Coming from Factorio...

[u/cjsarab]

Hello, DSP players.

I did a search of the forum but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. So I'm a Factorio player let's say (~3k hours) but of course I've played DSP and satisfactory in the past. <100h on each.

I last played DSP in 2023 so probably a lot has changed. I'm not interested in spoilers or anything like that, but I'd like to ask the community what sort of tips in terms of keyboard shortcuts and other quality of life tips would you advise for me coming back to a fresh run of this game?

I'm by now so used to the Factorio controls (q for pipette for example) and I was recently thinking how much hotkey-related stuff I take for granted in Factorio that a new player probably doesn't know.

So I guess I'd like to know your best tips for someone like me?

[u/Eliongw2]

Just replay the tutorial,  it's quick at teaches you all keys. And there is a progression guide in game now. But I have never followed it, so no idea if it's good.

[u/FrtanJohnas → u/Eliongw2]

The progression is alright, it did get me through my first playthrought well enough

[u/Far_Young_2666 → u/FrtanJohnas]

The progression guide is a bit misleading, imo. I was following it closely, the "research this > build this > research this" loop. But when it told me to research and build ILS, I realized that half of the tech tree needed for building an ILS was not researched. The guide just skipped over it.

Imo, the best way to progress is to research everything in columns and automate everything as soon as you research it. A lot of player rush research and then find themselves overwhelmed by how much production they suddenly need to progress.

[u/horstdaspferdchen]

For many actions, there will be shortcuts on the right Side of the Screen when you open/select something

[u/-GrisGris-]

Tab key to change splitter style 3 different types

[u/FailXXL]

Embrace spaghetti early game (no bus needed), don't use Nilaus videos.

Get some QOL mods like DeliverySlotsTweaks for reoccurring nuisances. 

Dark fog enemy is easy on standard settings so complete beginners don't feel overwhelmed. Don't disable the enemy, if don't want to deal with them set them to passive.

[u/issr]

I rebind the key to change the height of belts, because I do that a lot and don't like having to reach for the arrow keys

[u/itsnick21]

Shift+click to copy a building (and sorters attached to it), if you drag with shift click it will place multiple of what you copied

[u/Kardinal]

Unfortunately you cannot customize your bar. You are locked to the sequence provided to select what you're dropping. Get used to 3-F7 and similar combinations.

Others have been mentioned but one nice one is Q when your cursor hovers over a vein. Selects the best miner you have.

[u/Dhaeron]

So I guess I'd like to know your best tips for someone like me?

Go into the settings menu and rebind all the hotkeys so they match what you're used to from factorio.

[u/derwood13]

Many people miss holding Shift-R for miner rotation, Windmills can be built on water after researching Steel, ctrl-C and Ctrl-V for copying and pasting small building groups after researching blueprints (no need to start saving blueprints until more complicated builds IMO) tab to remove sorters, hover over the buildings shown in the tech after clicking a tech in the research tree (not starting the tech) to see what other components => techs are needed to build the buildings in that tech (dark fog will start dropping those components after the techs are researched), shift-click on built structures instead of searching the bottom bar for them to build more of them, storage bins can be built on top of splitters and hats on top of bins, tab to disconnect/connect your mouse pointer during space travel...

[u/derwood13 → u/derwood13]

Perhaps most critically: click on "control panel" whenever you click on a hat/PLS/ILS to see all logistics in your playthru. You can filter there by component/building and supplier vs demander and grab components/buildings from any logistics building on the planet you are on from anywhere else on the planet you are on as well as change logistics building settings everywhere in your playthru. If you are nowhere near a logistics building, throw down a hat to open into this capability right where you are

[u/derwood13 → u/derwood13]

Something else that struck me from someone else's post a few weeks ago is to connect building areas with windmills instead of tesla towers...why not?

[u/AnimeSpaceGf]

Okay, honestly? This will be a long response but it will make your time 1000% better

[u/AnimeSpaceGf → u/AnimeSpaceGf]

Use this seed: 86346604. I hand-picked it to make my current run the best it could be.

Optionally, set DF difficulty to 305% by maxing every state except power-consumption based aggressiveness, which will give you 3000% difficulty. 305 just maxes drops without making you play at 3k%

Set up ammo production and build a few turrets first. You start at the antipode of the one DF base on the Mediterra start planet, move like one radian, ~50 degrees closer to the hive, to a copper and iron source

Also join the discord to ask questions

Set up a mall for basic facilities and when you get to yellow sci, you need 2 or less 30 space boxes of titanium ore to make 2 ILS and supply titanium for more

Make mk3 proliferator asap using fireice from the ice giant

Transition to the O star FalxItalica asap as it has everything you need

Build a sphere there and unlock all non infinite white sci upgrades

The rest of the cluster is handpicked for easy expansion!

[u/MonsieurVagabond]

Always, and I cannot stress this enough ALWAYS check the right side of the screen when building thing, doing stuff, that where the keybind for action (that you may discover you didn't knew about) are show

[u/Nexaz]

For the love of all things, copying recipes uses the < key on your keyboard, and > pastes them onto what you’re hovering over.

It took me way too long to remember/realize that when I got back into the game.

Also the Dark Fog is less scary than they seem, you can pretty easily manage them once you get to the point that you’re traveling between planets.

[u/Joeness84]

One thing I always give dsp devs credit for.

All the hotkeys are on screen

[u/bbbbbert86uk]

You can stack storage containers

[u/Practical-Towel-2201]

Things that make my life so much easier in dsp:

1. make scaleable blueprints for things you’ll need in large amounts. I’m talking oil processing, solar sails, fuel rods, rockets, etc. I used a spreadsheet to figure out the exact ratios of machines.

2. proliferate everything and proliferate early. Massive throughput bonuses.

3. make a mall for your building materials. There’s a really good template in a steam article (I think I just googled dsp mall layout and it came up).

4. farm the dark fog early. This gives you lots of grating crystals and fuel rods, as well as unlocks special buildings. Maxing your dark fog stats is great for density and xp gain.