Distribution Bots: Should I or Shouldn't I...

[Silvador]

OK, so, I unlocked the distribution logistics tech and I've slapped a few on top of my regularly used building storage boxes, so my little fidget spinners come and top my up with smelters and conveyors and whatever, every time I walk past. That's all cool, but...

I thought of using these DisBots to supply some of my other constructions and quickly realised I'm going to end up with 2, 3, or 4 boxes with these things on top of them, all over the place. While it does save on the length and spaghetti of conveyors, I found myself wondering if this was the "right" way to do it.

So, I wanted to ask how other people use their DisBots outside of supplying Icarus, before PLS has been established.

[Tikigod]

Originally posted by Marakith:

Just to add... my biggest annoyance, the "bots" inside the distributers do not get copied as part of a blueprint, so you have to manually place these along with every blueprint placement... I find this the biggest drawback with their mass deployment.

Yes. They do.

Providing you have auto-fill enabled on the terminal when copying the blueprint

[Tikigod]

For those that feel logistic bots don't have a use and ILS simply out perform them, check out The Dutch Actuary's recent master class series where they adopt a modular logistics approach and you'll see where and how logistic bots come into things if you use the right design approach to them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnHuPziWKJE&list=PLvL9DTY8LNDNvAFE06xaeqhuqx0hVKaad

The first few videos are about setting up the starting base and a small little starter mall, but then quickly transition over to using logistic terminals to adopt a modular production approach to pretty much everything right up to constructing a Dyson Sphere.

[sooperglew]

The logistics bots are great for early game. I use them extensively in the mall area. I primarily use them for a storage hub.. I place several or more storage Units. So I have a one stop. place to Pick up supplies to Do crafting what you seem to do a lot in early game. I also use the logistics for. making small production chains with three to five assemblers. So that way it will fill up my storage area.

[josmith7]

The logistic bots have pretty low delivery throughput. You can only have 10 per distributor (vs 50 drones per PLS or 100 drones per ILS). They carry a maximum of 8-20 items (vs 25-200 for drones).

But worse than that, there's no minimum load setting for them - so they'll often be launching with just 1 item aboard; rather than waiting a few seconds to get a full load. That can limit throughput -- and definitely drives up energy consumption.

The unnecessary power consumption is annoying early on (belts will have better throughput, and no power consumption; so if you can put up with the spaghetti mess they can be a better early game option), and later on after power use is less important their low delivery rate can become something of an issue. (Though I guess throwing up large parallel set so you have many distributors supply and many more receiving the same items can overcome that)

Use them if you like. And I certainly do for certain things.
But I, personally, don't find them all that nice to rely on for most of my planetary logistics needs. (Though I admit to not trying a bot focused playthrough - or redesigning my blueprints after bots were added to optimize for them)

[pemmons1]

The Dutch Actuary's mall system was a real revelation for me in several ways-- not only having a wide selection of buildings all produced and ready to pick up and use, but the ability for any assembler to have as many as five input materials running past them on belts to take in for their various needs. However, I didn't use his blueprint, but rather figured out the system for myself. If you provide the space carefully for the entire layout, the mall can be built piecemeal. You don't need to construct it all at once.

As I recall, he has a few assemblers in the mall to produce intermediate products such as motors, which are almost impossible to carry in by means of belts. This would be IMHO an ideal use for bots, at least if you are big (as I am) on using proliferators as much as possible.
Instead of an assembler to produce them in the mall itself, substitute a storage unit and use bots to import fully improved motors made elsewhere.

I've just started using bots, but very conservatively lest they become a lazy way out. Thus far, I have a total of only two bots running. Because I'm still learning, I'm content with production of almost everything being slow. I began the game, of course, in an area with nearby iron and copper veins. Stone, coal, and even oil were not far away, either. It's remarkable how quickly the space fills up with buildings and belts when these resources seem widely separated at first. But inevitably we will need to make a product from materials in two or three different areas, not just iron and copper. It is a great boon to use bots to eliminate the horrible spaghetti that would ensue without them.

[Vasil]

May be it is usefull atm only in case, when u gather recipes from all planet in afk mode w/o searching certain logistic stations (bot deliver to inventory when ready). They are extremly slow and requires warehouses.

In this realisation, im prefer make special place on planet, where i will place 10-20 interstellar LS, which local demand and remote supply certain recipies (so i can personnaly or remote demamded, get some stuff)