Trying to reserve space for the main bus. I’ll prb do a separate setup for green circuits and red ammo, red belts, etc, since I didn’t plan for space with my current design. Kinda leaning towards rebuilding everything but maybe will keep the setup for green and red science, and scarp it after I get to bots.

I am trying to avoid copying other designs and just learn from my mistakes but maybe there is general direction I can take.

So any recommendations are much appreciated.

Factory must grow

(English not first language and i have minor dyslexia)
Helo guys, found this game a few days ago and i love it, verry fun and a nice challenge for the mind

I am still combating bug attacks with ease, i have set up automatic repairs for my turrets and walls. However, i still feel like i am falling behind. I want to start working on city blocks and do stuff i accually want to do but i feel like all i do is develop my military so it can keep up with the bug evolution

What should be my next step? Should i be a coward and turn of evolution? Feels like i am removing the challenge then

Bottom image translation if its not ovbiouse:
Evolutionfactor: 0.5302. (Time 29%) (Pollution 67%) (Destroyed nests 4%)

Mainly optimized compactness above all so its missing a few important builds like refineries, chem plants, and pumpjacks, so you have to handcraft them with the buffered intermediates (not enough plate production to add them anyways). I may add another compact supplementary machine to automate those.

https://www.factoriocodex.com/blueprints/479

Hi!

I was trying to design a clock using belts, stones and circuit logic, but I think I'm missing something.

I planned to use the known speed of the belts to have an estimate of the time elapsed. For example, the wiki says that turbo belts have a speed of 7.5 tiles/s. This means that 30 tiles are travelled in 4s.

I tried to design a clock that has the precision of 4 seconds (the blueprint is at the end of the post) but it seems to be a bit faster than expected. Am I missing something?

I guess that the speed is only an averge/estimate speed, and it can change based on pc specs. Is that the case? Also, do you know if there is a reliable way to check the time elapsed in-game?

EDIT:

Problem solved. The main take-aways are:

- You can design a clock by looping an arithmetic combinator into itself (see Sethbreloom94 answer)

- Belt speed is correct only for straight belts. When belt curve, the speed of the two sides changes.

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

(3D models made from Wube software, I just printed and painted them)

Using only rail signals, would chain signals be better somewhere and why? Slowly learning train signals.

(Another mall for logistic stuff & assemblers is on 2nd pic)

Took some inspiration from this one regarding the pattern of gaps and assemblers, but decided to do my own thing anyway. Maybe a 4th column of assemblers would be better for my needs too, but it needs more planning to be useful

Here's my galaxy if anyone wants to poke around my planets and builds:

My Space Age Galaxy

Overall, I had a great time with it. Each planet felt distinct enough that I was always looking forward to unlocking the next one.

Fulgora, Vulcanus, and Gleba were probably my favorites. Gleba seems to be the controversial one, but honestly I had a blast there. The spoilage mechanics created some really interesting design problems, and I think it would actually be fun to start on Gleba instead of Nauvis.

Aquilo, on the other hand, never quite clicked for me. It felt less like solving interesting problems and more like checking boxes on the way to the finish line. I ended up flying most things in, which I guess is the design choice for the planet... Even the fusion reactor setup felt more like a chore than a challenge.

One thing I wish Space Age had done more of was enemy variety. Fulgora and Aquilo feel a little empty without any, and I would've loved to see demolishers get some unique aggressive mechanics that change how you build and defend, similar to how Nauvis and Gleba force you to think differently.

Maybe my perspective is skewed by having played Space Exploration before 2.0, but I also found the whole "in space" side of Space Age a bit underwhelming. Platform construction, weight limits, logistics between planets, cargo management... none of it was bad, but it never reached the level of depth that trains or logistic networks have. It feels like a third logistics system that sits somewhere in the middle. I kept wishing it leaned harder into one direction or the other.

On the positive side, spoilage, freezing, liquid metals, planetary specializations... there is a ton of potential there.

And one final probably-unpopular opinion: Didn't love the new fluid system. I understand why it was changed, and it's certainly cleaner and easier to work with, but I kind of miss the weird quirks and occasional chaos of the old one. The new system feels almost too easy.

Anyway, fantastic expansion overall. Definitely worth the time, I took my time to enjoy it with 376 hours to get to the edge of SA

New to this, really like it, just that i don't seem to have any tools to plan ahead of time, so things i make get messy until it gets too hard to optimize and i just give up

is there anything that could help me?

Been playing since last year, sunk enough hours of my life to be on my 9th long-running save. Initially it was painfully fun to end up in an unrecoverable mess with my base or be swarmed by the bugs, and I got to restart and spend the next 3 months with better planning from the get-go

5th save game, explored the Vulcanus gameplay but got it so wrong I just restarted instead of changing everything. Next game I got so much done on Vulcanus, was shipping so much orange science back home that I had an overflow issue, massive MASSIVE chip and petrochemical factory on Vulcanus. Got the artillery turrets but Nauvis was already thoroughly conquered so it didn't give me the same kick as unlocking lasers does.

