The player character in Planet Crafter has three survival resources or needs, which must be fulfilled as a survival game mechanic. They are shown on the UI in the following order:
Health / Food
Water
Oxygen
These resources are constantly depleted at various rates (Oxygen fastest, Water moderately fast, and Health/Food the slowest). If these needs are not met, the default consequence is that the player may be respawned at the last safe building they visited, with their needs reset. The player will also drop some items into a chest, which may be collected after respawn. However, changing the game difficulty can result in different death consequences.
Oxygen[]
Oxygen drops at a steady rate while outside or underwater. The player has the shortest capacity for their oxygen supply. The 
Air Filter reduces how much Oxygen the Player Character uses based on the Oxygen terraformation value. This equipment is disabled underwater, leading to faster oxygen depletion when underwater. When the Breathable Atmosphere stage is reached, oxygen will not deplete while on land.
Oxygen can be refilled by stepping into any player-owned pressurized space, such as the 
Landing Pod or a 
Living Compartment. Even in the event of having insufficient 
Power, oxygen is still available in these buildings. Wrecks and wrecked buildings do not provide oxygen to the player.
Alternatively, the player can use a 
Oxygen Capsule. Oxygen Capsules can be initially crafted at the 
T1 Craft Station/
T2 for the cost of 2 
Cobalt, or produced automatically from the 
Gas Extractor and 
T2 Gas Extractor.
Water[]
Water depletes second fastest after oxygen. When low, the player is advised that their hydration level is low.
Water can be refilled by using a 
Water Bottle. Water Bottles can be crafted at the T1 Craft Station/ T2 and using 
Ice. However, Water Bottles are also produced automatically from the 
Atmospheric Water Collector and 
Lake Water Collector without the use of extra resources.
The 
Water Filter allows the Player Character to drink directly from lakes.
Health[]
Health is a resource that depletes relatively slowly. In addition to constant depletion due to the effect of "hunger", being hit by space meteors or falling off of high places can have a severe effect on the player's health.
Health can be refilled by eating various types of food. 
Space Food can be found in containers around the map, and is the first food introduced to the player, although there is a somewhat limited supply.
Growing Food[]
Food may be grown in the 
Food Grower and 
T2 Food Grower using crop seeds to produce:
Cooking and Preparing Food[]
Food may be cooked using the 
Cooking Station, or, in the case of High Quality or Animal Food, the 
Biolab. Take care when using the cooking station, some of the crafted items are intermediate ingredients, and cannot be eaten on their own. Some cooked foods add additional bonuses for a short time.
Food Comparison[]
| Name | Health Restored | Buff |
|---|---|---|
 Eggplant |
25 | - |
 Mushroom |
35 | - |
 Wheat |
35 | - |
| Space Food |
40 | - |
 Squash |
40 | - |
 Cocoa |
40 | - |
 T1 Animal Food |
40 | Beneficial for Animals |
 Honey Cooked Beans |
50 | Thirst Reduction |
 Fish Soup |
50 | Oxygen Consumption |
 Beans |
60 | - |
 T2 Animal Food |
70 | Beneficial for Animals |
 Croissant |
75 | - |
 Cookie |
90 | Movement Speed |
 High Quality Food |
90 | - |
 T3 Animal Food
|
125 |
Difficulty[]
The game mode (difficulty) selected at the start of a game can be used to scale how fast or slow these needs deplete. Apart from the standard rate of depletion, Relaxed (80%) and Intense (120%) modes are also available.
Death Consequences[]
Difficulty can also have more consequences for dying. Optionally, the game can be set to have the following:
- No Consequences - player respawned, but nothing bad happens
- Drop Some Items - Some inventory items dropped into a retrievable chest (this is the standard or default setting)
- Lose All Items - All inventory items are lost
- Deletion of Save File - your save game is deleted. This is permanent death.