Friday Facts #418 - Space Age release date

[FuryoftheStars]

Still disappointed with the whole Quality thing. I recall in the original FFF, where it was introduced, there was information about an option to disable Quality altogether. Hopefully, this is still the case. Another thing I'd like to disable is faster belts and stackable items on belts, as I see these as lazy gimmicks rather than improvements to the game.

Overall, though, I'm glad to know the release date now!

These will likely be separate mods that you can enable/disable when playing base 2.0, but I recall reading somewhere that Space Age itself was going to have a required dependency on everything.

[Corvius]

I almost never post here, but when I heard there is a release date for Space Age I thought:

[Terrahertz]

Thats the Landing Pad not a Cargo Bay.

Sorry didn't realize the nuance, because to me that's going to be the same, but i may be wrong ^^
( i mean on the picture we see inserter next to "the thing" , that's all it took from me )

No Problem, the answer was confusing me a bit, as you answered "Yes" to "Do the same restrictions apply: No inserters on the extenders (maybe that name is more clear)"

That screenshot is neither confirming nor denying anything. Just because they do not extract something from an extender does not mean it's not possible.

I would be in favor of a solution like, inserters can take stuff out but not put anything in, so this cannot be used to teleport things around. But on the planet surface getting stuff from A to B is not as big a challange as in Space.

[Anima117]

I think the main thing that quality is used for, is really just "I have finished the addon, but want to make a megabase" or "I want to micro-optimise my entire factory". Both of which are things you do later. The fact that they want you to use the recycling machine to try and get better quality items should be enough to tell you that you only do that when you have excess production, or have setup a production specifically for this.

In short, it isn't something people NEED to use, unless they really want to engage with it. It is something that is however nice for people who do want their factory to be able to go even faster than it already does, in particular if you lack space to build on. See it like upgrading belts. If one red belt is as fast as two yellow belts, you technically never need to use red belts if you double your belts, since your input will still be the same.
Or maybe your main bus is blue belts, but that side factory doesn't need blue belts, you don't HAVE to change the yellow belts that are working fine for your input-output if it isn't necessary, it wastes ressources you could use elsewhere immediately.

Also it is a good thing for people who play challenges, like ribbon worlds, or super difficult deathworlds, as the size for expanding isn't really there, you could use the quality to upgrade your existing factory, doing more with less.

sorry, i don't get the point you're trying to make? ;_;

[edited]

For the point I'm trying to make, essentially, you don't HAVE to use the quality system. My comparison with the yellow and red belts is essentially this :

If your redbelt carry 30 items per seconds, then having two yellow belts to transport these items, yellow belts going at 15 items per seconds, both sets of belts woudl carry 30 items per seconds. Which means that if you have the only reason you swap out yellow belts for red is not to improve your throughput, but more so to save space, because one belt takes less place than two.
Of course, it can also be an upgrade to your throughput if you upgrade the output of whatever goes on these belts. But eventually, even if you planned a ton of space, you can't upgrade past a certain size without other repercussions. And you usually stick to 4 lanes of belts next to each other because that is the range of yellow underground belts.

I view quality in the same way. If you have an existing factory, and you already have your throughput maxed with the space that is available to you, you only have two solutions. Either you move the factory to make more space, which isn't always possible.
Or you make a new factory to up the throughput via another conveyor belt. (For example, if you have 4 lines of iron plates getting fed by 4 smelting plants, you might have to consider making another 4 lanes and 4 new smelting plants, maybe with their own iron input).

With quality, you can upgrade existing factories without having to just expand, so if space really is an issue for some reason, then quality allows you to save space. Because they work faster than they used to, you just save space like you did when you swapped the yellow belts with the red belts.
If say, your normal quality assembler creates 5 items per minute, and your tier one quality assembler would create, lets imagine, 10, you would double your production without having to find space for another factory.
Which more space also means you can build even more and have even more items getting refined in the end because if you planned for space to get bigger throughput by building more machines, the space you saved by upgrading their quality doesn't take place, so you can still up the production further.
I don't know if that makes more sense to you.

