Just finished my first playthrough and beat the game for the first time. Any tips for my 2nd playthrough?

[cpufreak101]

Hello all! So I have just launched my first rocket to space at the end of my first ever (mostly blind) playthrough of the game! I'm curious if anyone here is able to provide me tips/tricks to keep in mind for my 2nd playthrough. What I already have in mind is more "decentralizing" to make the factory more spread out for further expansion to be easier. But otherwise, save file provided!

http://www.mediafire.com/file/q0riss0qk ... y.zip/file

[SoShootMe]

To a large extent there's obviously no right or wrong way to play, but from a quick look at your save, playing with default map settings:

• I think the point you already made: make use of your experience to think ahead and plan space accordingly.
• Flamethrower turrets are amazing for defence, generally needing only a little support from gun/laser turrets. This can save a lot of ammo/power.
• Use underground pipes for lengthy pipelines. Apart from allowing you to cross them, this also makes it less likely you'll be hit by flow limits.
• Extending logistic networks to outposts tends to cause problems sooner or later. Best to keep them separate and use trains to move items between them. This includes supplies to maintain outposts.

Several of the map generator presets and achievements benefit from or require different styles of play, creating different challenges. Have a look and see what takes your fancy. Or just carry on: establish a new, larger base elsewhere on the same map; perhaps a base to build an even bigger base...

[mmmPI]

keep in mind that pollution triggers attacks, terrain and trees slowly absorb pollution, you will most likely go faster the 2nd game, and possibly at a higher scale, which will cause more pollution.

You can destroy cliffs with cliffs explosive.

Oil cracking receipes combined with advanced oil processing is worth the challenge.

The coal liquefaction receipe extend the challenge.

Those 2 could help explaining the purpose of the red and green wire, you can connect (amongst many other things) tanks and pumps with them.

Construction bots and blueprints are great.

Nuclear energy takes more time to figure out than solar pannels but has a much smaller footprint.

You can use modules in beacons and in most machines.

Trains can be pictured as car on roads, and their tracks drawn accordingly with 2 parralels tracks going opposite ways ; this is one way to ease managing the increasing number of trains.

what did you prefer during your first game ?

do you have plans for the 2nd ?

[cpufreak101]

To a large extent there's obviously no right or wrong way to play, but from a quick look at your save, playing with default map settings:

• I think the point you already made: make use of your experience to think ahead and plan space accordingly.
• Flamethrower turrets are amazing for defence, generally needing only a little support from gun/laser turrets. This can save a lot of ammo/power.
• Use underground pipes for lengthy pipelines. Apart from allowing you to cross them, this also makes it less likely you'll be hit by flow limits.
• Extending logistic networks to outposts tends to cause problems sooner or later. Best to keep them separate and use trains to move items between them. This includes supplies to maintain outposts.

Several of the map generator presets and achievements benefit from or require different styles of play, creating different challenges. Have a look and see what takes your fancy. Or just carry on: establish a new, larger base elsewhere on the same map; perhaps a base to build an even bigger base...

Thank you very much for the reply!

One: so for Flamethrowers, I'm sure you noticed my Eastern Wall was defended by them but nowhere else. I kinda figured out their effectiveness a tad later on, but they will certainly be used more (if for nothing else, just the fact I'm kinda a pyromaniac heh)

Two: noted about underground pipes, thanks!

Three: I had actually thought of a cargo train like that, but wasn't sure how to set it up, and I am curious what the issues are regarding extending the network. IK I had a lot of robots batteries going dead on me, but it didn't seem to have much of an apparent issue in my playthrough.

Regardless, my plan is a new game on another save, and this time I'd prefer to try to use no energy turrets (even in my first playthrough they just didn't seem as fun as guns n fire)

[cpufreak101]

keep in mind that pollution triggers attacks, terrain and trees slowly absorb pollution, you will most likely go faster the 2nd game, and possibly at a higher scale, which will cause more pollution.

You can destroy cliffs with cliffs explosive.

Oil cracking receipes combined with advanced oil processing is worth the challenge.

The coal liquefaction receipe extend the challenge.

Those 2 could help explaining the purpose of the red and green wire, you can connect (amongst many other things) tanks and pumps with them.

Construction bots and blueprints are great.

Nuclear energy takes more time to figure out than solar pannels but has a much smaller footprint.

You can use modules in beacons and in most machines.

Trains can be pictured as car on roads, and their tracks drawn accordingly with 2 parralels tracks going opposite ways ; this is one way to ease managing the increasing number of trains.

what did you prefer during your first game ?

do you have plans for the 2nd ?

One: yep, Know that about Pollution already. Was slightly paranoid when it first started spreading (since it was a blind playthrough, I thought it was possible to try to clean up more with cleaner tech, and I'm pretty sure I've since learned there's a limit to cleanliness)

Two: cliff explosives were something I kinda discovered quite late into the game, so I had largely worked around them already. Definitely will be using them earlier next time!

Three/four/five: can I get more clarification on that please? It's very much something I haven't messed with yet so I'm still clueless, tho I did wonder what those other for wires were for.

Six: can agree here, just again a case of "discovered slightly too late"

Seven: figured as much, part of me just prefers solar but IK it's an option should I need it!

Eight: regarding modules again it's a thing I discovered a bit too late in my gameplay, but certainly in mind! Regarding beacons though, what even are they? Don't think I messed with them.

