Short description of this mod(pack):
- Expand your mining capabilities with multiple extraction machines.
This mod adds the following structures:
- 6 tiers of electric mining drills, which will help you keep pace with your factory's growth. (3 in case of an SA - Space Age - run);
- 2 tiers of big mining drills: even faster, better, stronger. (SA run only);
- 2 tiers of pumpjacks, because we also want to pump oil faster. (American dream intensifies.)
- A brand new machine: the quarry. Structure and mechanics explained in a dedicated section here below. (EV: Refining needed)
Additional features:
- Balanced Progression: The unlockable tiers are tied to your technology progression, ensuring a smooth integration into your gameplay experience.
- All stats are modifiable via startup settings. (Dedicated for each structure, easily understandable.)
Space Age DLC Compatibility:
- Unlock is capped at Tier 3 to respect the inclusion of the Big Mining Drill on Vulcanus.
As in the rest of the Extended Vanilla mods, the gameplay integration is as seamless as I could make it.
The quarry drill - go deeper to skyrocket megabases in space
- The quarry drill is a ultra-lategame megastructure: 11x11 tiles, 50MW base energy drain, 8 module slots, researchable after prometheum science is obtained.
- What could justify such an huge capital investment? Simple: the quarry doesn't need ore patches to extract ores.
Rock agglomerate processing:
- Quarries don't extract just raw resources: such thing is not plausible kilometers deep into the ground, at that heat and pressure!
- A compressed, rich resource is instead extracted: a rock/mineral agglomerate.
- Agglomerates need to be extracted and then refined in order to obtain the wanted resources.
- Different planet means different resource extracted: each planet in Space Age has it's own composition, so different minerals, different resources.
- Quarries don't work by themselves: drills made of tungsten are needed for each iteration, and the different agglomerates can be obtained and processed only if working with the appropriate fluids.
How do you craft them? Well, you can decide:
- You can directly craft each mining drill yeah, as you'd normally do.
- Or you can just upcycle every tier with the next one with some alternative recycling recipes.
(Overall cheaper, but requires dedicated crafting setups.)
(Works with burner drills too.)
Direct or Upgrade?
- Direct Crafting: Faster Crafting - Easier to produce
(Useful if you need a determinate amount to quickly create a strategic setup.) - Upgrading: Drill recycling - Cheaper recipes - Longer to make
(Recipes can be automated from the beginning up to the highest tier. It's complicated, yeah, but it is cheaper.)
(These recipes can't be handcrafted.)
Ah yeah, also Krastorio 2 and some other mods are supported (see bottom of the modpage), so that this mod can feel fully integrated in some major modpacks.
Balancing these machines is not as easy as it can look like, so I'd be thankful to see what you think of this mod both on both my discord server and in the comment section.
Modularity & Customization: the Extended Vanilla philosophy
- The modding community increases as the player base does. So in a so crowded game compatibility is the key.
- And since I can't keep up with all the mods that each day get released, updated and changed, I'll let you do that as much as the code lets me do it.
- Mining drills and pumpjacks are defined by tons and tons of features, like mining speed, HPs, resource drainage, module slots, etc.
- In this mod you can configure basically all of them, for all the machines, from drills to pumpjacks.
Projects for the mod: (Last updated: 14 July 2026)
- Extend Quarry recipes to the other SA Vanilla planets.
- Extend Quarry recipes to the other SA Modded planets. (Open to suggestions.)
Projects finished:
Updated to Factorio 2.0 and SA(Done!)Add advanced tiers of Big mining drills.(Done!)Add advanced tiers of pumpjacks.(Done!)Add lategame tiers of quarries.(Done!)
The Extended Vanilla Modpack: (Last updated: 14 July 2026)
As everyone - I suppose - saw, the Factorio Devs are stopping developing this game, and transitioning to long-term support. Therefore, 2.1 as I understand will be the last major-content update.
This piece of news pretty saddens me, but on the other hand it allows me to think in a more broad/overall perspective.
If the game won't change a lot from what it is now, we can start from here and think BIGGER, without worring that one day something could break a BIG STRUCTURE that we've creating as a community.
"What the hell are you talkin' about mate" it's probably the question that you're asking me rn. You'll see.
For now I won't spoil anything, as I'm currently evaluating how much time and effort I can deliver in this project, and if some friends of mine could help in the process.
But - in terms of gaming - I'm a big fan of some other automation games out there, and an interesting concept could be now implemented in the game, most of all if multiple planetary systems are involved, and if space platforms can work together to build something marvelous...
A complete list of the mods on which I'm currently working: (Last updated: 14 July 2026)
The Extended Vanilla modpack:
Compatibility:
The mod is coded procedurally: implementing new structures is as easy as writing a word, but creating all the textures needed could take some time.
So:
- If you are a mod owner, you can contact me in private on both discord and the factorio forum;
- If you're a fan and want mod compatibility, feel free to ask me.
(DISCLAIMER: I'm more active on discord)
Currently supported in Factorio 2.1: (Last updated: 14 July 2026)
- Ev Refining: tech three add-ons, item and entity additional content (quarry);
- Krastorio 2: tech three, recipe add-ons, recipe integrations, refinement chain integrations;
- Krastorio 2, Spaced out: tech three, recipe add-ons, recipe integrations, refinement chain integrations;
- AAI industry: recipe integrations;
Join the chill vanilla+ enjoyers:
- I'm not really active on the Factorio forum.
- Instead, I daily use discord for multiple reasons, so you can follow me on my discord server if you want.
- There you will find, other than me, many players that enjoy the modpack (and the game). We're both enthusiasts with hundreds of hours into the game and chill players that just started their journey in the game.
- And if you have any suggestion, idea, or just need to report a bug, be sure to do it!
Support:
As a university student balancing my studies and other passions, sometimes it can be challenging for me to determine how much time I should invest in modding Factorio.
While I love creating content, I also have responsibilities and interests outside of gaming, as I think you can imagine.
By supporting my work, you're not only helping me decide how much time to dedicate to improving the mods, but you're also showing the value that my content brings to the community.
Your contributions could have a real impact on my ability to continue developing, and even those around me will see the importance of this creative journey. (They are not into the game and, therefore, can't understand its dynamics.)
If you enjoy what I do, consider paying me a coffee—your support truly makes a difference.
In return, you'll have some perks and boosts on this server, as a dedicated chat for donors and priority on modding ideas (this last one if you achieve the @Steel bros title).
In this sense, special thanks to my donors:
Steel bros:
- EGB Gaming;
- MT;
Iron fellas:
- Сотрудник НКВД;
- Ala;
Mods used in the making and testing of my mods and of this page: (I think this is the least I can do.)
Graphic assets non developed directly by me (such as the Quarry drill or the Atomic Assembler) are reality thanks to:
- Hurricane046
You've come this far? Really? What do you want? Even more schreenshots?
Just download and spam mate I can assure you this mod(pack) will allow you to, trust me. :D
What are you waitin' for? The factory must grow!
Known issues:
- If you find any... my mistakes in english are endless... I'm sorry. :D
_77