Factorio Forums

In the normal recipe mode each low density structure costs 5 plastic.

In the expensive recipe mode, this jumps all the way up to 30 plastic. That is a 6x increase, while most other individual increases are around 2x. In 0.16 it was 10 plastic.

This has a big impact now that utility science packs need low density structures, which are needed for the logistic system research.

It will also have an impact on rockets, but that is later in the game when extra coal and oil is easier to come by.

https://wiki.factorio.com/Low_density_structure
https://stable.wiki.factorio.com/Low_density_structure

This is almost certainly intentional, and I kind of like the quantity of plastics needed in this recipe. In expensive mode there are no other oil fractions besides petroleum that get up-scaled, so plastic in LDSs balance out the oil/ore ratio in space science. For as late game as it is, 5 plastic as an increase to an end-game recipe didn't seem like much to begin with.

Will agree it might be intentional. It's a large plastic increase, but oil products in general aren't used much for science related usage in the base game. Upping it does do a good deal to change the feel of expensive. I still like it.

a 6 times increase is pretty extreme. I'd be up for a reduction to about 15 as an upper limit.

bobingabout wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:29 am

a 6 times increase is pretty extreme. I'd be up for a reduction to about 15 as an upper limit.

Well, green circuits are ~3 times more expensive. LDS takes is 20 copper + 5 plastic + 2 steel (10 iron) = 35 plates in normal, and 20 copper + 30 plastic + 2 sreel (20 iron) = 70 plates in expensive. Yes, plastic bars are more expensive then metal plates, but it still aligned with circuit price increase.