Early Access means continuous changes to how a game plays.

Constructing the 'Single player' guide is ambitious so it takes a long time because I'm playing the game in order to discover how to play the game.

That means I'm restarting the game many times and incorporating what I've learned in the previous game session, changing guide documentation, accordingly.

I can't always be up-to-date on everything but I do my best to stay as up-to-date as possible.

Keep an eye on Settings-Controls for changes to UI controls.

Guide divisions taking alternative perspectives about game play.

Interplay: How to use this guide's divisions to play the Single player version,

Divisions: Experience, Threshold, Skill, Technology, Resources, Strategy

The Experience division guides a player in developing a playing style.

Each division offers insight into different playing aspects of the game.

EXPERIENCE How to play the Single Player Survival and Sandbox versions.
Themes
. Manual game play: Survival, Basic supply, Deicing, More carbon
. More complex play: Bulk, Routing, Extension
. Planetoid attachment: Feast, Alombria, Marmotopia, Re-tool, Tuga-Portugal, Erasmonda
THRESHOLD
. The increasing levels of Single Player Survival version game play.
Themes
. Manual game play: Begin, Ore, Engineering, Barrier, Twenty
. More complex play: Switch, Hook, Research, Square, Quartz
. Planetoid attachment: Drills, Astronaut, Solar, Muddy, Flatten, Extend
. Astro colony: Bubble, Farm, Cook, Blackhole, Stargate
. Next universe: Slipthru, Barn, Gas, Fusion
. Third universe: Exittwo
SKILL Ability to easily perform a game action.
Themes
. Manual game play: Dispatch, Process, Activate, Placement, Capture, Prepare
. More complex play: Automation, Droplets, Science, Center, Tonic, Transport
. Planetoid attachment: Navigation, Exploration, Scanner
. Astro colony: Blueprint, Crop
. Next universe: Laser, Capture, Breeder, Polymer
TECHNOLOGY Recommended order in which to activate unlocked Technology.
Themes
. Manual game play: Acquire, Group, Transition
. More complex play: Automatic, Researching
. Planetoid attachment: Enhance
..Next universe: Universes, Farming, Expertise
. Third universe: Minuscule
RESOURCES Acquiring, processing and managing 'Astro colony' resources.
Themes
. Manual game play: Start, Points, Bars, Water
. More complex play: Catch, Piddle, Split, Processors
. Planetoid attachment: Container
. Next universe: Mega group
STRATEGY Collect posted discussion content useful to new players.
Avatar: Belrathius, crashfly, phoneticdecay

How to use this guide's divisions to play the Single player version.

Astro colony is designed to be a multitasking game where game saves are not linear saves.

That is, The topic section names are useful save names but you'll find it convenient to use a save name non-linearly because that is how Astro colony game play develops.

The THRESHOLD division shows how the game play morphs but not exactly how the game develops.

All other divisions supplement the THRESHOLD division so you can center your focus on it

Currently, I'm also posting SKILL, TECHNOLOGY, RESOURCES and STRATEGY division sections and adding supplement references to it in the THRESHOLD division topic sections.

All the divisions except STRATEGY are linked by the themes:

. Manual game play: Focus on accruing resources to build station devices.
. More complex play: Prepare to acquire your first astronaut.
. Planetoid attachment: Strip, drill and terraform distant planetoids to build expanded station.
. Astro colony: Prepare enlarged station for full colonization.
. Next universe: Continuing game play in a second universe.
. Third universe: Continuing game play in a third universe.

Best strategy for this guide's current Layout: choose one of the above themes and view all the content in THRESHOLD, SKILL, TECHNOLOGY and RESOURCES division sections for that theme.

STRATEGY division topic section names are 'Astro colony' player avatar names containing content posted in 'Astro colony' discussions.

How to play the Single Player Survival and Sandbox versions.

Game play documentation of themes strategy: summarize survival game documentation then show an alternate Sandbox game play approach.

Manual game play: Focus on accruing resources to build station devices.

After the game start video, you allow the game tutorial robot to be active or not: I prefer that the game tutorial robot to be disabled because I consider it a nuisance.

The objective of the first game theme is to switch from manual asteroid dispatch and ore and metallic bar crafting to manual asteroid catching, processing metallic ores and metallic bar crafting.

Topics:

Survival Summarize the early activation of technology and basic resource accrual.
Basic supply Stack asteroid ore dispatch and eliminate metallic ore crafting.
Deicing Activate Ice breakers for Hydro generator and Oxygen generator.
More carbon Drill for carbon on a nearby planetoid, strip it of everything.

More complex play: Prepare to acquire your first astronaut.

Automate the processing of asteroid ore into basic resources and begin the conversion of planetoid resources into more sophisticated resources.

Resource flow from asteroid catchers to Manufacturer to Player inventory then via Transport bots.

Topics:

Bulk Complete Engineering, Research device groups & nearby planetoid dispatches.
Routing Automate asteroid catchers and route from Smelter to Constructor.
Extension Automate crafting and extend platform to Oxygen bubble limits.

Planetoid attachment: Strip, drill and terraform distant planetoids to build expanded station.

Acquire more exotic ore for advanced platform processing, stripping attached planetoids of ore.

Attach, strip, flatten and extend planetoids on each platform side.

Topics:

Feast Transform planetoid resources into more sophisticated resources.
Alombria Attach farming planetoid candidate with a supply of uranium ore.
Marmotopia Attach farming planetoid candidate with a supply of gold and uranium ore.
Re-tool Upgrade to Advanced Smelter in order to create Uranium rods.
Tuga-Portugal Attach planetoid with Aluminum and Titanium ore.
Erasmonda Last potential farming planetoid candidate.

Summarize the early activation of technology and basic resource accrual. .
You start with no resources so the first game theme is about accruing resources and supporting devices.

Review sections THRESHOLD-Begin through THRESHOLD-Twenty.

They discuss the game play experience of manually converting (dispatch) asteroids into iron, copper, carbon, ice and gold ore, the crafting process and placing devices on the platform to increase you game play productivity.

As you activate devices, your game play time is split between manually dispatching asteroids, crafting and servicing devices.

You'll notice that as you dispatch an asteroid, you gain general science points.

Sections TECHNOLOGY-Acquire through TECHNOLOGY-Transition show you the game technology that you can activate using research points, dispatching asteroids generates the simplest research with general science points.

Sections SKILL-Dispatch through SKILL-Prepare discuss the challenges in the first game theme.

Sections RESOURCES-Start through RESOURCES-Water shows how the kinds of resources expand.

Delay review of STRATEGY division content until you've developed game play experience.

Some technology is ignored until the EXPERIENCE division is created.

In the themes that follow, the first section focuses is how to play the Single player Survival version.

Stack asteroid ore dispatch and eliminate metallic ore crafting

The Sandbox version of game play doesn't require research, just increasingly more sophisticated resources.

First action: flatten top and bottom of platform to maximize available space to place devices: the Recycler in not supported in Sandbox mode.

The Basic resource device group uses the ore from two manual asteroid catchers to create (initially) 20 power points, accrue metallic bars for the the player inventory, convert metallic bars into metallic plates then metallic wire and water dependent device sub-groups..

Two Manual asteroid catchers feeding Carbon into six Carbon reactors, using Splitter logic blocks, to produce 60 power points and metallic ore into a Basic Smelter to create metallic bars.

The Manual asteroid catchers require the player to select iron, copper, gold, carbon and ice asteroids to convert into ore.

The asteroid catcher exit doors closest to the Carbon reactors uses a filter logic block allowing carbon and ice to exit.

The asteroid catcher exit door closest to the Smelter uses a blocker logic block preventing carbon and ice from exiting.

Initially, four of the six Carbon reactors only occasionally are creating power points because an automatic asteroid catcher with the carbon asteroid preferred is required to keep three Carbon reactors continuously active.

Initially, a carbon supply for the middle Carbon reactors is acquied by the player (directly dispatching asteroids) to power the devices in the image.

A nearby planetoid with a large supply of carbon will supply all six Carbon reactors until both Manual asteroid catchers can be updated to Automatic asteroid catchers with the carbon asteroid preferred.

In this device configuration, the metallic bars are accumulating within the Smelter, there is a button in devices to move accumulated resources directly to the player inventory.

Placing carbon in the middle of the three Carbon reactors activates the device group.

In the next step, the Hydro generator and Oxygen generator subgroups are attached..

Then a nearby planetoid is stripped of its carbon, dirt, quartz and stone block: the carbon is transferred to all six Carbon reactors to eliminate the need to dispatch asteroids for carbon.

Then the step preparing for the update to Automatic, asteroid catchers, the metallic bars accumulated in the Smelter are split between a storage container and the Constructor which converts metallic bars into plates.

Activate Ice breakers for Hydro generator and Oxygen generator

Powering two Ice breakers taps an additional 10 power points of the 20+ power points available.

Hydro generator sub-group: Ice breaker + Hydro generator.

Oxygen barrier sub-group: Ice breaker + Oxygen generator + Oxygen barrier.

The Hydro generator, Oxygen generator and Oxygen barrier are not powered.

The Carbon, Dirt and Quartz obtained from planetoids is delivered to the Hydro generator by Transport robots from the Player inventory.

The Oxygen barrier is placed on the game flag marking the intended center of the space platform.

The next step jumps available power to 60 power points.

Drill for carbon on a nearby planetoid, strip it of everything
I ignored the Cosmic harpoon plus grappling hook method of moving between the platform and the planetoid since positioning game cursor + Shift + 'W' key quickly moved me between both locations.

I used two small drills to acquire the carbon because that easily covered the visible carbon, acquiring asteroid carbon to power the Carbon reactor.

Use the Laser (Ctl-8) drill to quickly acquire a planetoid's dirt, quartz and stone block.

My objective was to spend enough time on the platform that each drill acquired roughly 50 carbon when I returned to the planetoid.

Two separate stacks of 50 carbon to increase the carbon in two platform Carbon reactors.

The idea is that each of the six Carbon reactors ends up with 100+ carbon after the planetoid is dispatched.

The point of this game play step is to have plenty of surplus power for the Constructor and other devices to be placed on the platform.

The next game step is to create steel screws so that the asteroid catchers can be fully automated.

Complete Engineering, Research device groups & nearby planetoid dispatches.
Once the manual asteroid catchers have been updated to automatic catching. the focus is first on small nearby planetoids then the of more distant planetoids.

