Early Game Guide: Efficient Start & Priorities

The early game is where you establish reliable power, automate basic component production, secure fuels and hydrogen for research, and set up the first Matrix production lines. A clean, compact base and simple automation will make mid‑game transitions (oil processing, sulfuric acid, graphene, interstellar logistics) far easier.

Priorities and goals

• Secure steady electrical power to run miners, smelters and assemblers.
• Automate the core component chain (Iron → Iron Ingot → Gear / Magnet → Magnetic Coil, Copper → Copper Ingot → Circuit Board).
• Produce Energy Matrices (red) and Electromagnetic Matrices (blue) reliably to unlock research.
• Get a working Hydrogen supply for Energy Matrices and early tech.
• Make compact fuel lines for the Icarus and Thermal Power Stations.
• Place Matrix Labs and begin stacking them to scale basic science.

Power — what to build first

• Wind Turbines are the cheapest, simplest early generators and require no fuel. They produce a planet‑dependent output; multiple turbines must be spaced apart (~10 grid units) so large farms can be area‑inefficient but are ideal early on.
• Thermal Power Stations are the compact, high‑output early power option and burn many fuel types (Coal, Energetic Graphite, Hydrogen, Refined Oil, etc.). They are 80% efficient compared to nominal fuel energy; plan steady fuel supply.
• Solar Panels are usable but require High‑Purity Silicon (usually not on starter planet) and generally need Accumulators to fill night gaps. Accumulators store excess day power; one Accumulator charges at up to 1.5 MW and discharges at up to 2.25 MW.
• Geothermal (where available) or building Geothermal on planet base wrecks can provide large early power spikes — exploit them if present.
• Power distribution: Tesla Towers are cheap, passive connection points for early bases; Wireless Power Towers exist but have higher idle costs.

Practical early setup: start with a small wind farm sufficient to run a few miners and a smelter line. Add one or two Thermal Power Stations fed by Coal or Energetic Graphite when you begin assembling many buildings.

Fuels and mech (Icarus) needs

• Icarus uses many fuels; Energetic Graphite (made from Coal in a Smelter) is excellent early mech fuel because of its high energy density and stack size. Hydrogen Fuel Rods and later Deuteron/Antimatter rods replace it at higher tech.
• Combustible Units are trivial to craft and serve as early fuel and as effective throwable explosives for clearing Dark Fog units / bases.
• Use Thermal Power Stations to burn excess liquid fuels (Refined Oil, Hydrogen) when refinery outputs would otherwise clog production.

Mining and raw materials

• Automate basic ore extraction with Mining Machines (or Advanced Mining Machines when available). Place miners to cover as much of a vein cluster as possible; rotate placement to maximize covered deposits.
• Key early resources to prioritize: Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Coal, Crude Oil (starter planet), Stone, Titanium Ore (pick up with manual collection initially), Silicon Ore (if present on planets).
• Smelt ores into ingots close to their source where possible — smelting Titanium or Silicon where mined halves logistics.

Smelting and basic component lines

• Arc Smelters / Smelters turn ores into ingots. Balance smelter count to downstream demand: many smelter recipes process at predictable rates, so match conveyor capacity.
• Core early components to automate:
  • Iron Ingot → Gear, Magnet (from Iron), Magnetic Coil (Magnet + Copper Ingots)
  • Copper Ingot → Circuit Board (with Iron Ingot)
  • Magnetic Coil, Circuit Board feed Electromagnetic Matrix production and early machines.
• Assembling Machine Mk.I is efficient early (lowest energy); use Mk.I until you have abundant power.
• For throughput: sorter tiers matter. Use at least Sorter Mk.II to feed Thermal Power Stations to avoid brownouts; higher tier sorters move items faster but consume more power proportionally.

