Obtaining stone from space

[moralitet]

TL;DR

Add the ability to obtain stone on a space platform or by other means

Problem:

Since version 2.0, it has been possible to mine resources from space (iron, copper, and petroleum products), and since version 2.1, space platforms have become more autonomous (logistics between platforms). This allows you to obtain all the basic resources needed for most recipes in space. Except for STONE.
This eliminates the following options:
1. Producing all non-unique science packages in space.
Gray and purple packages require stone; sending stone from Nauvis or transporting it from other planets doesn't seem like a neat or efficient solution.
Imagine science in space, where each platform makes one type of basic science pack and sends it to a platform with laboratories!
2. Playing on an island map.
The island will run out of resources, but moving entirely to another planet or transporting all resources from other planets to Nauvis isn't the most attractive idea. Iron, copper, and petroleum products (in barrels) can now be shipped from space, but the lack of stone ruins the idea of ​​self-sufficiency. Without stone there will be no walls, backfill, or rails. And most importantly, scientific research, because it's endless. Biolabs can only be installed on Nauvis (that's why basic science on other planets is not so attractive), and without stone, gray and purple science packages would have to be imported from other planets or transported directly.
But stone is a simple and basic resource!

Solution:

Add the ability to obtain stone on a space platform or by other means.
My suggestions:
1. An additional recipe for the crusher that allows you to obtain stone from any asteroid (the amount depends on the asteroid type). This makes sense, as asteroids can contain stone.
2. Add a by-product in the form of stone when a foundry produces molten metal from ore (like lava, but in much smaller quantities). This makes sense, as ore is not a pure metal, and the foundry can produces a by-product when extracting the metal from the ore.

As far as I've heard, version 2.1 is the last one to feature gameplay changes, and autonomous stone production, in my opinion, is quite important for the implementation of many ideas. This idea will also be easy to implement and test within this patch (I hope).

If not now, then never
Please do this

[ssyang]

+1

[ichVII]

Petroleum products need coal liquification. As neither the boiler nor the heat exchanger works on a space platform, you can only do that via nuclear power. So you have to import nuclear fuel cells for that, making it nor entirely space based.

And for stone, you can space mine calcite, turn that into stone on vulcanis and use that as a fully renewable stone source.

[Kyralessa]

It is kind of funny that the one thing you can't get from space rocks is...rocks.

[radical_larry]

Petroleum products need coal liquification. As neither the boiler nor the heat exchanger works on a space platform, you can only do that via nuclear power. So you have to import nuclear fuel cells for that, making it nor entirely space based.

And for stone, you can space mine calcite, turn that into stone on vulcanis and use that as a fully renewable stone source.

Simple coal liquefaction works without steam.
I think stone as a byproduct from molten iron/copper is a good idea. Maybe also as a byproduct of coal liquefaction as well. It's all rocks after all.
Self replicating platforms are impossible right now, due to oil refineries and electric furnaces requiring stone bricks to make. That doesn't feel right.

[JackTheSpades]

+1 simply because I would like to provide Aquilo with concrete without having to fly ships back and forth.

I have a space station parked in Aquilo orbit to collect basic resources to supply a mall on Aquilo just for convenience of all the things only needed every now and then.
Yet the only thing you cannot make using only Aquilo + it's Orbit is stone, which is necessary for concrete (and rails) which in turn are necessary to build literally anything on Aquilo.

Sure, you can just have an automated space ship delivering concrete from Fulgora or Gleba but it is just so frustrating to be on the cusp of being a fully independent planet yet be blocked by STONE of all things.

Who could have thought that carbon was more abundant in space than stone.

[ichVII]

Petroleum products need coal liquification. As neither the boiler nor the heat exchanger works on a space platform, you can only do that via nuclear power. So you have to import nuclear fuel cells for that, making it nor entirely space based.

And for stone, you can space mine calcite, turn that into stone on vulcanis and use that as a fully renewable stone source.

Simple coal liquefaction works without steam.
I think stone as a byproduct from molten iron/copper is a good idea. Maybe also as a byproduct of coal liquefaction as well. It's all rocks after all.
Self replicating platforms are impossible right now, due to oil refineries and electric furnaces requiring stone bricks to make. That doesn't feel right.

You are correct. I just never considered simple coal liquification, as it is usually super inefficient. But it does work that way.

[olek9000]

I share the same disappointment as topic starter.
To that extent I was sort of considering going out to develop a simple mod for this.
I know there are already a few mods, but they all seem to alter original recipes which is a big no go for me.

The Concept
My proposed "Synthesis" recipes operate with the same 5s timing and 10% feedback loop as the Advanced recipes, but they shift the output balance. By sacrificing some of the "pure" yield, these recipes allow the machine to extract valuable building materials (Stone) from the asteroid matrix.

