Factorio Updates

Factorio is four parts real time strategy (RTS), four parts logistics problem-solving simulator, one part tower defence, and one part top-down shooter — or, as my friend Jimbo once put it — “Minecraft for adults”.

Once a week on Wednesdays, I join Jimbo (the CEO) and Martin (the nest exterminator) for a not-so-casual multi-player game of Factorio. We often refer to this get-together as going to work. At work, we continue the construction of our empire, crack jokes and make logistical errors that take hours to reconcile.

The only aim of this article, is to serve as a check list of things I’ve identified as being important to keep our base ticking over.

1. Artillery Train Stations

The artillery train (see figure 1) needs further stations adding around the perimeter of the base. Stations can be numbered and include a direction for example, 01 North, 02 North East etc.

Figure 1. The artillery wagon takes aim

You may also notice damaged defences in the previous figure. I believe Jimbo is working on a network of roboports to allow construction robots to repair the perimeter.

2. Iron Ore Train Station

I have made a blueprint for an iron ore drop-off point. Figure 2 shows the artillery wagon standing in for an iron ore delivery train (which will need to have two cargo wagons).

The blueprint string can be found in iron_ore.txt.

Figure 2. Iron ore drop-off

3. Steel Smelting

120 electric furnaces are required to fill a yellow belt with steel.

A further 120 electric furnaces are needed to feed those steel furnaces with iron plate.

This configuration of 240 electric furnaces does not fit with the current base layout, unless the configuration is rotated anti-clockwise by 90 degrees.

With the rotation, the furnaces feed the main bus at the correct point, and are fully grid-compliant.

Note: Grid compliance is a self-imposed design system for achieving a good balance between aesthetics and efficiency using small electric poles placed 5 tiles apart.

The bottom part of the steel smelting setup fits above the uranium fuel cell transport belt, as shown in figure 3. Fast (red) transport belt is required in places.

Figure 3: Lower part of steel smelting setup

Figure 4 shows the top portion of the steel smelting array. Note that some re-arrangement of existing transport belt will be required.

Figure 4. Top part of steel smelting setup

The blueprint is stored in steel_smelters.txt.

4. Fluid Bus

The fluid bus could probably do with some attention; checking to ensure all pipes are connected. Pipes above the main assembly area can then be removed.

It may be worth doing some fluid balancing too — some ideas:

  • Make solid fuel from all 3 sources - gas, light and heavy
  • Only enable solid fuel when source is in excess > 20k for example
  • Only enable cracking when there is an excess

5. Cracking

We’re already cracking light oil to petroleum gas. Is it worth cracking heavy oil to light oil?

6. Copper

We need more copper. There’s a small easy-to-tap patch in the north-east, inside the base perimeter. There’s a big patch in the south. Both can be railed in to the base/smelting array.

7. Nuclear Reactor

Although not required yet, more heat pipe, heat exchangers and steam turbines can be added. An alarm system to warn of low fuel, as well as almost-full spent fuel storage would be useful.

8. Solar Power

For a cleaner, brighter future.

Summary

  1. Artillery Train Stations
  2. Iron Ore Train Station
  3. Steel Smelting
  4. Fluid Bus
  5. Cracking
  6. Copper
  7. Nuclear Reactor
  8. Solar
  9. Robotport repair network
  10. Logistics network?

Links & References

2020-07-01