Review sections THRESHOLD-Switch through THRESHOLD-Quartz for the game play.

Review sections TECHNOLOGY- Automatic and TECHNOLOGY-Researching to see the tech dependencies supporting automation and the astronauts role in research.

Review sections SKILL-Automation through SKILL-Transport for the game play challenges.

Sections RESOURCES-Catch through RESOURCES-Processors shows the transition from processing just metallic ore to metallic bars to automating caught asteroids into bars, plates and wires and the preparation for astronauts.

Automate asteroid catchers and route from Smelter to Constructor.

This step is about the Smelter, Constructor and Routing storage container contributing to resource processing.
The main key to these images is the Smelter creating the iron rod and the Constructor transforming that iron rod into steel screws that allows updating from manual to automatic Asteroid catchers.
Notice that later attachment of the Manufacturer allows the Constructor to transform Copper wire into Electronic parts.

Large deposits of carbon on distant planetoids are needed to satisfy the many needs for carbon in processing.
The platform now has an Oxygen bubble because the Oxygen generator and Oxygen barrier are powered.

The Oxygen bubble boundary determines the shape and maximum size of the platform.

The Smelter output is split between the Routing storage container and the Constructor.

Player inventory is fed by the Routing storage container.

The Recycler doesn't work in Sandbox mode.

A stack of carbon and Iron plate were manually inserted into the Smelter to create iron rod fed into the Constructor which then created steel screws.

The Smelter and Constructor have a conveyor path to the Routing storage container.

A Robot assembler is added to create Transport bots to move resources to the Smelter: the SKILL-Transport section explains how Transport bots move resources to the Smelter and Constructor.

The Hydro generator is powered to make Hydrogen and Constructor Copper plates are moved to the Player inventory.

Click of a button and the Player inventory has the steel screws needed to update (blue changes to red marking) the asteroid catchers: preferred asteroid is the carbon asteroid.

The setting to preferred carbon asteroid means the quantity of other asteroid ore is much less.

Nearby planetoids containing iron and copper deposits are dispatched to supply the Smelter with ore.

Use the Laser (Ctrl-8) drill to quickly acquire a planetoid's Dirt, Quartz and Stone block.

Hydrogen is used to construct navigation thrusters to move the platform to planetoids for deposits of basic resources: that'll have to wait until the platform is expanded for more device placement space.

Automate crafting and extend platform to Oxygen bubble limits.
Steel screws and Electronic parts passed from the Constructor are transformed into Gears and Motherboard in the Manufacturer.
Just as with the Smelter, the Constructor output is split into feed for the Construction storage container and its target, the Manufacturer.
The Manufacturer routes its output to the Construction storage container.

See SKILL-Transport for Transport bot assignment for the Smelter and the Constructor.

The Manufacturer doesn't require resources from the Player inventory, yet.

The Hydro generator has created plenty of Hydrogen to make Transport bots and navigation thrusters to move the platform.

The platform sides are extended to roughly the length of the largest distant planetoids and has provided more space for device placement.

Time to travel to and attach planetoids.

Transform planetoid resources into more sophisticated resources.
Ultimately, you want 4 flattened planetoids immediately attached as farming platforms.

Every resource, except Dirt based resources, stripped from the planetoids.

Review sections THRESHOLD-Drills through THRESHOLD-Extend for the game play.

Review sections TECHNOLOGY- Enhance to see the tech dependencies.

Review sections SKILL-Navigation through SKILL-Scanner for the game play challenges.

Review Sections RESOURCES-Container.

The Sandbox game play is different in that resource and processing upgrade proceed much more rapidly than in THRESHOLD.

Attach farming planetoid candidate with a supply of uranium ore

Using 'M' key (map) I found that the Alombria planetoid has plenty of Carbon, Iron and Copper ore and the bonus of uranium ore to fuel a Nuclear reactor.

The planetoids immediately attached to the platform sides are intended to be farming planetoids.

Shape = Bowl and Landscape = Flat are easier to flatten and extend to create large farming surfaces.

Landscape = Flat are easier to flatten and extend to create large farming surfaces.

Two immediately useful ores not on Alombria are Gold and Tittanium.


LIFE means seeds for Wheat and Trees, the first crops on farms in this game.

ACTIONS means inorganic processs such as gas from geysers.
See SKILL-Navigation about the Control panel.

Top middle of the above image is a Control panel and two basic (facing opposite ways) navigation thrusters.

I clicked on the Alombria planetoid in the Control panel, it took 26 game minutes to bring to bring it roughly .35 light years from the platform: close enough to maneuver Alombria close in order to attach to the platform.
I used a single navigation thruster powered by a solar panel to bring Alombria within docking range.

I created flat areas on Alombria for the navigation thruster plus solar panel and docking station.

I put a docking station in the middle of a platform side then attached the planetoid.

Alombria, the first attached planetoid, is flat enough to terraform for farming.

The first step is to strip it in order to see what ore is visible from the surface.

Result: Quartz and Wood logs.

There is a lot of Uranium ore visible on the surface and a small patch of Copper visible.

For that reason, drilling first focuses on the surface Uranium ore and the patch of Copper then the hidden ore.

There are no Titanium rods available so, a combination of small drills are used to acquire the large surface Uranium ore deposits.

The collection of drills output is moved to a storage storage container.

While drilling Alombria, the planetoid is flattened and extended, see sections THRESHOLD- Flatten and THRESHOLD-Extend.

Alombria will be used as as farming planetoid with overlapping Oxygen bubbles.

There currently a limited amount of gold wire available to create solar panels to powet the drills so Carbon reactors are being used to power the surface drills.

One Carbon reactor can power up to 3 drills.

Storage containers are collecting drill output, the 3 drill uranium setup is using 2 storage container because one of the drills is at a different level.

There is a surface Carbon deposit available to power the other ore deposits.

The Laser drill (Ctrl-8) and the Scanner (See SKILL-Scanner section) are used to clear away Dirt, Quartz and Stone block occupying Alombria space required to place and power drills extracting ore currently hidden from view.

There is an adjacent planetoid with plenty of Gold ore that can be transformed into Gold wire enabling solar panels to power the planetoid drills.

Attach farming planetoid candidate with a supply of gold and uranium ore.

Attached Marmotopia same as Alombria, there are small surface patches of Gold and Uranium ore easily handled by a small drill in each case.

The surface has a few Quartz rocks but consists of two small Gold ore deposits and many scattered, small Copper deposits.

Using Solar panels rather than Carbon reactors to power the drills since the Gold ore to make the Gold wire is being replaced.

Sub-surface Alombria drills for Iron and Carbon can be powered by Solar panels.

The Alombria drills powered by Carbon reactors can be powered by Solar panels. Once the Carbon runs out.

There is another planetoid with Gold ore (will be delayed) that can be attached once the sub-surface Alombria Iron and Carbon drills are working.

All Alombria ore types are being extracted, the Smelter will be much busier than asteroid dispatching requires from it.

Upgrade to Advanced Smelter in order to create Uranium rods.

Upgraded to Advanced Smelter in order to convert Uranium ore to Uranium rod, fuel used by the Nuclear reactor.

The Nuclear reactor provides 100 power points, allowing the switch of the automatic asteroid catchers to prefer Iron and Copper asteroids and service just two Carbon reactors.

The Nuclear reactor requires Concrete and Metal frame.

The Advanced Smelter requires Stone plate to create Concrete, Stone plate is created by the Circular saw (20 power points and Glass required).

Metal frame requires Titanium rod and Iron wire, the Advanced Smelter creates Titanium rod from Titanium ore.

The platform requires more power and another device (to create the Metal frame) update.

The first objective is to add Solar panels (THRESHOLD-Solar) at the bottom of the platform to power the proposed changes.

Routed all Uranium rod to the Routing storage container, bypassing the Constructor.

Attach planetoid with Aluminum and Titanium ore.

Need Aluminum bar to update Constructor and Titanium rod to create Metal frames so attached planetoid with Aluminum and Titanium ore.

Stripping Tuga-Portugal added more Wood logs, Quartz and all but one wheat seeds for later farming.

Titanium rods permit using the large drill for large ore deposits.

Titanium rods plus Iron wire create Metal frame.

The extra power from the platform Solar panels allows Stone blocks to be turned into Stone plate in the Circular saw which can be turned into Concrete.

A lot more Transport bots required by platform devices such as Hydro generator, the Circular saw and Nuclear reactor.

Using a Nuclear reactor in the blueprint containing Basic Smelter, Constructor and Manufacturer which processes ore from Automatic asteroid catchers used in other blueprints to supply water to Oxygen generators, Farms and Barns.

Processed resources routed to storage container serving the process devices.
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Updated to Advanced Conductor, Advanced Manufacturer, added Chain saw and increased Transport bot numbers.

Hydro generator, the Circular saw creating resources for other devices (example: Dirt becomes Stone block and Quartz) processes.
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Smelter, Constructor and Manufacturer updated to the advanced version And Circular saw converts Dirt into Quartz, Stone block into Stone plate and Wood log into Wood plank.

The Advanced Smelter converts Stone plate into Concrete and Quartz into Glass.

The Advanced Manufacturer converts Wood plank into Polymer.

The three attached planetoids allow Gold, Aluminum, Uranium and Titanium ore into bar, rod, plate and wire.

Last potential farming planetoid candidate.

There are two objectives: 1. Acquire and process all ore of four planetoids attached to the playform, 2. Terraform planetoids flat.

The first first is accomplished with small and large drills and the second using Laser drill (Ctrl-8) plus
the Bucket terrain (Ctrl-6) tools.

The Bucket terrain tool can add or remove one layer of terrain, I prefer the Laser drill to remove terrain.

Once the planetoids are flattened then use the Oxygen bubble blueprint to place multiple Oxygen bubbles on the planetoids.

As you can see, the four planetoid surfaces are flattened and extended to provide a huge space for many, ovelapping Oxygen barriers and farms.

The increasing levels of Single Player Survival version game play.

This division relies on content in subsequent divisions for an overall view of game play.

Manual game play: Focus on accruing resources to build station devices.

Topics:

Begin Survival version starts with no resources/devices, dispatching asteroids with a pickax.
Ore Resources to build / update devices.
Engineering Create engineering science points.
Barrier Complete the device group for the oxygen barrier.
Twenty Attach second source of iron, copper bars for Laboratory.

