AmbientLife
Adds ambient wildlife with smart AI using real 3D creature assets. Includes spiders, beetles, wolves, dogs, cats, deer, and flying insects. Creatures follow terrain, avoid clipping, and have configura
About this mod Author’s original text
AmbientLife
AmbientLife is a Techtonica mod that brings your factory world to life with intelligent ambient creatures. From spiders crawling on walls and ceilings to flying beetles soaring overhead, dogs following you around, and deer grazing in the distance - this mod creates an immersive ecosystem using real 3D creature models with smart AI that properly navigates terrain without clipping.
Table of Contents
- Features
- Creature Categories
- Smart AI System
- In-Game Configuration UI
- 3D Asset Integration
- Installation
- Configuration
- General Settings
- Flying Insects
- Spiders
- Ground Animals
- Requirements
- Compatibility
- Changelog
- Credits
- License
Features
Creature Categories
AmbientLife v2.0 features 13 unique creature types across 4 categories:
Flying Insects
| Creature | Speed | Behavior | Notes |
|----------|-------|----------|-------|
| Butterflies | 1.5 m/s | Hovering | Colorful, flutters at low altitude |
| Fireflies | 0.8 m/s | Hovering | Pulsing glow effect, atmospheric lighting |
| Flying Beetles | 3 m/s | Flying | Soars at medium altitude |
| Nightmare Beetles | 4 m/s | Flying | Larger, intimidating, high altitude |
Spiders (Wall Crawlers)
| Creature | Speed | Behavior | Notes |
|----------|-------|----------|-------|
| Brown Spiders | 2 m/s | Wall Crawling | Climbs walls, floors, and ceilings |
| Green Spiders | 1.8 m/s | Wall Crawling | Camouflaged variant |
| Black Spiders | 2.5 m/s | Wall Crawling | Larger, faster |
Ground Animals
| Creature | Speed | Behavior | Notes |
|----------|-------|----------|-------|
| Dogs | 3 m/s | Ground | Friendly, follows terrain |
| Cats | 2.5 m/s | Ground | Curious wanderers |
| Chickens | 1.5 m/s | Ground | Flees from player |
| Deer | 4 m/s | Ground | Skittish, runs when approached |
| Wolves | 5 m/s | Ground | Pack wanderers |
| Penguins | 1.2 m/s | Ground | Waddles around |
Smart AI System
Every creature features intelligent movement with advanced pathfinding:
- Terrain Following: Ground creatures properly follow slopes, stairs, and uneven terrain
- Wall Crawling: Spiders can climb walls and transition to ceilings seamlessly
- Obstacle Avoidance: 360-degree collision detection prevents clipping through buildings
- Height Management: Flying creatures maintain safe altitudes and avoid structures
- Dynamic Fleeing: Shy creatures (deer, chickens, spiders) flee when player approaches
- Weighted Spawning: Configurable density per creature category
In-Game Configuration UI
Press F8 to open the configuration panel:
- Master Controls: Enable/disable all creatures, set max count
- Per-Creature Toggles: Turn individual creature types on/off
- Density Sliders: Adjust spawn weights for flying, crawling, and ground animals
- Status Display: See active creature count and loaded prefab count
- Quick Actions: Reload assets, clear all creatures
3D Asset Integration
- Uses real 3D models from AssetBundles when available
- Automatic fallback to procedural geometry if bundles missing
- Supports animated models with proper Animator components
- Disables default AI controllers to use custom smart movement
Installation
Mod Manager Installation (Recommended)
- Open r2modman or Mod Manager
- Search for "AmbientLife"
- Click Install
- Launch the game through the mod manager
Manual Installation
- Install BepInEx 5.4.2100+ and TechtonicaFramework
- Download the latest release
- Extract to BepInEx/plugins/CertiFried-AmbientLife/
- Ensure the Bundles folder is present for 3D creature assets
- Launch the game
Configuration
Configuration file: BepInEx/config/com.certifired.AmbientLife.cfg
Or use the in-game UI by pressing F8.
General Settings
| Setting | Default | Range | Description |
|---------|---------|-------|-------------|
| Enable Ambient Life | true | - | Master toggle for all spawning |
| Max Creatures | 40 | 5-150 | Maximum creatures in world |
| Spawn Radius | 50 | 20-150m | Distance from player to spawn |
| Despawn Radius | 80 | 30-200m |
Install & use Install: follow the bundled instructions
- Unzip the archive from playbuff and read the bundled readme / instructions first.
- Most mods rely on the game's mod loader — the usual route is a community mod manager (such as r2modman): pick this game, install, and it handles the loader and dependencies.
- For a manual install, put the mod files into the matching Mod / plugins folder inside the game directory.
- Launch the game to confirm it loaded; mods with listed dependencies need those installed as well.
Install locations vary a lot between mods — the bundled readme is the most reliable guide.
Install these first, or the mod will not work: