Debate time

[Call_Me_Citrusmaster]

Whats better building a mega factory with everything mixed together or many smaller factories spread out and localized production to a central hub?

[umop-apisdn]

You're going to need a more interesting topic if you want an actual debate; This topic has already been beaten to death.

Megafactories centralize your production, but eat your framerate; modular factories are easier on your frame rate, but require more logistics/infrastructure.

[black]

if you like to destroy and rebuild stuff, dont go mega factory, stay modular. just look at RL economy.

when patches arrive, megafactories will have issues.

[kLuns]

Stack modular until it becomes a modular megafactory, lots of effort and lots of details to keep in mind and this game is always rebuilding. Use local logistics as much as possible and look for the most compact form in the production proces to transport over longer distance.

[joe_schmoe_gamer]

Mega factories look impressive but are a logistical nightmare. Localize production near the resource and move to your hub. It's called "hub and spoke" in the real life supply chain world.

[DrNewcenstein]

I've spent considerable time making localized factories, and am now exploring the megafactory angle. So far, I've tapped every node I could find, and am in the process of collecting those resources on a train. I've started in the blue crater, and my mega foundation is in the middle of the map. Running a train from the crater to the middle, through 3 different biomes, I can already see this is going to be a lot of work.

Once I get the other biomes up and running, and more trains, it's going to become a nightmare. I'm already facing crashes by running several automated trucks just in the blue crater, so I had to scale it back to one train making a loop around the crater and delivering that to another train which will take it away. I've got one truck in the crater bringing copper from the top outer edge to a pit stop where the train collects it. It was either that or run an idiotic belt.

Obviously it also depends on your computer. My aged i7-4770K and 1080ti are probably near the low end of the system range. My HP Z600 does a fair job as long as I keep the graphics super-low.

I'm already seriously considering doing it in a more realistic fashion, like I used to:
IRL, different sources supply different manufacturing setups, which, in turn, supply other manufacturing setups, which, in turn, supply other manufacturing setups, and so on.

Iron ore mines supply ore and ingots to factories that use it to make steel and basic components (rods, screws, plates). These are used to make other things (rotors, stators, reinforced plate, modular frames), which are used to make other things (motors, stronger frames, etc), which are used to make other things, and on and on. And that's just the iron. Do the same for all the other resources, and you can see how they're interdependent on each other. You need a large-scale operation to handle all of it, or you need several smaller operations that you have to micromanage.

I'd say that each biome needs its own setups to produce certain parts up to a certain point, and then finished products should be shipped (truck or train) to neighboring biomes for further processing, until you get to the final stage of production closest to the space elevator, at the highest/final tiers. Since some biomes have fewer resources than others, I'd even say that you could just combine those with neighboring biomes, since transportation would be rather simple (from a single truck to a train with maybe 5 cars tops in some of them), while others might need a more complex transport system (multiple trucks bringing resources from all over to a central train hub to be delivered elsewhere.)

[H. Guderian]

I have a modular Mega-Factory, its fairly spread out, but enough of it is built up. so you're always an explosive toss from the next building. If one thing changes or improves the requirements I can tear down one assembly hall and refit the area. I also have some basic projects scattered around for the various oil industries.

[Tarcek]

The most significant issue is that building a megafactory is more challenging early in the game than building several factories. I find that just keeping them is less time-consuming. Still, once you have abundant resources, demolishing everything and reconciling them into a megafactory is pretty straightforward. Before then, however, several factories are more convenient, easier to set up and get going, but increasingly challenging to travel between, especially when you first try setting up coal generators. In short, the late game is easier than the early game, and planning for the late game *right away* is very challenging.

If you had infinite resources and could simply build any kind of factory that you wanted right away, a megafactory with an enormous transportation hub and several wings branching off is probably the best overall.

[Rich]

Megafactory!!!

[Obz3hL33t]

Once you build a giant world-spanning conveyor belt bus the entire playfield is one big factory! (It's less gigafactory than snake stomach.)

Incidentally tonight was the Golden Coffee Cup in North Forest after 232 hours. This was my third playthrough, and while I started out casually watching the clock I stopped caring once Ficsmas started: went for the big Christmas tree instead. North Forest Cliffs / Rocky Desert "That One Spot" area is pretty darn good.

What's under the tree? Alongside the stacks of Ficsmas stars all the uranium waste brought to me by the doggos. There's also a doggo euthanasia platform, but their Ficsmas present is the radioactive package under the tree -- as the alternative to the Chernobyl dog-launcher. It's okay, doggos. Merry Christmas.

[Master-Steel]

Something I would do is have harvesters at their nodes supplying a train station. The train comes by and picks up the items then delivers it to a centralized storage facility which then supplies the megafactory.

[nfgman]

One factory that has a bit of everything for construction. Western Northern Forest.
Big factory for supercomputers. Western Rocky Desert
Big factory for turbomotors. Titan forest
Big factory for heavy frames and control rods. Dune Desert.
Big factory for modular motors. Eastern Rocky Desert
Some small and medium factories spread around for cooling systems, heat sinks, batteries, fused frames, pressure cubes, aluminum and caterium.

Here, "Big" means 4 to 7 stories, at least 30 foundations long.