What's progression supposed to look like?

[DiscoZombie]

Just curious if I'm understanding the typical gameplay loop properly. Start on a planet, slowly build a base that takes care of your basic needs. Then find enough materials to build an HV to go out and more efficiently mine your starting planet until you can afford an SV. Take that SV into space to find more exotic raw materials, and use those to build a CV. Then you're at the "endgame"?

I've reduced it to a few short sentences, but it seems each of those steps takes many hours. I'm like 30 hours in and haven't even gotten to space yet, so I'm not even sure what mining the more rare materials looks like yet. I'm also not sure at what points you're forced to engage in dangerous combat vs. mining in peace. Is asteroid mining the next logical step? Should I be prioritizing making an SV with hauling and mining capability with a basic turret or two?

[japp_02]

Responding to your questions is kinda spoiling the game for you, but you don't need to do the sequence you mention above, I for my part don't need a base immediately, I can concentrate to build a basic exploring SV and then a starter CV, that's just another way to play.
Moving to space opens to you another layer of exploration and is needed to get more elaborated ressources and do some trade runs. Don't forget that you cannot craft everything, you also need to buy stuff.
Moving to space will also engage you to an extended storyline with special missions and POIs to visit. In the vanilla game these missions are in HIGH contrast with the usual business happening around.

I could go in more details, but staying vague like this will at least not rob you the fun out of it.

[DiscoZombie]

Thanks! mysterious and intriguing!

[Heimdall313]

I usually build a basic HV first, I play vanilla.
Lets me mount wood harvesters, has a fridge, keeps me out of bad weather, and safe from stupid spiders as I drone mine.
I use the wood to stuff three or four portable constructors and same number of water/o2 condensers, for large amounts of biofuel and water. Biofuel keeps an early HV running for a long time, and the surplus will feed the next goal which is usually a base but sometimes an SV.
Water, I'll use in a simple greenhouse base to make Wine for starter credits while I run around doing story missions on Akua. Water and Berries, grows fast, and I get tons of Wine to sell at 21cr a bottle to the guy at the supply depot.
If I go the SV route I'm just collecting resources to level up to a base or CV to hold the loot, and use the initial HV to make biofuel. SV grabs some Promethium to get a Drill and a few charges, then I get to Skillon for Neodymium, etc.

[Blueberry Muffins!]

Only change I'd make would be *quickly* build a base that takes care of your basic needs. Here's my starter HV, you can also build that pretty darn quick.

This game's tech progression is basically the intro sequence, I run the whole tech tree on the starter planet because it's easy and gets it done, then it's time to explore and build and make with the pew pew or whatever you want. POIs and factions, including making your own, are much more interesting than the runup to full tech, I'd say they're the game.

Discovering how and what and where and why to do the things you can do, that's stuff you can only experience once. It's worth it, the starter moons have a lot on offer, you get to where you can rush space but when you're still new it's worth taking it slow.

[Midas]

Originally posted by DiscoZombie:

Just curious if I'm understanding the typical gameplay loop properly. Start on a planet, slowly build a base that takes care of your basic needs. Then find enough materials to build an HV to go out and more efficiently mine your starting planet until you can afford an SV. Take that SV into space to find more exotic raw materials, and use those to build a CV. Then you're at the "endgame"?

Functionally, sure, that's how it can be handled. Though there is a big difference between a starter CV you can build at the earliest point, and a truly end-game CV that uses all the fanciest tech. Realistically, you are iterating on all the vessels as you progress.

[ravien_ff]

You can get everything you need for the best CV equipment from your starting system, except you might be short on sathium.

[Slam Jones]

Originally posted by DiscoZombie:

Take that SV into space to find more exotic raw materials, and use those to build a CV. Then you're at the "endgame"?

I'd say having a warp-capable CV is mid-game at best. Lots left to do once you have access to a whole galaxy :)

[ravien_ff]

Originally posted by Slam Jones:

Originally posted by DiscoZombie:

Take that SV into space to find more exotic raw materials, and use those to build a CV. Then you're at the "endgame"?

I'd say having a warp-capable CV is mid-game at best. Lots left to do once you have access to a whole galaxy :)

Though progression is basically over once you have a CV, as you'll already have the best resources in the game.

