Drone ports on liquid storage tanks; pipelines

[glacier]

Wondering if there were any plans to be able to fit liquid storage tanks with drone landing pads the same way you can on type 1 and 2 storage boxes, and also if there was any concept out there for piped (rather than conveyor-driven) fluid transmission.

Thanks!

[XLjedi]

Given the very limited carrying capacity of drones, it seems that the current method of depositing in a cargo container with a drone port works. Although it would clean up my blueprints a little if I didn't have to build those extra containers. So wouldn't mind the addition.

I'm kinda OK with the multi-use belts that can carry liquids and solids. I've seen pipes implemented on other similar games (Satisfactory comes to mind) and it's more of a pain than it's worth (adding pumps, and the pumps need a power source). I s'pose you could ignore adding pumps to the lines.

On a positive note, at least they don't make us build stupid plastic containers to move all the liquids (yeah, still lookin' at you Satisfactory).

[Helen Carnate]

Would be nice. Work around is line out to a box and fly it from there. But obviously that takes up more space. And I agree with the pipes. We pave over planets, travel beyond light speed and exploit the power of a star but we can't dig a trench and put down a pipeline?

[glacier]

Connecting ports to storage tanks is more for the sake of continuity of function across storage facilities and being able to save space in crowded facilities than anything. It is true that drones carry little enough that being able to deposit directly into a tank is practically insignificant, it feels like a strange absence. It is not the kind of thing that I would trade another, more novel addition for; it just feels like the sort of polish the game already has a lot of.

I am less familiar with the way Satisfactory handles liquids as I am with Factorio's, and although Factorio's liguid handling regime is, as you say, a bit of a pain from time to time regarding pumps and power, I do kind of appreciate what it is going for.
I have often found myself a bit curious in these games about why pumps require energy sources when conveyors do not, and the usual answer I come back with from my own personal reasoning is a kind of hand-wavy "you get to transmit material in bulk instead of piecemeal!" which, honestly, would be a lot more satisfying if the volumes being transported did not fit as well onto conveyor belts. XD

In any case, they are both simply things I thought to mention, rather than ABSOLUTELY DEMAND, you know? Just some flavour. Just some polish. I am sure the forthcoming devastation of the combat update is taking up most of their labour right now but hey, dare to dream!

As to underground infrastructure, that would be the dream XD
I feel like the same technical reasons that cause the entire game to be played on the same One-Meter-Above-Sea-Level datum plane when flying conveyor belts (and in some cases, whole buildings) clearly erases the difference between "over water" and "ashore" also preclude building at different elevations (on mountaintops or underground).

It feels odd but consider also how frustrating it is to build a giant superdense factory and then have to reconfigure one belt at the bottom of a criss-crossing, overconnected hairball of logistics. Going underground too sounds like a migraine in the making. x_x;

Again, though: dare to dream! ;3