no aliens due to the settings i chose.

[Tedric]

Hi all,

For my first play through i chose minimal alien contact and alien aggressiveness. From memory i chose:
1. Enemy bases - Frequency = low
2. peaceful mode = ticked
3. something else, but don't remember what.

the end result is that I'm at the point of needing purple science but i cannot find any aliens. I've taken my tank and roved easily 1/5 the way across the entire map and not found any aliens.

My questions is:
1. Are the aliens actually out there with these settings, if they are where are they hiding?
2. How do i alter the options back so aliens start to appear?

tedric.
edit: increased clarity of question

[Bushdoctor]

Welcome to the game Tedric!

The aliens should definitely be out there somewhere. You might have traveled far, but it probably wasn't enough.
Be sure to put some radars down. Alien settlements show up on the map as red dots.
You can even take some solar panels and a radar with you when you're fanning out to find settlements. Do a temporary set up and see what it reveals..
Bring a flame thrower! You'll love it.

As far as changing back your options, that's kind of tricky once a map has been generated. It's probably possible in some way, perhaps someone else knows about that..

Good luck!

[Frightning]

Was enemy base size set to none, or some other value? Because if it was set to none, then there are no biter bases to be found.

[Permittivity]

I suppose there is good news for you in https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-159

Purple science is going away which means that even if you have an unwinnable scenario right now, you will become unstuck when the next patch arrives. It should be available in experimental soon for some definition of the word.

[Bushdoctor]

Was enemy base size set to none, or some other value? Because if it was set to none, then there are no biter bases to be found.

If that's the case, then you're pretty much screwed on that map.
It's a crude method, but you could consider blueprinting your entire base and copying that to a new map.
You would have to use the map editor to supply yourself with enough materials and items to be able to do all that.
- The editor allows you to manually fill chests with specific items. Your blueprint shows the amounts that you need.

Once your base has been rebuilt, you can then destroy anything that was left and continue where you left of.
Keep in mind that, on top of all the materials for the base, you also need extra labs(+speed modules) and a large amount of science bottles to bring you back to robot-level asap.
It's a huge operation, but can be a fun project on its own.

[Loewchen]

If you'd post your save file we could check if the settings of the game allow enemies to spawn.

[Tedric]

I'm pretty sure i chose enemy base none.

Considering all the mistakes i made (and did not use bots or trains) i think it is time to restart and use bots.

Having hostiles around will definitely change the way i play.
T.