How to create main bus

[Presi]

I saw some YouTuber did it, but I don't get it? Can anyone help me explain how to create a main bus, my current layout is just sushi belts and have iron or copper bottlenecking at different areas, one time I even ran out of power because I diverted some of my main coal line for my boilers to mix with an assembler to create grenades

[knighttemplar1960]

Main bus. You run like resources on parallel belts and take product off it at a 90 degree angle with a splitter.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2692993017

I run mainly groups of 4 belts with things that I don't use as much of on 2 belts or a single belt. I leave 4 spaces between the strips of belts so that I can take material off either side and not have that interfere with the belts adjacent to it. Leaving 4 spaces between the rows of belts also lets you add roboports into your bus late game.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2620119232
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2553803263

In the first screen shot the North side of the bus is all circuits. Green circuits to be used by the bus and by the banks that make red circuits and blue circuits. Then banks that make red circuits that are used by the bus and by the banks that make blue circuits.

You can tell by looking that the bus becomes inadequate later in the game. I have to bring in additional resources by train in both the north and south side of the bus so I recommend that you leave sufficient room to expand.

[DCYW]

I am not a Youtuber, but played for long hours. I learnt by story (campaign) played and wiki.

Just decide what you need the most like coal (recommended for main bus if focusing power production, iron/copper in main bus for assembly items).

Splitters and filtered inserters are your best friend because you can filter what you need.

Provider and Requester chests when transporting resources with robots. This type of transportation will improve with filtered inserters when creating main bus if train is nearby.

Creating a main bus is not the difficult part, it is the limited patches of resources on your map making you to explore more (deciding your train where to go next for resources is the difficult part). <= Short term " main bus after another main bus " (confusing trains with main buses) :D

[MechBFP]

You create rows of belts all in a straight line, then load those belts with materials as needed.

For example 6 belts of iron plates, 6 belts of copper plates, 4 belts of green circuits, and so on.

You have to know everything you want at the start or you will need to redesign it and expand it later on, which isn’t difficult but annoying.

[RiO]

Originally posted by Prezgamer:

I saw some YouTuber did it, but I don't get it? Can anyone help me explain how to create a main bus, my current layout is just sushi belts and have iron or copper bottlenecking at different areas, one time I even ran out of power because I diverted some of my main coal line for my boilers to mix with an assembler to create grenades

If you have problems grasping the concept of maturing a base around a main bus and growing that bus and base as you move along, then hit up Nilaus on YouTube and look at his "Factorio 1.0 - Let's Start Automating!" series for new players.

It'll take you through the design process and design philosophy of a bootstrap base and into a main bus base.

Fair note of warning: it will also spoil you on figuring out some optimal designs for various phases of the game. But again; it also takes you through the thought process and will help you to figure out how to build your own as well. So it's kind of a mixed bag on that front.

[piper.spirit]

The purpose of the bus is to organise the resources so they are easy to access. Having belts going everywhere, in a spaghetti layout, can make producing certain items tricky (eg late game)

The general idea is have your train stations first, then smelters next, then rows of belts all going in the same direction. Then at the sides create your production sites taking off the required resources off the bus.

Items that are used frequently in many ingredients can be created and then added onto the bus. Normally green/red/blue chips, plastic and sulphur are added as they are commonly used to make important items.

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/1760315049441354267/4AD6ADA07D4DDA76DFC9A4B6DBC914157A839951/

[impetus_maximus]

Originally posted by piper.spirit:

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/1760315049441354267/4AD6ADA07D4DDA76DFC9A4B6DBC914157A839951/

if you want to post Steam screenshots, post the page URL instead of the image URL. click the share button, copy paste etc.

[Нагризолич]

Don't, it's a waste of time. Or rather do it once to see that it's a waste of time and don't do it again.

[Sebine]

Originally posted by Нагризолич:

Don't, it's a waste of time. Or rather do it once to see that it's a waste of time and don't do it again.

I've never even tried to make a "main bus"

Most of my important stuff is just logistic'd now...

I have a bunch of automators with logic chests feeding and them to make important things to deliver to me

[impetus_maximus]

some cheaper than 'meta' 4-4 balancers
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2730395199

[Nhika]

It's just these nerds way of saying.. use more splitters.
Example.. need iron plates for something? split it to the side..
Need more iron plates for.. another recipe like bullets? splitter again and so forth.
That way now you have 1 row of iron, but it's split into 4 different routes and you just keep adding more to it as you need etc.

[impetus_maximus]

Originally posted by Nhika:

That way now you have 1 row of iron, but it's split into 4 different routes and you just keep adding more to it as you need etc.

common, but wrong approach IMO.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1315809865

also when the bus starts getting thin with product, folks start throwing balancers at it instead of what it's lacking. PRODUCT

[Ages]

Official wiki is pretty awesome for things like this.

Always give yourself extra room, don't be afraid to spread out.

Factorio is very forgiving and if you want to move later, you could mark the entire area for deletion and let robots most of the work for you. You don't lose anything other than the energy it takes to scoop your base up and plop it down somewhere else.

Here is the official wiki entry for main bus:
https://wiki.factorio.com/Tutorial:Main_bus

[RiO]

Originally posted by Nhika:

It's just these nerds way of saying.. use more splitters.
Example.. need iron plates for something? split it to the side..
Need more iron plates for.. another recipe like bullets? splitter again and so forth.
That way now you have 1 row of iron, but it's split into 4 different routes and you just keep adding more to it as you need etc.

No. It's a way of having a structured backbone. The main bus is like a highway, and the splitters are on- and off-ramps to different industrial areas.

A train network is another form of structured backbone. But instead of having splitters as on- and off-ramps you have 'the network' which connects an arbitrary number of suppliers and requesters; producers and consumers. (In software, this type of pattern is referred to as a message bus architecture. Surprise.)

Bots? Same pattern: supply and requester chests this time.


Main bus -> Belts are your backbone
Trains -> Rail is your backbone
Bots -> Logistics network is your backbone

Originally posted by impetus_maximus:

common, but wrong approach IMO.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1315809865

I disagree with your comment. Starting out with one belt splitting into four is good.
It means you start building everything on the bus according to (more or less) its final shape and you have less shifting and rebuilding going on overall.

Every time you draw iron from one runway of four belts you draw from the first; then the second; then the third; then the fourth belt. And then you re-balance so what they have left is equal again.
This ensures 'everything gets something' all the way up to the end and your production never really stalls. The only thing you then have to do is what indeed you do point out correctly:

Originally posted by impetus_maximus:

also when the bus starts getting thin with product, folks start throwing balancers at it instead of what it's lacking. PRODUCT

ADD - MORE - INPUT.

[impetus_maximus]

Originally posted by RiO:

Originally posted by impetus_maximus:

also when the bus starts getting thin with product, folks start throwing balancers at it instead of what it's lacking. PRODUCT

ADD - MORE - INPUT.

so you agree.

[RiO]

Originally posted by impetus_maximus:

Originally posted by RiO:

ADD - MORE - INPUT.

so you agree.

It's more of an 'you're right for the wrong reasons' thing, I think. ;)