Speed or productivity module

[Dan Niton]

So out of these 2 modules, which is more efficient? Currently I'm trying to mass produce engines for the blue science pack and have no idea if I should insert 2 speed or 2 productivity modules in each assembly machine.

Edit: Most of these post had partially answered my question but I guess I should clarify further. I do know that speed mod reduce the time it takes to make an engine while productivity makes more engine at the expense of speed. Lets exclude space for the time being.

What I wanted efficiency wise in my case is getting the most possible number of engines in the shortest possible time. Should I go:
1. speed+productivity mod?
2. speed+speed? or
3. productivity+productivity?

Assuming that all engines are going into the wooden storage, which of these 3 will fill up the storage the fastest?

[cswiger]

I'd start by deploying one efficiency module to every miner and electric furnace. That makes a big difference in how much pollution you generate and also helps reduce power draw by a similar amount.

Don't install a second module until everything has their first module. (You can make an exception for your oil refinery or something else critical, but don't put 3 efficiency 1 modules in one miner and leave the miner next to it empty.)

Then go around and deploy one productivity module to every busy assembler, starting with the ones which are under-producing desired goods, i.e. assemblers making science and then the rest of their production chain. As @DaBa notes, their benefit isn't that big at just one level, but having productivity modules in each level of a deep chain has a significant impact.

I find speed modules less useful-- I'd rather build more assemblers and scale up that way rather than just go faster. But they can be handy in oil processing, especially once your oil wells start drying up and you want to keep your refinery processing full-time. Also, speed modules are good to use for Kovarex enhancement of Uranium and maybe on assemblers making motors because of their long crafting time.

[The Undead Watcher]

Speed + Speed, since resources are infinite.

[KatherineOfSky]

Originally posted by The Undead Watcher:

Speed + Speed, since resources are infinite.

The infrastructure is not, however. It's so much more valuable to place productivity modules in assemblers surrounded by speed beacons because you get 20-40% extra product for the cost of power. Building 40 more factories, belts, mines, bots, etc. is a very expensive undertaking, both in time and materials.

[PunCrathod]

Originally posted by Dan Niton:

What I wanted efficiency wise in my case is getting the most possible number of engines in the shortest possible time. Should I go:
1. speed+productivity mod?
2. speed+speed? or
3. productivity+productivity?

Assuming that all engines are going into the wooden storage, which of these 3 will fill up the storage the fastest?

Number 2 will get the chest filled the fastest. Unless you have beacons. Then productivity modules in the assembler and speed modules in beacons will fill the chest the fastest.

Edit. Okay it is not actually that simple. It depends on how many beacons you can fit.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nN0Oy6k5z-zCeONeu6lrxFfwRQM8-5ZgEUmG1IiXgys/edit?usp=sharing here is a spreadsheet that I quickly made for both 4 slot and 2 slot assemblers.

[AlexMBrennan]

The answer can't possibly be 2x speed, cause everybody here knows that speed modules never ever result in assemblers going BRRRR.

We don't use speed modules in assemblers because speed beacons are insanely OP. Because speed bonuses and power costs are both additive slow machines (such as those under the effects of productivity modules) gain insane speed boosts at the cost of minimal increase in power consumption.

For example an assembler mk3 with 4 PM3 gets you a crafting speed of 0.5 and power consumption of 1.57MW.

Add one beacon with 2 SM3 and that improves to 1.125 and 1.84MW (i.e. twice the speed for a mere 17% more power). It's a good deal even if just one assembler is affected by the beacon (twice the speed for a mere 50% more power)

[PhantomDgen]

Uh.. kinda off question but someone can explain to me what is the purpose of beacons? and how i an supposed to use them?

Do they just are for putting modules effects on stuff on a radius without having to put the modules on each on. They stack or have any special proprieties diferent than directly putting the modules on the machines?

Btw i think produtivity with speed are the best combination. You be going to make more item for free without the usage of the resources you would usually need, so if i make 100 engines an 4% productivity would make me get 104 engines and the speed module would compensate for the speed loss

[Edwin]

Originally posted by {S.S.E.} EriHero:

Uh.. kinda off question but someone can explain to me what is the purpose of beacons? and how i an supposed to use them?

Do they just are for putting modules effects on stuff on a radius without having to put the modules on each on. They stack or have any special proprieties diferent than directly putting the modules on the machines?

Btw i think produtivity with speed are the best combination. You be going to make more item for free without the usage of the resources you would usually need, so if i make 100 engines an 4% productivity would make me get 104 engines and the speed module would compensate for the speed loss

Basically yes. Not that beacons do not support productivity modules. Practically they are used to offset the speed loss from productivity modules in assemblers/furnaces. In a row of assemblers/furnaces you can get 8 beacons within the area of effect, which equals a maximum of +400% speed. Which is way more than the 60% loss that four Productivity Modules 3 would give you.

[The Undead Watcher]

Originally posted by KatherineOfSky:

Originally posted by The Undead Watcher:

Speed + Speed, since resources are infinite.

The infrastructure is not, however. It's so much more valuable to place productivity modules in assemblers surrounded by speed beacons because you get 20-40% extra product for the cost of power. Building 40 more factories, belts, mines, bots, etc. is a very expensive undertaking, both in time and materials.