[UncreativelyNamed]

It's a sandbox game. There is no set way to play it. It's your job to figure out how you WANT to play it. It may take you a few different starts and attempted play-throughs to figure that out, though.

For me, I don't bother with HVs at all, other than the hoverbike at the very start, which I build ASAP. I hate how HVs snag on trees and rocks and stuff. SVs are just way better, all around. In my opinion, anyway. But, I'm not much for building for myself in this game (I suck at it), so I just gather the materials to build in the factory an early-game SV blueprint that I like that has a fridge and a decent amount of storage. (This one, specifically: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2291950861. It's meant for the Reforged Eden scenario, which is what I play, but it's simple enough that it should work in the vanilla game, too. If not there are plenty of other small starter SV blueprints available on the workshop.)

Until I have that SV, I simply use a wreckage POI (preferably one with some overhead cover, in case of wandering drones) as a "campsite." I fit it out with a survival tent (for both sleeping and as a "safe" respawn point), four or five portable constructors (which have infinite storage for gathered materials), an atmospheric condenser to start generating O2 canisters in anticipation of heading into space with the SV (if starting on a breathable world; when starting on a non-breathable world, the O2 is obviously more of a priority), and if necessary a thermal regulator. I get at least two of the portable constructors working on producing biofuel right away, also in anticipation of the SV.

Only once I've spawned in the SV and done a complete aerial survey of the starting planet do I bother with a real base, and then only a very basic one so that I can have a small constructor to fabricate some things that the portable constructors can't make, like ammo for the SV, and so that I can have a food replicator to make more kinds of food and meds. I prefer mobile CV "bases" to ground bases, as I play in a nomadic fashion, so ground bases are never a priority for me, and the initial basic one I build gets left behind very quickly.

Before I get my mobile base CV, I spawn in a simpler CV (This one here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2973348462) that I can usually build with materials found in the starting sector (including by raiding POIs and/or by trading, for the needed neodymium ingots in particular). Then I'm off to explore the rest of the starting system and the galaxy as a whole in order to find the materials to build the mobile base and then a handful of specialist SVs to use for different purposes. Then I do missions (There are many more of them in the Reforged Eden scenario) and/or I just explore and harvest abandoned POIs and harass Zirax POIs, whatever I feel like doing.

Of course, my way of playing is only one way to do it. It's what I enjoy. The problem with games like this is that you need to play in order to figure out what you like to do, but this game in particular is not really helpful for learning how to play it and what you can do in it. I figured things out mostly by watching YouTube videos made by a creator named Spanj. He has a vanilla "beginner" tutorial series that you may find helpful, as well as series dedicated to the two Reforged Eden scenarios, if you decide to move on to one of them.

[Domaorn]

lol pick some plants build a thruster pod with a seat get to space.. though ive always been torn with games like this.. there really is no progression based on how fast you want something... like astroneer.. i got to glacio first from sylvia by the time i get back i got the end game rocket and thats in less than 2hrs.. emyrion weither its vanilla or something like RE2 few hours and i can have a warp sv just pick plants lol

[The Big Brzezinski]

I'd say my course of progression is generally to get a mining HV, get a cargo SV, build a CV, find a home base, build more C/H/Vs to gather resources faster, build up the base, and start building bigger and badder combat craft to tear up the galaxy. Just getting that first CV is a very early stage.

[captainamaziiing]

After dozens of playthroughs, my game loops is nearly always...
1. Iron Man
2. No factory, no blueprints
3. No saves
4. Slow progression
5. No autominers

Start with a Motorcycle (or very basic HV on a no air or cold world just for shelter). No skill points wasted on HV thrusters yet.

Fast track an SV. Explore planet and moons, shoot everything that gives meat. Grind until I have the levels to start a CV. Get/ scavenge 6 thrusters and a helm. Build ugly CV out of cargo boxes and parts. Build mining SV/HV (depending on scenario). Get jump drive for SV. Use SV to get mats for warp drive. Get warp drive. pack everything on CV and head off, looking for perfect planet (tropical, mild, no Zirax, bioluminescent oceans). When I find it, I finally build a base. No defenses required, farm outdoors. mostly just a giant platform. Then i build a new CV on that platform, harvesting mats as I go, using the ugly CV and miner to do the dirty work. I'm usually nearing L 20 by the time the new CV is ready to take out for a test run.

