Factory sims scratch a special itch. Every facet of the processing, manufacturing, and assembly process is in the player's hands, giving them total control over what they produce and how. These games are a micromanager's dream, allowing the player to see complicated projects through from start to finish.
In Dyson Sphere Program the final goal is to construct the titular object, but the road to such a massive achievement is a long and complicated one. To reach that final step they will need a variety of resources, some of which are easier to acquire than others. Hydrogen is a basic resource that requires a surprising series of steps to get. Here's everything the player needs to know about getting this crucial resource.
Oil Refining
Dyson Sphere Program is as big and complex as its in-game factory operation, and unfortunately, the game doesn't have a detailed tutorial to walk players through some of its more confusing elements. Hydrogen is an excellent example. Hydrogen is a key component in the construction of the Energy Matrix which is necessary for researching mid-game technologies. Without Hydrogen, the player's progress will stall, but it's not obvious how to get this critical element.
Simulations are sometimes frustrating. One of the frustrating things about manufacturing Hydrogen is that it cannot be created in isolation but rather is only available as a byproduct. In short, the player only gets Hydrogen if they're making something else, such as Oil. There's no workaround, but the actual process of refinement and storage is relatively cheap and painless.
How To Get Hydrogen
The first step is to unlock the Oil Extractor and Refinery in the tech tree. Once the player has unlocked the necessary technologies, construction can begin. The Oil Extractor should be built first and - as appropriate for a real life sim - can only be placed on crude oil nodes. These nodes are easily-recognizable conical outcroppings of rock. To construct an Oil Extractor the player will need 12 Steel, 12 Stone Bricks, 6 Circuit Boards, and 4 Plasma Exciters.
Once the Oil Extractor has been placed on a crude oil node, it will automatically generate crude oil every second. Crude oil isn't very helpful, however, so the next step is to refine it. Constructing an Oil Refinery requires 10 Steel, 10 Stone Bricks, 6 Circuit Boards, and 6 Plasma Exciters. The player will also need to build a Sorter which will transfer the oil into the Oil Refinery and get the assembly line up to speed.
At the Oil Refinery, click on the cog and select Refined Oil (the oil drop symbol). The Oil Refinery will now begin separating the crude oil into Refined Oil and Hydrogen in a 2:1 ratio. It doesn't matter how much Hydrogen the player has if they have no way to store it, so it's important to build a Storage Tank or two as well to collect the Hydrogen that is produced. Constructing a Storage Tank requires 8 Iron Ingots, 4 Stone Bricks, and 4 Glass. With the Storage Tank constructed, the player can start stockpiling their Hydrogen and get back to work.
Dyson Sphere Program is available for PC.