More complex play: Prepare to acquire your first astronaut.

Topics

Switch Upgrade from manual to automatic asteroid catchers.
Hook Move the small, nearby planetoids closer to the station.
Research Scientist astronauts create Chemistry, Biology, Space, High rech science points.
Square Maximize station and planetoids for placement of oxygen bubble(s).
Quartz Gather quartz for Hydrogen generator conversion to astronaut tonic.

Planetoid attachment: Strip, drill and terraform distant planetoids to build expanded station.

Topics:

Drills Remove dirt, stone block, quartz and ores from planetods in prep for terraforming.
Astronaut Acquire astronaut scientist to research Chemistry, Biology, Space science points.
Solar Replace carbon reactors with storage containers and underside solar panels for power.
Muddy Using a robot mine to determine how to place drills on the surface.
Flatten Reduce attached planetoids to single, smooth plateau.
Extend Extend attached planetoids outward.

Astro colony: Prepare enlarged station for full colonization.

Topics:

Bubble Add oxygen bubble(s) to each planetoid.
Farm Produce wheat and wood using farm robots.
Cook Add bread to available Canteen items.
Blackhole Construct Antenna, hire engineer and travel close to a blackhole.
Stargate Construct Fabricator to build Stargate then power Stargate.

Next universe: Continuing game play in a second universe.

Topics:

Slipthru Move station with attached planetoids into a new universe.
Barn Acquire Pinguet for breeding and processing into meat.
Gas Create Gas device group to process Mercury ore.
Fusion What 1000 power points can do for you.

Third universe: Continuing game play in a third universe.

Topics:

Exittwo Reset second universe known planetoids to those attached to the station.

Survival version starts with no resources/devices, you dispatch asteroids with a pickax.

First game save bypasses the game startup video and becomes obsolete with major game updates.
Game tech is initially enabled when the player uses the pickax to dispatch asteroids (general science points) near the station.

Once you have enough general science points required by a tech, click on the tech in order to activate the tech.

Note the 'Grappling hook' tech, you can 'hook' an planetoid or the station to move quickly to where you wish to be: check tech descriptions in the Technology division.

Asteroids can be moved by the Grappling hook but I don't find such action useful.

Supplement SKILL-Dispatch; RESOURCES-Start

Resources for player inventory and to build / update devices.
There are three complimentary objectives: acquire ore in the player inventory ('Tab' key); convert ore into bars, plate and thread; activate ('T' key) tech.

The station is stationary with respect to the player so you can travel away from the station in pursuit of asteroids for your player inventory.

I don't need the Grappling hook to move swiftly between asteroids since the Shift key does that.

Dispatching asteroids using the hand drill is quick.

The purpose of the bars, plate and thread is to build devices, add flooring, attach conveyor paths. Electrical connections, etc.

The term 'device group' means a series of devices, conveyor paths and logic blocks are required to accomplish a particular task.

That circle with a left parenthesis is the game cursor.

Supplement SKILL-Process, -Activate; TECHNOLOGY-Acquire

Create engineering science points and support oxygen barrier.

A range of tech required: note the 'Startup tech' and 'Advanced processing' images that follows.
Using manual asteroid catcher to capture carbon, metal ores and ice.
See TECHNOLOGY division content for more detailed information.
The Engineering device group is built in steps as the player dispatches asteroids and converts the ore (Inventory key 'Tab' unlocks crafting options as tech is activated) into the metal bars, plates and wire:

Carbon reactor to power a manual asteroid catcher, at first manually moving the carbon until conveyor path and logic blocks are available.

Using Inventory ('Tab' key) to create metal bars until a Smelter can be fed metal ore.

Passing iron and copper bars from the Smelter to a Laboratory to create Engineering science points.

A Ice breaker is fed the ice to make water once it is powered.

That means the Ice breaker's 5 power point need can't be met but the manual asteroid catcher can pass ice to the Ice breaker.

The Push logic block is needed to pass carbon to Carbon reactor and ice to the Ice breaker.

A second device group of manual asteroid catcher and three carbon reactors would pass metal ores to the same Smelter.

When the catcher is upgraded ('U' key') to automatic, the carbon asteroid would be preferred and a Splitter logic block will route carbon to all three carbon reactors.

The player is still dispatching asteroids to stock the player inventory for device creation.
It is possible to power all devices in the above station image but devices would operate below 100% efficiency – not recommended.

The above game play notes shows the power consumption when powering all devices except the Ice breaker.

I recommend keeping a close eye on power consumption as you add devices to the station to avoid causing yourself any headaches.

The second ice source is passed to an Ice breaker which feeds water to a Hydrogen generator..

A switch from manual to automatic asteroid catcher requires meeting a few game challenges.

Automatic asteroid catchers preferring ice or carbon means a small amount of bars reach the Laboratory once the asteroid catcher are ('U' key) updated and preferred asteroid is an option..

Supplement
. SKILL-Placement, -Capture; TECHNOLOGY-Group, -Transition; RESOURCES-Points

Complete the device group for the oxygen barrier.

There isn't sufficient power (7 power points required) to activate an oxygen barrier but the Oxygen generator and Oxygen barrier devices can be attached to the Ice breaker.
Notice the Oxygen barrier tech requires engineering science points to activate and permit the player to place the Oxygen generator and Oxygen barrier devices on the station.

The reason for placing the Oxygen barrier device group on the station but not activating the devices is to establish where the center of the station is but not consume the ice until an astronaut is working on the station.

Once the Oxygen barrier is activated, the player knows how large the station can be expanded until the oxygen bubble can't cover any more station space.

Roughly that is 49 X 49 square floor units, I squared the station (later) at 61 X 61 floor units with the intention of overlapping oxygen bubbles from attached, terraformed planetoids.

Supplement SKILL-Placement, -Capture; TECHNOLOGY-Group, -Transition; RESOURCES-Bars, -Water

Attach second source of iron, copper bars for Laboratory.

Supplies power for first Ice breaker and Oxygen generator devices.

This section is called Twenty because only one of the Carbon reactors is initially powered.

While the manual asteroid catcher is active, the player chooses the asteroids.
Although the automatic asteroid catcher tech is activated, it requires steel screws for the update.

Steel screws are created in the Constructor using iron rods which have been created in the Smelter.

Once updated to the automatic asteroid catcher, the preferred asteroid will be carbon so there'll be plenty of carbon for all three carbon reactors: the other ores are accrued in small quantities.

A Splitter logic block needed ro route the carbon to all three carbon reactors.

The metal ores are routed to the existing smelter and the ice to an Ice breaker that will supply water to a Hydrogen generator: the Ice breaker isn't powered.

The Steel screws won't be available until a device group that includes a Constructor is activated.

Supplement SKILL-Prepare

Upgrade from manual to automatic asteroid catchers.

Third asteroid catcher device group supplying metal bars and iron rod to Constructor device.The above calculation assumes the Oxygen barrier device is not powered.

I chose to wait until an astronaut is about to be summoned
Carbon and iron plate is used to make iron rods in the Smelter which is passed to the Constructor to create steel screws needed to update ('U' key') manual to automated asteroid catchers.

Although the above image shows an automated asteroid catcher, the steel screws were created when a manual asteroid catcher passed ore to the Smelter.

The automated asteroid catcher feeding the 3 carbon reactors requires a Splitter logic block to route the carbon to the 3 carbon reactors and select carbon asteroids as the preferred type of asteroid in order to generate enough carbon to supply all the 3 carbon reactors.

The other 2 automated asteroid catchers select (no preferred asteroid) asteroid type based on available supply of asteroid type to maximize metal bar creation.

Those two can only supply one carbon reactor with carbon.

A Hydrogen generator is attached to the second Ice breaker.

Note that the power consumption calculation indicates a few power points to spare.

That'll be convenient when I need to power a Cosmic harpoon and Navigation thruster.

Supplement SKILL-Automation; TECHNOLOGY-Automatic; RESOURCES- Catch

Move the small, nearby planetoids closer to the station.

My Cosmic harpoon brought two small, nearby planetoids close to the station then the station moves down to bring a third small, nearby planetoid visible from the top of the station

The third nearby planetoid required use of a navigation thruster because it was only visible when viewed from under the station, out of the Cosmic harpoon's range.
The larger, more distant planetoids require station thrusters to bring them close to the station.

The small, nearby planetoids provide small quantities of iron & copper ore, carbon, dirt, quartz and stone block.

I use as many small drills on a planetoid as possible to speed up ore acquisition, gathering carbon from nearby asteroids to power the drill.

I use the hand drill to dispatch ore that the small drills can't handle and acquire dirt, quartz and stone block.

The dirt and iron rods enable chemistry science points but the remaining three sciences require the Manufacture device to be operating.

Hand drilling trick: Hold down both LMB and 'W' for rapid dirt drilling – Don't try to over control the direction you travel and dirt is quickly acquired.

After you've passed through the Stargate, Laser drill (Ctrl-8) tech beats this trick.

Supplement SKILL-Droplets; RESOURCES- Piddle

Scientist astronauts create Chemistry, Biology, Space, High tech science points.

All science research after engineering science require scientist astronauts working in a research building in order to generate the science points.

I've chosen to use only one astronaut to do all the science research before the Stargate is built.The third calculation shows the power impact of adding the fourth catcher group adding 30 power points

Astronauts require support including food, the Scientist astronauts at bare minimum require a tonic created in the Hydrogen generator using quartz and water.

I build a sufficient quantity (at least 300 units) of tonic before I request the first astronaut.
One scientist astronaut for each (advanced) type of science point, a maximum of 3 scientists if you want Chemistry, Biology, Space all researched at the same time.

After Chemistry, the prerequisite resources are found on the distant planetoids.

Initially, I use one astronaut to research the next three science points to insure the initial quantity of tonic can last a while because setting up the farms is time consuming.

Supplement SKILL-Science; TECHNOLOGY-Researching; RESOURCES-Split, -Processors

Maximize station and planetoids for placement of oxygen bubble(s).

This step is repeated for all planetoids attached to the station, see the Extend section about extending attached planetoids.
The above image shows all the device placement before the station is expanded.

Notice that a Manufacturer and Research lab have been attached to the Constructor in order to create resources for the astronaut(s) to do research.

Both the Smelter (iron rods) and Constructor (carbon fiber) feed the Research lab.
The station is expanded to its maximum square shape in order to center attached planetoids.

