Just spitballing some ideas, but I'm considering totally reworking this mod. As-is, certain options are much stronger than others (Sulfur for example).

The core idea being a redesign is replicators are more of a late game tech.

• Replicators are big and bulky and power hungry. They require catalysts (which are returned most of the time)
• Catalysts require significant processing of tenemut.
• Complex replications significantly increase time. An flying robot frame engine would take approximately five minutes and would cost approximately half of it's raw materials in catalyst losses (averaged).
• Tenemut could be replicated, but it would produce approximately 5% vs catalyst losses.

I don't want replicators to be a late-game tech. I'm tired of any half-decent mods being only usable at megabase-ing tier nonsense, where there isn't any more game to play. It's frustrating enough that the default tiering locks any of the good stuff behind high-end science. Green and military are behind purple science, red is behind blue. Two tiers separation on most of the replications. Can't even make INSERTERS or FUEL BLOCKS without having red chips. I get why it's set-up that way, but I like the feeling running replicators as an ALTERNATIVE play-style, not as a toy when you're done. I like trading off the logistical complexity for the massive orientation on managing power and getting legitimate use out of efficiency modules.

I know you're not the author of the 'original' mod, so I'm not necessarily meaning to take frustration out on you. I'd be interested if you could make a different "replicator" mechanic, but I stand by my point that I don't want it to be an end-game toy.

I tried using the default settings in a Warptorio game and found that it trivialized a few challenges:

• After mining a small amount of tenemut, I could generate the rest I needed with a replicator.
• I could generate coal for a net boost in power, significantly simplifying power. I think I could generate water too and still come out ahead, but this would require a huge footprint and I determined it wasn't worth the effort.
• I could generate oil to greatly simplify acquiring and transporting that given the constraints that Warptorio demands.
• I could generate sulfur to greatly reduce my demand for oil and simplify oil processing.

And this was all early game tech. Dark matter replicators should be much more power intensive and require a significant footprint to remain somewhat interesting and not trivialize portions of the game. So far I've tweaked the default settings a bit but I haven't published the changes.

I'm leaning on the side of skipping catalysts and instead using long recipes. So 1 dark matter scoop might produce 20 coal, but take approximately 70 MJ to produce (with crafting time / power to match) so it's a relatively small net boost to power. Trying to produce tenemut will have even slimmer margins. Modules complicate things as efficiency modules will immediately throw all of these ratios out of whack. Maybe that's no big deal and should be the reward. Maybe the amounts should be balanced around it so generating coal for power only makes sense if 80% reduction can be achieved.

I've been playing Warptorio(2) too! I know it "trivialized" the "main" challenge of the game, but it felt good not playing the usual Factorio "just make the numbers bigger over and over" again. As for making coal, you have to use boilers. I also have an advanced boilers mod, which is good for power density, but means it's harder and less appealing to switch to solar, at the cost of more pollution. In my opinion, if you can easily build enough solar, you're not playing a game that's challenging. Literally. You can easily get enough space to power everything, which means the enemies are boring and weak. In a moderately difficult game, solar offsets pollution, but there's not really a middle ground where you can only do some solar and still have to use boilers.

I feel the replicators let other parts of the game come into focus. Before efficiency modules, you have to be very careful with power (besides the crap tiering holding things back), and it's more difficult to start using laser turrets, the most trivializing thing in Factorio. Warptorio2 expansion is a good way to do things: it forces me to go out of my base if I want to get upgrades. I'll likely play another game without replicators (especially if the mod author adds larger tanks as a reward for a mission)

I'm also running a randomizer, because it forces different strategies. Replicators help round out the sharp edges of the RNG.