Rift Traveler

Rift Traveler

The temporal rifts have always been a mystery.

Scattered across the world, they appear without warning, distort the landscape around them, and tempt those brave enough to venture near. Most survivors learn to avoid them.

Rift Traveler invites you to ask a different question.

What if the rifts aren't simply dangerous... but misunderstood?

Rather than introducing magical portals or unrestricted fast travel, Rift Traveler expands Vintage Story's existing temporal mechanics into a complete progression centered around exploration, research, experimentation, and mastering forgotten temporal technology.

Every journey begins with curiosity.

Every discovery reveals another piece of lost knowledge.

Every breakthrough brings humanity one step closer to understanding the temporal network.

⚠ Alpha Development

Rift Traveler is currently in active alpha development.

The core gameplay systems are functional and fully playable, but balancing, content, compatibility, and presentation will continue evolving as development progresses.

This version is developed and tested for Vintage Story 1.22.3.

Before installing or updating:

• Back up your worlds.

• Test updates on copies of important saves.

• Report issues with relevant client and server logs.

• Expect occasional bugs and balance changes during development.

Investigate the Unknown

Temporal Triangulator

Every expedition begins with the Temporal Triangulator.

Constructed from recovered temporal technology, the Triangulator allows survivors to investigate unstable rifts and gradually unravel the hidden structure of the temporal network.

The Triangulator can:

• Scan for nearby temporal rifts.

• Record multiple rift signatures.

• Triangulate hidden convergence points.

• Track calibrated Temporal Anchors.

• Locate Cargo Anchors.

• Display direction, distance, signal strength, and activity through a dedicated animated HUD.

• Accumulate Temporal Residue after successful natural rift journeys.

Rather than replacing exploration, the Triangulator complements it. Its animated directional needle guides your investigation while still requiring observation, preparation, and a willingness to venture into the unknown.

Natural Rift Travel

Temporal rifts are unpredictable, but they are not completely random.

By locating compatible rifts and carefully recording their signatures, survivors can temporarily synchronize unstable regions of the temporal network.

A successful expedition involves:

1. Locate nearby temporal rifts.

2. Record three compatible rift signatures.

3. Triangulate their convergence point.

4. Stabilize the resulting travel window.

5. Step through the rift into the unknown.

Every journey carries risk.

Although Rift Traveler performs extensive destination safety checks before arrival, every expedition remains an adventure into unexplored territory, often transporting players thousands of blocks from where they began.

Temporal Residue

Every successful journey leaves traces behind.

Natural rift travel gradually coats the Temporal Triangulator with glowing Temporal Residue, a rare material that serves as the foundation of future research.

Residue can be carefully cleaned from the Triangulator by sneaking and using it while aiming into open air.

The recovered material becomes an important research resource used throughout Rift Traveler's progression.

Instead of consuming a finite supply of Temporal Gears, continued exploration naturally provides the materials needed for further experimentation.

Exploration fuels research.

Understand the Temporal Network

Temporal Discoveries

Every expedition teaches something new.

As you investigate temporal anomalies, recover unusual materials, and experiment with unfamiliar technology, you'll begin uncovering fragments of forgotten temporal science.

Rather than revealing every process from the beginning, Rift Traveler encourages experimentation. Research leads point toward new possibilities without immediately exposing exact ingredients, temperatures, or operating conditions.

Each successful breakthrough permanently expands your understanding by recording newly discovered Temporal Protocols within your Survival Handbook.

Knowledge becomes your greatest tool.

The more you learn, the more ambitious your experiments become.

Experiment with Temporal Science

Temporal Retort

Every discovery eventually raises the same question:

"How can this knowledge be put to use?"

The answer is the Temporal Retort.

Built upon familiar Barrel mechanics while introducing advanced temporal chemistry, the Retort is where temporal discoveries become practical technology.

Instead of relying on fixed crafting recipes, the Retort performs experiments using Temporal Protocols. Every protocol defines its own ingredients, liquids, temperatures, operating conditions, processing times, and resulting products, allowing a single apparatus to perform an expanding variety of temporal experiments.

Features

• Three solid input slots

• Two atomic output slots

• Barrel-capacity liquid tank

• Barrel-compatible liquid handling

• Heated temporal reactions

• Temperature-dependent protocols

• Open, closed, and clamped operating states

• Planned pressure mechanics

• Multiple simultaneous outputs

• Atomic processing

Every protocol is fully validated before execution.

