In Transamerica, you are isolated, only building out from your home, until such time as your network reaches another player's, at which time you are part of the combined affair.
As I recall, similarly, in Swarm, you build out from your research stations (or ships), but as soon as you can connect it with a larger network, the entire combined affair is now shared, and you may extend from the greater network.
As I recall, similarly, in Swarm, you build out from your research stations (or ships), but as soon as you can connect it with a larger network, the entire combined affair is now shared, and you may extend from the greater network.