Scared of Space, how start?

[MadCre8tor]

There's lots of stuff I'm curious about when it comes to space, but I don't know jack..

The buildings don't tell me anything.
I was already annoyed at how little the game tells you about how complex the steam turbine is. it's like you are set up for failure unless you visit the wiki to read up important numbers like output (water), maximum temperature (nowhere does it say 100°C max). Anyway...

What's important when I break through the surface? I read the other discussion with people complaining about regolith. The wiki page on space/meteor sensors and all their stats and specifics is already giving me the creeps.

right now it'd be nice to dump useless gasses and liquids into space, maybe pick up some of the refined material. I haven't broken through yet.

[Hedning]

You don't need to go up there before you have something you want to do there.

You don't need to breach the surface to have access to space though. The space biome starts with a mafic and regolith rock layer. Behind this layer is space. If you just want to dump gasses this works well.

If you breach the surface you will need some bunker tiles to cover the hole you made. Otherwise meteors can fall down the hole and smash it up and deposit 300° regolith. Get at least 1000kg of steel so you can build 10 tiles.

A telescope is perhaps the first thing you build in space. This does not require scanners, bunker doors or anything fancy: https://i.imgur.com/33NP2Nm.png

Once you start with rocket you may want some bunker doors. Solar power also require bunker doors. This is where it becomes a little more advanced, but you shouldn't be afraid of it. You need plenty of steel though, both for the rocket parts and for the bunker tiles/doors.

[MadCre8tor]

Originally posted by Hedning:

You don't need to go up there before you have something you want to do there.

- A telescope is perhaps the first thing you build in space.-

Wait, you don't even need it exposed to the sky?
Well that makes things a lot easier.

I'mma get rid of the sour gas and naphtha for sure soon. And I'll probably need plenty of cooling to counter regolith debris. Hedning a hero as always.

[Bokonon]

Originally posted by MadCre8tor:

Originally posted by Hedning:

You don't need to go up there before you have something you want to do there.

- A telescope is perhaps the first thing you build in space.-

Wait, you don't even need it exposed to the sky?
Well that makes things a lot easier.

I'mma get rid of the sour gas and naphtha for sure soon. And I'll probably need plenty of cooling to counter regolith debris. Hedning a hero as always.

If there's space in the background you're in a vacuum (void) environment, no sky exposure needed.

[Hedning]

You need sky if you want to start searching the other planets and the telescope in the picture has 1 tile on the left side (even though it doesn't look like it), which is enough.

You should not cool the regolith. That's a massive undertaking. If you keep it on mesh or airflow tile in vacuum it is perfectly insulated. Or just let it sit on your bunker tiles and keep a gap in between the bunker tiles and your base. You can use it to dump in steam for steam power though.

[MadCre8tor]

Originally posted by Hedning:

You need sky if you want to start searching the other planets and the telescope in the picture has 1 tile on the left side (even though it doesn't look like it), which is enough.

yea doesn't look like that to me either. I personally don't like to 'cheese' too much. Like deliberately creating liquid gates for vacuums n stuff, or building a gigantic room of tiles and then caving out the middle becaus tiles dug away will always leave a vacuum behind. I just enjoy challenging myself a little and to build things without the late game materials.

Originally posted by Hedning:

You should not cool the regolith.

Oh. Guess I was having the wrong idea after all. I'll keep vacuums in mind more often, haven't really made use of them yet.

[HappyLittleCloud]

Originally posted by deansdw17:

why no step by step instructions telling me all the best combos before games even loaded i dont want have to learn by playing.

Basic tutorials and examples on how certain mechanisms work is not "all the combos" and does not remove learning.

There is a massive grey area between hand holding, and just not saying anything at all with an incredibly complex system that is impossible to establish as functional without forcing repeated catastrophic failures. Spam save scum is "learning" I guess. yeah that is fun.

The problem is given the sci-fi nature of the game it isn't inherent as with 99.9% of most survival games.

Dayz its pretty apparent what is going to happen if you drink dirty water or discharge a weapon in a city full of zombies.

Don't starve 80% of the game is pretty implied with how crafting and items are going to behave and you encounter challenges you have to overcome.

ONI- much of the crap in this game does not operate like it would in the real world(space) leaving the player confused and googling. There is a difference between a learning curve, and a leaning vertical marble cliff the devs pulled out their rectum. There is no trial and error. Its you have no clue wtf so you have to look it up or else you just waste time and resources.

I enjoy the game, and do have fun learning but that does not mean there is not clear room for improvement in the guide department.

