Habs - please help me understand

[ProbablyLose]

I built a hab at each of the available orbits. there is an interface for me to add modules to each hab, but I can't build any of them, they all require resources that I am not generating. I am doing pretty well on Earth, have all of North America and good locations elsewhere, reasonably powerful councilors and orgs... but none of the space specific resources... how do I start gaining the resources (water, volatiles, metals, fissiles) that I presume I will get from mining in space if I can't even start mining in space? I am obviously missing something important, but since this complicated game required figuring everything out on your own, I need help from the community here.

[ಠ_ಠ Exil]

You need to unlock the Mining Complex (from research) and build an outpost on the Moon (or Mars, or an Asteroid), build the complex like any other module for the space station and start mining from there

[Dr. Alibert von Weißenstein]

Did you have enough Boost for the Moduls???

[wei270]

before you have your tier 2 resource, you need to use boost and cash to build and maintain habs

[ProbablyLose]

I built seven habs. I can't build modules. I have tons of boost. So I am supposed to go to the moon before I start building habs?

[ಠ_ಠ Exil]

Originally posted by ProbablyLose:

I built seven habs. I can't build modules. I have tons of boost. So I am supposed to go to the moon before I start building habs?

For space stations if you do not have the resources to build in space you need money and boost (that rocket icon), for outposts its the same. Yes, your first goal is to build an outpost on the Moon so you can mine for resources there.

Edit: An so that there is no confusion, when you click on the moon you should see a small house like icon next to the icon you use to build stations, that's what you want to click on.

[db48x]

Normally when you build a module it asks if you want to boost it from Earth or build it in space. Boosting it from Earth requires a lot of boost, which is very expensive in the early game. Building it in space requires metals to already be in space, but until you have a space mine that isn’t an option. Maybe you clicked the “Quick Build” checkbox? That skips the question and just tries to build in space, even if you don’t actually have the resources in space.

You gain those space resources by building mines on other planets. There is a tech that you need to research to unlock mines. Set your first mine on the Moon; it is close enough that the boost cost will be expensive (as much as 50 boost to build the mine), but not so expensive that you will never be able to afford it (the Nuclear Freighters tech halves this cost, so definitely get that).

It hardly matters what your moon mine produces as long as you get metals. Once you have metals you can start constructing modules using those metals rather than the metals you have on Earth, which saves greatly on the boost costs. If you can get water and volatiles as well then that will help pay the upkeep costs of the mines; if you cannot then you will automatically spend boost to supply the upkeep from Earth. It is important not to overbuild before you can mine sufficient water and volatiles!

Next target is Mars. As soon as the Mission to Mars tech is done, send a probe. Simultaneously, go to Mars orbit and build a station. Send a solar panel and a construction yard. These will be slower to arrive than the probe, but doing it now will save you a lot of time overall.

Once the probe has arrived at Mars and your construction yard is built in Mars orbit, any modules you build on Mars or in Mars orbit will be built by the Mars construction yard instead of being built at Earth and shipped to Mars. This saves you boost and a lot of time. Instead of waiting 300 more days for your first mine to arrive at mars, you will only have to wait a couple of months. (The construction time is measured in months, and then it will take a few more hours to travel from low orbit to the surface.)

By this time you should have enough resources in space to build several mines on Mars at the very least. Mars has much more water than the moon, so your first mine on Mars will solve your upkeep problems.

[ProbablyLose]

Yes, as I said I have tons of boost (the rocket icon). And huge amounts of money. I have not researched Mining Complex, I don't think. I think it quite counter-intuitive that your first goal should be the moon rather than orbiting stations. And the game certainly didn't tell me anything to suggest it. Also, it is weird that unlike reality, you can't build a station with earth resources. but OK, that's the game... I will keep pushing forward

[Norðtann]

u can replace all space recources with boost and money.

u can drag and drop modules to their place... i needed a minute to find this out.. but u dont need those ressources, as long as u having enough boost and money

Those ressources are for operations far away from earth, since boost (and time)cost will increase for those projects.

[Cloudbow Rose]

Ok, I didn't know that early station trick about mars, That's definitely going to help in my next play run, thanks!

[db48x]

You’re welcome!

[ProbablyLose]

Originally posted by erik22:

u can replace all space recources with boost and money.

u can drag and drop modules to their place... i needed a minute to find this out.. but u dont need those ressources, as long as u having enough boost and money

Those ressources are for operations far away from earth, since boost (and time)cost will increase for those projects.

BINGO! Drag and MFing Drop. That is why I couldn't do it. I was expecting click and select and never tried that. A little text in the UI that says Drag And Drop is all it would take to make this so much easier to figure out. I feel kinda dumb because I did figure out that drag and drop worked for orgs. I never thought to try it here.

[db48x]

Ah. Either that or right click. I believe there is a tooltip somewhere.

[Norðtann]

Originally posted by ProbablyLose:

BINGO! Drag and MFing Drop. That is why I couldn't do it. I was expecting click and select and never tried that. A little text in the UI that says Drag And Drop is all it would take to make this so much easier to figure out. I feel kinda dumb because I did figure out that drag and drop worked for orgs. I never thought to try it here.

saved the day :D

[ProbablyLose]

Originally posted by db48x:

Ah. Either that or right click. I believe there is a tooltip somewhere.

Yes, right click also works. Thank you both for your help.