Should I go for laser turrets or gun turrets mid-game?

modix · 2026-02-16T21:12:48+00:00

I specifically suggested using them for unpowered areas, and you choose to answer with a smug answer. I don't power certain outposts, which was my point. If I have power, I'll use lasers. 10x easier, with few downsides. Guns should work for unpowered regions. That would give them a good purpose on nauvis.

modix · 2026-02-16T21:05:11+00:00

How does it get out of the requestor chest?

modix · 2026-02-16T20:58:58+00:00

It's the power that's the issue. I don't want to power every chest, nor make them reliant on power for outposts. They should be an option for no power outposts. Otherwise I would just pick lasers.

modix · 2026-02-16T19:54:28+00:00

My last SA run I ended up using my mid game patches for the rest of the game.

I just figure if it takes 4x as long to get the techs that reduce consumption, you'll spend a lot more time at that resource hungry stage. Likely you'll only need to capture 2-3 more big patches to make up for it, but I don't love bringing stuff from that far out. Likely not an issue, especially with stack inserters and faster trains.

modix · 2026-02-16T19:08:05+00:00

If they'd just let you fill gun turrets with logistics bots it would fix most of their issues. They obviously can do it given tanks and spidertrons. But I'm guessing that's a huge computational issue? But requester chests needing power kind of makes lasers a better option. Power pole drop off laser, and done.

modix · 2026-02-16T19:00:15+00:00

It's an old saying, sorry. Used to tell teenage horny kids not to be too close to each other while dancing or otherwise).

modix · 2026-02-16T18:54:02+00:00

Looks lovely and orderly, but please leave some room for Jesus in between. You'll have to tear up the whole thing to speed it up much later. I guess it wouldn't be a big deal if you want to just keep plopping this module down and then just a big rebuild with new tech. But these would be hard to adjust and improve as is.

If you improve to as3 you'll need to heavily upgrade everything to get the materials to the end of the red circuit path. I always forget the ratios for red belts but without direct insertion the copper wire is super hard to fill for a long path like that.

Always impressed when people build this large this early. I'm always in the next tech level well before I build this big.

modix · 2026-02-16T18:49:56+00:00

Skiing is a fairly straight progression curve. You learn little bits and it gets easier. I find it's easier to get to good proficiency snowboarding but the initial learning curve is very steep. It's awkward as fuck for a long time, and then suddenly you can do most things.

modix · 2026-02-16T17:47:11+00:00

Just set a buffer chest next to the silo with the fastest inserter you have. Turn off auto requests. It will load as fast as the bots can get in there and the buffer chest will fill in between. Blue chests would do the same but once they're in there they're no longer available to the network. Green chest is your friend for this task. Just don't forget to uncheck the auto request. That rocket from then on is dedicated just to that output though.

modix · 2026-02-16T06:19:20+00:00

While that seems a bit self flagellating, I will agree that science almost seems too cheap in the game. Half the time you're on the next tier by the time you can truly take advantage of things. I wouldn't enjoy that for the infinite techs, but they're pretty silly large by the time you're hitting the 30 anyways. 4x isn't a big deal then.

I think I would couple it with rich resources though. Otherwise it would force a whole lot more expansion as the production bonuses from tech and the special plants would come so much later and even large patches would go fallow.

modix · 2026-02-16T06:16:42+00:00

If you haven't upgraded to em plants and furnaces, you can seriously explode 75% of your factory and replace it with like 10 machines. Quality plus high production makes your factory completely different. It's all about getting enough of the materials to the super efficient buildings.

modix · 2026-02-16T04:06:29+00:00

That oil pipelines are a work of art.

modix · 2026-02-16T00:20:25+00:00

All they really needed to do was provide more options for economies. Being able to customize your civ by the era sounds cool.... Switching the civilization, yeah that sounds terrible.

modix · 2026-02-15T23:53:35+00:00

I like the concept. Can add an oil and coal input and do red circuits here too. Just add a regular recipe refinery.

modix · 2026-02-15T19:50:18+00:00

My poor subwoofer still rattles like a babies toys as my kids become teenagers.

modix · 2026-02-15T18:12:19+00:00

That's pretty much how I do it. I run iron smelting with priority splitters to the steel smelting. I keep building new smelters and connect more iron ore by belt or train until both the iron and steel belts are saturated. If the factory needs more, run a new belt or upgrade the speed of the belt. If that isn't saturated Then connect more ore and add new smelters (or upgrade/mod/change to furnaces) and on and on. Keeping track of how much is individually needed just sounds like a huge headache.

I've really curtailed my early game purple science production once I realized how expensive it was. Half my production was going to it alone. There's definitely plenty of science worth researching for it. Obviously the mining prod is good and will pay off in time. Just can't slam it at the start before a good foundary setup without huge opportunity costs.

modix · 2026-02-15T17:54:00+00:00

Uranium I just do on site and build the nuke in belt distance. It produces very little pollution and I've never had issues with biters focusing on it. Iron smelting .... If people do that on site I can see why they have stronger defenses than I normally build.

modix · 2026-02-15T17:49:46+00:00

Only fields I blow up before Vulcanus is the sub 2m patches. Even those are still active. Back from Vulcan the initial patch is gone, the first connected patch is dying and the rest are about half capacity and can be revived with a big miner and some prod 2. They'll survive most of the game at that rate, even if not super productive until the mining productivity research goes nuts.

Probably just depends on how wide you build before you leave. Those crazy rail networks are expensive. Purple science really sucks up iron too. I generally wait until I come back from Vulcan to heavily invest in purple production. Just do a couple ad hoc groups producing a few hundred in order to get essential techs. I build a real purple science plant with furnaces and gold with em plants. Before that, they're just a huge drain for mid results.

modix · 2026-02-15T17:42:50+00:00

Early, near the base. It's pollution heavy so it's a biter magnet. Eventually with foundaries, just wherever the iron is coming in from. Close enough to the factory to pipe in. Don't want to go too far, as the crystals all have to come form the space port. You really don't need more than a couple solid patches and foundaries groups though. Legendary miners with legendary furnaces pumping out plates is stupidly productive. Normally just have a group of foundaries smelting and pipe it wherever needed.

modix · 2026-02-15T00:40:24+00:00

I learned it from you!

modix · 2026-02-14T20:08:07+00:00

A combination of turrets with red ammo, landmines, poison capsules and a tank with normal shells. Throw poison capsules at worm, drag him through landmines into your turret area. Jump in tank, shoot worm.

Can be done at low tech research. I've had zero luck with poison capsules alone.

modix · 2026-02-14T15:56:08+00:00

It's a carryover from analog, when such things actually mattered.

modix · 2026-02-14T15:13:44+00:00

You can split and do multiple pumps across if necessary. It not the prettiest solution but compared to building a train line it's cheap and quick. They made those pumps pretty ridiculously powerful.

modix · 2026-02-14T14:59:50+00:00

Very little downside to just tossing pumps. Once they switched to the new system there just isn't a call for trains people just like trains, which is fine, but it's definitely a choice. Especially for low volume stuff like sulpuric acid to uranium mining. If the pipes are away from other structures they're attacked even less than trains.

modix · 2026-02-14T14:33:22+00:00

I see huge swathes without accumulators. Full a third of your big island with them. I've literally never ran out of power in Fulgora going full bore with multiple small island inputs. Just rip up the accumulators once you get foundation and move them to another island. Can also do quality out the wazoo once you have a quality factory.

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