How do i use logistic robots?

[Nanako]

I'm at a stage where i'm about to start producing level 3 (blue) science packs but i'm running into lots of problems moving things around and getting them where i need them. All the criscrossing transport belts are getting messy.

I'm thinking the little flying logistic robots to move resources around would be great. on paper they sound like what i need, but i can't seem to figure them out. I've researched the initial red+green tech that allows me to build them, made one, put it in a roboport, and i have a provider chest which my plastic factory is outputting into. I need the robot to take the plastic across the map. But how do i make it do that?

Ive tried building a storage chest nearby as an experiment, i was thinking the robots would move items from a provider to storage, but it doesnt seem to be doing anything. The distance to where i want to produce advanced circuits with the plastic is quite far, do i need to daisychain roboports to prevent gaps in their coverage area?

Why do they have two coverage areas, which one is important?

Pleease tell me i don't need to research the "Logistic System" tech to get this working, that tech requires FIVE different types of science packs and i'm nowhere near being capable of producing that. The requester chests from that tech sound nice, but its out of my reach, is there a way to make them work without it?

[Nellvan]

Yes you do have to research "Logistics System".
What you have unlocked now is the ability to:

• let the bots supply yourself from provider chests (personal logistic slots)
  
• let the bots take items from you into storage (trash slots)
  
• use blueprints to let construction bots place everything
  
• use the deconstruction planner to let construction bots do the deconstructing ( and move the things into storage)

The orange coverage area is for logistic bots, you need to place roboports in a way that those areas touch each other to form a bigger network. (yellow dotted lines will appear to indicate this better) The green area shows the range of contruction bots.

[GMC]

Originally posted by Nanako =^.^=:

Pleease tell me i don't need to research the "Logistic System" tech to get this working,

You need to research the "Logistic System" technology.

Originally posted by Nanako =^.^=:

that tech requires FIVE different types of science packs and i'm nowhere near being capable of producing that.

You don't need to fully automate the manufacture of those science packs yet. You just need to make enough of them to research the "logistic system" technology. Have assemblers take ingredients from chests and place products in chests; manually move items between chests.

That also provides some practice for building factories around logistics bots, which work exactly like that but with the bots moving items between chests.

Originally posted by Nanako =^.^=:

The requester chests from that tech sound nice, but its out of my reach, is there a way to make them work without it?

No.

[identifiedasbeingdisrespectful]

Not sure if you're aware of it yet, but try to make a system where your main recepite items like plates and circuits go one direction and assembler arrays for specifc prodcuts branch off perpindicular to that. Called main bus by most. this lets you expand in the perpindicular direction any time you need to increase volume of a particular product without having to spaghetti all of your transport belts. Ring it with a belt for ammo before you get laser turrets, and you're good to go for awhile.

You're at a big hump in the tech and item curve, getting the logistics bot network opens up a different method of design as belts become unncessary. As others have said the smaller area of a roboport is for logistics bots, and the larger is for the construction bot range. It should be noted that unless it's been changed, logistics bots can go outside their marked area, they just move slower. They also move very slow when out of power, but still move. A yellow dotted line shows the connections between ports as others have mentioned. However, at this stage you do have construction bots, which will let you autmoate building entire chunks with blueprints.

[GMC]

Originally posted by sc2mails:

You're at a big hump in the tech and item curve, getting the logistics bot network opens up a different method of design as belts become unncessary.

Technically unnecessary. But to replace a main bus, you need a vast number of bots, and you also need a lot of roboports to allow all those bots to recharge.

A more realistic approach is to use belts (or trains) for items which are used in large amounts and bots for the less-common items.

[identifiedasbeingdisrespectful]

Originally posted by GMC:

Originally posted by sc2mails:

You're at a big hump in the tech and item curve, getting the logistics bot network opens up a different method of design as belts become unncessary.

Technically unnecessary. But to replace a main bus, you need a vast number of bots, and you also need a lot of roboports to allow all those bots to recharge.

A more realistic approach is to use belts (or trains) for items which are used in large amounts and bots for the less-common items.

Well yeah, I meant off the bus and for trains and such. Lots of bots needed to competely do away with belts and that's a lot of resources you dont' need to waste.

[Nanako]

hi guys, thanks for the replies, i finally managed to research that tech and unlocked requester chests, yay!

Now i have another question. Is there any way to prioritize requester chests?

For example, i'd like to have a chest in the centre of an area to hold an infinite number of barrels, or circuits, or some other common material. And then individual chests next to factories which request smaller quantities of those same materials. With them being prioritised, i'd like the former to act as a depot, so the bots arent making a trip across the base for every little thing.

can i do this?

[Nellvan]

One way to do this would be to use storage chests in the central area, and only there. Then output things into active providers. Connect the inserters putting the things into the provider to the logistic network to limit the amount of each item.

The shortest path between 2 points is a straight line, though. In general, carting stuff somewhere else inbetween makes things worse, not better. You'll need more bots to to the same thing taking more time, since you'll have longer distances to cover. Additionally the bots will need more recharging breaks as well.

[identifiedasbeingdisrespectful]

Set limits on certain things so they fill up faster, use storage chests for depots, keeping in mind that any good put in an active provider goes to them, passives won't. I would imagine you can fiddle with the ciruit network logic to prioitize chest filling, but I'm not that good with the circuit networks yet.

3x3 block makes a great patern for storage chests, that way you can still reach them all personally.