Planetoids are attached (docked) because the station is moving between planetoid locations.

A storage container receives all resources not required by the research station which is fed all the resources required except iron rods and dirt.

I think of that storage container as my second player inventory source.

The first Smelter creates the iron rods required for Chemistry.

The hand drill acquires the dirt from attached planetoids for Chemistry and quartz creation.

A oxygen bubble can cover 49 floor units (I did 61) per station side, that requires a lot iron plate, which I create in the Constructor (iron thread disabled) to expand the station.

I dispatched ore from iron asteroids to maintain the player's inventory of iron bars.

Supplement SKILL-Center

Gather quartz for Hydrogen generator conversion to astronaut tonic.

Mining the small planetoids produced a small amount of quartz and each distant planetoid provided different quantities of resources including quartz

The nearest large planetoid with an iron ore supply is the first station destination in order to supply iron ore to make floor panels for station squaring.

Floor panels are a quick means to provide level placement support for mines and drills.

Drilling iron on the planetoid, using the small drill, eliminates the need to dispatch iron asteroids.

Additionally, there is a supply of quartz to make the astronaut tonic.

Notice, in the right image, the station is shown relative to the planetoids.

Attached planetoids would appear as part of the station.

Supplement SKILL-Tonic

Remove dirt, stone block, quartz and ores from planetoids in prep for terraforming.

The quartz and wheat seed, tree seed and wood are collected in the initial planetoid stripping in order to expose surface ores that can be harvested by small drills.
Drills are placed around each collection of surface ore with a carbon reactor for power and automatic asteroid catcher supplying carbon to the carbon reactor and two storage containers.

The storage containers provide carbon for other carbon reactors powering drills and automatic asteroid catcher.

First carbon from carbon asteroid dispatches used to power the automatic asteroid catchers.

Over time the carbon in the two storage containers enables the player to accrue a large quantity in the carbon reactors not supplied carbon from an automatic asteroid catcher.

Supplement SKILL-Navigation, -Exploration; TECHNOLOGY-Enhance

Acquire astronaut scientist to research Chemistry, Biology, Space science points.

The below image shows the equipment required to support astronauts.
Use the an unattached (to planetoid) docking station to summon astronauts.

Top to bottom, left to right:

Task (training) library
Study station
Canteen
Meal table
Sleep station

First food item: astronaut tonic.

Astronauts can be cranky, the tolerance for astronaut tonic is limited begin farming asap.

I start with a single astronaut, activating Chemistry then Biology then Space science point creation.

Replace carbon reactors with storage containers and underside solar panels for power.

Two solar panels, overlapping power source, requires three floor tiles.
The game doesn't allow placing devices in what it considers upside down so three wall tiles are used to create what the game considers a topside floor.

One row of overlapping solar panels in a 61 floor units per station side creates 122 power points.

My eight carbon reactors are replaced by eight storage containers.

80 power points replaced by 122 power points.
The carbon in the carbon reactors are moved to the storage containers replacing the carbon reactors.

Copper wire carrying the power from carbon reactors is removed and some rewiring is required to pass power to the remaining station devices that were receiving power.

The accumulated carbon in the storage containers is reused to create iron rods and carbon fiber, both are resources used by the research lab.

The new carbon from the asteroid catchers will serve whatever are the future carbon needs.

Existing asteroid catchers on the planetoids can now be replaced by solar panels as the quantity of gold wire accrues.

Notice the oxygen bubble shadow in the above image.

The Smelter (red detail) feeding the Engineering lab is updated in order to create titanium rod.

Advanced drilling tech will allow that Smelter to create uranium rod for the nuclear reactor.

Devices not powered: Recycler, Navigating thrusters because they are only occasionally needed.

Supplement RESOURCES-Container

Using a robot mine to determine how to place drills on the surface.

Locate ore not visible from the surface using a mine.
This planetoid only showed the presence of quartz on its surface so required a mine's robots to uncover where the ore is located.

The mine is placed at the center of the planetoid and is powered by solar panels..

A Robot assembler is placed on the station to service all the planetoids attached by a docking station.

Select the desired ore from the mine and the robots shows the closest deposit of the ore.

Place a drill or drills at the ore deposit location then switch to a different ore to locate.

Soon you have the mine and drills excavating the hidden ore.

Supplement SKILL-Scanner

Reduce attached planetoids to a single, smooth plateau.

Minimize the effort by choosing planetoids requiring the least effort to flatten.
Bowl shaped planetoids are easy to flatten,

Strip planetoids containing wood and seed for wheat and trees because these are the early farm products.

In this example of a bowl shaped planetoid, the terrain level chosen to attach the planetoid to the station serves to define how much flattening is needed.

Lower or raise the terrain to match the terrain level in which the planetoid is attached to the station.

Obviously, while the mine and drills are operating, some terrain will remain unchanged until those operations are completed.

While the mine and drills are extracting the ore, you can use the hand drill to remove dirt, quartz and stone blocks.

The next step will be extending the planetoid to maximize the space for oxygen barriers and farms.

All attached, terraformed planetoids will be linked together as part of the station.

Extend attached planetoids outward.

Planetoids extend in a trapezoid-like shape affected by planetoids at the borders.
This is the first of the attached bowl shaped planetoids to be flattened and extended to maximize device placement space on the planetoid.

Flattening and extending planetoids is a manually time consuming task.

Each planetoid has a distinct terrain coloring to distinguish it from other planetoids.

One planetoid is only attached in order to send robots to a mine.

Interconnecting devices between planetoids is not permitted in this game, restricting device placement.

Eventually, there will be four fully linked planetoids, greatly increasing the space station's first level extent with a second level later added to the space station's center..

Add oxygen bubble(s) to each planetoid.
See SKILL-Blueprint for how I created a blueprint for a powered Oxygen bubble.

Use the Oxygen generators rather than the outline of the tops of the Oxygen bubbles as where the actual centers of the Oxygen bubbles are.

Oxygen bubbles are overlapping to insure that there is contiguous Oxygen coverage between the station and the planetoid.

Additional Oxygen bubbles will be created if there are Oxygen coverage gaps between planetoids once all planetoids are linked together.

The next step is to create a Farm blueprint so that multiple Farms can be placed on the planetoid to create wheat for bread and wood for planks.

The Farm blueprint won't include grow space because that can vary between Farms.
Barns don't become available until after the Stargate is built so Farms are placed leaving space to attach a Barn to the Farm.

Although it not fully obvious from the image, the conveyor path leading from the catcher exit door wasn't included in the blueprint because I'd thought that selecting the logic block would include the conveyor path.

It didn't so I had to fix the issue for each bubble device group.

Supplement TECHNOLOGY-Universes

Produce wheat and wood using farm robots. See SKILL-Crop.
The above image shows a farm device group of automatic asteroid catcher, Ice breaker, Farm without farm land and solar panels next to an Oxygen bubble device group.

There is open space available to attach a barn device group similar to the farm device group.
The above image shows the Farm device control with wheat seed available: notice there is a limit of 20 wheat that can be handled by a farmer robot.

The Farm does not have a farmer robot or farm land.
In the above image, the maximum of 20 farm land units has been attached to the Farm.

Another farm device group has been attached to another Oxygen bubble device group.
In the above image, tree seed is available, notice there is a limit of 20 trees a farmer robot can handle.

As in the previous image, the maximum of 20 farm land units has been attached to the Farm.

Last step for first two farm device groups is send farmer robots.
In the above image, three robot types are available and two types await activated tech.

The transporter robots aren't currently working properly.

The breeder robot requires the Barn tech and the fabricator robot requires the Advanced Robotics tech.
As the above image shows, four farm device groups are active, 40 farm land units for wheat and 40 farm land units for trees.

Once a crop is harvested, there is additional seed available for wheat and trees.

Allow some of the initial crop to be harvested then move existing seed to another Farm, the crops still growing when harvested will generate more seed.

Add bread to available Canteen items.

The solar panels under the station are doubled because many more devices will be powered on the station.

Both the Constructor and Manufacturer are updated to the advanced versions.
And, auxiliary (occasionally powered) devices such as: Hydrogen generator, Recycler, Circular saw, Robot assembler are fully powered aa well as the Kitchen device group.

Kitchen device group: asteroid catcher for ice, Ice breaker and Kitchen.

The fifth asteroid catcher accumulates the other ore within it.
Once the Kitchen is stocked with wheat, hire a cook to process it.
The scientist astronaut has almost exhausted the tonic so some of the accumulated dirt is being converted into quartz by the Circular saw which then is being converted into tonic in the Hydrogen generator in order to build up the supply of tonic in the Canteen for both astronauts.

The Circular saw, also, is converting the wood created on the planetoid which is then converted to polymer required by High tech science research.

A Smelter converts Stone block to Stone plate also required by High tech science research.

Construct Antenna, hire engineer and travel close to a blackhole.

Building a Stargate requires getting close to a blackhole so that Fabricator robots can build a Stargate.
That means you have to hire an engineer to operate an antenna to find a black hole, tonic and bread consumed more quickly and gold wire and titanium rod to power the radar scan.
Notice that the Antenna doesn't require electric power just an astronaut engineer.
Blackholes viewed from a distance are just icons visible when the engineer is operating the Antenna.
Blackhole viewed close up show the dynamics of matter going into the blackhole.

I upgraded to faster thrusters to find blackholes, they appear and disappear on the map depending on whether the engineer is actually working the antenna.

The engineer seems to take a lot of breaks.

Construct Fabricator to build Stargate then power Stargate.
You want the blackhole close to the space station to minimize the distance that the Fabricator robots travel in constructing the Stargate

Both the Thrusters (3 = 45 power) and Fabricator (40 power) are electric power pigs.

The Thrusters are super fast and the Fabricator robots, not so much – depending on how far the robots must travel between the Fabricator and the selected (saucer shaped icon) blackhole.

The surplus power in the fourth power consumption calculation (image) is now gone, adding additional solar panels at the station bottom may soon be necessary.
That Stargate you see is relatively close and engulfs the blackhole.

Expedition cost describes resources enroute.

When the Stargate build is complete the Fabricator robots are idle.Notice the Stargate icon close to the center of the Stargate, that means the engineer is operating the antenna.
Powering up the Stargate, not surprisingly, requires a lot of power, it is relatively quick.

