How long until I can get to developing space?

[zanthrax]

Clicking through the tutorial, I got very excited when I saw the solar system model, w/ dozens of asteroids, dwarf planets, and even lagrange points. Plus I'm sure I saw something in a ship view that suggested that the game's actually using delta-V to determine where ships can and can't get to. And the possibility of multiple bases on larger bodies, or just a single mining station on the smallest rocks, along with the resources being set up as they are all suggests that the development of the solar system part of the game could be the exact game I've been wanting to play for years - Aurora 4x but pretty and without the insane level of design detail (seriously, I don't want to have to develop a functioning missile weapon by trial and error. Honestly I don't even want to have to spend any time worrying about arming ships at all.)

How long do I have to spend trying to gain control of countries before I can instead play the interesting looking part of the game?

Any chance that there will be a mode in the actual game that just focuses on development of the solar system and deactivates, or at least minimises the amount of inter-faction and xeno conflict?

[Hooded Horse]

Hi! Just noting that a Far Future scenario where mankind has already begun colonizing the Solar System is announced for post-release.

[˹FPS˼ Night]

looks like 3-8 hours from a new game start in 2022 before you start building space stations, mining bases and such come soon after. Its going to be earth-luna for a bit. There is asteroid mining, bases on other planets etc. The game is very slow paced.

[Mr.Fly (Go Play Nine Sols!)]

^ and that slow-paced gameplay is really hampered when you can't save your progress at all, at least a Ironman-like exitsave would be reasonable.

[Nikoli Kalishnikov]

Originally posted by Mr.Fly:

^ and that slow-paced gameplay is really hampered when you can't save your progress at all, at least a Ironman-like exitsave would be reasonable.

I dont find this a issue, its stated that this is a purpose built DEMO limitation, i presume (not a beta tester myself) that there is a save-load function for the beta version of the game, and if not that there will be on release (hell you can see the load game button on the exit menu when in game)

[Packrat]

I found that about four years into the game I had lunar and Mars based mining colonies along with being able to potentially make a (very crap) space warship. That timeline could probably be accelerated quite a lot though and also I am not sure what the point of my tiny crap space warship was - it could in no way fight an alien ship and cruising around demolishing hostile orbital platforms is apparently an atrocity.

I guess I could have researched a bit longer and put marines on it rather than it being a flying converted naval gun?

[MerlinTheGameWizard]

I managed to have lunar colonies within 1 year and half I think. Focus on wealthy countries and their neighbour's when looking for targets to control.

[Dalwin]

What are the absolute minimum requirements to put your first module into orbit?

[MerlinTheGameWizard]

I think the minimum is some money and boost. Actually doing anything with it is another story. (Might be a hab research, I know there is one for extraplanetary colonies.

[Sly Liquid]

I was able to get a station up and running by researching the Core Hab mod, have a country with launch capability, have 3+ boost saved up, and at least 1k cash on hand. After I had 3 mods space debris destroyed my mods so I had to rebuild the thing. Only took a few moths and was able to put a space doc on it to build war ships but I did not have the noble metals and such to do so. At this point I was trying to figure how to launch a probe but failed to find out how because I had to quit the session for life stuff.

[MerlinTheGameWizard]

Originally posted by Sly Liquid:

I was able to get a station up and running by researching the Core Hab mod, have a country with launch capability, have 3+ boost saved up, and at least 1k cash on hand. After I had 3 mods space debris destroyed my mods so I had to rebuild the thing. Only took a few moths and was able to put a space doc on it to build war ships but I did not have the noble metals and such to do so. At this point I was trying to figure how to launch a probe but failed to find out how because I had to quit the session for life stuff.

Probes are a separate technology. Once you have them it lets you research a project I think that lets you send them.

[Steelpoint]

You can launch a space station into orbit fairly early on, all it takes is some boost and a small amount of money. The fact is however its going to take at least a few years before you can really start to do anything meaningful.

I believe the space aspect of the game really starts to get underway when the human factions are able to start setting up mining colonies on Mars or the asteroid belt. With the resources you can start getting from there you start to become far less reliant on Earth for boost, freeing you to start really spreading out more habitats, orbital stations and even space ships.

[Packrat]

Once to have space mining set up then the big limiter appears to be Mission Control. Boost stops being a factor and a couple of mines can easily support making new basic habs or small ship. Fuelling actively maneuvering ships with enough water looks as if it might be more of an issue though.

if you expand your habitats/ships beyond the number you can support from Earth then they can rebel and leave your control however and building up mission control takes ages, I think they are also expensive to maintain? It looks as if it is very easy to over invest in boost early on then find yourself with quite a lot of it and your mission control maxed outl.

[Thurgret]

Originally posted by Night:

looks like 3-8 hours from a new game start in 2022 before you start building space stations, mining bases and such come soon after. Its going to be earth-luna for a bit. There is asteroid mining, bases on other planets etc. The game is very slow paced.

Up to 8 hours? No way I'm able to play for 8 hours straight in a game that can't be saved to see a feature in a demo. Thanks for saving me the time.