Factorio, highly addictive game(alpha)

[LordMortis]

I've honestly found the enemies to be critical in keeping the game a little interesting in certain dimensions (as you speak to).

Concurred. Unless I was just looking for new ways to engineer and engineer alone the critters are important. If they weren't new in Space Age, for $35, I'd have mehed the DLC. I'm playing to see the how interesting the new environments (and especially critters) are. It will be a while though. I'm amazed at how little gaming time dedicate in a week. I can go many weeks without playing anything other games on BGA. I'll have to make time for this somewhere and then hope I don't make too much time for it at any one time.

[jztemple2]

Yeah, I've still got enemies and pollution, but I have more of a window to develop before those factors kick in.

By the way, is there a good version of SatCalc for Factorio? I'm really sucking when designing efficient production lines, I never seem to be able to get the ratios right. I'm now up at green flasks and it's getting ugly

[LordMortis]

By the way, is there a good version of SatCalc for Factorio? I'm really sucking when designing efficient production lines, I never seem to be able to get the ratios right. I'm now up at green flasks and it's getting ugly

I always made chains and over produced and let them back up. When they start to deplete, I knew their feed had to be extended. The question then became a matter of capacity for the conveyors. My full line after resources were processed was probably 18 conveyors wide with a shitton cooper and iron plates and a mere ton of green circuits.

The only thing I worried about ratios for was steam power for as long as it was my dominant power source. When I get that far I will have to look that up and hope it hasn't changed or that new information is current, as there is new "fluid system"

[stessier]

Yeah, I've still got enemies and pollution, but I have more of a window to develop before those factors kick in.

By the way, is there a good version of SatCalc for Factorio? I'm really sucking when designing efficient production lines, I never seem to be able to get the ratios right. I'm now up at green flasks and it's getting ugly

Yes

https://kirkmcdonald.github.io/calc.htm ... ircuit:f:1

There are actually many - just search "ratio calculator factorio"

[Unagi]

https://factoriocheatsheet.com/#belts

[Paingod]

https://factoriocheatsheet.com/#belts

Not just belts, but everything. Super cool, extremely useful. I really like the companion range comparison diagram.

Actually seeing the "balance" of just about every element should make it easy to plan better. I'm with LordMortis in that I basically dump as much as I can down a line and then add more when it looks like it's thinning out.

I often have tangled bottlenecks, though, that aren't easy to backtrace and fix without rebuilding everything or laying down more inefficient segments.

[jztemple2]

I often have tangled bottlenecks, though, that aren't easy to backtrace and fix without rebuilding everything or laying down more inefficient segments.

That's what I'm trying to address before I build, I tend to cram too much stuff into a space and can't make all the proper fixes.

[LordMortis]

I often have tangled bottlenecks, though, that aren't easy to backtrace and fix without rebuilding everything or laying down more inefficient segments.

In as recently as 2021 I just mad a long wide line with room for feeders so it might look like this

Code: Select all

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I then just expand the -s so long as there is enough bandwidth on the Is to carry. The key then is to know how north south your feeder lines need to before laying down the next one. And to leave a lot room for iron plates, copper plates, and green circuits.

[Unagi]

https://factoriocheatsheet.com/#belts

Not just belts, but everything. Super cool, extremely useful.

Yeah, oops - that was just the link I had recently clicked to, when I went to cut-n-paste.

[Unagi]

In as recently as 2021 I just mad a long wide line with room for feeders so it might look like this

Code: Select all

-----|||||------
     |||||
 ----|||||----
     |||||
  ---|||||---

I then just expand the -s so long as there is enough bandwidth on the Is to carry. The key then is to know how north south your feeder lines need to before laying down the next one. And to leave a lot room for iron plates, copper plates, and green circuits.

The Bus


https://wiki.factorio.com/Tutorial:Main ... 0puts%20on

[Paingod]

The Bus

My early Bus always ends up looking like a gnarled tree until I get far enough into Rails that it's time to tear everything down and start building specific-purpose manufacturing segments.

I wish I was capable of making those intensely packed beautiful spaghetti plates that somehow still work.

[jztemple2]

Is there any way to delete a bunch of items at once? Some kind of drag and delete?

[LordMortis]

Is there any way to delete a bunch of items at once? Some kind of drag and delete?

When you have robots you can mark areas for clearing and/or building and they just do it. When it's just you, my memory is it's point and click but it's been years and I will be relearning the UI.

[Unagi]

Is there any way to delete a bunch of items at once? Some kind of drag and delete?

You can't automatically remove things until you get the little team of robots. But then it becomes very easy - as you use a "Decontstruction" markers over things.
Until then, you need to run around and collect things.

edit: that just what LM wrote, I should have read on.