Materials are never consumed unless the entire process can complete successfully, preventing accidental item loss.

Should processing conditions change, progress pauses safely and automatically resumes once the required conditions have been restored.

Designed around reusable Temporal Protocols rather than hardcoded recipes, the Retort forms the scientific foundation upon which future Rift Traveler technologies are built.

Refine Temporal Energy

Temporal Crystals

Mastering the Retort eventually unlocks one of the most important breakthroughs in temporal research.

Temporal Crystals.

These remarkable crystals store stabilized temporal energy and become the cornerstone of advanced temporal infrastructure.

They power Anchors, sustain Cargo Networks, and enable technologies that would otherwise remain impossible.

Every crystal represents the successful application of everything learned through exploration, discovery, and experimentation.

Harness the Network

Temporal Anchors

Natural rifts are unpredictable.

Temporal Anchors provide stability.

Once constructed and calibrated, Anchors establish permanent locations within the temporal network that can be tracked across vast distances using the Temporal Triangulator.

Players can:

• Construct personal Anchors.

• Calibrate them with the Triangulator.

• Supply them with Temporal Crystals.

• Track them across the world.

• Return to dependable destinations.

Rather than replacing natural rifts, Anchors complement them by providing reliable infrastructure built upon hard-earned knowledge.

Cargo Network

Mastering temporal science eventually makes it possible to transport more than just yourself.

The Cargo Network enables long-distance item transportation without requiring player travel.

Using Cargo Anchors, Cargo Transmitters, and the Temporal Triangulator, survivors can establish logistics networks connecting distant settlements, laboratories, mining camps, and exploration outposts.

Cargo systems remain server-authoritative and owner-bound to ensure secure, reliable transportation.

Unsupported nested inventories are intentionally excluded to protect item integrity and prevent duplication.

Create Your Own Protocols

Snapshot Recipe Maker

The same tools used to build Rift Traveler are available to the community.

The Snapshot Recipe Maker allows developers and advanced players to create entirely new Temporal Protocols directly inside the game.

Instead of manually writing complex JSON files, simply prepare a Temporal Retort exactly as intended, stage the desired ingredients, liquids, operating conditions, and outputs, then generate a fully validated protocol with a single command.

Every generated protocol is automatically verified before being saved, helping prevent malformed data, duplicate identifiers, and invalid recipes.

Whether you're extending Rift Traveler or building an entirely new mod around the Retort's processing system, the Snapshot Recipe Maker provides the same workflow used during development.

For commands and documentation on the Snapshot Recipe Maker and the Temporal Retort, you can vistit the public github https://github.com/Vetten337/RiftTraveler-Public

Designed for Vintage Story

Every system in Rift Traveler has been designed to feel like a natural extension of Vintage Story's world.

Rather than replacing exploration or simplifying progression, temporal technology must be discovered, researched, constructed, maintained, and mastered through play.

The mod emphasizes:

• Exploration

• Research

• Experimentation

• Risk versus reward

• Long-term progression

• Immersion

• Multiplayer compatibility

• Server-authoritative gameplay

Every new technology is earned through understanding, not simply crafted from a recipe.

Hidden Protocol Spoiler

The following section reveals the first Temporal Crystal protocol. Players who want to discover it through experimentation should skip this section.

Current Features

• Temporal Triangulator
• Animated scanner HUD and directional needle
• Natural rift scanning and triangulation
• Long-distance natural rift travel
• Renewable Temporal Residue
• Personal Temporal Anchors
• Cargo Anchors and Cargo Transmitters
• Cross-dimensional cargo transportation
• Temporal Retort chemistry
• Data-driven temporal protocols
• Crystal Growth Molds
• Temporal Crystals
• Research leads and confirmed discoveries
• Survival Handbook integration
• Multiplayer and dedicated-server support

Additional temporal technologies, protocols, discoveries, and balancing improvements are planned for future releases.

Compatibility

• Required Vintage Story version: 1.22.3
• Side: Client and server
• All multiplayer participants should install the same Rift Traveler version.
• Back up existing worlds before installing or updating an alpha release.
• Compatibility with every third-party mod is not guaranteed.

Feedback and Bug Reports

Rift Traveler is actively being tested. Useful reports should include:

• Rift Traveler version
• Vintage Story version
• Single-player or multiplayer
• Steps needed to reproduce the problem
• Relevant screenshots
• Client and server logs when applicable