Am I missing something or is the Mesh Extractor (and its cousins) not worth the space they take up vs what you get from the Deep Core mine? The Mesh takes 13 spaces for +5, Deep Core takes 11 for +4. You get more production for the space with Deep Core Mines (and Theory engines etc). Anyone else noticed this? Is there some advantage Im missing?

Thanks!

Check your math. The larger facility is only slightly better but it is better.

Not really worth upgrading in a lot of cases but check your space and see.

That is correct.

For example, if you have 20 space you can have a +5 and a +2, or a +4 and a +3, either way you get +7. That's a level you might consider not bothering to upgrade, and just waiting for the next level.

Further more the +6 are not worth the price when you can do better for one more space for the +8s.

A lot of it just depends on the size of the planets and how things are distributed. Sometimes the next higher upgrade will give you the same production and open up some space for artifact improvements. Sometimes it won't help at all. Upgrade planets where it makes sense and leave the others.

There's a huge research jump between +6 and +8 though. I wasn't crazy about +5 either, so what I did was just bit the bullet and did a double tier research blitz. Went from +4 to +6 in one shot. Took a little while, but I felt it was worth the effort. Once you get the +8's and better though, the whole game changes.

+1 to this. I'm getting a lot more production now that I've gotten the +8's.

The actual increases depends on the available space but here are some numbers based on the raw efficiency of each level.

Upgrade 1 to 2 - 14.3% increase
Upgr 2 to 3 - 16.7%
3 to 4 - 9.1%
4 to 5 - 5.8%
5 to 6 - 4.0%
6 to 8 - 25.0% !
8 to 10 - 17.6%
10 to 12 - 13.3%
If, as previously suggested, you skip from 4 to 6 the increase is 10% so skipping the 5's makes sense unless you are bored and swimming in cash.