Proposed Recipes

Integrated Metallic Synthesis: 1 Metallic asteroid -> 6 Iron, 3 Copper, 2 Stone (+ 10% asteroid back)
Integrated Carbonic Synthesis: 1 Carbonic asteroid -> 3 Carbon, 1 Sulfur, 1 Stone (+ 10% asteroid back)
Integrated Oxide Synthesis: 1 Oxide asteroid -> 2 Ice, 1.5 Calcite, 0.5 Stone (+ 10% asteroid back)


Why this is needed

Balanced Trade-off: These recipes aren't "better" than the Advanced ones—they are logistically different. You choose between "Maximum Output Efficiency" (Advanced) and "Building Material Sustainability" (Synthesis).

Original recipes are not affected: This is important if you add the mod when already having lots of ships, there is no need to redesign all of them.


Research
These would be unlocked via a new mid-tier research, "Asteroid Mineral Synthesis."

I’d love to hear your feedback on these ratios, or on the idea overall.

[macdjord]

+1

[aaron311]

+1

Space mechanics are fine. Just add a 'throw away the good stuff asteroid crushing' recipe that yields stone.

[DisRuptive1]

Maybe cause the asteroid destruction process to produce a trash product (like gravel) which, with later research, can be turned into stone.

[TV4Fun]

+1. Stone is a weirdly scarce resource everywhere except on Vulcanus. Are rocks really that rare a thing?

[BHakluyt]

+1 space should be littered with useless stone asteroids mixed between the useful ones...you know, like..."real space"

[erectile_pisfunction]

+1 It always felt odd that so many other basic resources come from space rocks, but I couldn't get the most basic of basic materials from them...

This doesn't feel like the job of a mod, this feels like a missing feature in vanilla.

[Hurkyl]

+1. Stone is a weirdly scarce resource everywhere except on Vulcanus. Are rocks really that rare a thing?

I never really thought about coming up with lore for it, but on first thought you could fill this with "stone" referring specifically to industrially useful kinds of rock, rather than all kinds.

[TV4Fun]

+1. Stone is a weirdly scarce resource everywhere except on Vulcanus. Are rocks really that rare a thing?

I never really thought about coming up with lore for it, but on first thought you could fill this with "stone" referring specifically to industrially useful kinds of rock, rather than all kinds.

Okay, but a lot of what you use it for is making concrete, building landfill, and general foundations. How specialized of rock do you need for that?

[Hurkyl]

+1. Stone is a weirdly scarce resource everywhere except on Vulcanus. Are rocks really that rare a thing?

I never really thought about coming up with lore for it, but on first thought you could fill this with "stone" referring specifically to industrially useful kinds of rock, rather than all kinds.

Okay, but a lot of what you use it for is making concrete, building landfill, and general foundations. How specialized of rock do you need for that?

I don't really know much about stoneworking, but brief searching does suggest particular kinds of stone are much preferred for making things like stone bricks, stone furnaces, or concrete, such as granite or limestone.

[TV4Fun]

Petroleum products need coal liquification. As neither the boiler nor the heat exchanger works on a space platform, you can only do that via nuclear power. So you have to import nuclear fuel cells for that, making it nor entirely space based.

And for stone, you can space mine calcite, turn that into stone on vulcanis and use that as a fully renewable stone source.

You can also get steam by neutralizing sulfuric acid. Since you need sulfuric acid and calcite to do simple coal liquefaction anyway, it's not that much extra work.

[Hurkyl]

Petroleum products need coal liquification. As neither the boiler nor the heat exchanger works on a space platform, you can only do that via nuclear power. So you have to import nuclear fuel cells for that, making it nor entirely space based.

And for stone, you can space mine calcite, turn that into stone on vulcanis and use that as a fully renewable stone source.

You can also get steam by neutralizing sulfuric acid. Since you need sulfuric acid and calcite to do simple coal liquefaction anyway, it's not that much extra work.

Acid neutralization is a Vulcanus-only recipe.

[coffee-factorio]

Concrete specifically needs calcium containing stones.

But calcite isn't exactly calcium containing stones, it also appears to be a stand in for simple but energetic compounds and calcium (which purifies things). And calcium is part of the really light elements on the periodic table which want to be friends with everyone, and are therefore nightmarish in pure form.

So concrete ends up being made from lime (which is caustic) concentrated in places by marine life. But that material also has to contain a mixture of carbon, iron and other banal materials to be useful. For things like soils and fills there's an idea of loose gravel. If it isn't fertilized you're in bad shape if you try to farm, or if the ph balance of it is off.

Asteroids in particular are... actually weird. Iron ends up being iron-nickel crystals with distinctive structures. Because it's a crystal, it's pure material, so there's less impurities in it like sulfur. iirc this is what makes it a material for fantasy weapons.