[Hedning]

Originally posted by HappyLittleCloud:

Originally posted by deansdw17:

why no step by step instructions telling me all the best combos before games even loaded i dont want have to learn by playing.

There is a massive grey area between hand holding, and just not saying anything at all with an incredibly complex system that is impossible to establish as functional without forcing repeated catastrophic failures. Spam save scum is "learning" I guess. yeah that is fun.

If you look in your research tree you will unlock space scanners on your way to your first rocket engine. If you click the space scanner it says something about meteors. This could be your first clue that there are meteors in space. I also don't understand what is so advanced about building bunker tiles to block the meteors that it would lead to "repeated catastrophic failures" so severe that you need to savescum.

Now compare that to don't starve which doesn't let you know anything about what works in winter. Suddenly your crops stop growing and you are on the verge starvation. Maybe you catch a few rabbits, but you really need to cook them to increase the calories, but the crock pot is 100% trial and error, so your few morsels just turn into wet goop. Maybe you hear a low growling sound. You have no idea what that is so you hurry to your campfire thinking it is safer there. Then a huge elk appears and continues to destroy your base.

Space imo has a pretty simple mechanic: There are meteors. To stop them you need bunker tiles/doors. Even if you are totally unaware and unprepared when you breach the surface it is not catastrophic. You can just plug the hole with regular granite tiles and while they have a chance of getting damaged they will still stop the meteors, and soon regolith will pile up on top of them and prevent further damage.

[Defektiv]

Start small and breach the surface for something small at first, like an outlet to pump germy water into space through or something. Only two real things you really need to remember at first. One, try not to have situations where dupes will bring materials from the surface down below. If you're not paying attention and run low on sand for example you could have dupes pulling 300 degree regolith from the surface to fill deodorizers that slowly superheat your base. And two, beware the base eating shoves on the surface. They can't burrow through the natural abyssalite borders, bunker tiles or things made of refined metals. So breach small and make sure any breach to the surface is sealed up with bunker tiles and doors made of refined metal.

Also if your dupes happen to be in jetpacks, keep an eye on them around feeding time and get ready to control door access rights. Space perfectly preserves food so when a shove dies up there and drops meat, the dupes tend to like to go all the way up there to get 100% fresh meat over everything else, and sometimes end up starving/passing out/peeing themselves on the trip.

[Myriad]

Be afraid. Be very afraid. :-P
This is my last attempt at Space... Notice how I have a coolant pipe running through Tempshift Plates with a drop of Petroleum under every building, and everything is still burnt to ♥♥♥♥ and broken due to the massive heat buildup in Space. Lol
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1955145172

It's obvious I'm doing it wrong somehow, but it's something that's not easily controlled if you're relatively new to the experience.

[Defektiv]

Never used solar panels before but can't you use glass to seal them in so you can just cool everything below normally?

[Hedning]

Originally posted by Myriad:

Be afraid. Be very afraid. :-P
This is my last attempt at Space... Notice how I have a coolant pipe running through Tempshift Plates with a drop of Petroleum under every building, and everything is still burnt to ♥♥♥♥ and broken due to the massive heat buildup in Space. Lol
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1955145172

It's obvious I'm doing it wrong somehow, but it's something that's not easily controlled if you're relatively new to the experience.

It is only not obvious to a new player because your whole setup is hard to understand for a new player. I could build a really complicated farm and have it implode. That does not mean a new player should be afraid of farming.

[Hedning]

Originally posted by Defektiv:

Never used solar panels before but can't you use glass to seal them in so you can just cool everything below normally?

You can, but you still need to stop regolith from falling on to the glass else you will have to cool more than you can afford. Also the glass reduces the solar panels' efficiency somewhat.

[Defektiv]

Build miners and sweepers out of thermium, dump everything into a drywalled pit with salt water. Use steam for the hot tubs and crush the salt into table salt. Heat converted into good vibes.

[gimmethegepgun]

Originally posted by Defektiv:

like an outlet to pump germy water into space through or something.

noooo don't destroy water for no reason. Who cares if it has germs? It's only really relevant with liceloaf or drinks machines.

[Hedning]

It seems nowadays maps in general has an abundance of water. It is not a limiting factor once you get out of your starting biome, so you can destroy as much as you want. Pumping more water just means your water geyser is over-pressuring less.

But you are of course correct that reusing it is generally better since even if you have an abundance of water it can still cause heating and power issues if you tap geysers instead of reusing it.