What is StationeersLua?

StationeersLua is a BepInEx mod for Stationeers that brings full Lua 5.2 scripting to programmable chips, replacing the vanilla IC10 assembly language with a modern, powerful scripting language.

Why Lua instead of IC10?

IC10 assembly is powerful but painful at scale:

IC10 Pain Point	Lua Solution
16 registers (r0–r15)	Unlimited local variables and tables
Jump-label spaghetti (j, beq, jal)	if/else, while, for, functions
Max 128 lines per chip	No practical line limit (disable in IC10Editor with ? button)
No strings (only ASCII-6 packing)	Native string support
No data structures	Tables, arrays, maps
No error recovery	pcall(), nil-safe reads
No inter-chip communication	Full networking: messaging, pub/sub, RPC
No code reuse across chips	Library chips with require()

Key Features

• Full Lua 5.2 Runtime — Standard Lua syntax with loops, functions, tables, closures, coroutines
• Integrated Circuit (Lua) — New chip item that accepts Lua code instead of IC10 assembly
• IC10 Editor Integration - Syntax highlighting, formatting, completions, hover docs, and diagnostics in the in-game code editor
• Comprehensive Device API — Read/write logic values, slots, reagents, memory, batch operations
• Coroutine Support — sleep() and yield() for natural control flow without mandatory tick() loops
• Inter-Chip Networking — Direct messaging, topic-based pub/sub, and RPC between Lua chips
• Library Chips — Write reusable modules loaded via require() across the data network
• Event System — Register handlers for game and mod events
• VS Code Debugger — Attach breakpoints, step execution, inspect stack/scopes/variables, and view runtime output externally
• Wireless Development Access — Reach remote data networks through the wearable wireless development board on supported suits (and Survival Toolbelt chips on the same player)
• Save/Load Persistence — ic.persist string KV (save/load and housing power cycles); legacy serialize()/deserialize() still supported
• Instruction Limits — Built-in safety limits prevent infinite loops (defaults configurable on the server/host under mod config [Lua VM]; see Sandbox & Limits)
• Multiplayer Compatible — Fully synced across all connected clients
• Server-Authoritative — All execution on the server/host; clients see results via game state sync
• MCP Server — Built-in Model Context Protocol server for AI-aware editors (Cursor, Windsurf, etc.) with chip discovery, code sync, and debug tools
• In-Game Reference Panel — Searchable Lua API reference replaces the IC10 help buttons when editing Lua in the IC editor
• Advanced Computing Compatible — Rack-mounted Lua chips are discovered individually when the Advanced Computing mod is installed

Architecture

┌─────────────┐
│  Code saved  │  Editor saves source to chip
└──────┬───────┘
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│ Compile/Init │  Lua VM created, ic table injected,
│              │  module-level code runs (default 500K instruction budget)
└──────┬───────┘
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│  Tick loop   │  Every game tick (~0.5s):
│              │   1. Network messages processed
│              │   2. Events dispatched
│              │   3. Main coroutine resumed
│              │   4. tick(dt) called if defined
│              │  Budget: default 50K instructions per tick (mod cfg `[Lua VM]`)
└──────┬───────┘
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│   Shutdown   │  Housing powered off, chip removed, or game exit
└─────────────┘

Companion Mods

ScriptedScreens - Build custom touchscreen UIs on computer consoles, tablets, and programmable visors. Buttons, sliders, charts, gauges, canvas drawing, games, media playback, and more - all driven by Lua scripts on ScriptedScreens boards and visor hosts.

Community

• Discord — Orbital Foundry Mod Team
• Ko-fi — Support development