As long as you have some chests available to clear out your inventory - I have found completely tearing up a huge area and rebuilding it to be almost simple.

[stessier]

Barely an inconvenience!

[Unagi]

Barely an inconvenience!

This is not a phrase we use around JZ.

[Unagi]

If anyone hasn't played for a couple years, like me, and you are wondering how the hell to make RED and GREEN wires so that you can start to make use of the Circuit Network.....


Well, look no further. They are no longer crafted - but are just available for you to make on your tool-bar. Off the far right side are little buttons for making Copper/Green/Red wires.

[jztemple2]

Barely an inconvenience!

This is not a phrase we use around JZ.

?

[jztemple2]

If anyone hasn't played for a couple years, like me, and you are wondering how the hell to make RED and GREEN wires so that you can start to make use of the Circuit Network.....


Well, look no further. They are no longer crafted - but are just available for you to make on your tool-bar. Off the far right side are little buttons for making Copper/Green/Red wires.

Yeah, I ended up going to Google Search to find that one out

[Unagi]

Barely an inconvenience!

This is not a phrase we use around JZ.

?

Sorry, it's a bit of a meme. Here is where you just recently intersected with it before: viewtopic.php?p=3064432#p3064432
(which stessier may or may not have been riffing on)

[jztemple2]

Oh... I'm old, I'm not really remember something from two days ago, much less two weeks

Meanwhile, I'm finding myself not using circuit networks at all. I know they can be useful but I've been doing so much Satisfactory that I don't think in those terms. I've looked at the circuit network cookbook tutorial but nothing really is jumping out at me. What are other folks doing with circuit networks?

[Unagi]

Really just one main thing.


Let's say I have a factory that makes Conveyor Belts, and I want to both keep some - but then also feed them onward to the thing that makes Teir2 Conveyor Belts.

1. click Alt-R to get a Red Cable in your hand - click the Inserter that's inserting things into the Chest - and then click on the Chest. Those two are now on a tiny little network.

2. Now click the Inserter - and in it's controls is the option to turn Enable the network. by default it's set to < . Keep it there. Fill in the box that says 0 (click it) and type in some amount like 200.

3. click the blank icon now, to the left side of the " ___ < 200" - and select the Conveyor Belts.

that tells the Insert to only enable itself if the Chest has less than 200 Conveyor Belts -so when it hits 200 - it disable itself. Now you can get the same effect by blocking out with the RED X tool, the capacity of a chest, but that limits you to specific stack sized - and often overkill if it's just a little buffer chest that you later plan to turn into Requestor Chests (that will be the source of your Robot-fed resupplies).

Additionally, you can make another tiny network on the Inserter that's on the other side of that Chest, the one that's plucking from the chest to then feed its input for Teir2 Conveyor Belts. You can limit that one, in a simular way to the above, but tell it to only enable itself when, (let's just say) the chest has At Least 100 Conveyor Belts, (so that you are never left with an empty chest).

Hope that made some sense.
They can be really helpful for some little rules like that. I don't really build too many big things with them - but they can come in hand in other little spots like that.

[jztemple2]

Yup, it makes sense. I've been using that red "X" but as you say it's rather overkill at times. I'll try playing with it and understanding it in action.

[jztemple2]

My current game after about sixteen hours. It doesn't show the oil field south of my base, I'm using the railway to bring in crude oil. The railway on base isn't being used anymore, it was to bring coal to the furnaces turning iron ore into iron plates. I have electric furnaces now.

That one enemy base to the southwest is the only one setting out raids against me. The raids motivated me to wall off my entire base and put lasers on the wall facing the direction of their attacks. I'll eventually mount an attack to clear them out.

[The Meal]

My biggest use of circuits is for turning on and off cracking as part of my advanced oil processing. Too much light or heavy oil in a reserve tank? Turn on the pump to the appropriate cracking process. There are other uses, but nothing so automatic as this.

[Unagi]

My biggest use of circuits is for turning on and off cracking as part of my advanced oil processing. Too much light or heavy oil in a reserve tank? Turn on the pump to the appropriate cracking process. There are other uses, but nothing so automatic as this.

Ahh yes, that too!!!!

I'm not back up to the cracking process.

[Unagi]

Yup, it makes sense. I've been using that red "X" but as you say it's rather overkill at times. I'll try playing with it and understanding it in action.

Once you get one chest and inserter figured out - it's empowering.

just a screenshot of my Conveyor Belt chest, that hold 1k belts.

