Hello there.
Don't you think, that the game somewhat lacks options?
Defense? gun turret->laser turret
Energy? steam engine->solar panels (or steam engine only)
Smelting? furnace -> electric smelter (or furnace only)
Yes, there are many different builds and uses, and you can call energy and smelting situations as having option,
but they are more like 'question of preference' (or even stubbornness).
What would be really nice is to have alternative solution for commons needs.
Several types of turrets, generators and (may be) smelting solutions for different stages of the game?
I know that there are mods that are (partially) solving this, but it would be much nicer to have
all this in vanilla game, since right now it feels a little bit barebone in this regards.
Options
Moderator: ickputzdirwech
Re: Options
There will be additional options for things like energy generation, but the game is in an alpha stage. First there will be the basic things, like boilers and solar panels, but in the future there will be additional things like wind energy or nuclear power. (Don't rely on this, it is only my guess.)