Sure, but since OP said it's for Blue science (wich is like mid game) is assumed they had at least a few resource patches at their disposal...and they don't have beacons unlocked yet...and OP's last edit was asking for the fastest way to fill chests...BUT that's a good tip for the end game as productivity modules can only be used in Machines themselfs(not beacons as far as i remeber, maby im wrong with that one :/) and with Prodcuts of the Intermediate Category only.
And the labs and Rocket silo can use productivity modules.
NEVER forget to put Productivity modules in your labs and rocket silo OP!

[Jingleballs]

1 speed and 2 productivity. DO NOT use productivity modules on wires, circuits, etc. It's basically useless on those.

[KatherineOfSky]

Originally posted by Buddy Ol' Pal:

1 speed and 2 productivity. DO NOT use productivity modules on wires, circuits, etc. It's basically useless on those.

Depends on the ratio needed.

@EriHero, yes, modules stack. Beacons transmit only 50% effect, but since they can effect up to 8 assemblers at once, they are quite valuable.

[fractalgem]

Originally posted by Buddy Ol' Pal:

1 speed and 2 productivity. DO NOT use productivity modules on wires, circuits, etc. It's basically useless on those.

Actually, productivity modules on green circuits and cable for them works pretty well, though only after you've got stuff like science flasks productivitied. (you get to a roughly 1:1 ratio of copper cable and circuit assemblers, for instance)

You can even stick productivity into your smelting and have it not be all THAT bad of a tradeoff, but it does need to be a very long game and you really need everything else that should be productivity-ed...productivity-ed.

[Lunacy]

Full productivity then use beacons to get speed back.

[Jingleballs]

Originally posted by fractalgem:

Originally posted by Buddy Ol' Pal:

1 speed and 2 productivity. DO NOT use productivity modules on wires, circuits, etc. It's basically useless on those.

Actually, productivity modules on green circuits and cable for them works pretty well, though only after you've got stuff like science flasks productivitied. (you get to a roughly 1:1 ratio of copper cable and circuit assemblers, for instance)

You can even stick productivity into your smelting and have it not be all THAT bad of a tradeoff, but it does need to be a very long game and you really need everything else that should be productivity-ed...productivity-ed.

I have some theories to test after seeing your notes, thank you sir

[jhughes]

Originally posted by DaBa:

Speed modules are only used in specific cases, in general you don't want to put them in anything that creates items. Why? Because it will make your factory less efficient. You can accomplish the same thing speed module does by adding more machines, which will cost you less energy and create less pollution in the end. Why would you choose a less efficient way of accomplishing the same goal? If you want to use modules, use either Productivity or Efficiency.

Productivity looks underwhelming at a glance, but once you start doing the math you begin to understand how good it can be. Being able to produce free items is very powerful, even if at a slow pace. These are probably the most important ones:

- You save resources, so your resources patches last longer

- Free items mean that every full belt of resources will end up creating more items. So you can look at it as a bonus to belt's throughput, without having to supply more resources!

- Creating free items has an exponential effect the more levels of production chain you go through. Here's a theoretical example:

You are producing yellow belts and inserters. You want to turn it into green science. Normally, you will get 100 green science out of 100 each. However, you decide to put Productivity Modules inside assemblers that make belts and inserters. Let's say you added enough to have 30% bonus efficiency. Now you're creating 130 belts and inserters, which you'll be able to turn into 130 science, a 30% increase. However, if you then put the same modules in assemblers that make green science, you'll end up with 169 science instead. That's a massive improvement of almost 70% more items from the same amount of resources. But you can go even deeper, you can do the same with your miners, assemblers that make green circuit boards, electric furnaces, and that number will keep climbing and climbing, in a long production chain this will often mean over twice as many items produced from the same quantity of raw resource, that's an incredible difference.

As long as you can keep up with the large energy increase from using productivity modules, and add more machines to compensate for the speed decrease and maintain the same speed of production, Productivity Modules will give a huge boost to the number of items you're able to produce from every single patch of resources. Or add even more machines than that and make everything go faster than before, thanks to all the new bonus resources you can work with. So as you can see, Productivity Modules can even accomplish the same thing speed module does, but at the same time also decrease resource usage. This is why speed module is not used for general production buildings, it does nothing that adds value to your factory if you simply put it in your everyday production buildings. Instead it has very specific uses for a couple of cases, which you can research on your own. Tip: it involves beacons and oil patches.

Or, alternatively, you can go with an easier option and just cram Efficiency Modules everywhere and enjoy decreased energy consumption. It is a viable option, especially early on if you don't want to worry too much about power. If you start cramming Productivity Modules everywhere so early, your energy usage will skyrocket and you might not be able to keep up.

Well.. To answer your question as to why do it (speed module) in a factory that creates items.. Because you already have a production line built in a space, surrounded by other production lines. You want more stuff but you don't want to tear down half your base to fit in more assemblers, you therefore use a speed module (after you have upgraded it to the best assembler).. Since it takes up the same amount od space. Is it the most effecient method.. No. Can or be faster and easier.. Yes. That is one reason why :)

[Jan]

Speed in beacons, productivity in everything else (maybe not miners), ignore efficiency modules.