Are transit tubes worth it?

[Shame]

If you are playing on a large asteroid, they can be much more handy, but because the most optimal and comprehensive base layout is often just a cube, simple fire poles seem good enough most of the time. Transit systems are tedious to work with at times, especially horizontally as they can't be placed in front of poles or ladders by default, meaning you either don't have the transit at all or you sacrifice ladder/pole efficiency. Trying to maneuver around the many things you have set in stone will just slow down travel time even more. It would be great if there was a foreground layer on which you could put them on (besides on solid walls) along with some scaffolding, but at the moment anything like that is limited to mods.

Entry/exit points are wide in and of themselves and have a power storage of their own as opposed to instant power chug from the circuit, cutting down on efficiency even more, I often find myself seeing them being just slightly more efficient than using plastic ladders to move upward, while horizontally it doesn't make as big of a difference as your duplicants gain speed over time and as you replace tiles with metal ones. Really seems like they could have a buff in speed, same as jet suits, which are literally unrealistically slow (a real jetpack could reach higher speeds).

And to top it all off, they require plastic to build, which makes them susceptible to melting in certain places, even though often they seem like the best to use for access without liquid locks.

[Strygald]

Only ever used them as fancy airlocks... dupes can run fast enough after a while and a well-planned colony doesn't require ridiculous travel times.

[Xilo The Odd]

i've found if you want to reach a spot diagonal of another spot, making a transit tube shortcut isnt the worst idea but i rarely need them in the long run.

oh yeah, a edge of the map transit loop is also useful.

[droopy balls]

I usually only use transit tubes to get my dupes up to space from homebase. Climbing up takes longer than sliding down a fire pole.

Best to plan ahead to avoid headaches with crossing ladders. I agree that they are cumbersome.

[silverfang17]

Mostly used them when I am planning my permanent colony setup. I get rid of all my firepoles to gain some FPS since they contribute to huge pathfinding calculation for dupes.

Endgame problem: base layout design troubleshooting to gain FPS. What a weird way to play the game if you think about it. LUL

[Atrophus]

Inside my colony theres ladders n firepoles with everything to sustain my dupes,the rest remains outside and is hooked up via tubes. Traveing from the middle of the map where you start to top is way more quick with tubes compared to ladders.

[Angelo Dante]

I use them for upward travel or to let dupes get to remote locations out on the fringes of my excavations. It's not strictly necessary, but hey why not? It's all fancy.

[Kitsune Dawn]

I use them as a kind of fancy airlock system to get my dupes up to my rocket, and telescope in spaced out.

[PeLeSki]

Good point. I don't find the tubes useful any more. By the time you have plastics, your dupes have evolved to run very fast. It's a pity, because they looked cool.

I do find with the new, big maps they've just released, it's taking my dupes too long to get around, so I might start using tubes again.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I use them mostly for transit to space. My dupes can still live in the main base that way. They still use poles to get back down.

[Atrophus]

Originally posted by Marc Remillard:

It's more of a sim than a survival.

The very first sentence on the shop site literally declares it as a "space-colony simulation game"

[b0nehead]

We don't technically need escalators and elevators in real life either.. I guess the challenge is the challenge itself

[CloudSeeker]

Yes. They are the fastest mode of travel sideways and up. The only thing that beat them donwards is the firepole. If you need dupes to travel both up and down the map. It is good to use them for that.

[Angpaur]

Originally posted by CloudSeeker:

The only thing that beat them donwards is the firepole.

Not true:
https://youtu.be/s7TgPY8rhB4

[Strygald]

actually, if you place a horizontal door and use automation to open it as the dupe runs over it.. i'm sure that is the fastest way to go down =D

edit: well i guess it was, maybe they changed it so they can't fall through open doors now... haven't played in a while.

[Old Man Gamer (OMG)]

Originally posted by Angpaur:

Originally posted by CloudSeeker:

The only thing that beat them donwards is the firepole.

Not true:
https://youtu.be/s7TgPY8rhB4

Excellent video. Depending on distance, the tube transport is optimal, and an excellent idea as well as cool looking. Thank you for a clear demonstration!