Hardcore Mode is a collection of tweaks & small mods for Space Age that aims to:
- Remove shortcuts and encourage careful tradeoffs.
- Require creative solutions in gameplay.
- Allow game mechanics to be 'more like themselves', even if that increases difficulty.
It's intended as a relatively thin layer on top of Space Age — in a sense it's a 'replacement for vanilla' — and can be extended by further mods if desired.
- Players must build from scratch on Vulcanus, Fulgora and Gleba, as dropping materials (beyond construction bots) is impossible without researching a technology that needs science packs of the planet in question.
- The tech tree of these planets has been slightly tweaked to incentivize building a small science build before launching your first rocket.
- Certain technologies are delayed in the tech tree. For example, science packs from later planets are required to obtain the more advanced logistic chests.
- Optional dependencies include further content.
- Hardcore Cerys extends the modpack to a modded planet. It is hoped other planet authors will make such mods independently. In any case, modded planets should be compatible.
If you'd like to make a suggestion, such as an optional dependency, you are welcome to post in Discord, Discussion. Pull requests are also welcome on Github. Planet developers are also welcome to expand the modpack in the style of Hardcore Cerys. You can consult this short guide for developing Hardcore add-ons.
Hardcore Mode is compatible with existing saves. It is also well-suited to a first playthrough of Space Age by advanced players.
For new maps, map generation sliders can be freely adjusted. The Deathworld preset comes with a recommendation, except some players may wish to turn the time factor of evolution back to its default setting. This is because time evolution progresses on all planets in parallel, even when you're not there.
Virtually every change in modpack can be disabled or configured in the checkbox settings.
Mandatory dependencies:
- Hardcore Vulcanus
- Hardcore Fulgora
- Hardcore Gleba
- Hardcore Aquilo
- Hardcore Delayed Tech
- Space Undergrounds Require Research
- Planetary Distance Adjustments
- Behemoth Enemies
- Diurnal Dynamics
- Lighted Electric Poles + is also included as a mandatory dependency such that players downloading this modpack have a better tool to deal with darkness. However, you can disable lighted electric poles in the checkbox settings to replace it with another mod for this purpose.
These tweaks are contained in the top-level mod:
- Efficiency modules are 25% less effective, bringing trouble to bases that scale too quickly.
- Enemy units and asteroids have +20% HP (except spider units).
- Utility science packs require 3x the materials.
- Space platform foundation tile weight is increased by 10%.
- Half of all Nauvis iron, copper, stone and coal patches are mixtures of all four. Ore ratios are the same as vanilla on average.
- The starting patches are unmixed.
- Medium asteroids have some base physical resistance.
- Relatedly, asteroid crushing ore yield is increased, and advanced metallic asteroid processing is available in early-game space, meaning copper can be obtained on platforms.
- This change is under review based on player feedback, please leave your thoughts in Discord.
- Locomotives burn fuel at 3x the rate.
- English, Russian.
- To help translate more languages, submit a pull request on Github.
- Tserup for creating the custom technology icons.
- kocur4d for verifying with statistics that the mixed ore generation algorithm works as intended.
- All those that contributed feedback, particularly NekoBaron.
