Conveyor mergers / splitters

[Despiser]

What tier are conveyor mergers / splitters unlocked? I'm on 5 and I see it's not available in the next level either. Very hard to automate when you can't merge or split. I also see the conveyor pole height can be adjusted but no way to interact with it. Is this also unlocked later?

[Sky Render]

I would assume that you're still assembling the HUB. Once you complete HUB assembly, actual milestones will open up, one of which includes the Splitter and Merger. The Conveyor Pole height thing has always been kind of annoying, and it remains somewhat unintuitive even now.

[Despiser]

Originally posted by Sky Render:

I would assume that you're still assembling the HUB. Once you complete HUB assembly, actual milestones will open up, one of which includes the Splitter and Merger. The Conveyor Pole height thing has always been kind of annoying, and it remains somewhat unintuitive even now.

I assembled the hub a long time ago. I have a workshop, smelter, constructor but only single line conveyors. I can merge two belts without a merger but one cuts off the other

[Suzaku]

There are 8 tiers, but building the hub is all part of tier 0. Tiers 1/2 unlock after that. Splitters and mergers are part of tier 1.2 milestone: logistics.

To adjust a conveyor pole, first left-click to place it, then look up or down to adjust the height, then left-click again to confirm.

[Despiser]

Originally posted by Suzaku:

There are 8 tiers, but building the hub is all part of tier 0. Tiers 1/2 unlock after that. Splitters and mergers are part of tier 1.2 milestone: logistics.

To adjust a conveyor pole, first left-click to place it, then look up or down to adjust the height, then left-click again to confirm.

Ouch. From a millwright's perspective, it's pretty absurd you can build a smelter or constructor but can't divert a conveyor belt. Thanks for the height tip.

[Suzaku]

It's available super early. The game keeps it simple with your very first assembly line being a literal straight line, miner > smelter > constructor > storage, but just a couple minutes later you can have the parts to unlock splitters and mergers. They're just keeping it one step at a time for those that are newer to these types of games.

[Xuhybrid]

It's one of the first things you research...

[Despiser]

Originally posted by Suzaku:

It's available super early. The game keeps it simple with your very first assembly line being a literal straight line, miner > smelter > constructor > storage, but just a couple minutes later you can have the parts to unlock splitters and mergers. They're just keeping it one step at a time for those that are newer to these types of games.

That only works for one type of miner. I want to feed both iron and copper into the smelter. If I have to build two smelters I don't want to have two constructors. Or ability to divert some into storage while others into constructor. In any event, without mergers or splitters the processing is severely handicapped.. It makes no sense to have this equipment without also being able to manage the lines outside of the straight line for each variation.

[Xuhybrid]

Originally posted by Despiser:

Originally posted by Suzaku:

It's available super early. The game keeps it simple with your very first assembly line being a literal straight line, miner > smelter > constructor > storage, but just a couple minutes later you can have the parts to unlock splitters and mergers. They're just keeping it one step at a time for those that are newer to these types of games.

That only works for one type of miner. I want to feed both iron and copper into the smelter. If I have to build two smelters I don't want to have two constructors. Or ability to divert some into storage while others into constructor. In any event, without mergers or splitters the processing is severely handicapped.. It makes no sense to have this equipment without also being able to manage the lines outside of the straight line for each variation.

That's because you should put some miner into a smelter/constructor/storage then go find more nodes while it's filling the chest. When you get a splitter and foundations, you rip it all up and build a proper base.

Alternatively choose to handcraft everything.

[shoopy]

Originally posted by Despiser:

Originally posted by Suzaku:

It's available super early. The game keeps it simple with your very first assembly line being a literal straight line, miner > smelter > constructor > storage, but just a couple minutes later you can have the parts to unlock splitters and mergers. They're just keeping it one step at a time for those that are newer to these types of games.

That only works for one type of miner. I want to feed both iron and copper into the smelter. If I have to build two smelters I don't want to have two constructors. Or ability to divert some into storage while others into constructor. In any event, without mergers or splitters the processing is severely handicapped.. It makes no sense to have this equipment without also being able to manage the lines outside of the straight line for each variation.

Constructors can only construct one thing and smelters can only smelt one thing. You're meant to put it on one product and leave it. There's no reason to merge before a smelter or constructor, at least not before you're able to.

It is efficient to split after the smelter into two constructors for certain parts but as soon as you need to do that, you can have splitters unlocked.

Also it doesn't make sense to teach the player to switch over single machines to handle different ores because soon enough you're going to need both running at the same time making different products at all times.

Besides, you're going to need so much of both that any time you spend making one and not the other is going to have to be made up for later. Get used to two separate lines. You will need them.

[Despiser]

I guess I'll make separate lines until splitter unlocked then. Thanks for the feedback Y'all. When is payday?

[Sky Render]

I don't know of any factory game that allows for the sort of automated production change-over that you're describing. Factorio possibly could do that with an absurdly complex series of logic gates (except smelters; all of Factorio's smelters can make any kind of product that they're loaded up for and require no recipe selected), but generally it does not make sense to do that since the main reason to do so is a lack of space... which you don't have in this or basically any other factory game.

[Suzaku]

Originally posted by Despiser:

I guess I'll make separate lines until splitter unlocked then. Thanks for the feedback Y'all. When is payday?

The classic "Literally nobody agrees with me? They must all be getting paid" trope.

[Despiser]

Finally unlocked merger / splitter. But I still don't see why it's not unlocked earlier so you can plan better. Oh well, it's a job.

[The Big Brzezinski]

Machines can only hold one recipe at a time. You can only change them manually. Splitters are unlocked in the "Logistics" milestone. You can get it right as soon as you're done with onboarding.

Mark one mines make 30, 60, or 120 iron ore or a minute depending on source purity. Smelters make 30 iron ingots from 30 ore a minute. Making iron plates takes 30 ingots a minute. Iron rods take 15 ingots a minute. Screws take 10 rods. Keeping all this balanced with mergers and splitters is your first real game skill to master. Pace yourself. You haven't even got into caterium, smart splitters, manifolds, and balancers yet. Only the first two of those are specific objects.

So, do your best!

[shoopy]

You've been playing the tutorial this whole time which should have taken basically no time at all. Portable miners and manual crafting are there for a reason.