Dyson Sphere Program beginner guide: mecha fuel, mining, power, and Sorters

Edition: PC Steam base game, app 1366540, normal progression without mods. Dark Fog, enemy settings, and resource multipliers are addressed separately. Sandbox, research shortcuts using Metadata, and complete endgame optimization are outside the standard steps.

Verification scope: Public sources checked on 2026-10-04. The most recent official release announcement found during that check was V0.10.35.29088, dated 2026-09-24. Game launch, installed build, and behavior across all saves were not tested.

Sources checked: 2026-10-04

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First controls and supplies to keep with you

These are default PC key examples. Use your settings if you have changed bindings. If an initial building is unavailable, return to the research section of the progression guide.

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First controls and supplies to keep with you: 6 entries
Action	Default control example	What to inspect
Check carried items	Press E for inventory	Fuel, Mining Machines, belts, Sorters, and generation/transmission equipment
Refuel the mecha	Press C to open the mecha panel and move fuel into its fuel chamber	Whether core energy rises. Carrying fuel and loading fuel are different
Gather a small amount of material	Right-click trees, rocks, or veins	Completion and increased inventory. Approaching the target also consumes energy
Reorient a Mining Machine	Press R while placing it; hold Shift to disable snapping for fine adjustment	Whether target vein markers fall inside its mining area
Attach a Sorter	Choose the source, then the destination	Whether the arrow points in the intended cargo direction
Return to control instructions	Press G for the in-game guide	Tutorials matching current research and controls

Space capsule recovery items were addressed by a bug fix on September 24, 2026. Check actual inventory after recovery rather than assuming fixed counts from old guides.

After refueling, wait for core energy to recover

Fuel is not instantly converted into all its energy when loaded. When the lower-screen energy meter is low, distinguish fuel being in the chamber from energy reaching the core.

Press C and drag available Plant Fuel, Logs, Coal, or other fuel into the fuel chamber
Stop moving and manual work temporarily; watch whether core energy at the bottom of the screen recovers
If consumption exceeds recovery, stop flying or large manual crafting batches. Check remaining fuel and the displays affecting charging speed
Reserve carried fuel instead of consuming it all as factory materials. Check remaining fuel and core recovery before long trips

The fuel chamber generation bonus primarily concerns mecha charging speed. Do not assume that it increases the total energy in each fuel item by the same percentage. Factory outages require separate restoration of generation and transmission.

A short test: move Iron Ore into storage

Use this example when Mining Machines, smelters, belts, Sorters, storage, and power equipment are available. Start by checking one vein and a small number of buildings.

Place a Mining Machine with the target Iron veins marked inside its mining area. Leave its output side clear for a belt
Place generation such as Wind Turbines. Connect Tesla Towers if needed so mining and processing share one powered grid
Extend a belt directly from the miner's output without a Sorter between them. Confirm Iron Ore appears on the belt
Place an Arc Smelter beside the belt and select Iron Ingot. Add a Sorter by selecting the input belt first and the smelter second
Provide a separate output belt and add a Sorter from smelter to belt. Its direction is opposite to the input Sorter's
Add a Sorter from the output belt to storage. Increasing Iron Ingots in the empty storage confirms this supply chain works
For required components, select their Assembling Machine recipes and supply the displayed inputs separately. Producing Iron Ingots does not make every recipe work

Expand after confirming cargo at each stage: miner, belt, smelter, output, and storage. A row of completed buildings alone is insufficient. This is not a guaranteed minimum-power or completion-time setup.

