blueprint designer is pretty useless !

[cancer352]

I'm very disappointed about the blueprint designer because
- it's much too small
- it needs real parts only for creating blueprints
The Mk.1 designer has only space for 2-3 constructors. It's absolutely impossible to create a factory chain with it. It would be even better if you could create a blueprint without using real parts and items and then save it - and the real parts are only needed when building a finished blueprint elsewhere where you really want to build that blueprint.

[Evilsod]

In all seriousness... is that any practical use? Sure, it's a flashy "look what I can fit into a Mk1 blueprint", but its not tileable without a huge and redundant footprint with tons of storage containers and separate belts that don't lend to easy merging/splitting.

I will maintain that the blueprints are generally okay for basic factory related things, but awfully restrictive (or plain useless) for other stuff. I would've loved a 7x7x7 grid (or probably 8x8x8 cos I wouldn't be able to put stuff outside the walls). I could've built an entire layer of my fuel generator build in a single blueprint, instead of having to spread it out across 3 or 4 blueprints, most of which required placing multiple times.

[Bobucles]

The blueprint designer is not great. Some good uses:
- Big battery boxes. Kinda annoying to set up after the first one, build it all in a box and go.
- Hypertube cannons. Lay down the spine of the cannon in one click, very handy.
- Stamping a pile of smelters/constructors/assemblers at once. Mk1 can fit 12 smelters, 8 constructors or 3 assemblers. 2 floors are possible. Build in bulk, then add or subtract 1 or 2 as necessary.
- Placing down coal/refineries with the connections already complete. It does the difficult zigzag part of the connections in one click, so all you have to do is draw the long lines.

The blueprint designer is not good for
- Doing recipe chains. complete chains take up too much factory space, blueprints are too small.
- Flooring. Blueprint floors have different target collision than manually placed floors. Zoop it.

[curtyuiop]

Stop being lazy and get to work.

[ShelLuser]

Escrito originalmente por sir.Geronis:

It is not beautiful, it is not expandable. You can't build like that.

I don't really care about looks, just functionality. Obviously this is expandable because it only requires 1 input. Ergo: I plant the same structure down, split of the main (maybe overclocked) iron input and lo and behold: I've doubled my production.

Sorry to hear that you're incapable to build something like this, but just because you can't doesn't imply others can't either. As you can see I can easily build like this. You should see my multi-part copper plant :P

[Flappers]

Pro tip.. you can access mk 3 blueprint designer at the start. (which is more than big enough for all of your blueprint needs)
This may be considered "cheating", but in my opinion, locking the mk3 designer to the final tier is a really dumb design decision, as most of your infrastructure is already built by then.

1. Start a new game with advanced options enabled
2. Tick all the boxes to remove costs, unlock everything, set the phase to end of the game, enable fly mode etc. Basically, make it sandbox mode.
3. Go into that save, build your mark 3 blueprint designer and make a design and save it
4. Quit the game, go into your localappdat/factorygame folder and find the save that you just created.
5. Copy the blueprints from that save into the save folder for your main game.

You now can use those mk3 blueprints in your main game. Just repeat the process if you want to add more.

This is no different to sharing blueprints with other players in that respect.

So if you're all "hardcore" about it, and deem this as "cheating", then don't use it. But I've been using this method because locking mk3 behind the final phase is a stupid decision by the devs.

As for the use case for it... You can fit some lower end factories into one blueprint. It's certainly possible if you build vertically. For more advanced, you need to create multiple blueprints.

For new factories, I have blueprints to remove some of the most repetitive tasks... like manufacturers with lifts already attached in the right places... coal power plants with my pipeline design flow already in place and the likes. Then it's just plopping them down on your build plot.

But the biggest use case for me was my rail network. Building new blueprints for each segment of my rails was a massive time saver. Straight, left, right, junctions etc.

[Polarcrest]

You are thinking too much of macro builds. I have made some awesome macro factories that I use constantly but think of the smaller things you can blueprint such as storage designs, splitter and merger designs or cosmetics. Look up on youtube all the various useful blueprints people use and you'll change your mind.

[Sasheria]

as many have said, there are couple of ways do this.

I build horizontally (at least in the beginning) so the early blueprint help me lay out my smelters, constructor, assembler with belts input/out setting and all I have to do is connect resources and power.

The "smart" way would build up. You can make a building that can produce a lot of stuff just by feeding raw materials from start to finish.

Check out the videos of the 5x5 (and 6x6) stuff. there are some seriously talented people who made some sweet looking blueprint.

[cancer352]

thanks for your contributions

[Basic]

Escrito originalmente por SloppyJoeJoe:

Give it time you will understand it more

What's to understand? I want to create a strip of paired nuclear reactors. Even the Mk.3 is so small you can't fit two reactors inside it.

There's a point where the blueprint chunks are so bloody small that the benefit of using them is outweighed by the overhead of using the clunky blueprint system.

It's just not fit for purpose, and that's before you get to all the other issues like not being able to update a blueprint with "real world" improvements, instead having to mirror them all.

[jamesc70]

I really don't see the reason for any limit to the size of a blueprint.

Ditch the blueprint designer all together, and allow us to highlight an entire factory/whatever we've made (like you can when deconstructing) and then let us blueprint that. I can't tell you how many times I've come across something I've built and thought "damn I wish I made that in the designer to use again".

So Instead of making build it again at the designer, why not let me just highlight it and blueprint it there?

[Al An]

i tried to use radar tower in blueprint designer, and cant due to height limit,
obviously, blueprint designer needs rework

[Schlappspaten]

The basic blueprint idea is, in my opinion, that you break down your production lines or buildings into smaller chunks that fit into the blueprint designer. After you created some blueprints it's just packing blueprints together to get things up and running. I used this approach for my latest builds.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3350476919

This shows how I put to assemblers onto their platforms, added walkways, lights, belts, splitters and mergers. I did the same for smelters and constructors and foundries. All is the same layout with a walkway in between machines for ease of access and signs as orientation lights.

There're things to critizice for the blueprint designer: Organizing blueprints is less than intuitive, you have no functions to turn, mirror or re-align a layout in the bpd, But I never felt limited with the available space in Mk1 bpd. This may change with the bigger machines, but then I already have unlocked mk2 bpd. I refrain from using it as long as I can though.

[cancer352]

I think the best idea would be a blueprint mode like in "captain of industry" were you can build any building in a blueprint mode without limits and without using real parts for it - and then save the blueprint. that would fix the limits.

Anyway: Thanks for all your good ideas and contributions.