I have a Logistic Network Question

[TrickyNick77]

Hi Everyone,

What are your opinions on logistic networks? I am building (or at least trying) a city block type based factory and I am wondering if it's better to have the roboports stay within their own city block or if they should overlap ever-so-slightly so that they cover the entire base and help each other out?

If you say the latter, the overlap should be on the red or green areas?

[オルゴール]

Only if the red areas "overlap" (or line up) they will actually be treated as one network, otherwise it will only be a lot of separated networks.
The green area is the building area and the red area is the logistic area, and only when the logistic areas are touching they will connect.

My opinion is, that when you have a modular design that uses robots to feed the system they should definetly be separated, otherwise you could get problems when there are logistic robots that pathfind from very far away, so it will just cause delays.

If you otherwise just want a network from where you can access your stuff, then a shared network is the best solution.

I personally prefer separated networks, but thats more because I am always trying to make modular builds where, when I need more, I just stamp down more.

[knighttemplar1960]

Robots hold 1.5 Mj of power. That's enough for~250 tiles worth of travel. Then it takes 1.5 seconds at a roboport to recharge. With Robot speed research at level 6 a robot moves 12 tiles per second. The logistic area of a roboport is 50x50 so I try to keep my logistic networks at or below 5x5 roboports and then If I have to move things long distance between 2 logistic networks I use trains.

[Dunhill]

They need to have the orange areas touching or overlapping to be treated as a single, connected network, as indicated by a yellow line.

You won't gain much by connecting everything into a single network, and you'll definitely run into some pathfinding issues, mostly distance related. The robots aren't meant for distance, they're meant for easy, precise drop offs where belts wouldn't be possible.

If you want stuff delivered to you from any point in the base, you'll have to wait for the bots to carry it to you and charge on the way.

[TrickyNick77]

Thanks for the answers everyone. I will have the red touching within the blocks and greens to reach the edge of the block so the networks don't mix.

Thanks again!

[Mist of Majora]

Everyone has pretty much covered most of what I would have said, but I'll just add that if you end up building a factory over a LARGE area, you may want to purposely create a 'seperate network' of roboports so you get items delivered faster. After all, the bigger your factory, the more potential distance the robots have to travel to pick up their cargo and travel to their destination.

And this part is more of a preference, but I try to build my 'robot storage area' in the middle of my factory when possible. It helps cut down a bit on potential travel time.

[TrickyNick77]

Question: Right now I have my roboports filled with just logistic bots but I get a warning a lot when I build things that I don't have construction bots.

If I put one stack of construction bots into each port, would they migrate to other city blocks cause I have the green areas overlapping? Or will they stay with their home roboport?

[Dunhill]

Originally posted by TrickyNick77:

Question: Right now I have my roboports filled with just logistic bots but I get a warning a lot when I build things that I don't have construction bots.

If I put one stack of construction bots into each port, would they migrate to other city blocks cause I have the green areas overlapping? Or will they stay with their home roboport?

They'll stay in the block you put them. They might go to a different roboport, but won't leave the block they're in. Again, if the orange areas aren't overlapping, you have two separate networks.

[TrickyNick77]

All the roboports have their orange touching each other and it (the orange) doesn't go past the block, it's actually 2 blocks shy of reaching outside the block.

Still new to using roboports, thanks for answering.

[knighttemplar1960]

Originally posted by Smoke:

Originally posted by TrickyNick77:

Question: Right now I have my roboports filled with just logistic bots but I get a warning a lot when I build things that I don't have construction bots.

If I put one stack of construction bots into each port, would they migrate to other city blocks cause I have the green areas overlapping? Or will they stay with their home roboport?

They'll stay in the block you put them. They might go to a different roboport, but won't leave the block they're in. Again, if the orange areas aren't overlapping, you have two separate networks.

To be clear, If the green areas touch or overlap the construction robots can migrate. The logistic robots can only migrate if the orange areas touch or overlap. As an example if you put all of your roboports 110 tiles apart (ie: just touching) and you put 50 construction robots in each roboport and then deconstruct more than 50 trees/rocks. The nearest robots will be assigned first and then assignments will be made to robots in adjoining roboports. When the deconstruction is done the robots will stop at the port they are closest to when the job is done or if you don't have a logistic storage chest in that roboport's area they will stay in which ever roboports area that does have a logistic chest that will accept those items.

The same thing with dropping a blue print. If the roboports green areas are touching or over lapping and you assign more than 50 tasks (or more tasks than can be handled by the local robots) construction robots will come from adjacent roboports when you exceed those 50 tasks. If the only logistic chest that has the items needed are all the way across your factory they will come all the way from where the items required are stored which can take several minutes in a large factory.

One caveat to the above. If the roboport at the final destination is completely full and can hold no more robots they will travel to an adjacent roboport when all tasks are completed.

If this isn't what you want to have happen you have to leave at least one tile's worth of space between the green areas of the roboports coverage.

[Dunhill]

Originally posted by knighttemplar1960:

Originally posted by Smoke:

They'll stay in the block you put them. They might go to a different roboport, but won't leave the block they're in. Again, if the orange areas aren't overlapping, you have two separate networks.

To be clear, If the green areas touch or overlap the construction robots can migrate. The logistic robots can only migrate if the orange areas touch or overlap. As an example if you put all of your roboports 110 tiles apart (ie: just touching) and you put 50 construction robots in each roboport and then deconstruct more than 50 trees/rocks. The nearest robots will be assigned first and then assignments will be made to robots in adjoining roboports. When the deconstruction is done the robots will stop at the port they are closest to when the job is done or if you don't have a logistic storage chest in that roboport's area they will stay in which ever roboports area that does have a logistic chest that will accept those items.

The same thing with dropping a blue print. If the roboports green areas are touching or over lapping and you assign more than 50 tasks (or more tasks than can be handled by the local robots) construction robots will come from adjacent roboports when you exceed those 50 tasks. If the only logistic chest that has the items needed are all the way across your factory they will come all the way from where the items required are stored which can take several minutes in a large factory.

One caveat to the above. If the roboport at the final destination is completely full and can hold no more robots they will travel to an adjacent roboport when all tasks are completed.

If this isn't what you want to have happen you have to leave at least one tile's worth of space between the green areas of the roboports coverage.

Well, it shouldn't affect the robot behavior much, if at all, in his case. Construction robots outside your inventory realistically don't matter nearly as much as logistics ones do, especially in anything that isn't an outer block. Even then, you don't need much more than a few construction bots to do repairs and maybe place mines.

[TrickyNick77]

I don't have to have construction bots, do I? I do have them on me (personal roboports) but the ones in the block aren't necessary?

[Dunhill]

Originally posted by TrickyNick77:

I don't have to have construction bots, do I? I do have them on me (personal roboports) but the ones in the block aren't necessary?

They aren't necessary, no. They're absolutely necessary near the parameter walls, if you have aliens turned on, so the walls can be repaired.

[knighttemplar1960]

If you wish to expand your base remotely using a city block or other type set up then, yes you'll need construction robots in the outer most roboports to do the work if you or a properly equipped spidertron isn't there.