Add a new 'planet' that is destination locked behind Promethium research dubbed 'L1' or something. It would be space lane connected to each of the five planets. No new science packs or resources. This surface is intended to be an end-game science and production hub that the player can megabase on to get the SE platform experience with. The new surface is functionally just another planet, except with no resources and it kills you passively if you lack life support. I wouldn't want to complicate it with specific space biomes and stuff. Just a place to play around with in the late game in a very vanilla sense.
The new surface generates blank except for a small initial platform large enough to place a landing pad. The surrounding empty space is landfillable with space platform foundation. The orbit around it is free of dangerous asteroids however the space lanes to each of the planets contain up to large asteroids. Essentially a faux platform which doesn't self-expand/instant build. This surface also has no cargo landing pad limit, or at least would allow for multiple cargo landing pads. I saw a mod which expands cargo landing pad limit which I think would work nicely here. Post-promethium with the mod is setting up space platform logistics to feed the hub, an alternative to doing so on Nauvis.
Main additions unlocked alongside the destination: Pressurization Hub, Life Support, and Pressure Tank
- Pressurization Hub allow you to build and enable any building with atmospheric requirements (primarily biolabs) in a radius, as long as it is fueled with Pressure Tanks. Structures dependent on it in a radius would begin to take damage and eventually be destroyed if the Hub is not fueled.
Life Support is an equipment grid item that consumes Pressure Tanks. Without it being fueled the player will die on this surface.
The Pressure Tank is a fuel item consumed by both of these with a simple recipe: Steel+Carbon+Steam+Sulfuric Acid, constructed in a chemical plant or cryogenics lab. The recipe creates sulfur in small amounts as a byproduct and requires large amounts of steam and sulfuric acid. I'm not a chemist but the idea is pressurizing the carbon, steam, and sulfuric acid into a tank, then removing the sulfur.
I think it's a rather simple concept. I don't have any familiarity with the Factorio codebase, but have some coding experience and wouldn't mind taking a crack at it if anyone could offer some pointers. Or if someone with experience would like to take the reins. Thanks!
