Megabase tips
Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 7:13 pm
Hi all! Just finished an achievement run, where I cleared almost everything. Now I'm setting my sights towards a "megabase" or "gigabase", over a long time. I'll be starting a new map and working my way up. I plan to have a few mods going for this build.
The plan is to use only bots, as I've not really had a chance to really get in to bot use before, and I've heard it can be good for performance if done correctly. I also really like the idea of a bot factory. I have a few things that I've been trying to figure out before I start, so there won't be a huge restart when I figure something out 300 hours in! Any help is much appreciated.
I'm going to use RSO mod for map gen, to get more consistent ore generation. The plan is to build a decent base, get supplies, then load it on a train and move a huge distance in one direction, to get enormous ore patches that won't run out as quickly. There will be a lot of moving things around by train, from mines to smelters to factories... Basically a "railworld"
The plan was to have different lanes of tracks for each type of material, with two-headed trains, and terminal stations. I was thinking of having inner lane for ore, middle for plate (copper, iron, steel), and outer lane for the rest (circuits, building components, etc).
1) Is this a good way to do things to avoid blockages? I've seen some designs with up to 4 lanes each way, but I'm unclear if some of these are separated lines, or just bypasses for overtaking at junctions where trains aren't going to be turning etc.
2) What's a good length for trains? I have been playing around with 4-12-4 trains, but is this only good for ore (where infrequent, long distance trips are better)? Would it be better to do 2-8-2 or 1-4-1 trains for the valuables, or can 4-12-4 be used throughout? I have heard that more trains on the network increases load, so less, but larger trains would help?
3) What's the "optimal" number of engines per carriage when using nuclear fuel on two-headed trains? I plan on using solar for power, and having uranium for fueling trains when I get to the point of having a good supply going through mining and kovarex.
4) Do people find that having a "fueling train" going around the map to keep outposts stocked is the best method for fuel delivery, or is it better to have each train go to a "depot" to get fuel. The former is what I have planned, but I'm curious.
5) Is it a bad idea to have biter expansion turned on with a very large base? I was thinking of turning off pollution (for performance), but having expansion, to keep things interesting. With the new artillery cannons, I expect that keeping them a good distance away from train lines wont be as big of an issue as it used to be.
6) On that note, is turning off pollution really going to do me many favours in terms of performance. 0.16 has brought pretty substantial performance improvements for big bases from what I've seen. I do want to keep it challenging.
7) Are there any particularly nice mods people recommend? My current list is as follows:
RSO
SpaceX
Logistics Train Network
Auto Deconstruct
Foreman
YARM
FARL
Atomic Artillery
Nuclear Robots
Thanks for any help. Just trying to get an idea on a good starting mentality. Any links to tutorial series etc are also welcome!
The plan is to use only bots, as I've not really had a chance to really get in to bot use before, and I've heard it can be good for performance if done correctly. I also really like the idea of a bot factory. I have a few things that I've been trying to figure out before I start, so there won't be a huge restart when I figure something out 300 hours in! Any help is much appreciated.
I'm going to use RSO mod for map gen, to get more consistent ore generation. The plan is to build a decent base, get supplies, then load it on a train and move a huge distance in one direction, to get enormous ore patches that won't run out as quickly. There will be a lot of moving things around by train, from mines to smelters to factories... Basically a "railworld"
The plan was to have different lanes of tracks for each type of material, with two-headed trains, and terminal stations. I was thinking of having inner lane for ore, middle for plate (copper, iron, steel), and outer lane for the rest (circuits, building components, etc).
1) Is this a good way to do things to avoid blockages? I've seen some designs with up to 4 lanes each way, but I'm unclear if some of these are separated lines, or just bypasses for overtaking at junctions where trains aren't going to be turning etc.
2) What's a good length for trains? I have been playing around with 4-12-4 trains, but is this only good for ore (where infrequent, long distance trips are better)? Would it be better to do 2-8-2 or 1-4-1 trains for the valuables, or can 4-12-4 be used throughout? I have heard that more trains on the network increases load, so less, but larger trains would help?
3) What's the "optimal" number of engines per carriage when using nuclear fuel on two-headed trains? I plan on using solar for power, and having uranium for fueling trains when I get to the point of having a good supply going through mining and kovarex.
4) Do people find that having a "fueling train" going around the map to keep outposts stocked is the best method for fuel delivery, or is it better to have each train go to a "depot" to get fuel. The former is what I have planned, but I'm curious.
5) Is it a bad idea to have biter expansion turned on with a very large base? I was thinking of turning off pollution (for performance), but having expansion, to keep things interesting. With the new artillery cannons, I expect that keeping them a good distance away from train lines wont be as big of an issue as it used to be.
6) On that note, is turning off pollution really going to do me many favours in terms of performance. 0.16 has brought pretty substantial performance improvements for big bases from what I've seen. I do want to keep it challenging.
7) Are there any particularly nice mods people recommend? My current list is as follows:
RSO
SpaceX
Logistics Train Network
Auto Deconstruct
Foreman
YARM
FARL
Atomic Artillery
Nuclear Robots
Thanks for any help. Just trying to get an idea on a good starting mentality. Any links to tutorial series etc are also welcome!