In Spaced Out you have the ability to choose a Planetoid cluster with an assortment of Asteroids to colonize. These clusters are grouped according to their starting planetoid to three different categories and several different sizes. The starting asteroid can resemble one of base game in size and biomes, it can be a smaller one that doesn't have all resources available, it can be a tiny one that will make the need to go to space more urgent or it can be a challenge one to deal with. All planetoids have an assortment of biomes, critters, and most of them several random world traits.
When choosing the Spaced Out style, the player is incentivized to move to other Asteroids in the early mid game to get access to more resources such as Oil and Critters.
Clusters are grouped into categories.
| “ | Scenarios similar to the classic Oxygen Not Included experience. Large starting asteriods with many resources. Less emphasis on space travel. | „ |
| ~ Spaced Out! DLC |
Classic Style gives you one starting asteroid and one smaller you can teleport to. The starting asteroid resembles the maps of base game with their traits and biomes. In all of them, you have access to critical resources, such as Crude Oil and Thimble Reed, with few exceptions just like in the maps of base game. Space resources, such as Niobium and Gassy Moo, still require rocketry to reach. Non-critical alternative resources, such as Arbor Tree and Waterweed, may require a Teleporter Transmitter to reach.
| “ | Scenarios designed for the Spaced Out! DLC. Smaller Staring asteroids with resources distributed across the starmap. More emphasis on space travel. | „ |
| ~ Spaced Out! DLC |
The first three clusters, Terrania, Folia, Quagmiris, give you one medium-sized starting asteroid without access to Crude Oil and two nearby asteroids. A Teleporter Transmitter gives access to an asteroid with oil. The other close by asteroid can be accessed via a short rocket trip. Between these three asteroids you can find all common resources needed for a colony.
The other five clusters of Spaced Out Style, give you a selection of five small Moonlets and you can choose which one to start from. A teleporter gives access to another one of the Moonlets and short rocket trips can be used to reach the other three Moonlets. Access to critical resources varies wildly in these five clusters.
In all scenarios, space resources, such as Niobium and Gassy Moo, require rocketry to reach.
| “ | Alternative gameplay experiences, including experimental scenarios designed for special events. | „ |
| ~ Spaced Out! DLC |
Big starting asteroid resempling the ones of Base game with one close by asteroid dupes can teleport to.
| Cluster | Starting Asteroid | Teleporter Target Asteroid | Other Inner Asteroids | Outer Asteroids |
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| Terra Cluster |  |
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None |
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| Oceania Cluster |  |
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| Squelchy Cluster |  |
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| Rime Cluster |  |
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| Verdante Cluster |  |
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| Arboria Cluster |  |
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| Volcanea Clustter |  |
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| The Badlands Cluster |  |
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| Aridio Cluster |  |
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| Oasisse Cluster |  |
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 Ceres Cluster
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Medium sized starting asteroid with two close by asteroids. One you can teleport to and one you can reach with a short rocket trip.
| Cluster | Starting Asteroid | Teleporter Target Asteroid | Other Inner Asteroids | Outer Asteroids |
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| Terrania Cluster |  |
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| Folia Cluster |  |
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| Quagmiris Cluster |  |
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| Ceres Minor Cluster
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Small sized starting asteroid with 4 small sized asteroid around it one of which can teleport to.
| Cluster | Starting Asteroid | Teleporter Target Asteroid | Other Inner Asteroids | Outer Asteroids |
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| Metallic Swampy Custer |  |
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| The Desolands Cluster | |
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| Frozen Forest Cluster | |
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| Flipped Cluster | |
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| Radioactive Ocean Cluster | |
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Special one seed map that was released on Klei Fest 2023
| Cluster | Starting Asteroid | Teleporter Target Asteroid | Other Inner Asteroids | Outer Asteroids |
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| Skewed Cluster |  |
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None | |
| Blasted Ceres Cluster
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The 
Pack
This DLC offers a unique asteroid start for each style. One of big Classic style, one medium spaced out style and one special Lab style. The lab one is not one seed like the other "Klei Fest 2023" lab map.
Each scenario will give a different gameplay experience depending on the availability of resources and other factors. Below is a table of critical and alternative resources used for food, oxygen, power, and manufacturing in each scenario. Depending on what options are available at the start and mid game, you may need to rely on methods you normally wouldn't for survival and progress. For example, generating power without Coal, generating Oxygen without Algae, and developing space flight before Atmo Suits.
Notably, the Radioactive Ocean start has to use the teleporter to gain access to Algae, Coal, and Steel, and then use rocketry to access Gold Amalgam, Reed Fiber, and Plastic. It is arguably the most challenging scenario in terms of early-game resource availability.
In addition to varying resource availability, some scenarios have additional challenges, such as Rime starting very cold and Oasisse starting very hot. Developing heating and cooling in those scenarios respectively becomes a priority much earlier in the game than in a typical playthrough.
In some scenarios certain biomes do not generate on any asteroid, and so there is no reliable access to certain resources. The Printing Pod may have a random chance to offer a Care Package that provides some of the missing resources, but this is unreliable. Notably, the Critter Whisperer Achievement requires taming a Pokeshell which cannot be found naturally in The Badlands scenario.
| Scenario | Starting Asteroid | Reachable via Teleporter | Reachable via Short Rocket Trip | Reachable via Long Rocket Trip | Unreachable |
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None |
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(Classic) |
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(Classic) |
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(Classic) |
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None | ||
(Classic) |
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(Classic) |
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(Classic) |
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(Classic) |
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None | ||
(Classic) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(Spaced Out!) |
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(The Lab) |
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None |
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This table was generated from this script.
In general, with Spaced Out dlc the size of asteroids is smaller. This is compensated by having more asteroids to work with.
| Planet Type | Width (X size) | Height (Y size) | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base game Map | 256 | 384 | 98,304 |
| Spaced Out Classic style Map | 240 | 380 | 91,200 |
| Classic style Secondary Map | 160 | 176 | 28,160 |
| Spaced out style Map | 160 | 274 | 43,840 |
| Spaced out style Moonlet Map | 128 | 153 | 19,584 |
| Skewed (The Lab) | 380 | 240 | 91,200 |
If we consider the total size for each group. We can see that the total is pretty similar, with Classic style maps generally having the largest area. Spaced out style maps may have less total area than Moonlet maps, but has the advantage of having a fairly large starting map.
| Planet Type | Starting Planet | Warp Planet | Inner Planets | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaced Out Classic style Map | 91,200 | 28,160 | None | 119,360 |
| Spaced out style Map | 43,840 | 19,584 | 19,584 | 83,008 |
| Spaced out style Moonlet Map | 19,584 | 19,584 | 19,584 * 3 | 97,920 |