I suspect that the engineer only needs to operate the antenna at the beginning of the Stargate build and beginning of the powering up of the Stargate.
Notice the powered up Stargate has two circles of light green lines.

Even though the Stargate is much smaller than my space station, the game has a surprise – it can handle all your stuff

Move station with attached planetoids into a new universe.
All you need to do is put the game cursor (select) on the Stargate click 'F' and press the 'YES' button.

A quick zip through the wormhole and you are in another universe.
'Zero Delta Major' is the name of the attached planetoid closest to the Stargate.
Check for new tech after you pass through the Stargate: you may need to close/start the game to get the new tech.

Notice the first new techs are ready for activation and there is another Stargate tech requiring research.
Hmm, how many universes await you?

Acquire Pinguet for breeding and processing into meat.

Supplement SKILL-Capture; TECHNOLOGY-Farming
The Barn device (blueprint) group is required in order to breed animals for food.

The 'Creature capture' tech provides a tool (Ctrl-7) to capture creatures on planetoids.

The Albion Sappho planetoid
has 14 Pinguet (pig like) to be bred for food in a barn.

The Ranching tech allows the Barn device group to be attached to a farm, the barn uses the wheat produced to feed the Pinguets.

The Creatures breeding tech allows captured creatures to be harvested for meat.

See Skill-Breeder for the Barn blueprint.

The Barn device group is being fed wheat from an existing Farm device group.

A pasture is attached after the Barn device group was constructed.

The Pinguet were gathered using the 'Creature capture' tool on a second universe planetoid.

The Pinguet meat is converted to roasted meat in the existing kitchen then moved to the Canteen.

The Cultivation tech unlocks the tomato but requires a planetoid with tomato seeds.

The Creatures breeding II tech unlocks the Armadudu which supplies eggs allowing the cook to make omelettes.

Thus, additional farms and another barn are required to grow wheat and tomato and harvest eggs from the Armadudu eggs.
Many planetoids are temporarily attached then released to acquire resources.

The lower three planetoids directly attached to the space station are the planetoids terraformed and extended for farming;

Most farming is being done on the lower right planetoid.

The tiny red planetoid is using gas to create mercury and cobalt rods.

The leftmost planetoid also has gas.

Most planetoids are stripped of desired resources and then discarded.

Because of the increased variety of food, I've added a second and then a third scientist to speed up the time required to research a given tech.

Each tech preceding the second Stargate build requirement had increasing science point requirements before its research is completed.

All possible food types are being produced in abundance for five astrobauts.

Create Gas device group to process Mercury ore,

Gas device group built on planetoid with multiple gas gas deposits.
Mercury and Cobalt ore require gas in order to create rods.

Gas device group requires 105 power points: 100 from a nuclear reactor and 5 from solar panels.
The 4357 in the above image is the amount of gas available to process mercury and cobalt.
Ideally, you'd want the drills extracting mercury or cobalt ore to feed the expert smelter as the gas rig
was feeding the gas into the filter.

Notice the supply of mercury ore greatly exceeds the total gas that the gas rig has access to: there are other gas supplies on the planetoid.

You'll setup another gas rig once the gas is exhausted for the current rig.

I discard planetoids to make room for other planetoids.

The mercury/cobalt rod processing is faster than the gas rig supplying gas to the gas tank so gas stored quickly resets to zero.

I'm creating a second stack of uranium rods in order to add a second nuclear reactor & gas rig.

What 1000 power points can do for you.

The power source to use when you have a dozen or dozens of devices to power on a planetoid.
The ideal use for a fusion reactor is a planetoid full of gas sources, a fusion reactor can simultaneously power 10 gas rigs and still have 200 power points to spare.

That is a lot easier than drilling for uranium to power 10 nuclear reactors or 10 blueprint copies of a rack of 100 solar panels.
You need a stack of 60 polymers to power a fusion reactor for one hour of game play.

Here is a solution: create a blueprint to convert trees into polymer with one or more farms creating the trees then the blueprint creating and saving the polymer in three separate storage containers.

I used two tree farms with the idea that any buildup in trees or wood planks will be used in existing space station devices.

The blueprint design:

Powered Chain saw to convert from trees to planks.

Powered Manufacturer to convert from planks to polymer.

Splitter to divide polymer into three separate storage containers.

Conveyor path for second tree source to the Chain saw.

So, two farm device group blueprint copies plus one trees to polymer blueprint copy creates three polymer sources for three fusion reactors on a single planetoid.

I chose to place two separate instances of polymer creation with the purpose of creating six separate polymer stacks as supplies of polymer for future needs.

Supplement SKILL-Polymer; RESOURCES-Mega group

Ability to easily perform a game action.

This division's objective is to provide game play detail for the Threshold division.

The Threshold themes are integrated into this content.

Manual game play: The different tasks you perform at the beginning of the game.

Topics:

. Dispatch Using the pickax to gather ore in the player inventory
. Process Converting metal ore into iron and copper bars.
. Activate Using general science points to activate the first tech.
. Placement Positioning devices in used station space.
. Capture Keeping manual asteroid catchers active.
. Prepare Connecting a second catcher device to Smelter.

More complex play: Keeping an eye on automation and expanding available resources.

Topics:

. Automation Switching from manual to automatic asteroid catchers.
. Droplets Dispatching contents of nearby planetoids.
. Science Supporting first astronaut and accruing resources for advanced research.
. Center Expanding the space station sides to roughly planetoid size.
. Tonic Accumulating planetoid quartz to create sufficient astronaut tonic.
. Transport Using Transport bots to move storage resources to Smelter and Constructor.

Planetoid attachment: Strip, drill and terraform distant planetoids to build expanded station.

Topics:

. Navigation Using Control panel rather than the map.
. Exploration Using spaceship to investigate beyond the space station.
. Scanner How to locate underground ore.

Astro colony: Prepare enlarged station for full colonization.

Topics:

. Blueprint How I created a blueprint to create planetoid Oxygen bubbles.
. Crop Create Farm blueprint in order to grow wheat and trees.

Next universe: Continuing game play in a second universe.

Topics:

. Laser Tool to rapidly strip a planetoid of: dirt, quartz and stone blocks.
. Capture Tool that enables the player to capture planetoid creatures.
. Breeder Create Barn device group blueprint for creature breeding.
. Polymer Create Polymer device group blueprint for converting wood into polymer.

Reset second universe known planetoids to those attached to the station.
The blackhole in the first universe is blue and the one in the second universe is red.

What will a blackhole's color in the third universe be?: probably green.
The second Stargate resource requirements are different than the first Stargate resource requirements.

Hmm, Ran out of Cobalt magnet, need some more to complete Stargate.

Used the robots from the first Stargate build.

Supplement TECHNOLOGY-Minuscule

Using the pickax to gather ore in the player inventory.
That left parenthesis + circle is the game cursor.

'WASD' image changes according to that cursor.

The player is some height above the station.

Don't be spooked by the view, you are safe.

You can chase asteroids away from the station then easily return to the station.

Frankly, that dark rectangular platform at the bottom of the image is a game play nuisance.

The hand drill dispatches asteroids twice as fast as the pickax which is meant to chop down trees.

Use the 'I' key to check your player inventory.

Dispatching asteroids is fun but inefficient.

Converting metal ore into iron and copper bars.
Clicking 'I' pops up the player inventory window.

The player has dispatched ice, iron and copper.

Notice at the bottom of the image, you have the ability to craft iron & copper bars, iron plate, iron & copper thread.

You'll require an Ice breaker to turn ice into water.

The iron & copper bars are for your first devices and the copper wire is to connect to power.

Later about iron plate amd iron wire.

Using general science points to activate the first tech.
Clicking the 'T' key pops up the Technology window.

Notice top right one of the icons is highlighted with a 2 subscript: 2 general science points.

Dispatching asteroids created 4 general science points.

Clicking Oxygen consumed 2 general science points in order to activate the Oxygen tank.

Positioning devices in unused station space.
The carbon reactor eas placed at a station vertex in otder to use the full length of one station side for the other devices in the Engineering device group.

The manual asteroid catcher, initially is not connected to the carbon reactor until conveyor paths can be constructed.
A push and filter logic block handle the carbon and ice from the manual asteroid catcher side facing the carbon reactor which generates 10 power units.

The path leading to the Smelter begins with a filter logic block for the metal ores.

The Smelter uses a filter logic block to block gold bars entering the Laboratory.

The Ice breaker is attached prior to attaching the Laboratory.

The Engineering device group with the Ice breaker not powered uses exactly 10 power points.

Keeping manual asteroid catchers active.
Selecting the manual asteroid catcher and clicking 'E' pops up internal control of the catcher.

The top right icon pops up the player inventory window to move the ores from the catcher.

The bottom right icon is typically to control how resources are processed.

The top right icon pops up a window that the second image depicts, align the game cursor with an asteroid and the catcher pulls it in.
A catcher can process (dispatch) an asteroid and hold a second asteroid for later processing.

Connecting a second catcher device to Smelter.
The second catcher device group has three objectives: 1. supplement metal ore passed to the Smelter feeding iron & copper bars to the Laboratory, 2. feed ice to a second Ice breaker and 3. generate 30 more power points once the Splitter logic block becomes available.

The Splitter logic block in the conveyor path middle so that each Carbon reactor receives carbon from the catcher.

The Ice breaker passes water to a Hydrogen Generator which creates hydrogen used to create electric thrusters.

Initially, only two Carbon reactors are active so only 20 power points are available.
When the manual asteroid catcher is ('U' key) updated to automatic asteroid catcher, the catcher is set to prefer carbon asteroids.

Less of other ore is then available.

Switching from manual to automatic asteroid catchers.
You'll need a supply of carbon and iron plate in the Smelter in order to pass iron rod to the Constructor to create the steel screws needed to ('U' key) update a manual asteroid catcher to an automatic asteroid catcher.

Dispatch carbon asteroids for the carbon and use the Smelter for iron bars to craft into iron plate.

So, place a Carbon reactor, manual asteroid catcher and Smelter to create iron bars for the iron plate.

Once you've activated the Constructor tech, you can attach a Constructor to create the steel screws.
With sufficient resources in your player inventory, activate the 'Automated catching' tech and update all manual asteroid catchers.

Dispatching contents of nearby planetoids.
The Cosmic harpoon only needs to be powered to bring planetoids close.

