What do I need to do before going to space?

[GAMING_Alligator]

So I'm up to yellow science, got a reasonable logistics network going, and laser perimeter defences set up all around the pollution cloud. No nuclear yet, but not struggling with power, between solar and boilers, so in no rush. Besides, Kovarex is locked behind space science now.

Anything important to do before going to space and leaving Nauvis unattended for a while?

[Bone White]

It helps if you have roboports, logistics bots and many items stored in logistics chests. That way you can send your ship back to Nauvis to pick up items you might want that might want which you cannot easily manufacture on the planet you go to.

All 3 starter planets can be completed if you spawned on there "naked" but all are much easier if you can get the items you "want" by importing them from Nauvis.

Otherwise, take enough items with your first ship to build a Rocket Silo, and enough resources to fuel at least one rocket so you can return to Nauvis when desired.

I have kept this answer to "what you might want on Nauvis" rather than "what you might want to take with you" except for the last part.

[Nico]

As long as your base won't get overrun by biters just because you're gone for a while it should be fine. But having a proper logistic system is certainly nice to have for making space platforms as they can auto request what they need.

Though you really should have made a platform earlier to already start making space science, as that's easy to make and basically free once you built the platform.

[Glyph]

You can do space science without having to leave the planet, to get all those white science goodies, like logistics network and Kovarex

[Simon]

You'd probably send the a platform up and get space science from orbit before going to space yourself and leaving. You can do all of that from Nauvis.

[knighttemplar1960]

You can build one (or more) tiny platforms without engines or fuel processing to just sit in Nauvis orbit and create space science packs. You can do all that remotely without leaving the surface of Nauvis.

[Darkwater-2034]

Getting a self sustaining and defending base that can make a interplanetary platform remotely is a must before you can leave nauvis orbit. Both Vulcanius and Fulgoria can launch build silos and launch rockets with very minimal hassle however if you get stuck on Gleba it will be a very LONG time before you have a base that can meet the demands of interplanetary travel. If you really want to scrape the barrel get a tank with a robo port and a mall supplying building material to a bot network. This will allow you to do work remotely nearly anywhere within range of a radar station. (you can do the work without radar but being able to actually see beyond map view is a huge help)

[knighttemplar1960]

Originally posted by Darkwater-2034:

Getting a self sustaining and defending base that can make a interplanetary platform remotely is a must before you can leave nauvis orbit. Both Vulcanius and Fulgoria can launch build silos and launch rockets with very minimal hassle however if you get stuck on Gleba it will be a very LONG time before you have a base that can meet the demands of interplanetary travel. If you really want to scrape the barrel get a tank with a robo port and a mall supplying building material to a bot network. This will allow you to do work remotely nearly anywhere within range of a radar station. (you can do the work without radar but being able to actually see beyond map view is a huge help)

If you have roboports and robots on your tanks and carry solar panels, accumulators, radars, and power poles in your tank you can get around the being able to see problem easily.

[Molay]

Honestly there is not much to be ready for going to another planet. Make sure your base is safe (laser wall and stable power is adequate, flamethrowers would make it more robust), ensure you have good robot coverage on nauvis so you can do stuff remotely. Particularly your defenses should be covered. You can do everything you need on each planet starting from nothing, it does help though to set a robust rocket launch program on nauvis first. Buffer LDS, blue chips and rocket fuel so you have some stored launches, set up a silo or 10, and make sure you produce the basic items (assemblers, oil related buildings, furnaces, inserters, power poles, roboports, construction/logistic bots and possibly solar panels/batteries) so your platform can pick those up on nauvis and deliver them to wherever you're at to get you going. As for belts, I'd suggest making red belts on your platform. Metal asteroids are super common, so making belts (up to red), pipes and underground pipes, chests (steel) and storage tanks (fluid) in space is very easy and doesn't make the platform too large. You already make iron plates for ammo, just make a bit more of it, and a bit of steel, and run it past some assemblers. You can set up something more complex, but if you want it simple, you can connect the assemblers making say red belts to the platform hub, and turn the assembler on/off depending on how much stock is in the platform, it's not going to give you very precise inventory but will work just fine.

Then you can just go to town and don't have to worry about anything while on a new planet.

TLDR: Have defense that doesn't rely on you being there. Make sure roboports cover it for automatic repair. Set up a mall of some kind to send construction items over. Buffer rocket materials so you can launch items to space when restocking the platform in a timely manner. Get belts/pipes made on the platform. Enjoy.

[Gazz]

Originally posted by GAMING_Alligator:

Anything important to do before going to space and leaving Nauvis unattended for a while?

