Guide Factorio: Space Age -> Gleba planet
Gleba is a place where evolution took a unique turn, giving rise to massive spiders and lush vegetation. Due to its distance from the center of the solar system and the presence of cloud cover, the planet receives less solar energy than Novis and Vulcan. Organic animal and plant life is abundant and highly developed.
This planet is a key link for subsequent flights to Aquilla and beyond, as the agricultural science package unlocks rocket turrets - the most effective weapon of dealing with large asteroids in orbit.
However, to set up and automate production, you will have to radically rethink your approach, since virtually all the planet's resources rot and have a shelf life. You will literally have to grow them and process them before they spoil. Otherwise, Gleba doesn't differ all that much from other planets.
Jellynuts and Yumako fruit
There are two key components for planetary production: Jellynuts, which provide infinite energy via the Heating Tower, and Yumako fruit, which supplies nutrients to all active biochambers. Unfortunately, however, they are cultivated in completely different parts of the swampy Gleba.
Jellynuts
Yumako fruit
It spoils faster, so will you need drones, high-speed conveyors, or even a train?
It is also worth noting that you will need to transport the crop seeds from the bio-chambers back to the planting site in some way.
Basic industry and energy
Everything on Gleba revolves around biocambers: in them, you cultivate beetle eggs, extract copper and iron from bacteria, process jellynuts and yumako fruit, obtain nutrients, clone beetle eggs, and so on.
- White – production of Nutrin; all bio-chambers operate using it.
- Red – production of copper from copper bacteria.
- Blue – extraction of iron from iron bacteria.
- Light green – cultivation of eggs for the science pack.
- Green – agricultural science pack.
- Purple – production of components for rocket turrets.
Products can spoil both during and after the production process; therefore, a key component of the automation system at Gleba is a conveyor belt - colored light purple - that removes rotten produce from the boxes and transports it away from all your biocambers.
The rot is then transported to the planet’s unique structure - the Heating Tower - which operates on the principle of a nuclear reactor, except that you can toss whatever you like into it, just like a furnace:
Next, the heat warms water drawn from a nearby lake, turning it into steam, and turbines supply the base with electricity. The nuclear reactor shown in the image serves as a backup for cases where there is nothing left to feed into the furnace.
I would also like to point out a rather important detail: you absolutely must place 5–7 turrets next to each biocamber where you produce bug eggs, because when the eggs spoil, bugs hatch from them right in the middle of your base.
Now, regarding standard production:
Standard materials are produced here: copper, iron, stone, sulfur, chips, and low-density structures. Gleba is the easiest place to obtain rocket fuel. Remember that the green science pack also has a shelf life; you will need to set up additional sorting for the spoiled packs at your main base if you fail to use the ones you brought back in time.
All in all, Gleba is very intimidating at first, but if you look into it, it’s actually simpler than Novis or even Vulcan. Good luck!