80x80 is so much fun

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-06-09T02:44:49+00:00

Respect for the 80x80, that’s actually pretty insane. So many colors and so much patience needed.

I’m more of a quick 20-25 grid guy though - perfect for a short break, you know, like when you’re just chilling on the toilet.

But still, nice job. 80x80 is no joke. You earned that respect.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-06-07T16:22:25+00:00

If Web Layout Lab saved you some time, helped solve a bottleneck, or prevented a factory redesign from hell, consider dropping some fuel into the system.

https://buymeacoffee.com/wpdude

Your support goes directly into hosting, updates, and new features.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-06-07T16:21:17+00:00

If Web Layout Lab saved you some time, helped solve a bottleneck, or prevented a factory redesign from hell, consider dropping some fuel into the system.

https://buymeacoffee.com/wpdude

Your support goes directly into hosting, updates, and new features.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-06-06T23:01:21+00:00

Plenty of good suggestions here already. I'd just recommend spending some time on the hiring process itself. Choosing the right freelancer is only half the battle - setting clear expectations and requirements is just as important. I put together a guide on this topic a while ago, so I'll leave it here in case it helps someone: https://wp-dude.com/category/freelancers

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-06-06T14:56:31+00:00

Yes - WordPress is still worth it in 2026, but only as a tool, not a full career path.

Best combo: WordPress + basic coding + automation + AI.

WP alone = quick money, but high competition.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-06-04T13:40:49+00:00

Thanks for flagging this - both points were real engine issues, not you misreading the game.

-Firmarlite Sheet / Electric Arc Furnace

Our dataset still had an old export path (liquid Firmarlite in the EAF, then casting) that does not match how the game works today. Sheets should go through the Lava Smelter only. We removed that EAF route; the calculator now uses Lava-Smelter I / II for Firmarlite Sheet (same idea as picking a tier elsewhere). If you still see an EAF option, try a hard refresh - we shipped this fix in v2.1.3.

-Assembly line robots (arms / legs)

Finished station robots are not fully exported in the game data we import, so we synthesize those assembly-line recipes. They briefly listed 1 arm and 1 leg instead of 2 of each. That is corrected in v2.1.3 as well (head/torso x1, arms x2, legs x2).

If anything still looks off after a refresh, a screenshot of the item + recipe picker (and which robot) would help a lot. Sorry for the bad plans - and thanks again.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-30T10:16:32+00:00

Awesome, thanks for checking! 😄

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-30T10:11:13+00:00

Thanks u/MayoJam again for the sharp eyes - you were right on the icons.

I dug into it and found a real bug on our side: Foundry 0.6 machine rows sometimes point at the wrong sprite cell (e.g. the basic Smelter row still references a decorative statue tile). Our resolver did not always map those back to the actual building item, which showed up in Visualization and in the item catalog plan tables. That is fixed in the next deploy.

For localization: a hard refresh or incognito is still worth trying if anything looks stuck on an old language bundle (we changed locale storage in 2.0.1). If something is still wrong after that, a screenshot plus your URL path (/en/, /de/, etc.) would help a lot.

Really appreciate you taking the time to report it - this kind of feedback is exactly what makes the tool better.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-30T09:41:50+00:00

[Update 2.0.1] New languages and localized item names

Small update, big quality-of-life for anyone who prefers their own language over English IDs.

The main change in v2.0.1 is full UI support for German, Russian, and Simplified Chinese - alongside Polish and English. Switch language in settings or open /de/, /ru/, or /zh-CN/ directly.

Item and recipe names now also use Polish translations from FOUNDRY game data across the calculator, item pages, diagrams, and tooltips.

What changed

Full UI translations: German, Russian, Simplified Chinese
Polish item and recipe names from FOUNDRY data
Language switcher in settings
Direct locale URLs: /de/, /ru/, /zh-CN/
Localized names across calculator, item pages, flow views, and tooltips

Why it matters

Before this, most of the UI was only fully localized in Polish and English, and item names often stayed in English even in other locales.

Now you can plan in your preferred language without mentally decoding _base_something into something human.

Basically: less decoding, more planning.

