Need some advice for long distance expansion through biter territory

[Mist of Majora]

I'm finally doing my first solo non-peaceful run and I'm totally worried about my future expansions across the map via train. How do you efficiently protect a mini-factory leagues from the nearest roboport? And is it worth making seperated robot controlled factories so robots don't have to travel from mini-factory to mini-factory?

P.S. I apologize in advance since I'm sure this question has probably been asked to death, but I'm very interested in people's 'efficient' methods for going about this.

[BitterSwede]

The way I usually deal with it is to drag power poles along the track, wall in the outpost and put lasers along the inner perimeter. Then I place roboports inside there, stuff with 10 worker bots and depending on if I do robot-based or not, the logistics bots required.

Then I go around the outpost and clear out any biter nests in the immediate area, which removes any immediate threat. Once you hear that siren go off, you know it's time to weed out the area again.

A clean lawn is a happy lawn, as they say.

[KatherineOfSky]

It's inadvisable to have 1 large robot network over your entire base. You should use trains to transport materials. Also, the less machines you have at your outposts, the less pollution you will generate, angering the biters less. Typically, I just expand my walls out to cover the entire area, e.g. connecting lakes with walls. Biters attacking power poles and trains gets annoying.

[Mist of Majora]

Thanks for the tips so far - I'll definitely be incorporating everything so far :) My favorite thing about this game is watching my trains deliver stuff automatically from across the map, so I'll definitely be using a lot of train networks.

And out of curiosity Katherine, when you say less machines to reduce pollution, I'm assuming you're referring to active buildable objects and not robots? Robots don't generate pollution right?

[Lady Naween]

Correct robots do not cause pollutiion.

[Mist of Majora]

Ok good to hear haha. Thanks!

[BitterSwede]

Miners, assemblers, boilers, furnaces, pumps, pumpjacks, refineries, burner inserters and chemical plants cause pollution.

[Ryan]

I have a Remote Base Blueprint I use. It is a fully functional remote base that uses solar panels and batteries. It has enough power to run the mining operation. My associated Mine blueprint uses two level 2 Efficiency Modules requiring 80% less energy. It uses gun turrets and flame throwers for defense. It has two train stops. One train stop is to pickup the ore, and the other one is for supplies. The supply train comes by and drops off anything the base might need for repairs: guns, ammo, barrels of oil for flamethrowers, walls, repair packs, etc. There is a robot network for the base just for repairs. I use filter inserters wired to chests to control the # of supply items that get dropped off.

And with it being a very large blueprint, it is easy to build them as cookie-cutter remote bases. It works really well for me because it is all automated.

[BitterSwede]

Originally posted by Ryan:

I have a Remote Base Blueprint I use. It is a fully functional remote base that uses solar panels and batteries. It has enough power to run the mining operation. My associated Mine blueprint uses two level 2 Efficiency Modules requiring 80% less energy. It uses gun turrets and flame throwers for defense. It has two train stops. One train stop is to pickup the ore, and the other one is for supplies. The supply train comes by and drops off anything the base might need for repairs: guns, ammo, barrels of oil for flamethrowers, walls, repair packs, etc. There is a robot network for the base just for repairs. I use filter inserters wired to chests to control the # of supply items that get dropped off.

And with it being a very large blueprint, it is easy to build them as cookie-cutter remote bases. It works really well for me because it is all automated.

That is quite cool, but it sounds like it would be quite massive. I usually just surround my mining patch with walls and put turrets along the edges, quite small operation. Yours sound more like a mini base than an outpost.

Really cool though, would love to see that in action.

[SeaBee]

Train based building is the way to go. Load up a train with what you need, lay the track to your new outpost area and setup like a mini-base. Always setup a station for your base building train to return for materials, so you can send it home and have it loaded automatically, without having to drive it. Then have it return to you when its full or you need items.

[Ryan]

Originally posted by BitterSwede:

Originally posted by Ryan:

I have a Remote Base Blueprint I use. It is a fully functional remote base that uses solar panels and batteries. It has enough power to run the mining operation. My associated Mine blueprint uses two level 2 Efficiency Modules requiring 80% less energy. It uses gun turrets and flame throwers for defense. It has two train stops. One train stop is to pickup the ore, and the other one is for supplies. The supply train comes by and drops off anything the base might need for repairs: guns, ammo, barrels of oil for flamethrowers, walls, repair packs, etc. There is a robot network for the base just for repairs. I use filter inserters wired to chests to control the # of supply items that get dropped off.

And with it being a very large blueprint, it is easy to build them as cookie-cutter remote bases. It works really well for me because it is all automated.

That is quite cool, but it sounds like it would be quite massive. I usually just surround my mining patch with walls and put turrets along the edges, quite small operation. Yours sound more like a mini base than an outpost.

Really cool though, would love to see that in action.

The base is large enough that pretty much any mine deposit fits inside which includes enough room for solar panels/batteries (fit along nooks and crannies and a train track running through the side. That was the size requirement for it.

[Ryan]

Originally posted by SeaBee:

Train based building is the way to go. Load up a train with what you need, lay the track to your new outpost area and setup like a mini-base. Always setup a station for your base building train to return for materials, so you can send it home and have it loaded automatically, without having to drive it. Then have it return to you when its full or you need items.

That's a good idea, and I like how that makes it, so you don't have to carry everything with you when you go out to make a new base. My problem with this is that all my train tracks are uni-directional, so I'm not sure how I'd make this work unless I did a bi-directional offshoot track from the main loop.

I think I'll make a train station for this Supply Train that auto-loads the train with everything it needs to supply me out in the wilderness.

[Hedning]

I do the same as Katherine. Just clear everything between your base and the outpost. Have separate logistics network for each wall and a train resupplying them.

[BitterSwede]

Originally posted by Ryan:

Originally posted by SeaBee:

Train based building is the way to go. Load up a train with what you need, lay the track to your new outpost area and setup like a mini-base. Always setup a station for your base building train to return for materials, so you can send it home and have it loaded automatically, without having to drive it. Then have it return to you when its full or you need items.

That's a good idea, and I like how that makes it, so you don't have to carry everything with you when you go out to make a new base. My problem with this is that all my train tracks are uni-directional, so I'm not sure how I'd make this work unless I did a bi-directional offshoot track from the main loop.

I think I'll make a train station for this Supply Train that auto-loads the train with everything it needs to supply me out in the wilderness.

If you lay stuff down with a blueprint and have your bots doing the track-laying, you can lay both tracks at once. Or you could have the supply train be bi-directional and make a temporary cross-over to the return track at the main base while working.

Also, if you're doing robot-based construction at the outpost, you can have the supply train unload directly into storage chests or passive providers. Then all you need is to plop down a roboport and some power, toss down a blueprint of the outpost and they'll build it while you run around and take care of the biters in the area. The train will unload and then head back to base for resupplies and top up the outpost with everything it needs while constructing.

When you're done, send the supply train home alone and run along the track to lay the return track, unless you've alread done it through blueprints.

[Ryan]

Good ideas. Thanks!