These settings apply globally across all Build and Repair blocks on the server. All values listed below are the defaults used when the setting is omitted from ModSettings.xml.
Range & Offset
Setting
Default
Description
Range
100
Maximum working range in metres. Blocks, projections, and floating objects outside this radius are ignored.
MaximumOffset
200
Maximum distance in metres the work area can be offset from the block’s position via the terminal.
Power
Power values are in MW. These set the upper limit; actual draw scales with activity.
Setting
Default
Description
MaximumRequiredElectricPowerStandby
0.05
Maximum power draw when idle (50 kW).
MaximumRequiredElectricPowerTransport
0.1
Maximum power draw during transport (100 kW).
Background Processing
Setting
Default
Description
MaxBackgroundTasks
4
Maximum number of background scan tasks that may run in parallel across all blocks on the server. Reduce to lower CPU impact on large servers.
Behaviour
Setting
Default
Description
SafeZoneCheckEnabled
true
When true, the system respects Safe Zone rules before welding, grinding, or building projections. Set to false to disable the check entirely.
ShieldCheckEnabled
true
When true, grids protected by an active Defence Shield are skipped. Set to false to disable the check.
DecreaseFactionReputationOnGrinding
true
When true, grinding grids belonging to other factions or NPCs causes a reputation penalty, matching the behaviour of manual grinding.
DeleteBotsWhenDead
true
When true, NPC bot bodies are deleted when they die, preventing them from cluttering the world.
AssignToSystemEnabled
true
When true, target blocks for welding and grinding are assigned to individual Build and Repair systems so that multiple systems divide work efficiently instead of all targeting the same block. Set to false to disable the mechanism server-wide.
FriendlyDamageTimeoutTicks
600000000
How long a friendly-damage record is kept, in TimeSpan ticks (1 tick = 100 nanoseconds). Default is 60 seconds.
FriendlyDamageCleanupTicks
100000000
Interval between friendly-damage record cleanup passes, in TimeSpan ticks (1 tick = 100 nanoseconds). Default is 10 seconds.
System Limits
Setting
Default
Description
MaxSystemsPerTargetGrid
20 (local/listen) / 10 (dedicated)
Maximum number of Build and Repair blocks that may work on the same target grid simultaneously. Prevents many systems piling onto one grid while nearby grids are left untouched. The default is 20 in local and listen-server games and 10 on dedicated servers. Setting this in the config file overrides whichever default applies. Accepted range: 1–100.
DisableLimitSystemsPerTargetGrid
false
Set to true to remove the per-grid system limit entirely.
EmptyGridRescanDelaySeconds
20
After scanning a grid and finding no weld or grind targets, the system will skip that grid for this many seconds before scanning it again. This reduces CPU load from repeatedly iterating grids that have nothing for the system to do. Set to 0 to disable this behaviour. Sub-grid connections (connectors, pistons, rotors) are always traversed regardless of this setting, so a newly docked or spawned ship is never missed.
AssignmentTtlSeconds
8
How long a block assignment reservation is held (in seconds) before expiring. When a Build and Repair block claims a target, other systems will not attempt to work on the same block for this duration. Lower values allow faster recycling when systems disconnect; higher values prevent assignment “stealing” between systems. Accepted range: 2–30. Example: /nanobars config set AssignmentTtlSeconds 5
Performance Tuning
These settings control how the mod distributes its workload. They are useful for large servers with many Build and Repair blocks. All can be changed at runtime via /nanobars config set <setting> <value>.
Setting
Default
Description
StaggerGroupCount
0 (auto)
Controls how many stagger groups are used to distribute Build and Repair updates across ticks. 0 means automatic — the mod picks the number based on how many enabled Build and Repair blocks are currently in the world (≤5 = 1 group, ≤10 = 2, ≥11 = 3). Disabled blocks are ignored, so toggling unused systems off restores responsiveness for the active fleet. Higher values spread the load more but increase the delay between each block’s updates. Accepted range: 0–10.
MaxGrindsPerTick
0 (auto)
Maximum number of grind operations across all blocks per tick. 0 means automatic — the mod scales the budget based on block count (minimum 5, maximum 10). Setting a fixed value overrides the auto scaling. Higher values allow faster grinding but use more CPU per tick. Accepted range: 0–100. Example: /nanobars config set MaxGrindsPerTick 8
MaxWeldsPerTick
0 (auto)
Global cap on weld operations across all blocks per tick. 0 means automatic — the mod scales the budget based on block count. Setting a fixed value overrides the auto scaling. Higher values allow faster welding but risk frame spikes when the underlying engine weld call is heavy on a tick. Accepted range: 0–100.
MaxGrindMsPerTick
8
Per-tick wall-clock budget (in milliseconds) for grind work across all blocks. Caps total grinding time per tick so engine spikes can’t push a frame past the sim budget. With many systems on a server the ms cap often wins over MaxGrindsPerTick — raise this to let more systems grind in parallel each tick. Recommended starting point for fleets of 30+ systems: 30. Accepted range: 1–100.
MaxWeldMsPerTick
8
Per-tick wall-clock budget (in milliseconds) for weld work across all blocks. Same role as MaxGrindMsPerTick for the weld path. Engine weld calls can spike 5–30 ms on complex blocks (cockpits, hydrogen tanks, etc.), so raising this can let more systems weld in parallel at the cost of occasional larger tick spikes. Accepted range: 1–100.
BlockFailureCooldownSeconds
15
After a block fails to weld because its missing components are unavailable from every source (or a projector exception, etc.) it is placed on a global fail-cooldown for this many seconds. Other Build and Repair blocks — and the same block on later ticks — skip the cooldowned block, so a large set of high-priority blocks all needing one exhausted component can’t keep the system bouncing off them every tick instead of welding lower-priority blocks that do have components. Set to 0 to disable. Accepted range: 0–30.
Sound & Visuals
Setting
Default
Description
DisableTickingSound
false
Set to true to silence the ticking/unable sound for all blocks and all players on the server.
DisableParticleEffects
false
Set to true to disable the flying nanobot trace animations globally. Individual blocks can also toggle this in the terminal unless this setting forces it off.
Debugging
Setting
Default
Description
DebugMode
false
When true, the terminal custom info panel shows extra diagnostic information for all Build and Repair blocks (sources, push targets, cluster details, scan timings). Intended for testing and troubleshooting only — not for normal play. Note: On dedicated servers, some debug information may not be visible because the terminal panel is only rendered on connected clients.
Logging & Localisation
Setting
Default
Description
LogLevel
Error
Controls how much detail is written to the game log. Accepted values: Error, Warning, Info, Debug. Use Debug only when troubleshooting — it generates a large amount of output.
DisableLocalization
false
Set to true to disable mod localisation and fall back to English regardless of the player’s language setting.