Started with keeping the dupes alive, struggled to deal with heat, then found myself helplessly infatuated with the automation and level of complexity that this game has to offer.

Matter changes states due to temperature which can be used to provide alternative, efficient ways to produce resources. I haven't seen a system like this working in this type of sim game before and what you can do with it is absolutely wild.

Oil can be processed into petroleum using an oil refinery converting oil into half as much petrol. Using automation and creativity you can design a system that heats the oil enough to cause it to flash into petrol at a 1:1 ratio, doubling what you'd get from an oil refinery. This is not only more efficient in converting resources, but oil refineries need a duplicant to run over and work on the machine to perform the conversion, your petroleum boiler is fully automated leaving your duplicant free to work on your next mad science project.

The things you can build are wild and once you get used to managing your colony and learn how to solve oxygen, food, morale, and heat death, you'll get your hands on enough tech to really start playing around and realize just how complex this game can be. This game is quite the sandbox. Factorio enjoyers will easily get swallowed up by this game!

This game will give you Locophobia. I started with setting up a train station to move oil from miles away back to the base and was so glad this was finally automated. Ten minutes later I'm focused on something else and the train suddenly barrels through my broken body. 10/10 would get run over by my own trains again.

Adding mods GREATLY extends your playtime if you're really into these kinds of games and there are tons of massive overhaul mods accessible right from the game to shape it into whichever aspects you enjoy the most. Hopefully the space exploration mod is ported to space age.