First of all, amazing work with the mod! I'm currently 220 hours into my AngelBob save, and I was just about to head to other planets when I discovered this. This rebalance is exactly what was needed to bridge the gap with Space Age. I have a few questions and observations

I have a technical question regarding the self-sustaining base setup on other planets. To achieve a fully self-sustaining base, is it intended for the player to go through the entire Slag -> Slurry -> Mineral Sludge -> base AngelBobs ores (sphirite, bobmonium etc. "Base AngelBobs" is insane lol)?

Essentially, I am planning to set up a chain with a Crystallizer, Filtration Unit, and Liquefier using circuits to dynamically switch recipes (which is an exciting addition in 2.0!).

Regarding this, I've noticed a few things:

Clay Bricks & Local Infrastructure: Since I need Clay Bricks for basic machines, I’ve been looking into Viscous Mud Water production. I’ve been working on a logic where I can use Ice -> Water -> Dirt Water Electrolysis Recipe -> Slag + Water -> Viscous Mud Water (from my recipe script) to get the process started locally.

Alumina & Ceramic Filters: I noticed a recipe for Alumina (likely from Muluna or your rebalance) which is extremely useful for Ceramic Filters—a core component for the Mineral Sludge process. This seems much more sustainable in space than the Carbon Filters I was initially relying on.

The 'Meteorite' fix: Before finding your mod, I had to script a change to turn Carbonic Meteorites into Coal (to ensure I had ammo and filter material). Now, with the Alumina/Ceramic route, things feel much more robust.

My main question: Is this Slag -> Sludge path the 'standard' design choice for planet-wide self-sufficiency, or are there hidden dependencies on local resources for each planet (like the Seafloor Pump/mud Water chains on Gleba, or a way to get ores in othes planets and i don't now about?) that I should be prioritizing instead? Also, does this bootstrapping logic apply consistently across all planets, or should I expect unique challenges for each one?

Additionally, I’d love to hear your thoughts on long-term sustainability for science production in each planet. While the Slag -> Sludge chain provides basic materials, I’m curious if you designed the mod with the expectation that players would establish fully self-sustaining research bases on every planet, or if the intended design is to keep Nauvis as the primary 'research hub' and use other planets mainly as specialized resource extraction points? Are there specific challenges or 'intended' ways to handle science kit production locally, or is it expected to always rely on logistics back to Nauvis?

Thanks again for the effort you're putting into this!

Intended design is not that every planet should rely only on the full Slag → Slurry → Mineral Sludge → Angels ores route. That chain is intended to remain a valid Angel/Bob fallback for long-term self-sufficiency, but it should not be the only route or the only intended solution on every planet.

The design goal is: * Each planet should have its own local bootstrap route. * Each planet should still keep its own uniqueness. * Slag/slurry/sludge should act as a universal fallback, but not a replacement.

The intended route is along the lines of Fulgora for example is:
Ice → Water → Dirt/Viscous Mud Water → Mud/Clay → Clay Bricks

Long-term:
Nauvis can still be the easiest and most natural main research/logistics hub, especially early and mid-game. However, the other planets should not just be simple outposts. Each planet should be capable of becoming self-sufficient over time, but with different challenges and different strengths.

For example:

• Vulcanus should focus on lava, calcite, smelting, molten metals, foundry casting and tungsten.
• Fulgora should focus on scrap, recycling, naphtha, holmium, electromagnetic science and electronics.
• Gleba should focus on biological/mud/water-based production.
• Muluna should focus on alumina, aluminium, logistics and space support.
• Aquilo should focus on ice, cryogenic resources, lithium and fluorine.
• Arig should focus on oil/gas/naphtha and petrochem.

So yes, full self-sustaining planet bases should be possible eventually, but not all planets should solve self-sufficiency in the same way. Some will lean on local resources, some will use scrap, some will use ice, some will use petrochem, and some will use the sludge chain as a fallback.

For science, the intention is similar. Local planet science should be producible locally once the planet is developed, but full endgame research should still reward interplanetary logistics. I do not want every planet to become a complete copy of Nauvis, but I also do not want planets to be dependent on imported basic infrastructure materials.

So in short:
Slag → Slurry → Mineral Sludge is a valid universal Angel/Bob fallback, but each planet should also have its own intended local path. If any planet still requires imported mud, water, clay bricks, filters or basic infrastructure materials with no local route.

I would consider that a progression issue and will try to fix it.

Thank you for all your kind words and helpful feedback, hopefully the new patch helps.

Thank you for that clarification! It really helps to understand the philosophy behind the design.

The 'fallback' logic makes perfect sense—it's the ultimate safety net for players, while the unique planet-specific bootstrapping routes are clearly the intended 'skill test' for each world. I actually found a mod that allows starting the game directly on another planet, and your design goal makes this seem like the ultimate Factorio challenge. Honestly, your design goal is the most difficult path, but it's also the most exciting one!

I have to say, the work you are putting into this mod is truly impressive. Balancing the massive complexity of AngelBob with the unique logic of every single Space Age planet is a monumental task. You aren't just creating a compatibility patch; you are curating a brand new way to experience Factorio. Thank you for making this happen for the community!

I'm really looking forward to the updates :D