Any reason to use Trucks ?

[🆂🅸🅳🅴🅺🅸🅲🅺]

I am in the tier where i have not unlocked trains yet. just trucks. i am using belts to transport materials from the nodes to my modular bases. I HATE the look of the belts the whole environment is covered in tall belts PLUS its a mess to configure.

i was thinking of reviving Trucks for transport. i tried them before and they are actually much faster for me often times they run out of cargo to transport.

the only problem i have with the trucks are the POWER Expensive truck stations and the lack of configurable tasks for the trucks.

- i can't set them to stay until there is enough from the truck station to fill the truck and not have them transport 1 item at a time.

- i also cannot set them to stay until they can fully UNLOAD their cargo if there is enough space in the target station's inventory.

- i cannot program them to delivery particular cargo to each truck station.

- i cannot program them to change course to the nearest coal truck station to refuel.

and a lot of other things.

but some of these problems i may be able to remedy. now i have looked into the forum and found that a lot of people don't like trucks for transport. i happen to like the idea of trucks because

- it looks awesome to see them move around doing something.

- this solves my issues with conveyor belt's speeds from a long distance, i don't need to install very long MK3 belts just have the trucks deliver them. if i needed a much faster delivery i would just have two instead of one truck doing the task.

- i wont have the eyesore tall towers of conveyor belts covering the beautiful environments.

- not have to experience the pain in installing these conveyor belts. etc

what do you guys think ? can truck be done ?

[kLuns]

Build more coal generators, bring ugly belts to the water.
Build the belts you have on foundations and cover them up with walls.
Enjoy the modest 20MW.

[arcane]

I found if you have a truck station near a coal mine, it can easily solve any refueling issues. I'm using one right now actually to bring coal to my main base, and it runs on coal. Probably build a stop along the way for Cadmium. I see it as a stop gap until I get something better.

[DrNewcenstein]

Did you notice the giant "pause" markers at truck stations? That's where you set their wait times. You can make them wait at the delivery point until the loading station has enough to make the trip worth it, and you can make them wait at the loading station until the delivery station can take the whole load. You just have to figure out the timing.

[🆂🅸🅳🅴🅺🅸🅲🅺]

Originally posted by DrNewcenstein:

Did you notice the giant "pause" markers at truck stations? That's where you set their wait times. You can make them wait at the delivery point until the loading station has enough to make the trip worth it, and you can make them wait at the loading station until the delivery station can take the whole load. You just have to figure out the timing.

giant pause markers ? is that while you are recording autopilot ?

[Tryyton]

Originally posted by DEADPO0P:

giant pause markers ? is that while you are recording autopilot ?

after you recorded the route, you will see different floating icons, walk up to one and hit E (i think) then you just set the time to anything you want in seconds. but load and unload is not in real-time afaik and should be fairly fast anyway. the 1 tractor i use since the start for coal, waits 10 secs or so.

also consider trains at one point. oh and mk4 or 5 conveyors are faster than trucks/tractors afaik. keep in mind they also serve as really fast walkways (at least in one direction).

like i said, i only have one tractor, which is actually useless at this point, because i get coal from different directions and on conveyors. and i have tier 8 unlocked already.

[kLuns]

Originally posted by Tryyton:

also consider trains at one point. oh and mk4 or 5 conveyors are faster than trucks/tractors afaik. keep in mind they also serve as really fast walkways (at least in one direction).

I saw a truck station having a throughput of 1700+ items per minute in a youtube video with only tractors.
It will ofc be limited to 1560 (2*780) by the belts.
At 13:40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKY141oOB90

[dergerch]

From what I've read so far it's even better to let the trucks pause somewhere on their way (not in range of the truck stations), because then the station won't use 20MW - only when a truck is somewhere in range of a truck station, it uses (full) power (and then it doesn't matter if the station is loading/unloading refueling of if the truck is just sitting there waiting).
So I usually start at the unloading station, drive to the loading station, but wait before I get in range, then get in range, wait until refueled and loaded, drive back towards the unloading station, wait out of range there also (just to have another pause marker if needed) and continue to the unloading station to close the loop. Then I can adjust the waiting time at the pause markers to make sure the trucks have enough time to refuel/load/unload, and I can have them wait for much longer out of range of the truck stations to let the station fill up with enough materials for the next trip.

[DrNewcenstein]

Originally posted by DEADPO0P:

Originally posted by DrNewcenstein:

Did you notice the giant "pause" markers at truck stations? That's where you set their wait times. You can make them wait at the delivery point until the loading station has enough to make the trip worth it, and you can make them wait at the loading station until the delivery station can take the whole load. You just have to figure out the timing.

giant pause markers ? is that while you are recording autopilot ?

Ok, if you DON'T hide the path markers, you see waypoints and yellow pause markers at truck stations. Click on these to change the time the truck stays at that spot. It's all in Seconds, so 600 seconds is 10 minutes. If it takes 20 minutes for a station to fill/empty, you have to set the wait time accordingly.

[Tryyton]

Originally posted by kLuns:

I saw a truck station having a throughput of 1700+ items per minute in a youtube video with only tractors.
It will ofc be limited to 1560 (2*780) by the belts.

maybe, but you also have to keep in mind the route, which lowers the speed as well. conveyors are also constant, which you want for some stuff.

Originally posted by DrNewcenstein:

basically what i posted above...
ok, maybe a bit more detailed. i doubt anyone needed the 600 secs = 10 min explanation though...
ok, maybe some actually needed that...

[kLuns]

Originally posted by Tryyton:

maybe, but you also have to keep in mind the route, which lowers the speed as well. conveyors are also constant, which you want for some stuff.

If you get enough trucks they will keep up with the belt, making it as constant as a belt.
And if you have the map unlocked you can time at what moment you add the truck to the system.

[Tryyton]

Originally posted by kLuns:

If you get enough trucks they will keep up with the belt, making it as constant as a belt.
And if you have the map unlocked you can time at what moment you add the truck to the system.

seems too many trucks and stations are bugged. read it somewhere in a thread.
i personally rather would use conveyors and then trains. but that's the beauty of this game, we all come up with our own solutions.
but it also hugely depends on where you want your base? the resources which are further away is bauxite (mk5 conveyors) and hydrogen gas (train). well, also uranium, but i will build a train for that as well.

[🆂🅸🅳🅴🅺🅸🅲🅺]

Originally posted by DrNewcenstein:

Originally posted by DEADPO0P:

giant pause markers ? is that while you are recording autopilot ?

If it takes 20 minutes for a station to fill/empty, you have to set the wait time accordingly.

wait, if i set a fixed time wouldn't that mean if my truck arrived when the truck station is 90% full it will wait 20 minutes instead of waiting a few minutes because its almost full ?

can i not set it to just wait until the truck station is full ?

[Tryyton]

Originally posted by DEADPO0P:

Originally posted by DrNewcenstein:

If it takes 20 minutes for a station to fill/empty, you have to set the wait time accordingly.

wait, if i set a fixed time wouldn't that mean if my truck arrived when the truck station is 90% full it will wait 20 minutes instead of waiting a few minutes because its almost full ?

can i not set it to just wait until the truck station is full ?

you have to set a time and it will always wait that amount of time, no matter how empty/full the station is. but if it takes 20 mins for the station to fill...something is maybe wrong. what do you want to transport?