, the community relies on these hubs:
Nexus Mods (Automation Empire): The primary source for stable plugins.
Discord Communities: Check the official or fan-run Discord servers; often, developers post "experimental" DLLs there that aren't on Nexus yet. 5. Installation Guide (Standard Method)
Backup your Save: Always copy your SaveData folder before modding. Install BepInEx: Extract it to the game folder. Nothing kills momentum like running out of steel beams
Add Plugins: Download your desired mod (usually a .dll file) and place it in the Automation Empire/BepInEx/plugins folder.
Launch: Run the game normally; BepInEx will automatically load the mods.
Nothing kills momentum like running out of steel beams. Infinite Placing allows you to "ghost" place blueprints even without materials. The bots will build them when resources arrive. This allows you to design entire city blocks while waiting for smelting to catch up.
These mods don't add new machines; they remove frustration. They are the secret sauce.
In the world of factory simulation games, Automation Empire occupies a strange, beautiful purgatory. Released by DOG NEI Games, it offered a stunning vision: a 3D, first-person planetary factory builder with conveyor belts that snaked through alien valleys and mining rigs that punctured vibrant, alien skies. Critics called it "Factorio in 3D." Players called it "unfinished."
This is where the modding community enters. The common refrain on Steam forums and Reddit is that "Automation Empire mods are better." But after spending 200 hours in vanilla and another 300 in modded versions, I’ve realized the phrase is misleading. It’s not that the mods are technically superior. It’s that mods solve a unique existential problem the base game refused to acknowledge.
Here is the interesting report on why the modded experience is the definitive experience.
The base game tops out at Tier 3 belts. For a megabase, these are essentially clogged arteries. The Modular Conveyor mod introduces Tier 4 (x3 speed) and Tier 5 (x5 speed) belts. When combined with faster sorters, your main bus stops being a traffic jam and starts being an autobahn.
Automation Empire provides a solid 3D factory-building foundation, but lacks the depth and Quality of Life (QoL) features of competitors like Factorio or Satisfactory. Mods are essential to bridge this gap. The highest-impact modifications fall into three categories: Logistics Overhauls, UI/Blueprint Enhancements, and Performance Optimizers.
The biggest hurdle in complex factory games is often the user interface. In the vanilla version of Automation Empire, managing sprawling networks can sometimes feel like wrestling with the camera or fighting against missing information.
Mods that focus on Quality of Life transform the game from a "management sim" into a "design tool."
Mods can significantly enhance the gameplay experience of Automation Empire. By adding new features, levels, characters, or even entirely new game modes, mods can breathe new life into a game that may have otherwise become stale. For instance, if Automation Empire had a somewhat limited set of resources or buildings, a mod could introduce new ones, providing players with more strategic choices and depth. This not only makes the game more engaging but also increases its replay value, as players can explore different modded scenarios.