Use the icon shown on the middle right of the right image to select and bring the planetoid close.

I don't use the dock option because I work on all nearby planetoids at the same time.

That green circle appears when you center the game cursor on the planetoid and click.

Use the Grappling hook on the planetoid to move from the station to the planetoid and back.

Dispatch a carbon asteroid to power the Carbon reactor, providing 10 power points.

I've placed two small drills on the main mass of copper ore, power enough left for a third drill.

There were three nearby planetoids, I hooked the second planetoid as the first's drills were working.

Once all three nearby planetoids had working drills, I used the hand drill to dispatch the rest of each of the planetoids.

Those planetoid droplets soon were only a memory and the Cosmic harpoon was no longer needed.

Supporting first astronaut and accruing resources for advanced research.

Why bringing the first astronaut to the station is a challenging task.
As you can see from the above image, tech activation changes dramatically once you've automated asteroid catching, three new science points are critical in activating more advanced tech.
Astronaut summoning and planetoid docking differ in that only one docking station can summon astronauts and gold bars are required, the advanced docking station brings astronaut to the station quickly.
The above image shows the placement of all devices on the station prior to squaring the station sides for planetoid attachment.

Notice the bottom right devices.

Lets look a little closer.
Ignore the top right asteroid catcher.

A Manufacturer and Research station are attached.

The Constructor feeds part of its output to to a storage container and part to the Manufacturer.

The Manufacturer feeds the resources that the Research station wants and everything else to the same storage container.

Just need an astronaut to do the research.
Once you've accumulated enough astronaut tonic to keep the astronaut indefinitely satisfied, you'll create the left (no power required) objects to support the astronaut and summon the astronaut to do advanced research.

Expanding the space station sides to roughly planetoid size.
A lot of iron plate was required to expand the station from the above layout to the below layout where the oxygen bubble is centered and the sides are as large as medium planetoid sides.
The above image shows joined station and planetoid docking stations.

Above image is part of asteroid catcher control.

You can dispatch a lot of iron asteroids or power an automatic asteroid catcher that prefers iron asteroids.

Or drill for planetoid iron ore.

Accumulating planetoid quartz to create sufficient astronaut tonic.
The Hydrogen generator can create other things besides Hydrogen: Hydrotonic is an example.

Water plus quartz creates Hydrotonic which is kept in the Canteen for the astronauts.
Notice in the above image bottom shows the food that astronauts prefer and astronauts get cranky if all they have available is tonic.

That requires farms and barns which is a game challenge.

Mining the distant planetoids is the first way to get quartz, using the Circular saw to convert dirt into quartz is a lot easier.

Using Transport bots to move storage resources to Smelter and Constructor.
I used the Hydro generator to create the Hydrogen and the Constructor to create Copper plate so as to create the 4 Transport bots mentioned in Routing.
I created the four Transport bots then clicked the 'Deposit items' button in the Smelter and clicked the Iron plate, Carbon icons shown at bottom of the window.

The Transport bot default setting is to carry 3 items at a time from the Routing storage (and devices) container to the Smelter.
The Constructor, also, requires Carbon to make Carbon fiber so I selected Carbon transport for the Constructor.

I delayed the transport of Copper wire to the Constructor until after the Manufacturer is activated.

The basic version of the Manufacturer only requires output from the Constructor.

Using Control panel rather than the map.

Tech:Autopilot.
Notice rhat the Control panel doesn't require power and it shows all the planetoids close enough for autopilot to see.

It is meant for the player rather than an astronaut pilot..

Using spaceship to investigate beyond the space station.

Tech:Hangar, Spacecraft.
I've only occasionally used the Rover or Spacecraft for exploration since traveling in my spacesuit seemed the most natural way to travel even though in a real extraterrestrial sense those would be that most convenient way to explore.

Shift + WASD got me up close and personal after a time lag to blackholes that I was searching for.

W and LMB with hand drill selected turns planetoids into Swiss cheese.

Game cursor select on Rover/Spacecraft then clicking 'F' + WASD is equally enjoyable.

How to locate underground ore.
Tech: Scanning.

Ctrl-4 will activate the Scanner results, use WASD to move to where you want to scan and click LMB to do the scan.

As you can see, you are told where the ore is: Ctrl-5 to replace with the hand drill in order to reach where the ore is located and setup a drill or drills to remove the ore.

After you've slipped through the Stargate to the universe, you can click Ctrl-8 to switch to the laser drill for much faster dirt, quartz and stone blocks covering the ore.

Keep in mind that the ore marker image only shows the ores relative to each other and only the beginning of a path to each ore location.

WASD with the same Scanner image collection until ore marker images no longer move with WASD.

Ore marker image paths usually travel with an angle to the left or the right relative to the image you see so you'll have
.to dig down to see which direction the path travels.

Dig a litlle then apply the Scanner to figure out where to dig next: keep digging and applying the Scanner until you find the ore,

Remember, although the Scanner shows images side-by-side, the actual ore deposits are not the same distance away.

How I created a blueprint to create planetoid Oxygen bubbles.
There is a critical piece of information that the game guide does not bother to mention, how to select objects and what not to select when defining the placed objects used to define a blueprint.

I'm sorry folks, what you 'assume' is obvious ain't obvious to everybody.
Here is the trick: mouse over first object & right click then left click everything you want to include.

Now you can click 'B'.
Yes, it worked, all the stuff I left clicked are being shown in the above image, so click 'Add'.
In the above image all devices are in the right locations relative to each other, looks good so far.

The left insert window also shows my prior failed attempts as well as my final success.

Use the 'Remove' button to get rid of failed attempts, double check what is selected before clicking.

Notice at the very top left in the right insert window there is a place to give the blueprint a name.

I backspaced over 'New blueprint' and typed 'Barrier' then clicked the 'Blueprint library' button.
And, there it is, my very first blueprint.

What is missing is power for the devices and routing ice to the Ice breaker.

Use the station for blueprint modifications.
Click 'K' for construction and blueprint tab, desired blueprint highlighted so close window and click spot on the station.

I made many mistakes in this first blueprint, you are also likely to do so.
The catcher is set to select ice asteroids so just need a path for the ice and filter logic block set for ice.

Add solar panels, select everything you want for the updated blueprint version and save changes.
Notice that the planetoid didn't require flooring, just the blueprint modification.

Create Farm blueprint in order to grow wheat and trees.
A catcher with ice asteroids preferred in order to feed ice to the Ice breaker which feeds water to the Farm.

That arrow emerging from the Farm is meant for a Barn which doesn't become available until the player passes through the Stargate.

Currently, only wheat and tree seeds are available so the first planetoid uses Farms for wheat and wood.

Each Farm uses a single farmer robot which will be created on the station to activate farming.

Wheat requires an astronaut cook and a Kitchen to make bread.

Wood is converted into planks by the Circular saw and used to create polymer which is required by High tech science research.

The game space to the left of the Farm is where you place the farm land for crops.
The new blueprint will be named 'Crop' to match this section's name.

There were 3 conveyor paths created but the logic block seems to absorb the path next to the catcher door.

This window has the nice feature of displaying both the devices and the resources required to construct the devices.

That is a convenient means to check the player inventory to make sure you have enough resources for all the farms that you intend to create.

Use construction ('K' key) to build the farms.

Tool to rapidly strip a planetoid of: dirt, quartz and stone blocks.
The top image is of a planetoid in which ore deposits are scattered throughout the planetoid so setting a large drill within the planetoid is time consuming using a hand drill.

Not a problem with a laser drill (Ctrl-8) which rips any dirt, quartz or stone block from its location in an eye blink.

Makes setting up drills inside a planetoid much easier.

Tool that enables the player to capture planetoid creatures.
The Capture creature tool is Ctrl-7.

Once you find a planetoid containing creatures, can use Ctrl-7 + LMB to capture them.

Hold down LMB and encircle the creature with the green circle until the creature 'vaporizes' toward player inventory. No atmosphere? No problem.

Create Barn device group blueprint for creature breeding.
I don't know if this issue still exists: I put flooring down where a blueprint is to be created.

Previously, if the flooring wasn't there then the blueprint was unusable.

Generally, it takes a couple of tries before blueprint making errors are eliminated so I don't don't destroy the blueprint model until a perfect blueprint copy is made.
As you can see, a lot of gold wire is required to power the Barn device group.

Both the breeder robots and the pasture is built separately.

Create Polymer device group blueprint for converting wood into polymer.

Converts tree farm devise group wood into three storage containers of polymer.
Polymer is the device group's blueprint name.

Powered Chain saw and advanced Manufacturer depositing polymer into three storage containers.
Above are the resources required in the player inventory to create the device group.

Recommended order in which to activate unlocked Technology.

Manual game play: Focus on accruing resources to build station devices.

Topics:

. Acquire Manually select two asteroids at a time and create iron and copper bars.
. Group Constructing device groups in order to perform particular game actions.
. Transition Making a transition from manual to automatic asteroid catching.

More complex play: Prepare to acquire your first astronaut.

Topics:

. Automatic Switch device group asteroid catchers to automatic asteroid handling.
. Researching The advanced science techs require at least one astronaut to do the research.

Planetoid attachment: Strip, drill and terraform distant planetoids to build expanded station.

Topics:

. Enhance Upgrade available distant planetoid resources and processing.

Next universe: Continuing game play in a second universe.

Topics:

. Universes Construct Stargate in order to travel to new universes.
. Farming Add meat and vegetable ingredients to the kitchen processing.
. Expertise Extending the food sources and resource processing.

Third universe: Continuing game play in a third universe.

Topics:

. Minuscule Additional third universe technology is a handful, only.

Manually select two asteroids at a time and create iron and copper bars.
Single player survival version unlocks the Oxygen tech and locks all other startup tech.

The most important startup techs are: Electricity, Asteroid catching, Smelting and Logistics because the first game play objective is to acquire ore from the asteroids and make metal bars.

General science points are required to activate unlocked tech and tech is unlocked by activated tech which has a line leading to the locked tech.

The first devices you should build on the space station are a manual asteroid catcher and a Carbon reactor passing power to it with copper wire.

Distributing the ore collected in the manual asteroid catcher requires conveyor paths which are available when the Logistics tech is activated.

Ore distribution: carbon to Carbon reactor for power; iron, copper and gold ore to the Smelter for bars and ice to the Ice breaker for unpowered ice accumulation.