The reason they make it rare is just to force you to make a recycling plant if you want to farm the high quality, but it isn't required, just like swapping 2 yellows for 1 red isn't technically required if you can afford the space.


[edited]

[GregoriusT]

But I also don't think it should be robots only.

You CAN use inserters on the main building if you're concerned about that one (see green inserter in that screenshot)

[Sam Loser2]

What is the plan for the Switch version? Will it get Space Age the same day, later, or has that yet to be decided?

[Necronium]

Still disappointed with the whole Quality thing. I recall in the original FFF, where it was introduced, there was information about an option to disable Quality altogether. Hopefully, this is still the case. Another thing I'd like to disable is faster belts and stackable items on belts, as I see these as lazy gimmicks rather than improvements to the game.

Overall, though, I'm glad to know the release date now!

These will likely be separate mods that you can enable/disable when playing base 2.0, but I recall reading somewhere that Space Age itself was going to have a required dependency on everything.

Quality is required to play SA cause it has recycler in it which is needed for SA, but "Quality" itself is optional. Dont like it? You dont have to use it and play entire game just fine

[Panzerknacker]

Great stuff, very hyped for the expansion in general BUT I really would like to have the option for the current fluid system in Space Age. I know it's not easy because blueprints would need to have a checkbox 'compatible with simulated fluid system' meaning the build will also work when using the current fluid system (the other way around should always work right?). Being able to use the fluid simulation is Space Age is a purchasing requirement for me personally.

[Loewchen]

If you want to discuss the quality names, do this in one of the existing topics instead.

[Dmytrozern]

New light? New combinator? Wi-fi router? I don't even want to know coz I'd love to play whole expansion without spoilers, but can't help myself with not reading FFF.

Screenshot_20240705-171105711_1.jpg (45.14 KiB) Viewed 3890 times

[Loewchen]

Still disappointed with the whole Quality thing. I recall in the original FFF, where it was introduced, there was information about an option to disable Quality altogether. Hopefully, this is still the case. Another thing I'd like to disable is faster belts and stackable items on belts, as I see these as lazy gimmicks rather than improvements to the game.

Overall, though, I'm glad to know the release date now!

These will likely be separate mods that you can enable/disable when playing base 2.0, but I recall reading somewhere that Space Age itself was going to have a required dependency on everything.

Here: viewtopic.php?p=612269#p612269

[Phauxstus]

The space age expansion releasing on the 21st october for 35 USD will feature the quality mechanic. There is one crucial thing about this mechanic that everyone would be happy if it were fixed.

[Terrahertz]

The space age expansion releasing on the 21st october for 35 USD will feature the quality mechanic. There is one crucial thing about this mechanic that everyone would be happy if it were fixed.

And that would be?

[gnutrino]

So 15 more FFFs to go until release if I'm mathing correctly. I'm guessing 2 on the last planet reveal, 1 for bioflux and at least 1 for combat/enemy changes. Any guesses for what else we're going to get to see before release?

[Lkcynric]

Please just dont leave GOG users behind!
I prefer to have my games there, hopefully I can still buy it day one!

[Neutronium]

Really looking forward to this, Factorio is the only gave I've played in the last few years and I'm sure SA will be even more impressive.

I don't use Steam and play the game standalone, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little bit worried about the website crashing/severely slowing down at release time. I'll be one of the people buying/purchasing the game within the first minute of release!

[CyberCider]

So 15 more FFFs to go until release if I'm mathing correctly. I'm guessing 2 on the last planet reveal, 1 for bioflux and at least 1 for combat/enemy changes. Any guesses for what else we're going to get to see before release?

In the discord, Klonan heavily implied that there will also be a 3rd fff for each planet

[Rebmes]

Very excited, everything makes sense, and seems to be coming together phenomenally.

[xtmq]

For Russia it will be 35*6 I guess?

[big_zygi]