5 Mistakes Everyone Makes In The Planet Crafter

The Planet Crafter is a complicated and challenging game, to say the least, as are many space-based survival titles. There is much that players must keep track of and do to effectively meet their goal, terraforming a lifeless planet into one suitable for a colony. Such a remarkable feat seems simple at first, but as players progress, they will find it to be an unfavorable endeavor. They will endure many hardships along the way and make their fair share of mistakes, many of which prove costly.

There are countless errors that players can make in The Planet Crafter, but some are more common than others. These mistakes are ones frequently made by players on their first playthrough. Many are simple and easily correctable mishaps, while others prove far more detrimental to a player's progress. Regardless of their severity, players must be mindful of these prevalent blunders as they will stall terraformation efforts. So, here are mistakes everyone makes in The Planet Crafter and how to avoid them.

5 Building Too Low

One of the most alluring elements of The Planet Crafter is the opportunity to build bases and other structures. Players can establish various buildings and machines wherever they please, making the planet a canvas for their creativity and ingenuity. It is an exciting process that players will likely begin as soon as possible. However, many players fail to consider one vital factor when building structures, the planet's terraformation. Through the player's tireless efforts, the world will eventually see the return of water as it becomes hospitable.

As a result, lower portions of the planet will become flooded, turning barren depressions into vast lakes. Should players build too low, everything they created will be submerged and cease to function. Players will have no choice but to relocate flooded buildings and machines. This mistake will not only cost players much time and effort to correct, but it will significantly stall their terraformation efforts as well. Players should build high up where water will not reach if they are to avoid falling victim to this grievous error.

4 Not Exploring The Planet

The Planet Crafter takes place in a vast and diverse world with much for players to explore. There are all sorts of unique regions, derelict wreckages, and abandoned bases for players to discover. They could spend hours traversing the map and uncovering new areas to scour. Doing so not only proves fun and intriguing but beneficial as well. As they venture across the planet, players can acquire various resources that contribute significantly to their terraformation efforts. Even so, players often avoid exploration for a multitude of reasons.

In truth, embarking on a journey across a desolate and unforgiving wasteland is not without danger. Players risk death if they do not monitor their oxygen, food, and water levels. Such a possibility dissuades many from venturing out in the world, at least not until they acquire survivability improving gear. While this seems like sound reasoning, players can benefit immensely from exploring the planet. Exploring is dangerous, but the rewards outweigh the risks and work toward terraforming the world. As soon as players establish terraformation machines and a base, they should journey the planet and collect whatever resources they can.

3 Relying On Storage Crates

Throughout the world of The Planet Crafter, players can find containers known as Storage Crates. These receptacles possess a variety of resources of a rarity depending on where they reside but are ultimately random. Players will need to rely on Storage Crates at the beginning of their playthrough as it is their only food source until Food Growers become available. However, these containers should only suffice during this introductory period and not act as a player's primary outlet for resources.

Being such a beneficial and readily available source for material and the like, many players rely chiefly on Storage Crates. Doing so seems advantageous as it saves players time and effort to gather resources, especially food and water. Yet, Storage Chests prove unsustainable and unpredictable, which makes them undependable. Players can benefit from these containers, but they should not become the sole or chief source of goods. Instead, players should depend on machines for most if not all of their resources.

2 Not Having Enough Power Sources

The buildings and machines of The Planet Crafter are technological wonders unlike any other. They can perform phenomenal feats like transforming the world into a sustainable and habitable place for future colonists. Yet, despite their advancements, these futuristic buildings and machines cannot function without a suitable power source. Should the energy requirements exceed the amount of power available, everything will become inert. This inactivity proves detrimental to players and can be harmful if not solved in time.

Preventing this problem from occurring is as simple as ensuring that there are power sources to meet energy needs. Even so, many players fail to consider energy until a power outage. After which, players need to scramble to gather the resources necessary to build power sources and then continue whatever they were working on before. This process is easily avoidable and time-consuming. So, players should create a Power Display Screen to monitor energy use and build plentiful power sources beforehand.

1 Being Too Cautious/Wasteful With Resources

The Planet Crafter revolves chiefly around gathering resources, as is expected for survival genre games. This process is the basis of all of a player's efforts and progression toward their goal of terraforming the planet. However, another factor that players must consider when gathering resources is the management of said resources. Players must contemplate and decide how to use the materials they collect. Doing so is a delicate process that can lead to players being too cautious or wasteful with their resources if they are not careful.

There must be balance in resource management, lest players use their materials ineffectively. Hoarding resources needlessly will stall a player's progress toward terraformation. Meanwhile, using materials recklessly will cause players to make impractical choices that will slow the terraformation progress. Rather than using resources scarcely or rashly, players must carefully plot out their use and allocate them toward beneficial endeavors. This practice will take some patience and temperament but proves advantageous, especially when considering valuable resources like Osmium. After all, the pacing of The Planet Crafter is more like a marathon than a sprint.

The Planet Crafter is available now on PC.

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