Are computers dead?

[David 001]

In the 1.0 rebalance, the cost of making computers was greatly reduced across all recipes. However, to balance this, the computer cost of many products rose. Supercomputers went from needing 2 comp to 4 comp per Supercomputer, RCUs increased, and adaptive control units did as well. Looking at some of the alternates, it seems like you are better off making radio control units using high speed connectors and supercomputers out of cooling systems and RCUs. Am I making a mistake in my judgement or are computers no longer something to be mass-produced?

[Lawn-Mower]

By that rationale rods and screws are also dead.

[David 001]

Originally posted by Lawn-Mower:

By that rationale rods and screws are also dead.

Rods and screws are always dead. No use for them in efficient production lines.

[shoopy]

Only if you like scouring the entire map for every drive/save scumming alt recipes.

[David 001]

I should clarify what I mean: replacing computers in much the same way as steel beams are cut out of production lines.

[Evilsod]

The benefit for some of the earlier alt recipes are that you eliminate certain resources from the product chain, which makes it a lot easier. Like how you can mass produce Encased Industrial Beams without ever touching steel (and thus don't need coal), or making Motors using only iron.

It's not the same for stuff like RCU. You're trading off using computers for using some other high value product or more complex part or introducing a different resource. Radio Control System alt significantly increases the demand on Alu Casing. Radio Connection Unit alt brings caterium into the product chain.
I intend to make computers using the crystal computer recipe, which also works with the base RCU recipe.
Using the cooling system alt for a supercomputer would only make matters worse. Now you're introducing nitrogen and aluminium into the mix.

Maybe I'm speaking too soon as I'm yet to actually set anything up properly, but computers still seem like you'll be needing a lot of them. But you can avoid them if you wanted to.

[shoopy]

I also settled for crystal computers since I randomly got it. And silicon circuit boards too, since I'm not using silica for aluminum.

[nfgman]

Sloops to the rescue.

[Gnerdicus]

Originally posted by David 001:

Originally posted by Lawn-Mower:

By that rationale rods and screws are also dead.

Rods and screws are always dead. No use for them in efficient production lines.

Nonsense. Efficiency must account for transport costs as well as manufacturing costs. If in an area where you want to efficiently make motors and there are iron deposits nearby it makes no sense to ship in massive amounts of copper sheeting or, worse yet, steel pipes to replace rods to make rotors for motors.

Efficiency is leveraging all available resources in a cost effective manner. A spaghetti system of belts, drones, or trains is not efficiency - by your logic, you're limiting your potential output at the cost of hiding the inefficiency using a network of drones and/or trains, or belts going far longer than they should.

[nfgman]

Speaking of crystal computers,.. Did they raise output of oscillators from 1/min to 1.5/min or is that Mandella effect.

[David 001]

Originally posted by nfgman:

Speaking of crystal computers,.. Did they raise output of oscillators from 1/min to 1.5/min or is that Mandella effect.

They were 1/m before so if it's 1.5/m now it's buffed.

[nfgman]

Originally posted by David 001:

Originally posted by nfgman:

Speaking of crystal computers,.. Did they raise output of oscillators from 1/min to 1.5/min or is that Mandella effect.

They were 1/m before so if it's 1.5/m now it's buffed.

My mistake. Had them overclocked.

[kLuns]

Caterium computer is still good.

[David 001]

Originally posted by kLuns:

Caterium computer is still good.

Caterium computer is still very good, but the issue is that it seems like computers as a whole are worse compared to say, high speed connectors.

[Grandaddypurple]

Originally posted by David 001:

Originally posted by Lawn-Mower:

By that rationale rods and screws are also dead.

Rods and screws are always dead. No use for them in efficient production lines.

I'm so mad it became universal to avoid screws altogether.
Screws should be avoided early mid game sure, but once you get mk3 belts, all screw recipes are great and most give fantastic combos using only iron. But people streched that early game part to "get rid of screws!"

[Evilsod]

Originally posted by Grandaddypurple:

Originally posted by David 001:

Rods and screws are always dead. No use for them in efficient production lines.

I'm so mad it became universal to avoid screws altogether.
Screws should be avoided early mid game sure, but once you get mk3 belts, all screw recipes are great and most give fantastic combos using only iron. But people streched that early game part to "get rid of screws!"

Not so sure about that. The alt recipes for products that use screws are just better, and eliminate screws.
Stitched Iron Plate is just better, even using Iron Wire.
Heavy Encased Pipe is just better.
Bolted Frame is just straight up worse than the standard recipe

I think Rotor might be the only product that's worth using screws on.