Good news everyone, I put up a Mass Storage Guide

[Reaperrazor]

I do not claim its perfect, or error free though.

Hope this helps

[Fayte]

LInk to guide?

[Reaperrazor]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1317339018

[zzmmorgan]

It may not be perfect or error free but I think it about doubled my knowledge of mass storage.

[Wariat117]

You could add that there must be max 1 Mass Storage Controller per mass storage system :D
Powering 2 controllers won't help I/O ports or speed up stuff. (1 controller holds ALL I/O ports, the better power source, the more I/O ports work instantly)

+ You can use scanner to check some of the items that are in your MS by scanning controller.

[MrBlonde[GER]]

Is there a way for stockpilers to keep track of the mk2 organic solar panel components inside the mass storage? There only seems to be a filter for the standard version... :/

[steveman0]

Originally posted by MrBlondeGER:

Is there a way for stockpilers to keep track of the mk2 organic solar panel components inside the mass storage? There only seems to be a filter for the standard version... :/

Did you try seaching for "component" or "multi"?

[wolverine5pl]

Big thanks. was looking for something like that

[amazingfrog16]

Thanks! I have rarely used MS till recently, the sheer slowness of the t1/t2s put me off of it for a very very long time. Next map I'll definately be using it more though.

[MrBlonde[GER]]

Originally posted by steveman0:

Originally posted by MrBlondeGER:

Is there a way for stockpilers to keep track of the mk2 organic solar panel components inside the mass storage? There only seems to be a filter for the standard version... :/

Did you try seaching for "component" or "multi"?

I tried "MK2", "Organic" and "Solar", but not "Component"... guess i wasn't persistent enough. :P I didn't know that multi was an option... thank you very much! :D

[steveman0]

Originally posted by MrBlondeGER:

Originally posted by steveman0:

Did you try seaching for "component" or "multi"?

I tried "MK2", "Organic" and "Solar", but not "Component"... guess i wasn't persistent enough. :P I didn't know that multi was an option... thank you very much! :D

Yes, that's in the handbook but I don't know if DJ/someone who broke entries has fixed it so that it finds it properly.

[25hz]

Why use mass storage at all when you can set up TWICE the storage (or slightly more) with faster, easier access just using hoppers and conveyors AND you have no cap of 100 storage units?

[steveman0]

Originally posted by 25hz:

Why use mass storage at all when you can set up TWICE the storage (or slightly more) with faster, easier access just using hoppers and conveyors AND you have no cap of 100 storage units?

It's cost you more resources to get more storage out of storage hoppers. Also, storage hoppers require far more conveyors to distributed more than one or two resources when you're setting up a larger scale automation system whereas mass storage can scale up to an endless number of different resource types without increasing complexity of resource outputs.

[25hz]

Originally posted by steveman0:

Originally posted by 25hz:

Why use mass storage at all when you can set up TWICE the storage (or slightly more) with faster, easier access just using hoppers and conveyors AND you have no cap of 100 storage units?

It's cost you more resources to get more storage out of storage hoppers. Also, storage hoppers require far more conveyors to distributed more than one or two resources when you're setting up a larger scale automation system whereas mass storage can scale up to an endless number of different resource types without increasing complexity of resource outputs.

Well, resources are essentially infinite, so using hoppers and conveyors are not an issue.

I don't understand "one or two resources" - with automation of any kind, we're talking about hundreds or thousands of items.

Scaling up with hoppers and conveyors is incredibly simple. With the mass storage, it has to be done in sections of 100 or the whole stack starts glitching out. Also, hoppers and conveyors just work. I don't have to place them and pick them up a dozen times like the input port before it magically decides to start working. I put a conveyor into a hopper and it deposits stuff. I put a conveyor into an input port with MS blocks on the other side, and it does nothing.

[steveman0]

Originally posted by 25hz:

Originally posted by steveman0:

It's cost you more resources to get more storage out of storage hoppers. Also, storage hoppers require far more conveyors to distributed more than one or two resources when you're setting up a larger scale automation system whereas mass storage can scale up to an endless number of different resource types without increasing complexity of resource outputs.

Well, resources are essentially infinite, so using hoppers and conveyors are not an issue.

Well by that argument you should store stuff on conveyor belts! Fact is time is finite and for quickest progression conserving resources is important.

I don't understand "one or two resources" - with automation of any kind, we're talking about hundreds or thousands of items.

That's precisely why mass storage is critical. Moving around that many resources by belts alone is a mess. Mass storage allows you to cross distribute it for virtually no cost.

Scaling up with hoppers and conveyors is incredibly simple. With the mass storage, it has to be done in sections of 100 or the whole stack starts glitching out. Also, hoppers and conveyors just work. I don't have to place them and pick them up a dozen times like the input port before it magically decides to start working. I put a conveyor into a hopper and it deposits stuff. I put a conveyor into an input port with MS blocks on the other side, and it does nothing.

I'm... not sure what you mean by glitches out. But in the end hoppers will never scale as well as mass storage. If you've got to move a few dozen different resources around trying to do so with conveyors alone becomes unmanageable whereas a few mass storage systems can manage the production of every key item in your fortress in a fairly simple to manage system.

[zzmmorgan]

Originally posted by 25hz:

Originally posted by steveman0:

It's cost you more resources to get more storage out of storage hoppers. Also, storage hoppers require far more conveyors to distributed more than one or two resources when you're setting up a larger scale automation system whereas mass storage can scale up to an endless number of different resource types without increasing complexity of resource outputs.

Well, resources are essentially infinite, so using hoppers and conveyors are not an issue.

I don't understand "one or two resources" - with automation of any kind, we're talking about hundreds or thousands of items.

Scaling up with hoppers and conveyors is incredibly simple. With the mass storage, it has to be done in sections of 100 or the whole stack starts glitching out. Also, hoppers and conveyors just work. I don't have to place them and pick them up a dozen times like the input port before it magically decides to start working. I put a conveyor into a hopper and it deposits stuff. I put a conveyor into an input port with MS blocks on the other side, and it does nothing.

I've never had a problem with the ports on mass storage or any issues with the stacks glitching out. It actually ends up being simpler than hoppers in many respects. I HAVE had interesting things happen when hoppers are a bit too close together and a conveyor was grabbing stuff from the wrong hopper. Although that can be solved by tearing up stuff and moving it all farther apart. But the storage density of mass storage as well as the lesser resource cost makes it quite handy as a buffer for a lot of things. In early game that resource difference means more storage faster. Another bonus for mass storage is automatic filtering of stuff coming out. You can throw multiple types of items into it but the output ports will filter. Very handy when like nickel and titanium are right next to each other so you can shove the ore from both into the same cargo lift and it goes into a mass storage buffer on the surface which will then filter the output to send each to its appropriate processing. One input port and two output ports. Quite simple. It's scalable so you can use multiple ports to speed things up and the ports can go anywhere they can be on the edge of a MS block so quite versatile. Once I started playing around with mass storage I started likeing it a lot :)