How to plan for modular lay out?

[Remnar]

I am on Phase 3, and been doing a modular system so far in the Dune Desert. I now have a lot of work to do.

In my previous game, I had a mega base, though unfinished, it was a lot easier to get things made.

Now I am wondering how the hell do I move forward? I am thinking of trying a hybrid system, but that is still messy (logistics).

I find mega bases, though a lot of work, easier to figure out, with a main bus. The big problem is performance. I don't have the CPU to finish the game with such a design. Also there isn't enough room to keep expanding and I have to find a way to continue the main bus up to a new floor in the Rocky Desert.

There doesn't seem to be a clear guide on how to proceed with a modular design. My best guess is to build near resources for each thing I need. Now I need to combine those resources, which makes me think of a hybrid system between modular and a large base.

Are there any planning guides for this? Or do I need to "wing" it as usual?

[Bobucles]

There are basically no planning tools inside the game. There are radar towers, and they will permanently reveal resource nodes in range. I recommend covering the world in radar coverage, seeing the resources is very helpful.

There is an encyclopedia for searching things, and it can be used as a calculator to do simple math.

Blueprints don't really help with planning, they mostly help with implementing. Decide what to build, do it once in the blueprint machine, then spam that blueprint. I personally use "blank slate" blueprints that plug in all the belts and wiring, then set the recipes manually. There is also merit to making blueprints with the recipes and paint jobs fully complete.

For planning out actual numbers, alt recipes and such, there are tons of tools online. Don't worry too much about getting "100%" efficiency. Anything over 80% is more than good enough to beat game objectives.

Ada will happily assist and answer any questions spoken to her in game. Unfortunately, the pioneer is completely mute.

[Remnar]

Maybe "planning" wasn't the right word. Perhaps, "layout"? Finding resources and building the complex systems is no longer a issue for me. What I am trying to figure out is how I will deal with logistics when I need to start depending on other complex items to make even more complex items. Without a main bus, I usually wind up with spaghetti or trucks crashing into each other.

[Mr. Me]

I'm currently in the same boat of trying to get away from the megafactory build and space things out. Same location too. Also looking for suggestions. Dune Desert for the win I guess.

The plan at the moment is to build rail loops to gather up all the products picked up from all the factories next to the nodes. Then bring them to a hub. Currently still building the first loop. And while it's coming along nicely, there are a few ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that are starting to bug me.

First off, train length. My train is getting silly long. Which isn't really an issue for speed. As everything is on the same level. But the station situation is getting a bit out of hand. 10+ platforms is a bit much. Even though it's technically going to fit.

And secondly, it would appear that it's sort of becoming a zone covering megafactory anyway. As each station/factory is built, they slowly encroach on other station/factories. Ultimately turning my train into a very efficient bus bar instead of the classic endless spaghetti.

[Remnar]

In my Rocky Desert game, with the mega base, I have a lot of trains as well. I am lucky to have found room for them, and it still is not enough trains lol However, I find I can build additional trains for the same station for specialized visits to certain stations. Having 1 train do it usual route, but add another to just goto 1 or 2 stations helped bring in more materials, as long as I kept increasing the supply.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urWuDGAVqHw

Is not my best work, but it kind of shows my base, and aluminum factory which I made seperate.

You can see how easy it is to add and increase with the mega base. Just add another blueprint, hook things, up, and be done lol.

[Remnar]

Now imagine all those compact systems all separated out in their own space out near the resources. Now you can see why I am having a hard time figuring out how to deal with that. Maybe bringing them in for a smaller mega base is the answer, but it makes it hard to scale up.

There are 2 ways I am thinking on this. I can scale up those individual factories, or I can build duplicate factories much further out. Either way I have to bring in more materials, so either I can make more of the product further out, or bring those materials in.

[Bobucles]

Hmm. Well, imo heavy modular frames is such a monstrous project, it takes so many moving parts and so many steps and so many alt recipe potentials. I made an entire factory for only that and nothing else, and it was pretty big. I didn't bother making any factory more ambitious than that.

The mid game hump is easily the most demanding part of the game. It introduces the most new ingredients, ties them into the most complex production chains, and you have no infrastructure to help. Accomplishing all those midgame tasks makes the endgame tasks pretty damn easy. You take an existing item that already has a factory, find one or two new things, and use existing logistics to tie it together. The most difficult part is finding the new resource nodes.

Probably the most difficult late game tech is nuclear. It introduces fairly complex, highly unique recipes. It demands logistic chains you probably don't have. It has ongoing challenges and consequences that are very punishing for a first time attempt. It's legit tough, but it's also a pretty optional objective for game completion.

[Remnar]

I should do another video of my power system, in the Rocky Desert. I do have the coal power, but I also have fuel/turbo-fuel power, and it's rather large. It wasn't too difficult to set up, just a lot of work and micro-managing until it started working correctly. The logistics involved making and moving product from my base to the turbo-fuel power plant. Such things can be overwhelming. All together it's making about 2.4Ghz of power, I think. I haven't logged into that save in a while.

[RadioIesbian Fluid]

build a railway highway. then you can tee off that to new factories and you can easily transport things to all places you need it. It takes some work to do tho, but very worth it in the long term.

[PsYcHo_O]

You will need an extensive transportation network regardless of what kind of factory you build, you only change what parts/materials you are transporting. I usually only produce basic building materials and elevator parts in my main base, everything else gets a separate factory. I also use the base as a distribution hub for more complex parts.

I would say that a modular factory design profits a lot more from experience. It's much harder/more work to scale individual factories instead of a mega factory. But if you know how much you will need of a certain part you can plan a very efficient factory and never worry about this part again.
Stuff like heavy modular frames, crystal oscillators or even motors are (usually) only required in very low quantities. It's much easier to build a focused factory and just distribute them around the map instead of building everything from scratch in every modular factory. On the other hand, I would never dedicate a factory to cables or wire and just produce them on site.

[kLuns]

Focus on getting items compact on location