Distinguish direct belt outputs from Sorter connections

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Distinguish direct belt outputs from Sorter connections: 6 entries
Connection	Required input	Direction, distance, and power	Version or settings differences
Mining Machine to belt	Veins inside its mining area	Connect the belt directly to the miner output. The miner needs power; ordinary belts do not	Depletion and Veins Utilization research change output conditions
Belt to smelter	Ore or other inputs required by the selected recipe	Place the Sorter starting from the belt. Check power to both building and Sorter	Test a short distance first. Prioritize placement previews for gaps at high latitudes
Smelter to belt	Finished product	Place the Sorter starting from the smelter. The downstream belt needs room	Distinguish missing materials from full product storage in the building panel
Belt to Assembling Machine	Every input listed in the recipe	Insert using Sorters. Supplying one ingredient alone is insufficient when others are required	Assembling Machine tiers have different speeds; recipe duration alone does not determine machine counts
Belt to storage	The item to store	Use a Sorter. Check storage limits and whether it is full	Treat other setups, such as storage above Splitters, separately from this example
Power pole to equipment	A grid connected to generation	Check both grid connections and coverage over the equipment	Power coverage visibility can be changed in the covered settings. Hiding the overlay is different from losing power

Ordinary Sorters reach up to 3 grid spaces. Longer reach increases round-trip time. Belts not needing power does not mean Sorters are also power-free.

Restore stopped equipment in this order

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Restore stopped equipment in this order: 8 entries
Symptom	Display or equipment to inspect	Action	Operation check
Only the mecha is slow	Core energy and fuel chamber	Load fuel and stop high-consumption tasks	Recovering core energy and normal movement speed
The Mining Machine has no materials	Target veins, remaining deposits, and power	Reposition coverage over veins; connect another deposit if depleted	Increasing miner inventory or output ore
Materials are on the belt but do not enter	Sorter arrows, endpoints, and filters	Correct reverse direction, excessive distance, or wrong-item filters one at a time	Increasing input inventory in the production building
Inputs exist, but processing does not start	Recipe and any other missing ingredients	Select a recipe and inspect every input type	Processing advances and product inventory rises
Product inventory is full	Output Sorter, output belt, and storage	Connect the exit and clear full downstream storage or capacity limits	Products leave and processing resumes
A whole area slows together	Local power satisfaction and generator-side fuel	Separate broken transmission from insufficient generation. Restore fueled generation first	Power satisfaction recovers and fuel mining and transport work
A Sorter shows an arrow but is stopped	Power to the Sorter and its connected building	Do not infer power from the arrow; connect it to the grid	An item actually transfers
It stops again immediately after repair	Shared belts, fuel supply, and damaged locations	Return to the first point that stopped. With enemies, check defense and damage too	Supply and output continue without manual insertion

The September 23, 2026 update made direction arrows visible on unpowered Sorters too. Differences from old screenshots do not alone prove normal or faulty operation.

Choose expansion sites around spherical terrain and enemy settings

Once the test works, extend the same arrangement in short sections. Equatorial areas are easier to align, but not every resource is there. Connect resource sites to production with belts and check placement separately from power.

First test belts and Sorters around one building. Delay long copies across latitude transitions or narrow gaps
After adding generation, open a distant factory's power pole and check that the new generator is not isolated on another grid
With Dark Fog enabled, inspect threat and factory damage; prepare defenses, ammunition, and power before further expansion or travel
Do not copy fixed safe time limits or guaranteed equipment counts from guides using different enemy aggression or resource multipliers

Do not impose combat assumptions on enemy-free saves or assume that factories with enemies cannot be attacked while you are away. Complete enemy coverage and optimal defenses require separate work.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my mecha not recover when I am carrying fuel?

Check that fuel is actually inside the fuel chamber in the mecha panel opened with C. Charging takes time after loading, so stop movement and manual work and watch whether core energy increases.

Why does a belt touching a smelter not insert materials?

Normal smelter input uses a Sorter. Select the input belt first and the smelter second, and check power and the selected recipe.

Does a moving belt mean power is working?

Ordinary belts do not consume power. Check Sorters and production buildings separately, and inspect power satisfaction at a local power pole.

Why are there no products after I add power?

If output inventory is full, check downstream; if input inventory is empty, inspect the previous stage. Check recipes, Sorter direction, and item filters, then repair only the identified fault.

Why can I not use the same spacing as the guide?

Spherical grids change with latitude. Test whether buildings, belts, and Sorters fit in a short section, shifting positions as needed. The same arrangement may not work at high latitudes.

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Based on site-wide views, captured July 6, 2026 (previous 28 days plus capture day).