Robot Army Redux — Automated Warfare for Factorio 2.1
Build an army. Automate deployment. Defend your factory. Take the fight to the biters.
Robot Army Redux brings the classic Robot Army gameplay to Factorio 2.1. Manufacture combat droids, deploy autonomous squads, coordinate your defences and build an automated military production line alongside your factory.
This is an unofficial continuation of Robot Army originally created by Kyranzor, updated and maintained by Szentigrade (Forgeworks). The original robot types, buildings, recipes, technologies and artwork are retained rather than replaced with a different combat system.
Features
- Eight robot types: rifle, SMG, rocket and flame droids, Terminators, defenders, distractors and destroyers.
- Automated deployment: feed droid assemblers with crafted robots to deploy units that join nearby squads or form new ones.
- Squad commands: use the squad-selection tool and settings infrastructure to direct and configure your robot army.
- Defensive guard stations: stock stations with robots to deploy defenders automatically.
- Quick Reaction Force (QRF): eligible squads can react to nearby building destruction and respond to threats within the configured range.
- Factory integration: original support buildings include the droid counter and settings combinator, allowing army activity to fit into a larger automated base.
What's new in version 2.5.0?
Robot Army Redux updates the original mod's prototypes, graphics helpers, recipes, selection tools and Lua runtime for Factorio 2.1.20+. It fixes obsolete APIs and selection-mode flags, corrects robot inventory handling, and improves squad joining, guard deployment and QRF behaviour across separate surfaces.
A first-run world scan can re-register surviving Robot Army robots and buildings after switching to the new mod ID. Built-in diagnostics also test real robot spawning, squad movement, combat, guard deployment and save/reload without leaving permanent test arenas behind.
Factorio and mod compatibility
Factorio: 2.1.20 or newer; tested on 2.1.23.
Space Age: not required. Multi-surface handling has automated tests, but full Space Age progression and broad mod combinations are not certified.
Forgeworks Core: not required.
Conflicts: original robotarmy and CombatRobotsOverhaul.
Optional: Unit Control (Unit_Controll >= 2.0.3); when active, Unit Control can take over normal automated squad AI behaviour.
Important: switching from the original Robot Army
Back up your save before installing Redux. This mod uses the technical name robotarmy-redux, so Factorio treats it as a different mod from robotarmy. Disable or remove the original mod before switching.
Existing physical droids and buildings may be re-registered from the saved world, but the original mod's privately stored squad assignments, orders and settings cannot be transferred automatically. Check existing units and reissue orders as necessary.
This is an unofficial continuation, not an official update by Kyranzor.
Built-in AIO testing
To validate installation in a backup or test save, open the console and run:
/robotarmy-aio-test
When prompted, save and reload that game, then run:
/robotarmy-aio-reload-check
/robotarmy-aio-stop cancels an active test and attempts cleanup. Reports are written to script-output/robotarmy-redux-aio-report.txt and script-output/robotarmy-redux-reload-report.txt.
On Factorio 2.1.23, the complete automated AIO plus actual save/reload verification recorded 86 PASS / 0 FAIL.
These checks covered production-path single- and three-member squads, formation-aware navigation, real biter combat, QRF, sustained guard deployment, surviving squad members, post-reload commands and arena cleanup.
They do not simulate real mouse-drag gestures, lengthy campaigns, every other mod combination or end-to-end powered crafting progression.
Credits and licensing
Original author: Kyranzor (Kyran Findlater) and the original Robot Army contributors.
Redux author/maintainer: Szentigrade (Forgeworks).
Original contributors credited by the source include YuokiTani, Klonan, Dauphin, Earendel, Felipe Bueno Aliski Alves, Varoga and cyril-orlov. Their original contributions and the included MIT licence remain acknowledged.
Original Robot Army Mod Portal: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/robotarmy
Original source code: https://github.com/kyranf/robotarmyfactorio
Original documentation: https://github.com/kyranf/robotarmyfactorio/wiki
Community, support and bug reports
Join the Forgeworks Discord:
Report reproducible issues in #bug-reports. Include the Robot Army Redux version, Factorio version, relevant mod list, full error and a save or log when applicable.