Nine: regarding trains, I am aware I definitely didn't set it up super efficiently, rather I expected the signals to work similar to how they did in OpenTTD and built a setup I'd typically use on that game. If I use more than two trains though I'm defo using a double track.

Ten: what did I prefer in my first game? Again I need to ask clarification.

Eleven: and yes, I do very much have plans for a 2nd game. I want to *try* for the Lazy Bastard achievement, but otherwise I want to pretty much use no energy turrets at all, and face the new challenges of a new map. Probably tonight I'll be starting it!

[NotRexButCaesar]

Get some mods. Depending on what you like, you can use QOL mods like vehiclesnap or beltrouter; complexity mods like krastorio 2, bobs, angels, and Pyanodons (probably in that order); or biter mods like rampant.

I’d also suggest you try to make a very large late game base that produces 500-5000 science per minute.

Decentralization is generally a good idea.

Something else I find fun is optimizing specific aspects of the factory such as smelting, circuits, item distribution, walls etc. Developing my blueprint library has probably been the most fun thing for me to do.

[mmmPI]

One: yep, Know that about Pollution already. Was slightly paranoid when it first started spreading (since it was a blind playthrough, I thought it was possible to try to clean up more with cleaner tech, and I'm pretty sure I've since learned there's a limit to cleanliness)

You can't actively remove pollution, you can only try to produce less, like you did using solar, but also green (efficiency) module in mining drills, and combining both to get rid of non-eletric furnaces.

Three/four/five: can I get more clarification on that please? It's very much something I haven't messed with yet so I'm still clueless, tho I did wonder what those other for wires were for.

Sure i didn't want to sort of spoil anything . Those wire transmit signals between entities. Connecting a tank lets you read the amount of liquid inside it, connecting it to a pump allow to transmit this number, the pump unlike the tank has a trigger mechanism, you access the parameter when you click on the wired-entity. The "circuit network" as it's called allow you to create setup taking advantage of the 3 different oils by enabling different pumps to function automatically depending on your needs.

In order to use chemicals plant with cracking oil receipe to manage the different products from the advanced oil processing; One would be tempted to connect a red or a green wire to a chemical plant or a refinery, but that is not possible, hence their connection to the pumps that are either acting as non-return valve, or as active pumps.

Red and green wires can't connect assembly machines, but can connect other than pumps : inserters, miners, accumulators, belts , chests, roboports, train signals and station, lamps and other things most likely. Some entities like the speaker and the various combinators can only be used with those wires.

Eight: regarding modules again it's a thing I discovered a bit too late in my gameplay, but certainly in mind! Regarding beacons though, what even are they? Don't think I messed with them.

Beacons transmit module effects to machines that can also hold modules around them, at the cost of eletricity. They are mostly a late-game thing that stack with each other.

Ten: what did I prefer in my first game? Again I need to ask clarification.

As mentionned there are many mods that targets specific aspects of the game, looking at the save game gives some clues of what you built but not much about if you enjoy doing it, knowing if you enjoyed setting-up trains over fighting the biters, or the opposite, or both equally would help giving oriented tips.

Using the "alt-view", accessing production stats by pressing P, using ctrl-C ctrl-V , it's hard to give a generic tip, some context could help narrowing the field .

Eleven: and yes, I do very much have plans for a 2nd game. I want to *try* for the Lazy Bastard achievement, but otherwise I want to pretty much use no energy turrets at all, and face the new challenges of a new map. Probably tonight I'll be starting it!

have a good game ! maybe with a large starting area

[SoShootMe]

Extending logistic networks to outposts tends to cause problems sooner or later. Best to keep them separate and use trains to move items between them. This includes supplies to maintain outposts.

Three: and I am curious what the issues are regarding extending the network. IK I had a lot of robots batteries going dead on me, but it didn't seem to have much of an apparent issue in my playthrough.

Mostly I think problems stem from the lack of control over where robots fly. You tend to end up with them working very inefficiently, traveling long distances and possibly taking very long, slow diversions to roboports when they run out of charge (as it seems you found). The result can be particularly disastrous with logistic robots. Also, if it happens robots fly in range of a worm, they will be attacked and likely destroyed.

Ten: what did I prefer in my first game? Again I need to ask clarification.

I wrote some other stuff prior to mmmPI's follow-up (but got distracted before posting), which was mostly similar and not worth repeating, but I think one point is: understanding which aspects of the game are most fun for you is helpful to offer advice that will (hopefully) increase that. After all, fun is the whole point!

For example, from what you've written, you might enjoy the challenge building a large scale distributed setup on a Rail World map. In this case and some others (such as using beacons) the key is seeing being able to launch a rocket as the start of a game.

[jodokus31]

Railworld

[cpufreak101]

Well thank you everyone for your input! I will keep the advice in mind, and hopefully my 2nd playthrough will go smoothly! (With plans for a third already heh)

I will note I did see "think of launching your first rocket as just the start" which I may eventually do, but a question on this would be is it better to get more early game experience before jumping to such a stage? Or is it better to just transition? And is there any particular end goal after the rocket launch other than "launch as many as possible"?

[NotRexButCaesar]

I will note I did see "think of launching your first rocket as just the start" which I may eventually do, but a question on this would be is it better to get more early game experience before jumping to such a stage? Or is it better to just transition? And is there any particular end goal after the rocket launch other than "launch as many as possible"?

It really depends on what you think is fun. Another end goal you can have is “automate as much as possible”: so make and optimize blueprints for as much ease as possible.