Elevating conveyor belts is a huge PITA

[DarthMalak]

Why in a logistics game is using height / elevation, trying to connect multiple splitters, conveyor belts with height difference such a big problem and mess. Always snapping into the wrong (red) positions, very akward to actually make something work.

I usually go for a spagetti mess of same level convery belts with way too many sorters to make something work.. Like providing 3 different inputs to an assembler... Big mess unless I'm missing something obvious.

[Nekogod]

I almost exclusively use ground level belts and don't have any problems with Spaghetti.

Not sure what you mean about assemblers, 3 inputs can be done with 3 sorters and 3 belts.

Some screen shots might help

[Dirkels]

You can't go from one level to the next instantly you need to have some distance. I admit there are some strange behavior. Like, to drawing a height divergence from scratch you need 5 squares. But if first draw the belts on the different heights you can do it in 3 squares, although you still need to straight(ish) belt section before or after the height change.

As far as sorters to buildings, they work best the belt runs along the building, if they run directly towards the building the outside connection points can give problems, depending on the spacing of the grid.

[josmith7]

First - I hope you know that holding shift will keep the belts from auto-snapping to each other. That keeps an elevated belt from trying to drop down to connect with a belt under it. That's probably the biggest frustration removers in laying spaghetti. The second suggestion is when hooking up the splitters or logistics towers not to try to connect the belt from a long way away (which sometimes leads to weird snapping and trying to connect to an invalid port); instead build the belt to within a square or two of the target and then extend it that square or two into the desired target port.

Those tips aside though; I'm not sure why your example of providing 3 inputs to an assembler requires elevated belts in the first place. I'd tend to do that by having pairs of parallel belts running past either side of the assembler (3 for input, 1 for output) and then having length 2 sorter reaching over the closer belts to access the further ones. That way I can make a factory column by extending those belts and copy/pasting the assembler (with its sorter) down the middle of the belts.

Planetary & Interstellar Logistic Systems tend to remove a lot of my need for spaghettis belts if I'm making a single item per factory - then it's very boring long columns all connected to a tower at the head of them. Maybe 30, 60, 90, 120 whatever assemblers or smelters all making a single product that's the supplied to the logistics network from the PLS/ILS.


(Now with blueprints I've started making more integrated factory designs, and those do require more spaghetti, elevated belts, and splitters to move all the various sub-components and their materials around the tight space)

[DarthMalak]

Thanks for the tips... :)

[DarthMalak]

Originally posted by Nekogod:

I almost exclusively use ground level belts and don't have any problems with Spaghetti.

Not sure what you mean about assemblers, 3 inputs can be done with 3 sorters and 3 belts.

Some screen shots might help

I meant multiple assemblers of course.. 1 assembler is never an issue

Maybe I'm used too much to satisfactory

[Ettanin]

Originally posted by DarthMalak:

Why in a logistics game is using height / elevation, trying to connect multiple splitters, conveyor belts with height difference such a big problem and mess. Always snapping into the wrong (red) positions, very akward to actually make something work.

That's a rounding error. A workaround is to just make the belt one tile longer, build the sorter, then remove the extra tile.

[Nekogod]

Originally posted by DarthMalak:

Originally posted by Nekogod:

I almost exclusively use ground level belts and don't have any problems with Spaghetti.

Not sure what you mean about assemblers, 3 inputs can be done with 3 sorters and 3 belts.

Some screen shots might help

I meant multiple assemblers of course.. 1 assembler is never an issue

Maybe I'm used too much to satisfactory

I just connect them in long lines to the max the belt can take, still not sure I get what you're trying to do.

[RMJ]

Splitting and merging should work both horizontally and vertically. That way you can just make belts over each other and stack to merger/splitter.

It's really odd how they missed this.

[josmith7]

Originally posted by RMJ:

Splitting and merging should work both horizontally and vertically. That way you can just make belts over each other and stack to merger/splitter.

It's really odd how they missed this.

Well there are the 2 alternate splitter versions, the double level parallel one and the double level perpendicular one; those can help you pop belts up or down without needing the room for a ramp.

[Evil Tidings]

Originally posted by RMJ:

Splitting and merging should work both horizontally and vertically. That way you can just make belts over each other and stack to merger/splitter.

It's really odd how they missed this.

Just to make sure but did you know you can press tab while placing a splitter to change it to another form?

[RMJ]

Originally posted by Vispher101:

Originally posted by RMJ:

Splitting and merging should work both horizontally and vertically. That way you can just make belts over each other and stack to merger/splitter.

It's really odd how they missed this.

Just to make sure but did you know you can press tab while placing a splitter to change it to another form?

I know, but if you place 10 above each other, they should split between them.