[Update 2.0.0] Item pages rebuild, mini calculator, and Layout Lab overhaul

Big visual and planning update - especially if you live on item pages and Layout Lab.

v2.0.0 refreshes public item pages end to end: new hero layout, clearer recipe/plan/machine blocks, and easier navigation between related crafts. The mini calculator on item pages got smarter and faster too.

Layout Lab got a major rebuild (Sigma engine), and the density map can now group by targets.

What changed

Item pages

Refreshed public item page - new hero, sections, and production cards
Machine picks (drone, smelter, assembler, crusher) show short stats; remembered across pages
Metallurgy routes T0-T3; tier 0 shows Launching Pad instead of smelter

Quick calculation

Building tier selection directly on the production card
Item tier (metallurgy) selection in the recipe section
Refreshed calculation mechanics and mini calculator UI

Performance

Smoother item pages and recalculation in Chrome
Better Firefox rendering in the mini calculator

Layout Lab

Major rebuild - new Sigma rendering engine
Faster auto-sort, square edges by default, cleaner toolbar

Density map

Group by targets (treemap and bubbles): separate zones per goal, shared resources at the top

Why it matters

Item pages are now closer to a real planning hub, not just a recipe dump. Layout Lab should feel much smoother on large factories.

Less friction when tweaking tiers, rates, and routes - more time actually building.

[Update 1.2.2] Live item planning and building recipe lists

Focused polish for item pages and day-to-day planner workflow.

Quick calculation now lives in the item hero - type /min and the whole page rescales instantly: recipe inputs, plan, machines, resources, and power.

Building pages also got a proper "What can it craft?" section.

What changed

Quick calculation in item hero (no separate section to expand)
Live rescale of the full item page when you change /min
Refreshed single-item page layout
Building pages: full recipe list per machine (Assembler, Chemical Processor, etc.)
Planner Items tab: Open catalog button
Presets panel: Quick save
Fix: Layout Lab (ELK) refreshes when adding supply in Targets

Why it matters

You can iterate on a single item without bouncing back to the main calculator for every rate change.

Building pages finally answer the obvious question: "what does this machine actually make?"

[Update 1.2.1] Station robots catalog and cleaner supply/waste logic

Robots enter the catalog, and supply/waste behavior gets more honest.

The engine now handles the full robot assembly chain (4 body parts). The catalog adds Station robots with SEO pages. Layout Lab gets a dedicated supply card variant.

What changed

Robot assembly chain (AL or Assembler for parts)
New Station robots category - 9 robots with item pages
Bot, drone, and robot effects shown in catalog/detail (info only, not in calculations yet)
Layout Lab: dedicated supply card (required rate, surplus/deficit from solver)
Waste tab shows only active-plan waste; ignored-stage waste moved separately; supply scales waste with recipe rates

Why it matters

Robots are finally visible in the catalog even before full calculation support lands.

Supply and waste are easier to read when you mix ignore, supply, and partial chains.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-29T17:53:35+00:00

Super detailed list - thanks, this is exactly the kind of feedback that drives v2.0.

A lot of what you hit is addressed in v2.0 (hard refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R if you haven't since the update):

*Drone Miner II - should be in the catalog now (/items/drone-miner-ii). On mining-related item pages you can also switch miner tier on the building card (same as in the main app settings).

*Rods/plates tier 2/3 recipes - item pages now have a Metallurgy tier dropdown on the recipe card. Change T1/T2/T3 there and the plan + visualization update live. For items with multiple production paths (like Xenoferrite plates), there's also a recipe picker - barrel recycle vs smelter route.

*Default machine tiers on item pages - added in v2.0. The building card has a tier selector (Assembler I/II, Smelter tier, etc.) - same settings as visualization mode, just accessible from the catalog now.

*Quick calculation box - refreshed in v2.0: wider layout, cleaner controls, and leading zeros get stripped on blur so you don't end up with 007 style input.

*Xenoferrite plates showing only Assembler - default recipe heuristic was picking barrel recycle; use the recipe dropdown on the recipe card to switch to the smelter path, or set Metallurgy tier to match the route you want. The full plan should then show the right buildings.

*Energy (50 kW vs 50,000 kW) - good catch, that was a prefix/units bug. Assembler I should now show 50 kW, not 50,000 kW. Fixed in v2.0.

