so it begins...

[arctic beacon]

as the title says i just began my first adventure after trying the demo of the game available for free on steam... here's my first red science automation plant. if you have any tips for an aspiring engineer i will gladly accept them

[fleet ferry]

Two things:
Press alt
The factory must grow

[arctic beacon]

YES SIR!

[arctic beacon]

is it a good idea to research everything on one tier before going for the next research "color"?

[fleet ferry]

You can, you don't have to

Pick whatever seems interesting. It won't matter much anyway if you build big enough :P

[obtuse plank]

I have some very few but very important tips for you, aside from pressing alt

1. Don't use or trust youtube tutorials, they generally do a lot more harm than good in this game
2. Get familiar with splitters and underground belts, they're essential to getting stuff where you need it effectively!
3. Space out your builds. If there's space between your factories, life will be so much easier when you inevitably have to crisscross materials between them
4. Automation is incredibly powerful. Just keep in mind that if something keeps taking up your time, you can almost certainly automate it away in some way.
5. Consider your tech tree your main method of progress, and a good guide of what to aim for next at any given situation.

[chilly jackal]

I'm not the best myself, however some advice may be use of much bigger smelting designs, as it seems to be a little scarce, and the use of a main bus. I personally like the main bus design due to it's expandability, but i'm sure someone can tell you multiple designs that may be good for your personal preference.

Also, something I've found useful was watching some people that know what they're doing, like dosh or something and generally observing their designs.

However, I do agree that tutorials are usually not great, they often times just give you info that'll not do much more than confuse you.