"Going to space" literally only means to shoot up the platform starter and leave that platform hanging right there forever.
Your first platform never needs to move. All it needs to do is harvest random space rocks and drop the science bottles back down to your base.

If you have your eyes set on Vulcanus I would highly recommend bringing a few dozen nuke rockets.
(ship up the parts and assemble in space)
You'll see why.

[Quillithe]

I like how people range from making a self sufficient bot networked megabase to those who just scrapped together a few rockets and flew off oj a junk heap to crash land again


Honestly it all works.

[Nilfsen]

First of all going to space is not done deal until you will drop to other planet (comming back from orbit costs "nothing"). First of all you will need to build platform that is only on orbit to make space packets. It will show you how space logistic works and what are limitations. Going to new planet means building next platform (better not use same to not loose access to packets production while you are away), straping some defences and engines.

Going to new planet is other deal as comming back might take time depending on how prepared you are. Make sure that you can manage your base remotly through robots and that required resources/buildings are aviable for logistical network.
It is goot to have safemeasures against things like nuclear power being manualy fuelled as you won't be there to refuel it.

First thing to remember is that on new planets you are starting from "zero" but it can be remedied with drops from orbit, so more efficient you base is in delivering resources/buildings. It is not exacly start from scratch as it will be faster than start of game but you might be already used to developed base that is close to fully automaticated and you will need to go back to building things "manualy".

You cannot take anything in your backpack (even personal bots or ammo) but you can send it to rocket and then drop it on surface.

More your base is able to ship to space efficently = easier start on new planet. Each planet have something new and requires some adaptation to production but sending some resource that is "hard to get" initialy from base might make life way easier. Good production base, and access to everything through robots + few lunchpats that can sent rocket after rocket without problem are better than trying to predict what you will miss and stock that ahead on rocket.

To return from other planet you will need rocket silo and new rocket, making sure materials for it can be shiped might be good idea in case of some "emergency".

[argrond]

If you just want to fly in space for interstellar breeze, just get up on the platform and go for it.
If you plan to land on another planet, bring emergency stuff with you, like silo components and resources sufficient for at least one shuttle to be able to fly back on platform if needed.
Just do not land on Gleba first, if you do not want to experience painful spoiling nightmare so early in your run. )

[Captiva]

According to many responses I have seen on this forum, just hit blue science and you are all set to just jump in a rocket and blast off and never look back.




Reality however is though that you need so much more to do it right and not struggle.

Well defended base on nauvis and as many supplies as you can fit to make life easier when you actually get to a new planet, like rocket parts and such.

It also helps to have a well defended space platform with a decent amount of ammo.

I am at 44 hours in my current game and just now getting close to giving planet hopping a try. Still have some work to do first though.

[Quillithe]

Originally posted by Captiva:

According to many responses I have seen on this forum, just hit blue science and you are all set to just jump in a rocket and blast off and never look back.:x4spacesuit::NC:




Reality however is though that you need so much more to do it right and not struggle.

Well defended base on nauvis and as many supplies as you can fit to make life easier when you actually get to a new planet, like rocket parts and such.

It also helps to have a well defended space platform with a decent amount of ammo.

I am at 44 hours in my current game and just now getting close to giving planet hopping a try. Still have some work to do first though.

I dunno, I built up completely from scratch no problem on Vulcanus and Fulgora easily. Gleba is a little messier.

Fulgora in particularly gives you almost everything to build a silo and a rocket in the trash.

Though elevated trains help a TON there.

[mrxak]

Your base on Nauvis should be capable of launching rockets fairly quickly, and provide a platform in orbit with everything. Have a fully working logistics-connected manufacturing center for all necessities: inserters, belts, pipes, pumps, poles, chests, assemblers, furnaces, chemical plants, etc. You should also be set up to export roboports and robots, and base materials like plates, plastic, LDS, circuits. It helps a lot to make regular deliveries of all that stuff to any new planet you arrive on, as you're setting up a new base.

For power, consider how you're going to keep your new bases running. Vulcanus does really well with solar and accumulators. Gleba is about burning organics and you'll want to send some heat exchangers. Think in terms of nuclear but without a reactor, you'll be burning other stuff. A little solar on Gleba works okay, to start. For Fulgora, you'll want accumulators, lots of accumulators, and no need to send anything else.

Don't forget: a landing platform to put down on your new planet, and the materials to build a rocket silo plus at least two rockets. One rocket for you to leave, and one rocket to send back some initial science packs. If you can keep supplying rocket part ingredients from regular shipments for a while, you can get the rest of the science you need from a planet to at least unlock all its stuff.