[jztemple2]

I'm confused. I used logistic robots on an earlier playthrough but I'm having trouble figuring them out now. I've unlocked the Logistics Robotics technology but that only got me access to the Roboport, the passive provider chest and the storage chest, as well as the logistics robot. All the other chests aren't available until I research the Logistic System tech, which requires the Space Science Pack which I haven't gotten to yet.

With only those items I've mentioned above that I've researched, is it even possible to have some sort of working logistics network? It just seems to me that without a requestor chest (which isn't unlocked till the Logistic System tech) I can't get one to work

[jztemple2]

I thought this was a clever way to set up my research center, with belts that loop around the labs, but I'm thinking there is probably a better way:

[jztemple2]

I've built the rocket silo and now I'm assembling the pieces and parts to establish my first space platform

[jztemple2]

OK, I need help on this: I have a cargo landing pad, bringing in cargo from a platform. I'm only allowed one per surface (planet or platform) but I have it delivering different cargoes. How do I filter the output from the inserter to a belt so it only takes the item I want? Or maybe store what I want? Nevermind, I forgot that inserters have filters

[jztemple2]

My first rocket launch

[Blackhawk]

I've been waiting for a sale.

I discovered today that the developer does not take part in sales. As policy.

[jztemple2]

I've been waiting for a sale.

I discovered today that the developer does not take part in sales. As policy.

Yup, no sales. Yacht maintenance costs money!

[Blackhawk]

They stated that they feel that they're charging what they feel it's worth, and you should base your purchasing decisions on that. That's perfectly fair and reasonable. They don't seem to understand that when poor people wait for a sale, though, it's not a question of value.

[Paingod]

If anyone hasn't played for a couple years, like me, and you are wondering how the hell to make RED and GREEN wires so that you can start to make use of the Circuit Network.....


Well, look no further. They are no longer crafted - but are just available for you to make on your tool-bar. Off the far right side are little buttons for making Copper/Green/Red wires.

Yeah, I was stumped by that too. Then I saw those little buttons and it hit me. Hell, devices now have a toggle button to just connect them to the Logistics network wirelessly.

There have been a substantial number of quality of life improvements and I haven't kept up with them. Did you know splitters on a belt can filter? I didn't. Did you know there's an "orbital build" menu that doesn't require your character specifically OR a blueprint - you just reach into a menu and pluck out a building to place a ghost for and bots will fulfill your wish if they can? I didn't.

That latter bullet point is a crucial bit of knowledge for building your space stations. If you don't know that's an option, you'll tear your hair out trying to figure out how to do anything up there once you launch the Space Hub to start building.

[jztemple2]

Yup, space platforms work different and take a little getting used to. Here is where I'm at with my first space platform. I'm making the white flask research on the platform and then shipping it to the planet. Making it uses two of the resource I get right out of the crushers, plus iron plate which I make on the station from the iron ore I also get from a crusher. I still need to do a lot of tweaks to the platform.

[jztemple2]

Another update today, not sure if I've seen the bugs they are fixing.

Stayed up playing late last night . Was going to set up a whole new production facility for the Production Science Pack (purple flask), but every time I got started I got distracted. My space platform needed a lot of tweaking, mostly because I wasn't doing well visualizing the layout I needed and had to keep deleting and rebuilding. I was making the Space Science Packs (white flasks) on the platform, which is the only way you can do it. I unlocked the three other planets and a few other things.

Dealing with the platform can be frustrating. I'm still a bit confused on how the Cargo Landing Pad on the surface of Nauvis makes requests from the platform. I seem to either get too much or too little, but I figure that's just part of the learning curve. It's really important to set up your inserters and belts on the platform to dump back into space any overflow of items. Otherwise you clog up the cargo storage and nothing runs . Again, part of the learning curve.

Back on Nauvis I'm getting lots of creature attacks. I had set up this game with a lessened creature values on the sliders as I had in a previous game actually got wiped off the map. This time I'm doing better, but I reached that tipping point where I'm getting attacks from several directions. So I spent another hour or so establishing lasers all over the place, then a roboport network so I could get automated repairs. I then spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out how to send Repair Packs to a roboport without setting a huge number. Turns out I don't even need construction robots located at each roboport, when I get damage the robots in the network go to the central storage of Repair Packs, pick up enough to fix things, then fly to the damaged area. I'm sure I'm not doing it right, but it's working.

Speaking of logistic networks, you don't unlock all the logistics chests until you have the Space Science Packs (white flasks) which can only be made on the space platform. Even more incentive to get into space.

[jztemple2]

The current pollution map situation. I'm concerned about my crude oil fields down to the southeast. It could put a real dent in my plans if my crude oil supply is cut off.

[Isgrimnur]

Time for some Lebensraum expeditions.