Thank you for playing and such detailed feedback. I really appreciate the time you've taken with this.
Yep, the centrifuges are a total trap, I did update the game description with a step by step on how I think the best way to navigate the early game is; however the fact that this is needed is a massive problem in the way I designed the game and you've hit onto those issues perfectly. I am really happy you managed to get the victory screen though, and very appreciative that you were willing to see it through.
A tooltip for the refineries is a great idea, it didn't occur to me at all, but that would make it far clearer.
In regards to a lose condition and agency, I think you and some other commentators have all closed in on what probably should have been the solution; and that's a proper RTS with tiles and placeable buildings. That way everything can be built and destroyed and there's very clear win and lose conditions. This is all with the power of hindsight of course, and I have no idea if it's something that I could have done, but it's definitely useful to think about, and I’m building a strong picture in my head from all this great feedback.
I'm glad you like my awful programmer art! And I really love the comparison to Plague inc, that was definitely in my head when I was planning out what this might look like!
Thank you again, appreciate your time.