Science (Matrix) production

• Electromagnetic Matrix (blue) is the first automated matrix to make. It uses simple inputs (Iron & Copper) — place production where both ores are near each other if possible to reduce belts.
• Matrix Labs can be stacked; a stack of three basic labs gives a robust output. As a rule of thumb: two Energy Matrix (red) labs for every Electromagnetic (blue) lab early on.
• Energy Matrix (red) requires Hydrogen as a major input — the oil refinery is your main early source.

Oil, Hydrogen and refinery management

• Crude Oil is processed in the Oil Refinery using Plasma Refining to produce Refined Oil and Hydrogen. Early on this refinery is the only viable hydrogen source for red matrices.
• The refinery produces uneven outputs (more Refined Oil than Hydrogen); that mismatch will clog lines if one product accumulates. Options:
  • Use Refined Oil or excess Hydrogen as fuel in Thermal Power Stations to consume surplus.
  • Store overflow in Storage Tanks as buffer.
  • Research alternate refinery recipes (X‑Ray Cracking, Reforming Refine) when available to adjust output ratios; X‑Ray Cracking converts Refined Oil → Hydrogen + Energetic Graphite (gives graphite but consumes oil).
• If you plan long term Hydrogen supply, Orbital Collectors (later) provide abundant Hydrogen/Deuterium; for early game, keep a manageable refinery → storage → fuel sink flow so refining never stalls.

Early chemical products

• Plastic (from Refined Oil) is required for Organic Crystals and early Structure Matrix chains. Chemical Plants to make Plastic are a mid‑early priority if you need Structure Matrices.
• Sulfuric Acid (made in Chemical Plant or pumped from sulfuric oceans) is required for Graphene and Titanium Alloy later; once Sulfuric Acid oceans are found you can pump it directly and avoid complex synthetic chains for large production.

Graphene and energy‑dense materials

• Graphene can be made from Coal via chemical processes or from Fire Ice when available. Graphene is demanded heavily later (solar sails, belts Mk.III, processors) so begin planning its production once oil and chemical lines are stable.
• Energetic Graphite is a valuable early fuel and energy inventory material — you can make it from Coal in a Smelter or get it as a byproduct of X‑Ray Cracking.

Defenses and combat

• Early turrets: Gauss Turrets are inexpensive and effective for early base defense. Add Missile Turrets later for crowd control. Icarus with Combustible Units is useful for clearing small Dark Fog bases.
• Use explosives (Combustible Units) and researchable explosive damage upgrades to make early assaults easier.

Logistics and placement

• Foundations: build some Foundation early to make compact factories and avoid water/terrain issues. Foundations are cheap to produce and speed layout.
• Place Matrix Labs, miners, smelters and assemblers close to reduce belt length. Where ores are separated, consider smelting at source to halve interstellar logistics volume.
• Use Planetary Logistics Stations and Interstellar Logistics Stations when expanding to other planets, but early game most transport is belt/sorter based.

What to build first — a suggested checklist

1. Set up a small wind farm (or one Thermal Power Station fed by Coal) to cover base power.
2. Place Mining Machines on nearby Iron/Copper/Coal veins and link to Smelters.
3. Automate Iron → Gear and Copper → Circuit Board production with Assembling Machine Mk.I.
4. Build Matrix Labs and begin producing Electromagnetic Matrices (blue); make some Energy Matrices (red) by refining oil as needed.
5. Build an Oil Extractor and Oil Refinery. Route outputs so Hydrogen goes to Matrix production and Refined Oil surplus can be burned/stored.
6. Produce Energetic Graphite from Coal for mech fuel and to feed Thermal Power Stations if necessary.
7. Add basic defenses (Gauss Turrets) and keep Combustible Units handy for crowd control.

Keep designs compact, monitor power consumption as you add assemblers and smelters, and solve any refinery overflow immediately by routing surplus to fuel sinks or storage. Once blue and red matrix production is reliably automated and you can sustain a reasonable energy supply, you are ready to unlock Drive Engine upgrades and prepare for interstellar expansion.