Vic plays Factorio

[Kruyurk]

I never learned how to build decent train networks, so I'm avoiding it for as long as I can right now.

It is actually pretty simple, all there is to it is dividing the tracks in sections with train signals. Trains will not enter a section if there is another train in it.
There are special signals for intersections that works the same, except trains won't enter the section (i.e. pass the signal) is there is another train in it or in the next section (this way, a train will never stop in the intersection because the next section is occupied, since the train will look two sections ahead before entering the intersection).

If you have several stations with the same name, trains will go to one that is free (e.g. it can make sense to have several "iron ore unload"). For now your base is too small to need that, but at some point it could be useful.
When you load/unload from a train, put some chests along the train station and have inserters load/unload from the chests then onto a belt instead of directly from the train to a belt.

And as Jaedar advised, it is best to build two sided tracks from the beginning of your rail network so that it can be expanded. Just be consistent with the direction of trains for each side of the track.

I expect some tchootchoo action in your future posts.

 

[Average Manatee]

Trains are very much a blueprint things once and then use forever kind of deal.

If you have several stations with the same name, trains will go to one that is free (e.g. it can make sense to have several "iron ore unload"). For now your base is too small to need that, but at some point it could be useful.

It only goes to the one that is free if you set the train limit on the station to 1. Otherwise they can choose the same station to go to and end up piled up. Which can obviously be a good thing if you really want a ton of throughput (one train comes in as soon as another leaves, as opposed to a new train being dispatched when one leaves), but generally not necessary for anything but megabases

 

[Vic]

Spanning 4 belts of ore all over the map to my smelters. Cope and seethe.

 

[Vic]

Setting up my science again but...

What the hell was I thinking creating this incomprehensible mess?

I need to rebuild my assemblers again and align them nicely like I did with the science. This mess is making my eyes bleed.

 

[Jaedar]

Space exploration style bot attrition should be a core feature.

Is space age doing anything to nerf bots, or are they just buffing belts with the stack inserter and new belt tier?

 

[Vic]

Space exploration style bot attrition should be a core feature.

How does bot attrition work in SE?

 

[Vic]

What's wrong with bots anyway?

 

[Jaedar]

Space exploration style bot attrition should be a core feature.

How does bot attrition work in SE?

Each surface has a bot attrition rate (roughly proportional to how good solar panels are). Every tic that a logistics bot is flying it has a chance to explode and drop what it is carrying on the ground. By default the explosion also damages everything nearby, but there is infinite research to make networks with less than 500x bots safe so the explosion only kills the bot. They really don't blow up that fast, even at high attrition, but if you have 1000 of them flying around you will get a couple explosions per minute.

It makes full bot bases kinda unattractive.

 

[Vic]

Building up my science production. Much cleaner and more pleasing to look at this way. While I was goofing around, the Biters were busy evolving. They are now constantly destroying my laser turrets on multiple fronts. I need to research more laser upgrades and probably set up a small bot network on each outpost for repairs. It's kind of scary though that they keep getting harder, I'm curious to see how the endgame on this Deathworld map will look like!

 

[Vic]

Not much to show for today. As the game progresses, progress becomes slower. I'm currently trying to wall off the desert to the north of my base so that I can paint it with solar panels. Production wise, I'm setting everything up to get all the sciences up to a nice rate. My goal isn't to launch a rocket but to set up a nice SPM base, not sure what I'm aiming for yet. Bots will remain the theme for my base.

I'm also learning the ratios so that I can blueprint assemblers and just plop them in if I need more circuits or whatever. Researching faster robots also decreased how many robots have to be active at any given time. Right now I have 6300/8000 logistic bots available, so there is plenty of room to increase production. Or in other words, the current base is running on ~1700 logistic bots.