Terrain & Peeps
Beyond These Stars Terraforming: Debris, Water Channels and Compost
The quick answer
Lowering terrain produces Debris; raising it consumes Debris. For a water channel, dig the connected tiles as one job and complete the job to remove the barrier and release water.
Balance Debris before digging
Your Landscaper needs somewhere to put the material removed from the ground. Lowering terrain produces Debris; raising terrain uses it.
Pair excavation with fill work where possible. If digging stops, inspect the Landscaper’s Debris storage. Move Debris away or use it for raising ground before expanding the excavation.
A nearby Storage Shed configured for Debris can provide a buffer. Access and transport still matter.
Dig a channel as one connected job
- Create a terraforming job with the required target height.
- Select that job again to add the rest of the channel’s tiles.
- Wait until the whole planned channel reaches its target depth.
- Complete the job to remove the water barrier.
- Check that water flows along the channel into the target area.
Excavation beside water creates a temporary barrier. Water remaining outside a finished-looking trench may mean the job still needs to be completed, rather than that the channel is unusable.
For underwater target depths, include the connected channel in the same larger job. Do not assume you must first fill every tile to zero height and dig it again.
Composting is a separate task
Compost Heap produces Compost. The Landscaper uses it to improve bare land. Underwater tiles cannot be composted.
Check the target’s water state and the Compost supply before queuing more work. If you are relying on the Home Spaceship for basic materials, remember that it does not provide the Wood Waste used by the normal compost supply chain.