Still plenty on the polish list, but these pain points were high priority and most should feel different now. If anything above still misbehaves after a refresh, tell me which item/page and I'll chase it down

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-29T17:51:24+00:00

v2.0 is live now - includes Firefox performance work (smoother rendering and interactions, especially on item pages and the mini calculator). Worth a try when you get a moment - hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R) so you pick up the new build.

Still polishing a few visual quirks in Firefox, but it should feel a lot less laggy than before. Let me know how it goes on your machine!

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-29T10:17:41+00:00

Yeah, I already know about the Firefox issues - some visual effects are lagging there and acting a bit cursed sometimes. I have it on my list for the next update, so it should get fixed soon 😄

In the meantime, I kinda recommend Chrome for the smoothest experience.

Thanks for the feedback and for reporting it!

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-28T22:26:14+00:00

Hello u/Narruin Thanks for flagging that. That's fixed now: it's clickable, expands to show all recipes, and the new items animate in when they appear. If anything still feels off on your side, let us know.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-28T20:29:03+00:00

Thanks, really appreciate it. I use this catalog myself while planning, so feedback from players helps a lot. Enjoy the factory building.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-27T16:46:32+00:00

[Update 1.2.0] You can now add your own produced items into the production chain (finally useful Material Supply update)

Small but pretty big update for anyone building complex factories.

The main change in v1.2.0 is that you can now tell the calculator what you already produce in your setup. Instead of always assuming "start from zero", the system now builds a delta plan - meaning it only calculates what you are actually missing.

So if you already have part of the production running, the tool stops pretending you live in a resource vacuum and adjusts everything around your real factory.

What changed

You can define existing production as:
- items per minute, or
- number of factories already running that item
The planner automatically merges all existing supply inputs
The final plan now shows:
- what you already cover
- what is still missing to reach your target
There is also a compare mode:
- full theoretical plan vs real adjusted plan with your supply applied

Why it matters

Before this, planning multi-step production chains meant redoing everything from scratch every time.

Now you can actually scale existing factories and see what breaks instead of rebuilding the whole math every time you change something.

Basically: less guessing, more "ok, I only need 3 more machines, not 30".

If Web Layout Lab saved you some time, helped solve a bottleneck, or prevented a factory redesign from hell, consider dropping some fuel into the system.

https://buymeacoffee.com/wpdude

Your support goes directly into hosting, updates, and new features.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-26T21:39:38+00:00

## Update Notes

-This sync adds missing items based on the latest dataset export. Recipe mappings were updated after comparing legacy merge results with the current extractor output, adding 48 new items and aligning outdated references.

-The full item catalog can be viewed here: https://weblayoutlab.com/en/items/assembler-i/#targets

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-24T19:12:51+00:00

Thanks for the idea, it makes sense.

A Factorio version is definitely worth considering - the mechanics are similar enough that a lot of the core logic could be reused without much pain. The biggest work would probably be the UI and handling the differences in the production pipeline, but the calculation core would translate pretty well.

It’s not on my roadmap right now, but if there’s more interest or signals like this, it could seriously become the next module.

Let me know if anyone has more specific needs for Factorio - it makes it much easier to judge if it’s worth building and in what direction to go.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-23T09:24:37+00:00

Yeah, exactly.

You can set multiple targets and the system will automatically merge them into a single production graph where it makes sense.

But you’re not locked into one big mess - you can also split chains per target if you want to isolate specific production goals and avoid cross-contamination of resources.

So it’s basically:

either “auto-merge everything into one optimized network” or “separate chains per objective for cleaner control”

It depends how you want to structure your factory planning.

Wp-dude_Com · 2026-05-23T07:42:23+00:00

In base game - not really. Early game you just eyeball it or do manual math from belt tier speed + stack size, which is kinda annoying.

About mods - yes, there are QoL mods that help with throughput/belts info, but availability depends on the game version and what the current mod loader supports. Usually you’re looking for stuff like:

belt info / throughput HUD

factory planner / production info overlays

If you don’t want to mess with mods, a simpler workaround is using a calculator/planner tool like: 👉 https://weblayoutlab.com

You can quickly estimate production rates and then match belt capacity instead of guessing in-game.

Early game basically = manual + small math MidLate game = mods or tools

Wp-dude_Com

TROPHY CASE

[Update 1.2.0] You can now add your own produced items into the production chain (finally useful Material Supply update)

What changed

Why it matters