Thanks for giving it a try, and yeah the whole "what if it mattered where you put things in Spore" thought was a big inspiration early on. I really need to work on the tutorial side of things after rushing out the short intro. As well as what I mentioned in my other comment about being overly acquainted with some aspects of the game that are totally unclear if you're seeing them for the first time.
The maps are procedural and don't save if you exit/return, but I do have something that might make levels persistent if I can get it to work.
And sawing away without enough energy could end your run the way it's set up now, another thing to add to the tutorial. I did have an exact number display for the welder's energy cost, but found myself sitting there waiting for it to reach 50. I really want to disincentivize sitting and waiting in any way. Might need to reevaluate how mid-level editing works.
As for the black screen, I think that happens if you minimize the game while the level is generating, I have to find a workaround for that.