And for the last 5 saves I've been going for Deathworld Marathons with Lakes, and a mod for ships and airplanes. Either the game becomes too easy after a point that it's just management 101, or its too difficult that I'm scrambling for heavy ammo supplies while my copper mines run dry and all new copper mines need me to defeat 3 large nests to even unlock the Tank.

It's a bit disappointing either way when I find myself stagnating from success or failure, but it honestly feels fun to restart and grind through a very different map and resource allocation, going for different prioritisations of various aspects of the game.

And I'm realising I'm unhealthily addicted to the early to mid game where the constraints are extreme (I do that to myself with the Deathworld Marathon), and the time I went back to an easier game I just got bored after hitting purple science.

What flavor of unhealthy fixations does your Factorio gameplay take?

I don't have a lot of time in Factorio but I made this little setup to research Green and Red stuff

I'm at the point where my mining productivity has reached level 11 and I have big miners with level two productivity modules

I have access to fields of resources that exceed 12 to 15 million

Is there a certain point where it does feel like resources are unlimited because of the exponential point of productivity

I've always heard that late game that resources are practically infinite because of the use of productivity, but I feel like I have been running out of resource patches and I'm wondering if I have not hit that point yet or if I am not using modules and strategies correctly

For factorio gurus out there: how do you guys approach quality? I am trying to understand good ways to do legendary items for my base but can't quite figure out if I'm getting something wrong or legendary output is just slow.

Is upcycling dense items a generally good solution? I feel like my quality builds get quite massive trying to upcycle stuff but legendary quality output is still not high enough

https://reddit.com/link/1x89eyg/video/8vxn6exip0wh1/player

Basically, i was experimenting with fulgora shenanigans, and realize that, since there is no pollution on fulgora, bitters probably won´t atack any player building..., except for vehicles and turrets. Sooo.... i was right.

If you put two cars close to each other, so the bitter doesnt have to move to atack both, once one of them is destroyed, the bitter inmediatly changes objective to the other, and as long as you space this voiding modules enough, you can have as many as you want.

To have a reference, with 180 bitters my unit time is about 0.2 miliseconds. its so low beacuse the ai doesnt need to make calculations if the bitter is atacking a current objective, and as it finds it´s next one inmediatly, this calculations only happen for a tick.

I am using a rare bitter, beacuse with this train to recicler config, and direct inserction to chemical plants, it is just fast enough so the car doesnt fill up, but it reaches higher fullnes before being destroyed, so keep in mind you will have to use another quality bitter if you want to run this on other configuration.

Also behemooth bitters dont work because of their atack speed, its so low they always target the same car, so overall output is reduced.

This is great for setups where you want to first void everything, and then get whatever you need out.

In my case im getting the holmium, stone and batteries, from 18 modules, and from some of them, lds, pu and ice. Then i use molten metals to produce what i need for about 105k science/min with only 18 bitters, from one single scrap patch, though i need to import molten iron, copper, plastic and cars, but it is up to you, you can make it fully independent

This is my blueprint for the 105K island. To place the bitter in, you put an egg between the cars close to the cargo wagon, and super important, once the bitter hatch,

NEVER GET CLOSE TO THEM!

https://factorioprints.com/view/-P48rJ418GiKhPmAcOj-

Robot speed is at lvl 30 and scrap recicling and rocket fuel prodcutivity at +300%. Mining prod is trough the roof.

Have fun enslaving nauvis natives in fulgora.

I don't think I've ever done Fulgora completely without bots, but this proved to be way more fun than I thought!

I've still got some quality items sorted away in provider chests so I can drop in and make a few nice quality items early/mid game, but otherwise the base runs completely without bots! Belt stacking and turbo belts made this a dream to run. Things got a little jank in some parts, but overall this base both runs pretty well and looks pretty good IMO!

I'll leave a pic of the base at night too in the comments - I went pretty ham with the lamps, so the night view is kinda nice

This post depicts a second iteration of prometheum collector vessel, the first version of which was build 9 month ago and depicted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/factorio/comments/1ucztv0/abyssion_class_void_fusion_cruiser_mk1/

It is 430 tons and uses 21 epic thrusters. The storage can be extended as needed since the sides are protected with turrets.

edit: Blueprint at https://factoriobin.com/post/i454le

Even better when it's like perfectly ratio'd too ahhh

150 hours in Space Age, and I've only just now started to care about aesthetics.

It's that time again! I'm giving away another copy of Factorio.

Ever wanted to turn a peaceful alien planet into a sprawling industrial nightmare of conveyor belts, pollution, and questionable engineering decisions?

Well, here's your chance to lose 500 hours of your life while convincing yourself you'll just fix one more thing before bed.

Enter here: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/e4pmd/

What used to be a crazy swarm of logistic bots just to unload non-Nauvis science is now a simple array with legendary stack inserters. It takes up such little space to unload, I thought that I would have to move and redesign my landing pad further away. Turns out it can be quite compact Two legendary stack inserters per side per lane should be enough to fully saturate a belt, but I have 3 eachjust for redundancy. Its so clean to unload now. I'm working towards fully logistic fee science this run. The Nauvis since is coming from the other side (still WIP)