Initially, ore accumulates in the manual asteroid catcher and the player inventory in the delay before a conveyor path routes ore to a powered Smelter, carbon to the Carbon reactor and ice to the Ice breaker.

Before you build devices, all your game time is split between gathering ore from nearby asteroids and converting player inventory resources into more advanced resources.

The player inventory is tapped for resources required by device construction.

Resources within devices without a conveyor path to move them requires the player moving the resources to the desired location, including player inventory.

The Grappling hook, Destruction and Recycling techs become important later in the game.

The Smelting and Engineering techs become important in the Engineering step when Engineering science points are created..

The Water and Water transportation techs are important in creating an Oxygen bubble on the station and as a resource for the Hydrogen generator.

Constructing device groups in order to perform particular game actions.

Discussing Engineering, Oxygen barrier and Hydrogen generator device groups.
The first column in the second collection of techs: Logistics blocks, Oxygen barrier and Hydrogen techs allow the accrued ore in manual asteroid catchers to travel to the device which use the ores.

Asteroid catchers have two exits to conveyor paths: carbon and ice from one exit and metal ores from the other exit.

The carbon to a Carbon reactors and the ice to Ice breakers: carbon/ice pushed in a different direction.

One Ice breaker routes the water to an Oxygen generator and the other Ice breaker routes the water to a Hydrogen generator.

The Oxygen generator converts the water to Oxygen tanks used by the Oxygen barrier.

The Oxygen barrier requires Engineering science points to be activated.

A Smelter has two entrances so both manual asteroid catchers feed it metal ores.

A Smelter has a single exit which I block gold bars from entering the Laboratory.

I choose to route all carbon from both manual asteroid catchers to Carbon reactors even though the Hydrogen generator needs both water and carbon to make hydrogen.

Turns out that the Hydrogen generator doesn't need to draw continuous power and I can quickly dispatch carbon asteroids whenever I need a supply of carbon.

Making a transition from manual to automatic asteroid catching.
The space station has a platform which I don't consider of any value except to shrink device placement space on the station and which require: Destruction, Constructing, Wall, Block, (next tech collection:) Parts and Vertical construction in order to dismantle the platform.

The Logistics blocks tech is critical to moving resources between devices.

The Advanced logistics blocks tech's Splitter logic block allows an automatic asteroid catcher to feed up to 3 Carbon reactors: moving from 10 power points to 30 power points.

The next device group to construct on the space station is the Research device group which requires Construction, Manufacturing and (next tech collection:) Human Engineering techs to complete.

Automation tech unlocks the iron rod, I don't currently find the Warehouse useful.

The Grappling hook (first tech collection), Drills, Cosmic harpoon and Hand drill techs enable you to tap the resources in nearby planetoids.

Engines tech may be needed if a nearby planetoid is below the space station.

Hydration and Human migration techs enable the player to add astronauts to the space station.

Astronauts are required in order to research advanced science points, cook meals and run station equipment such as an antenna.

Engines, Scanning, Docking and Robotics techs become important when you are ready to tap the resources in distant planetoids.

Blueprints tech becomes important after attached planetoids are terraformed for farming, plants require oxygen (Oxygen barrier device group) and it is useful to have a farm device group blueprint.

Switch device group asteroid catchers to automatic asteroid handling.
The Automatic catching tech completes the tech needed to construct the Research device group.

The Threshold More complex play sections explain in detail how to create this device group.

Once the manual asteroid catchers are updated to automated asteroid catchers, you can dispatch all nearby planetoids quickly.

Your next step is accumulating astronaut tonic so that you can add astronauts (you've upgraded to automated asteroid catchers),

The Grappling hook (first tech collection), (second tech collection) Drills, Cosmic harpoon and Hand drill techs enable you tap the resources in nearby planetoids.

You can use the Cosmic harpoon to bring each nearby planetoid close (not worth docking) to the space station and the Grappling hook to move between a nearby planetoid and the space station.

One or more small drills powered (10 power points available from a Carbon reactor) by carbon from dispatched carbon asteroids can quickly acquire the ore on a planetoid.

'W' key plus LMB can rapidly consume the dirt not locked by the ore.

Should a nearby planetoid be below the space station then it will be out of range of a Cosmic harpoon then hydrogen is required to build a navigation thruster in oeder to put the nearby planetoid in Cosmic harpoon range.

Once all nearby planetoids are dispatched then a Cosmic harpoon is no longer needed.

The advanced science techs require at least one astronaut to do the research.

Astronauts require support device (unpowered except for Kitchen) and astronaut tonic, at minimum.
The Colonist's training tech complete the techs unlocking unpowered support devices.

Considerable astronaut tonic converted from water and quartz should be accumulated before the first astronaut is summoned to the space station.

Generally, the Research device group is accumulating resources used by astronauts to research advanced science points about the time of the switch between manual to automatic asteroid catching.

The space station platform will be disassembled about the same time.

Research comes to a halt until there is at least one astronaut and sufficient resources to do research.

The Human engineering tech unlocks the research lab that the astronaut(s) do research.

Accumulate a lot of quartz from distant planetoids and convert into astronaut tonic then summon an astronaut to train as a scientist who can do advanced research.

The Solar tech is the most important tech in this tech collection because it allows you to place a large number of solar panels at the bottom of the space station and eliminate the need for Carbon reactors for power: boosting the amount of carbon for other purposes.

The Booster tech enables the Shift button effect on spacesuit, Rover and Spaceship travel.

The Decal tech is meant for game players interested in decorating the game space.

I've never used the Logic blocks in Signal tech because I've never used that sort of tech and since there is nothing to explain how to use them (that I'm aware of) I'm reluctant to waste trial-and-error game time to figure out how to use them not knowing what the benefit is.

Shouldn't there be a Wiki link to explain how to use such things?

The Gravity boots tech enables you to use the 'X' key to drop down to the surface.

The Hanger tech allows to construct a Rover and with the Spaceship tech the Spaceship.

The Gyroscope tech improves the avatar's movement ability.

The Mining tech takes advantage of docking techs and the Robotics tech to relatively slowly accumulate one of a number of unlocked ores.

The Aluminum tech allows converting aluminum ore into Aluminum bars needed to create a Kitchen.

The Agriculture tech requires a terraformed planetoid covered with Oxygen barriers.

The Advanced docking tech speeds up the delay on an astronaut summons.

Upgrade available distant planetoid resources and processing.
Device update techs: Advanced Smelting, Advanced Construction and (next tech collection) Advanced Manufacturing speed up the device processing and unlock additional resource processing.

The Meal preparation tech enables the Kitchen to be built.

The Spacecraft tech is a different avatar for your spacesuit: no extra gadgets.

The Advanced engines tech unlocks more powerful thrusters with much higher power requirements.

The Navigation tech allows you to remotely control all thrusters.

The Autopilot tech is a more convenient way to navigate using navigation thrusters.

The Titanium tech unlocks titanium ore and bars, titanium bars are required to build large drills.

The Computers tech becomes important in remote fabricating a Stargate.

The Sawing tech allows additional processing such as creating quartz from dirt.

The Metallurgy tech is important in the next tech collection processing.

The Forestry tech allows a farm to grow trees and harvest as wood.

The Space mapping tech unlocks the antenna used to find blackholes.

Techs I haven't used: Decoration, Transport tubes, Lift system, Bucket terrain, Advanced scanning, Arithmetic and Advanced logistics.

Construct Stargate in order to travel to new universes.
The Advanced drilling tech unlocks a wider and deeper drilling drill, perfect for surface drilling.

The Accumulators tech seems unnecessary with blueprints containing solar panels.

The Advanced manufacturing tech has more processing and is faster.

The 'High tech' tech is needed to unlock tech that follows.

The Nuclear energy tech hardly seems worth the effort since it is heavily dependent on uranium.

The Energy transmission tech is needed to activate the Stargate.

The Blackholes tech enable the active (astronauts take breaks) antenna to find blackholes.

The Advanced Robotics tech unlocks the Remote fabricator (constructs Stargates) and its robots

The Stargate tech unlocks the Stargate and tech used in the next universe you enter.

Haven;t used the techs: Bots parking (not a heavy robot user), Advanced scanning (no incentive), Autopilot (will first opportunity), Communications,Voxel designer (what is its purpose?), Colony origin and Cable car.

Add meat and vegetable ingredients to the kitchen processing.
Advanced materials tech enables graphene processing and a recipe for stone block.

Advanced metallurgy tech unlocks aluminum plate.

Creature capture tech unlocks tool (radial menu) to capture creatures on planets,

Laser drill tech unlocks tool (radial menu) for leveling, destroying and shaping the planet's surface: automatically collects dirt.

Advanced mining tech unlocks advanced mine.

Ranching tech unlocks Barn.

Gas extraction tech unlocks the ability to use gas in ore processing.

Creatures breeding tech unlocks Pinguet (pig), Pinguet meat into roasted Pinguet meat.

Expert Smelting tech unlocks Mercury and Cobalt processing in a Smelter.

Cultivation tech unlocks tomato seed access on planetoids and tomato soup.

Fusion energy tech is the ideal means to power all individually placed devises on a planetoid: it inspired the creation of the Polymer device group blueprint – see the Fusion section.

Tech activated but not used: Adv. Transport tubes,

Tech not activated: Doors (no need for additional station levels).

Extending the food sources and resource processing.
Cobalt tech unlocks Cobalt ore and Cobalt rod processing.

Creatures breeding II tech unlocks Armadudu (chicken), Armadudu eggs and making omelettes.

Enriched hydrogen tech unlocks Hydro generator's ability to produce hydrogen gas

Expert Docking tech unlocks ability to connect space colony planets together.

Robots upgrader tech automatically upgrades robots when activated.

Expert Construction tech unlocks additional processes.

Expert Engines tech unlocks moving faster.

Adv. Energy transmitter tech for next Stargate.

Tech not activated: Expert logistics (bypass trial-and-error).

Additional third universe technology is a handful, only.
Clearly, 'Astro colony' is at the game design limit so I'll bring Resources and other divisions to as complete a form possible then restart with a new game session.

Third, fourth, etc. universes are clearly end game game play.

The last guide division, Experience, takes a game playing perspective which integrates the other divisions as a single unit.

Acquiring, processing and managing 'Astro colony' resources.
Click the 'J' key to open the Resources window.

