Ratron

Ratron is a robot that can be manufactured at the Ratron Assembly Plant to perform labor and combat in place of A_Ratizen. Unlike citizens, Ratrons do not need food, entertainment, or other amenities to keep working, which makes them especially useful for long shifts, remote outposts, and production lines where keeping workers satisfied would be inefficient.

A Ratron will keep operating until its charge runs out, so a Ratron Recharger should be built alongside the assembly plant. About 2 hours of charging is required for every 24 hours of activity, and using a repair station increases the charging time by 1.5 times, to 3 hours. If a Ratron cannot reach a recharger, or if a power outage makes one unavailable, it will run out of charge and collapse. A fallen Ratron can be carried like an injured A_Ratizen and restored by placing it on a Ratron Recharger.

Ratrons can be specialized when manufactured. For labor Ratrons, one of Strength, Talent, or Intelligence is chosen, and the chosen stat starts at 2 while the others are 0. A successful manufacturing minigame grants +1 to the chosen stat, which significantly improves performance. If the minigame fails, the Ratron remains much less efficient, so saving before production can be worthwhile when trying to make a strong worker.

Labor Ratrons can be assigned to many Raw Materials and Production buildings, and their best use is usually in jobs with little travel time or in places where they can work almost in place. Good examples include Grain Farm, Grass Field, Florist, Rabbit Pasture, Apiary, Cocoonery, Ratpower Generator, Thermal Generator, Sawmill, Masonry, Grinder, Butchery, Furnace, Nocslin Mine, Jewelry Workshop, Glass Workshop, Dye Workshop, Tailor's Shop, Weaving Mill, Wood Workshop, Pharmacy, Laboratory, and other production facilities. They cannot perform outdoor work such as hauling, gathering, logging, hunting, storage, or sap collection, and they also cannot handle services, transportation, mining, construction, demolition, or repairs.

Military Ratrons are stronger than labor Ratrons, with higher base stats and combat-oriented manufacturing bonuses such as attack power, defense, movement speed, or explosion damage. A defense bonus is generally recommended. They can be stationed at most military stations and will train without rest until they need to recharge, but they have a major weakness: when their Stamina reaches 0, they explode. They also need a repair station to recover damage, since they do not heal over time in the same way military citizens do. They cannot be stationed at Temple of War or Temple of Shadows because they do not understand Religion.

Ratrons are also useful for power generation. A Ratron Recharger consumes 192 Wh per day, while a Strength level 3 Ratron assigned to a Ratpower Generator can produce 240 Wh per day, leaving a surplus of 48 Wh. In practice, this is only enough to support very low-consumption setups, but a recharger and generator pair can be used like a makeshift portable battery when placed on opposite sides of a Lift Rope boundary. This can provide enough power for a few Small Lights, though it is not efficient. Thermal Generator setups are much more practical for larger power needs.

When a damaged Ratron is destroyed or enters emergency shutdown, it can only be dismantled. Disposing of it at a Crematorium or Electric Crematory returns 5 Iron Plate.