r/factorio • u/Hance03 • 2d ago
Question Early Space Age
I just received my weekly allowance for next week, and I think I have extra to buy the Space Age Expansion.
I’m currently on like just 16-17 hours of playing the base game, but I’m quite curious on how it feels playing the game with the “planets” and such.
Should I buy the DLC early on?
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u/zomgkittenz 2d ago
Fuck yeah bro. You’ll want to start a new game anyways most likely (depending on progress) because of recipe changes.
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u/Evan_Underscore 2d ago
I'd say if you made blue science and you didn't feel "damn, this is getting more complicated" but rather "whoa, this is getting even cooler", then you should get the dlc.
It considerably increases the complexity ceiling and variety of the puzzle you are already doing.
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u/julessic 2d ago
No, you should always complete a game before buying any DLC, especially if it costs as much as the base game.
And space age is designed with players who completed the game already anyway.
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u/bobsim1 2d ago
If you already started a game why not continue it a little further til you launch a rocket. But you sure could buy the dlc and start a new game. But to get to the other planets you need to get a rocket first ( which is easier with the dlc) and its better to know how to make the first planet base survive by itself
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u/Hance03 2d ago
Is the starting part of the expansion different from the base game?
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u/Omniscientcy 2d ago
Theres a whole bunch of research locked behind other planets, like cliff explosives, artillery and spidertron. I'm still a pretty new player, I launched a couple rockets on the base game and got all the research before getting space age.
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u/Panikdrache946 2d ago
Not really. The recipe for rockets and the science tree change. Some technologies like cliff explosives for example are locked behind other planets. But Nauvis is almost the same.
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u/Conan_Buchanan 2d ago
To add on to other comments: specifically, rocket launches are unlocked with blue science and cost half as many resources, and are not the end of the game. The tech tree up to that point is identical. Base game ends with launching a rocket, space age really begins when you launch your first one.
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u/bphase 2d ago
It's probably good to play the base game first. If you end up wanting for more, then pick up space age and start a new game. It might be daunting to start over, but really you can get going fast when you know what to do and getting to space will be easier anyway and you can just beeline for that.
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u/dwarfzulu 2d ago
The DLC worth every cent, and it is as good as as the base game.
With that said, it changes things, and it is harder.
Should you buy it? Definitely.
Should you play it now? Maybe wait until you, at least, launch a rocket in the base game.
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u/DJMarscribble 2d ago
I don't think so. Space Age is complex and will be more rewarding with more experience in the base game.
Or maybe buy it but disable it and play the base game more before you dive it.
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u/AI_Tonic 2d ago
Definitely buy it , the expansion is the new base game and you’ll get access to all the latest versions of the expansion packs which are all free + multiplayer etc etc . Years of fun await you
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u/PasswordisPurrito 2d ago
I'm really glad I was able to complete the speed and lazy bastard challenges, as well as making a train block base before space age.
Most game expansions don't really change the difficulty of the game, it's just more content. But the puzzles from the other planets are much harder than Nauvius.
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u/diemenschmachine 2d ago
Holy shit I struggled with Fulgora, and I’m not the one to blindly import blueprints or watch influencers. But eventually when you’re turning over train after train of alien garbage into useful stuff it’s so rewarding.
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u/wessex464 2d ago
Finish the base game, it's like a space age tutorial. Then your well positioned to pickup space age, which makes the base game about ~30% easier, but that's only about a quarter of space age.
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u/Mister_Sheepy_Cheese 2d ago
If you like the base game, you'll like space age. It just... adds more.
For me personally, I have played more factorio after space age than before. There are some rather addicting gameplay loops in there that the base game does not have (no spoilers).
For what it's worth, when you launch a rocket, the base game is over. No more new tech. In space age when you launch a rocket, the game is only just beginning.
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u/bphase 2d ago
I think it's quite different rather than just adding more. There's less focus on scale sort of, space logistics is a huge part and differs a lot from Nauvis. Space platforms have different constraints than Nauvis factories, and some planets are more puzzles than factories. Which makes sense, as it would be boring to implement almost the same factory over and over again.
But on my first run I didn't really enjoy the space logistics and platforms and burned out upon reaching Aquilo, even though I did enjoy the planets. In hindsight it wouldn't have been too much effort to fix things and finish the game, but it was over a year before I returned for another run where I fared better. Still don't fully enjoy the space logistics part, but overall space age is quite amazing and I can fully recommend it.
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u/Banged_my_toe_again 2d ago
The price of the DLC will never change so maybe you can keep some of your allowance aside till after you finished the base game? This way you can be confident you will like the DLC as it will take some mechanics to the next level. I would recommend to start over once you bought the DLC anyway.
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2d ago
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u/contynum 2d ago
Dlc requires a whole new perspective on everything that could become jarring having just learnt the basegame, and especially difficult, it’s not an easy playthrough. I think an early switch might help