The image shows all the available (Visible in Sand box mode) resources in the game.

Hover the cursor to see the resource game name.

The top left corner of the Resources window allows you to control the top left window in the game display by specifying how much (default is 8 resource tallies) resource statistics are automatically displayed.

If you wanted only to see iron, copper and gold bar tallies then drag those window tallies as first resources displayed and the visible resource tally to 3.

Below section descriptions support Threshold division game play.

Manual game play: Focus on accruing resources to build station devices.

Topics:

Start Player inventory is empty and main resource is from asteroids.
Points Crafting resources needed to build Engineering group devices.
Bars Other devices built using only iron and copper bars.
Water Conversion of ice to water for tanked oxygen and hydrogen.

More complex play: Prepare to acquire your first astronaut.

Topics

Catch Creating Steel screws in order to update to automatics asteroid catching.
Piddle Nearby planetoids offer a small amount of ore plus dirt, quartz and stone block.
Split Create Hydrogen tanks for navigation and Oxygen tanks for atmosphere.
Processors Processing in Smelter, Constructor and Manufacturer,

Planetoid attachment: Strip, drill and terraform distant planetoids to build expanded station.

Topics:

. Container Using storage containers as warehouse parts.

Player inventory is empty and main resource is from asteroids,
The inventory window (image) is activated by clicking the 'Tab' key.

As you can see from the left side of the image, you start the game with no resources but iron, copper, gold, carbon and ice asteroids are close to you ready to be harvested using the pickax.

The right side of the image shows the initial crafting available to you.

Iron and copper ore to iron and copper bars.

Gold asteroids are rare gold bars require a Smelter to create gold bars.

Iron and copper bars can be crafted into iron plate and iron and copper wire (electric power).

Crafting resources needed to build Engineering group devices.
The tech window pops up when you click the 'Q' key.

The last selected category option appears when the tech window opens.

The first two devices you want to build are a Manual asteroid catcher and Carbon reactor to power it.

Copper wire transfers electricity from the Carbon reactor to other devices.

The Manual asteroid catcher provides semi-automatic processing of asteroids.

The Threshold division sections go into great detail in how to connect devices using copper wire, logic blocks and conveyor paths.

Notice that all the specs for the Engineering device group devices only require iron bars.

All the device connection resources are created in the player inventory.

Once the Engineering device group is operating, you have two means to turn asteroids into game resources: the catch is one purpose is to create Engineering science points.

Other devices built using only iron and copper bars.
Both the Water tank and Storage container are built using iron bars.

The Barrier device group requires Ice breaker plus Water tank plus water pipe plus Oxygen generator plus Oxygen barrier.

The Oxygen barrier.requires Engineering science points to activate the tech.

I don't use Storage containers until the Reasearch device group is constructed.

Copper bars can build Ice breaker, Oxygen generator.

Iron plus copper bars can build a Small drill.

The Small drill is handy removing ore from the nearby planetoids.

Conversion of ice to water for tanked oxygen and hydrogen.
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The Ice Breaker converts ice into water for the Oxygen generator to create oxygen tanks for the oxygen barrier and the Hydro generator to create hydrogen in order to build navigation thrusters.

Creating Steel screws in order to update to automatics asteroid catching.
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Iron rods are used in many processes including creating Steel screws used in creating / updating to automatic asteroid catchers.

Iron rods require carbon and iron plates, iron plates can be created by crafting or as a Constructor process.

The Constructor converts Iron rods into Steel screws which the Manufacturer converts into Gears.

Nearby planetoids offer a small amount of ore plus dirt, quartz and stone block.

While your automatic asteroids catchers are processing asteroids above and moving the ore to the desired devices, you can pop the nearby droplets with ore, dirt, quartz and stone blocks just beyond your space station.

Small drills make short work of any ore collection(s) on those droplets of planetoid while your hand drill with fingers on LMB and the 'W' key will transfer dirt, quartz and stone blocks into your player inventory which you can check by clicking the 'Tab' key.

One moment the nearby planetoid is there and a short time later, not.

Good time to have the recycler active to recover the resources used to make the Small drills.

Create Hydrogen tanks for navigation and Oxygen tanks for atmosphere.
Water is an important ingredient for splitting into tanks of Hydrogen and Oxygen as well as changing quartz into astronaut tonic and dirt into stone block.

Processing in Smelter, Constructor and Manufacturer.
The Smelter can handle additional metals beyond iron, copper and gold such as aluminum and creates iron rods from iron plate and carbon – suggesting carbon routed from a storage container and iron plate from the Constructor.
The Constructor can convert iron rod from the Smelter into steel screws, copper wire from the Manufacturer into electronic parts and carbon from a storage container into carbon fiber.
The Manufacturer can rely on the Constructor for gold plate, electronic parts and steel screws to make gold wire, Gears and Motherboard.

This suggests an elaborate rerouting of resources on the station to feed the three processors, storage containers and the research lab: splitting freshly created resources in three directions.

That will require a plan to move each resource in three different directions.

Using storage containers as warehouse parts.
In my current version of the game. I use nine storage containers to supplement my player inventory.

The above image handles resources generated by the research device group not fed to the research lab.

I call this storage container the player inventory alternate container: alternate for short.
The other storage containers initially routed carbon to Carbon reactors.
The remaining eight storage containers are organized into three storage groups.
Intermediate group: for the alternate and player inventory temporary storage.
Primary group: bars & rods, plates & wires and miscellaneous
Secondary group: bars & rods, plates & wires and miscellaneous

The game relies on the player inventory to move resources from one location to another.

The intermediate group serves as intermediate storage for one or more resource stacks in the alternate or player inventory when player inventory is used to move similar stacks from one location to another.

The point of primary and secondary group storage is the same resource can be required in multiple devices.

Powering a planetoid rich in gas sources with a Fusion reactor.

Using nine Gas rigs to supply gas to two Advanced Hydro generators and two Expert Smelters.
The planetoid has 34 gas geysers, 9 are tapped immediately and 25 replace gas geysers which are exhausted.

Surface ore is being collected by drills.

Only part of the planetoid surface is used.

The initial 2275 polymer will power the Fusion reactor for about 40 game play hours.

There are two processing device groups filling two storage containers.

The Advanced Hydro generators and Expert Smelters have gas handling ability.

An automatic asteroid catcher supplies ice to an Ice breaker, carbon to a storage container and metallic ore to the Expert Smelter.

The Ice breaker feeds water to an Advanced Hydro generator which requires carbon, glass and Titanium ore to create Enriched hydrogen tanks and Titanium glass.

When the Ice breaker accumulates a large supply of ice, switch the automatic asteroid catcher's asteroid preference to carbon (then later back to ice) to accumulate carbon for the Advanced Hydro generator.

The Expert Smelter requires Mercury & Cobalt ore to create Mercury & Cobalt rods.

Less than half of the planetoid surface is being used.

Collect posted discussion content useful to new players.

Content = Source discussion thread name plus the posted information.

Avatar name + Source discussion thread(s)

Belrathius

. Blueprints and saved game

crashfly

Path Speeds (Belts and Pipe)

phoneticdecay

. CaptainX3 'Best Seeds'

An accomplished Astro colony game player.

Discussion thread(s) in bold type and posting headers as indents.

Blueprints and saved game

Here are files for a recent saved game with all of the tech opened up, my blueprint for robominers, and my blueprint for a gas mining frame.

Saved Game
This has lots of resources, with reserves being collected in the "trailer" (this should make sense once you load it up). It currently has 9 planetoids connected, but one is depleted of mine-able resources and is awaiting being stripped layer by layer for the dirt (needed to make more stone blocks and quartz for the reserves). It's in the fourth universe and has all the tech researched, so you can check out what is buildable and when.

https://bel-general.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Save+For+Ready.zip

Robominers
This blueprint has 12 advanced miners (and a robominer factory, should it be needed) that is completely self-sufficient on power (solar). The miners all distribute with conveyor belts to a single storage container for easier recovery. It also includes a single auto asteroid catcher (focused on ice), an ice breaker, and an oxygen generator - all to maintain an oxygen barrier for doing work on a planet while reducing oxygen loss.

https://bel-general.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/RoboMiners.zip

Gas Mine Frame
This is a simple frame to put around a gas rig. It makes it self-sufficient on power and includes two gas tanks for a 1,000 units of gas - a temporary solution but allows time to build pipeline without losing mined gas.

https://bel-general.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Gas+Mining+Frame.zip

Follow-up
If you have any questions regarding the blueprints or the saved game, including "why did you do it this way" questions, please let me know. I will answer to the best of my ability. Do understand, however, that some of the design decisions were more evolutions rather than a "best practices" approach, as needs and such changed between universes. I rebuilt my core base several times and finally just added to rather than rebuild again and again. If I were to start over from scratch knowing what I know now, there are definitely some design decisions that I would do differently to be more efficient and prepared from the beginning but such is life.

Content desired by players fond of playing build games.

Discussion thread(s) in bold type, no posting headers.

Path Speeds (Belts and Pipe)

Aside from theoretical max movement speed, I have done a trial test of each of the belts and tubes to come up with an average speed for each path.

Methodology:
Using a conveyor junction on either side {belt side for belts and tube side for tubes}, I used 1 belt/tube between each junction. On that belt/tube, I put a filter block to stop all but an unused item. I hooked each filter block with a signal decider all linked to a single inventory sensor. Essentially, this was the trigger so that all movement started at the same time and ended at the same time.

Results: {Path / Average of 3 trials}
Conveyor Belt - 69 items/min
Conveyor Belt Pro - 104 items/min
Conveyor Belt Expert - 138 items/min
Transport Pipe - 83 items/min
Transport Pipe Pro - 138 items/min
Transport Pipe Expert - 207 items/min

And for those who use the HubWarhouses mod:
Bus Transport Pipe - 414 items/min

Hopefully this information will help people who play this game. While I did only three trials, the methodology is there for someone else to recreate the experiment to verify the results.

Discussions posting(s).

CaptainX3 'Best Seeds' thread

phoneticdecay recommends 'Astro colony' seed: 43516778079

Six decent sized small planetoids to get started.

Four of these are in close proximity to starting location with plentiful resources. Combinations of Uranium / Aluminum concentrations on four of the six.

A few small chunks of resources that are not large enough to register as planetoids are close

All together this was a pretty decent starting seed for world generation.