Hey, not sure if this is within the scope of the mod, but here goes:

I'd enjoy a to start on a space platform, leading to some sort of Seablock experience. You'd start off on a platform in a safe orbit (only chunks, no asteroids in space, like default nauvis), and start out with some solar panels, inserters and assemblers and some space related machines to get you going (something like 10 crushers, 10 asteroid collectors and an engine). The proper tech tree would be mostly unchanged, but some key techs would need to be made available early on (via the tech-unlock system they got going now -- discovery it is called perhaps?).

The gimmick would be that you can't land on a planet initially. That is still locked behind red, green blue and space science, so you'll have to expand your platform, fly around a bit to ramp up production, and make your science and mall in space. Then after you tech up high enough, you can go down to a planet of your choice.

Tech changes that would obviously be needed, such as making space platform an early tech, as well as pushing up coal liquefaction. You'd need to be able to unlock all the advanced platform techs fairly early on (notably the gleba related advanced crushing ones) without research, using the automatic-unlock thingy they do now when you land on a planet. I'd also suggest making vulcanus's chunk reprocessing available early on, at blue science. Either start out with some barrels of heavy oil for coal liquefaction (a bit hacky and at risk of players "losing" it and being stuck), or add an alternate recipe that, very inefficiently, processes carbon chunks directly in the refinery into heavy oil. Inefficient rate, but you don't need much to get started. Either doesn't require art assets. I'd also suggest starting out with some combinators, although it should be totally doable without.

Anyway, probably outside the scope of the mod, but might make for a fun start :) The starting planet chosen could determine the starting planet you orbit. i.e. fulgora for hard mode (powerwise) and vulcanus for easymode. If you feel fancy, the starting planet chosen in the settings could be the only one available to land on with red, green blue and space science, and all others require red, green, blue, space AND the science pack of the planet chosen in the mod settings.

Anyway, just a thought I had after finishing the game. Feel free to dismiss, but no harm in suggesting it I figured.

Cheers, and thanks for the mod, totally looking forward to a fulgora start after I did some palette cleansing for a few days :)

If someone else doesn't make a Spaceblock mod, I'll probably end up making it at some point.
These are some great ideas, I specifically like not being able to land on the planets until after a little while - potentially not at all, there's a lot of options there.
I probably won't be adding it to this mod in particular, as starting on planets and starting in space require very different code, and I'd like to keep this mod relatively simple for now.

On an unrelated note, since you said you finished the game - did you finish with my mod enabled? Or just regular Space Age, because I also just got a bug report about the victory screen not showing up for someone, and I'm wondering if that's the case for everyone or just them.

I'm afraid I played unmodded entirely, wanted to experience it as it was designed and grab the achievements along the way. I was only planning to use this mod for my second playthrough (Fulgora start, specifically).

Looking forward to your future work! :)

I see, well thanks anyways! And again, great suggestions.

I see two problems that solve each other: this should be part of the Aquilo start. Your Engi won't be able to do anything planetside until you're able to drop resources from space, so the early game will be building up the platform (which works the same whether or not you're a passenger anyway). The ability to travel to other planets will still be locked behind building a rocket and sending up some engines, but you can start with one collector, one crusher, one assembler, an inserter or two, and a solar panel. Smelting will require either adding Stone asteroid chunks, or starting with a furnace or some foundries.