QoL Request: Build many stacked conveyor belts at once

[Manxome]

I often find myself extending a bunch of stacked conveyor belts. Building belts for each layer of the stack is pretty tedious, especially because you need to aim very carefully to attach to the right spot (on both beginning and end).

I would like a mass-build mode where you can lock onto ALL incomplete conveyor belts in a stack at once, then have the game automatically construct an equal number of stacked conveyor poles at the destination point and connect them one-to-one.

Then it should automatically lock onto the exposed ends of the belts you just built, so that you can continue building new segments with 1 click each. (Though you should also be able to use mouse wheel to rotate the destination stands, as when building a single conveyor belt that requires a regular pole.)

Ideally this should also work if some of the belts have already been built. For instance, if I already made a stack of 3 belts going through an area, and now I want to add another 2 belts on top, I should be able to use the same quick-build mode for adding the 2 new belts on top of the existing 3 belts.

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Alternatives that I've already considered:

- The blueprint designer can be used to make a stack of 5 conveyor poles with one click instead of 5 clicks, but AFAICT it doesn't really help with connecting the belts. (You can have a blueprint with already-connected belts between two sets of poles, but only a short distance apart, and if you build this blueprint twice in a line the two copies won't automatically connect to each other.)

- Vehicles are effective for long-distance transport under certain conditions, but for multiple reasons they are not a suitable replacement for most of the conveyor belts I find myself building.

[kLuns]

If you make sure you have 7 foundations distance between the poles you can only make the right connections as any wrong connection is too long.

Another thing is wondering why you need that much belts.
I never needed so much belts for any playthough so far.

[Zak]

Originally posted by kLuns:

I never needed so much belts for any playthough so far.

I was able to saturate dual Mk5s in my latest save easily, for long runs between map areas.

I guess it depends on the playstyle. If someone prefers a central base that handles most of the manufacturing then I can see how you can saturate several belts with raw materials.

This is what I like doing, seems easier for me to wrap my brain around a single large "base", but transporting raws from afar takes a lot of belt throughput and long belts. So I'm learning to, trying to, scatter my production across the map so I don't have to transport as many raw materials. This way I can use drones to carry stuff around so I don't have to run multiple belts across the landscape.

It's fun anyway :)

[Fenix]

So, Technically you can make Blueprint Belts Attach (and Pipes Too) with a trick I found.
I made a 6 belt bus before, the Blueprints used MK1 belts, by upgrading the MK level of the belts they will attach. Yeah it's an extra step of upgrading every belt on the line, but it's still faster, than running every belt.

[Doc✪Hollywood]

that's the good things about having 300 slots: no more thinking about such trivia
full focus on the actual game

[Doc✪Hollywood]

I wanna build factories and not play a pocket simulator


The former is why I bought the game, and not the latter.



This game model of small pockets is so utterly outdated in 2024. It distracts from a games atmosphere and main focus. A good example: Subnautica.
A GREAT game, but so stupid pocket managements, things do not even stack.
That takes the focus away from the awesome, really awesome atmosphere of this otherwise masterpiece game. Palworld at least introduced that as long you have a piece in your base it is avaialbe to you - no need to have it the pocket.

It is a trivium. As would be hunger and thirst and the need for sleep. Surely not the reason why people are fascinated by Satisfactory.

[Manxome]

Originally posted by Fenix:

So, Technically you can make Blueprint Belts Attach (and Pipes Too) with a trick I found.
I made a 6 belt bus before, the Blueprints used MK1 belts, by upgrading the MK level of the belts they will attach. Yeah it's an extra step of upgrading every belt on the line, but it's still faster, than running every belt.

I'm having trouble envisioning this. Could you describe it step-by-step?

[Doc✪Hollywood]

Originally posted by Manxome:

Originally posted by Fenix:

So, Technically you can make Blueprint Belts Attach (and Pipes Too) with a trick I found.
I made a 6 belt bus before, the Blueprints used MK1 belts, by upgrading the MK level of the belts they will attach. Yeah it's an extra step of upgrading every belt on the line, but it's still faster, than running every belt.

I'm having trouble envisioning this. Could you describe it step-by-step?

You place them touching each other and when you point to a belt you press E to upgrade the MK tier of the belt. By doing so it will also connect to the touching blueprint(s)

[Fenix]

Originally posted by Manxome:

I'm having trouble envisioning this. Could you describe it step-by-step?

Step by step With Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7mdwVV8UaE
1) Make Blueprint with mk1 belts that line up, when chained together.
2) Place Blueprints
3) Connect belts to machines or storage.
4) Upgrade Belts to desired MK level

[Lawn-Mower]

Does Smart! mod no longer do this?

[Manxome]

Originally posted by kLuns:

Another thing is wondering why you need that much belts.
I never needed so much belts for any playthough so far.

In my case, the biggest reason is my depot:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3209423385
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3209423762
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3209424054

Lets me restock on everything from one place. Each part has its own storage container, automatically refilled by its own conveyor belt (ultimately from a factory that builds the part), so I can take whatever I need and it will be full again the next time I need more.



I could certainly believe other players are laying fewer stacked conveyors than I am, but I would think that nearly everyone would find this at least somewhat useful? Lots of recipes require 2 or more ingredients, which means running multiple conveyor belts to one machine; wouldn't it be useful if you could lay all of those at once, rather than one at a time?

And then there's situations where a single conveyor belt isn't fast enough to transport the quantity of something that you want...

[Doc✪Hollywood]

Originally posted by Lawn-Mower:

Does Smart! mod no longer do this?

connecting blueprints?

[Lawn-Mower]

Originally posted by Gordon✪Gekko:

Originally posted by Lawn-Mower:

Does Smart! mod no longer do this?

connecting blueprints?

No, huge stacks of belts (as tall and long as you like). It was the OG zooper that CS 'borrowed' from in a highly nurfed way.
Maybe it zoops blueprints too now though, haven't looked at it in years..

[Doc✪Hollywood]

Originally posted by Lawn-Mower:

Originally posted by Gordon✪Gekko:

connecting blueprints?

No, huge stacks of belts (as tall and long as you like). It was the OG zooper that CS 'borrowed' from in a highly nurfed way.
Maybe it zoops blueprints too now though, haven't looked at it in years..

When building foundaments for large areas zooping 10 is not much. Making a blueprint of 25 foundaments is a bit better, but we can only lay one at a time.

If we could zoop 10 blueprints, that would be nice, but it does require to extend the range of the build gun.

However, I would also be happy with zooping 2-3 blueprints. That would be 50 - 75 foundaments at a time. And accelerate building streets/highways as well.

But please devs, take that in the base game - mods are no a solution.

[sgt obvious]

do you have any idea what your asking for... this is such a complex request that goes so far beyond the bounds of a simple update.

[Manxome]

I don't see why it would be notably complex. When you attach to one belt, making a list of all the other conveyor belts in a single stack sounds extremely straightforward. And there's already logic for automatic construction of a conveyor pole at the target point. So this is basically replacing a regular pole with a stackable pole and then invoking an existing function once on each of a well-defined and easily-calculable group of targets.