Once I have a ship I'm happy with I usually toss it onto the workshop and generally lose interest in the playthrough. No interest in taking my ship into CV combat to be blown to smithereens. I spent a lot of time on it!

I 'win' by completing a new CV without dying. I win about 1/2 the time.

[Luke]

The intended progression in vanilla is actually extremely deliberate and specific. It is defined by resource placement and constructor order.

There are lots of ways to short-cut it, and different options available in RE or whatever, but in vanilla it looks like this:

Leave the crown moon tutorial area and go to Omicron where the game begins.

Use the resources in your immediate area to make a survival constructor in your suit backpack.

Use the survival constructor and any nearby basic deposits or ruins to make a HV.

Use the HV to travel to larger nearby resource deposits and gather more basic resources.

This is the beginning game progression during which you unlock things like hand drills, chainsaw, HV harvester, and base constructors.

With your new resources and unlocks, build a base and small constructor and create an SV

With your SV, leave the planet and go to the moon.  Get the resources (usually Cobalt and Pentaxid for fuel) needed to make a SV warp drive (and likely CPU extender).

with a base large constructor, make a SV warp drive and leave the planet to get the resources (neodymium) for making a CV and CV warp drive.



from your base Advanced constructor, make a CV and CV warp drive, and leave the starting system.

You are now out of the "beginning" game and can start getting advanced resources for advanced weapons.

There are several shortcuts to the above, depending on where you start and how you play:

You can, for example, skip the HV and HV constructor entirely. there are repairable HVs and SVs to find and re-use. some surface deposits or looted containers might let you skip other steps. You might travel to Omicron with a fully functional warp capable SV. Depending on what traders you find, you can exploit trading to buy infinite rare resources in the starting system.

Never fall into the trap of searching for rare resources in surface nodes or underwater or whatever, that is a ridiculous waste of time and will take longer than just doing the intended progress in order. Full size deposits are nearby, you just need to make the vehicles to go get them.

It is possible to grind enough resources from the tutorial moons to get a warp capable CV, but it takes a huge investment in time compared to just getting the large deposits of those resources from the locations indicated on your system map, and you need to already have a lot of game experience to know what the sources of those trace materials are (what parts to salvage from wrecks, etc).

It is also possible to find a wrecked SV, find a SV warp drive (sometimes in the same place), find a wrecked CV, find a CV warp drive (sometimes in the same place) and skip all of the intended progression. You still need to grind basic resources and level up, but you can bypass bases entirely and bypass the regular cobalt / neodymium sources.

Originally posted by DiscoZombie:

Start on a planet, slowly build a base that takes care of your basic needs.

This is entirely optional. You never need a base to take care of your "basic needs". on hostile environment planets, you can use a HV or SV for insulation and O2. You never "need" to farm, though it does help to be able to cook.

You may want a base for environmental shelter, farming, and cooking, and you can totally do that if you like. Building a base isn't a "noob trap" any more, not on Vanilla or on RE1 "beginner" starts, but I guess it is again in RE2. So you mostly can't go wrong by building a base, but you don't need to except to get access to the large constructor and to have free solar power.

As soon as you have the large constructor, it is possible to move everything you need to a CV, and to produce everything else from that (large constructor builds advanced constructor, advanced constructor builds CV warp drive)

[nevryn]

Originally posted by Luke:

You may want a base for environmental shelter, farming, and cooking, and you can totally do that if you like. Building a base isn't a "noob trap" any more, not on Vanilla or on RE1 "beginner" starts, but I guess it is again in RE2. So you mostly can't go wrong by building a base, but you don't need to except to get access to the large constructor and to have free solar power.

Not even in RE2, unless you choose not to use the factory, as I think you need the base small constructor to craft a CV starter. Although you could in theory put down a base starter, fuel tank, generator, cargo box, and small constructor, build a CV starter block and then deconstruct the base.

[ChumSickle]

One of the beauties of EGS is that the "play loop" really comes down to just what you want it to be. For me, I play RE2 most of the time, so my "end game" is being able to take out Toveras and fly around not really scared of anything. But the "how do you get there" changes each time I play. Sometimes its building a base on the starter, sometimes its avoiding building anything until I can spawn in a CV.

I also mainly play on an MP server, so the option of staying on the home planet is a non-issue as it wipes every week or so, so you >have< to get off planet.