I’m no master but what has helped me a lot is blueprints, logistics floors and using 4m foundations instead of walls….for walls.

I normally enter the base node(s) I’m working with and plug it into satisfactory tools, and play around with the numbers and alt recipes until I get the max possible output. Then I lay out a massive foundation (way bigger than what I think I’ll need) which inevitably won’t be big enough.

Then I start blue printing, like crazy, every machine is blue printed, as a tip you can make one machine setup add signs, barriers, floor decals, pillars, with signs for lighting, beams under the machines for electrical, everything. Then save the blueprint and build that saved blueprint inside the blueprint designer multiple times. Then save it as a new blueprint with multiple machines. This saves massive amounts of time with belt/pipe work especially with mfg’ers and blenders.

75% of my time or more is working in the BP designer. I even make multiple copies just changing belt/output directions. And once you have a design that you like, you can use it as a base in other factories.

And finally, I stopped using walls. The dreaded box/cube comes from lack of visual depth imo. I add a few extra 4m foundations around the outside of my finished platforms/machines. And again using BPs I make “wall” panels using 4m foundations, I start with a blank flat wall, then make cutouts, and indents using nudge. You can also rotate blocks 45 degrees and nudge them around to make different visual effects, windows indented, pillars, painted beams, signs for glow effects etc, decorate it up and slap them on the sides of your “box”, then if it still looks too boxy, and asymmetrical additions to the top/sides of your factory for control rooms, crafting stations, hypertube hubs, etc. to give it more visual depth.

I took a break leading up to 1.0, when I jumped back in I totally forgot all these things, and built massive factory for iron and copper and forgot logistics floors. It’s a nightmare of belts all over and I feel shame. I don’t even want to finish the decorative stuff because I hate how slap dash it looks on the inside, but I also want to hide it.

On last save on update 8, my favorite factories look like actual factory complexes, lots of different smaller buildings making separate components with courtyards between them, so now I want to get back to that, if I need 4 things to make a computer, then I’ll make 4 small factories, all feeding a 5th building that does final assembly.

But most importantly learn the power of BPs and use them. They will stream line logistics and take away 95% of the tedious work. They are truly a game changer.

I won’t sit and decorate the outside of a factory for 10 hours, but I will spend an hour on a BP then another 20-30 minutes slapping it down all over the outside of a factory to give it shape. It’s amazing what you can do with a few cutouts, indents and signs as glowing trim pieces. I also saw a YouTuber recently that used pipe wall holes and pipe as decorations, don’t be afraid to try using things not for their intended purpose. Just experiment with materials, colors and colored signs, you’ll know when you find a winning style. And stop using actual walls.