Alt-F4 #28 - ROFL

[AlternativeFFFF]

This fine week in March, first-time contributor Ph.X talks about their very compartmentalized system for laying out a base using isolated modules and connecting them through a Logistic Train Network. Taking inspiration from software development and the lessons learned there, Ph.X uses the concepts of Modular Programming to their advantage.

Continue reading: https://alt-f4.blog/ALTF4-28/

[Trific]

I previously built something similar but the trains became a snarled up mess, largely due to the fact that I'm playing in a natural world with lots of water, and building a full grid would have required tremendous amounts of landfill to build tracks over water just to make sure the trains could get through. I still have a grid-looking sort of base, but it's based on the segments of rail that form the sides, and doesn't require a full square of track to function, so I can build facilities on spurs or where there is enough land between the rail and a waterline. But it features the same loose coupling between different recipes, with vanilla trains just making it work between them.

[Porter65]

Very interesting article. I was thinking doing the same, at my very humble scale, because I just don't want to make a main bus. It seems that's the only efficient way to mass produce stuff though.

[Redpossum]

I previously built something similar but the trains became a snarled up mess, largely due to the fact that I'm playing in a natural world with lots of water, and building a full grid would have required tremendous amounts of landfill to build tracks over water just to make sure the trains could get through. I still have a grid-looking sort of base, but it's based on the segments of rail that form the sides, and doesn't require a full square of track to function, so I can build facilities on spurs or where there is enough land between the rail and a waterline. But it features the same loose coupling between different recipes, with vanilla trains just making it work between them.

I have built some very long causeways over water for rails, and it doesn't really take that much landfill. I just adjust the size of my "brush" with the plus/minus keys on the keypad, and lay down a strip just wide enough for the rails. Curves and diagonals get sloppy, so I try to do those on land.

And it's not like landfill is expensive or anything

[ptx0]

This fine week in March, first-time contributor Ph.X talks about their very compartmentalized system for laying out a base using isolated modules and connecting them through a Logistic Train Network. Taking inspiration from software development and the lessons learned there, Ph.X uses the concepts of Modular Programming to their advantage.

Continue reading: https://alt-f4.blog/ALTF4-28/

LTN, yawn

[Trific]

I have built some very long causeways over water for rails, and it doesn't really take that much landfill. I just adjust the size of my "brush" with the plus/minus keys on the keypad, and lay down a strip just wide enough for the rails. Curves and diagonals get sloppy, so I try to do those on land.

And it's not like landfill is expensive or anything

I use a mod called Landfill Everything, you take blueprint in hand, click the button, and now there is landfill under everything on the blueprint. The issue is that these are modular setups based on tracks laid in a grid, and in order to avoid train snarls, the grid has to have sufficient choice to go around waiting trains, so the grid has to be extended over water. Straight line tracks don't consume a lot of landfill, but intersections consume a surprising amount. Because it is modular, on land a blueprint can just be slapped down with a roboport, trains deliver building materials, and the player can be off doing something else while it gets built. Over water, the landfill has to be laid down first before the entities, and it's either the player builds it (after carting tons and tons of landfill out there), or again, more landfill for roboports, and power, and, and... then it becomes evident it's not enough and the trains are still snarling, got to build out farther...

It just got to be too much, and now I'm basing off of rail segments, and maybe the segment sticks out into the water, but if the pod will fit in the part on land, I don't gotta build all the way out there, and all the train racks are inside the pod area and there's no trains on the rail segments that aren't heading somewhere else. It tends to result in a lot of squares, but they don't have to be complete squares to make the trains work.

[Redpossum]

I have built some very long causeways over water for rails, and it doesn't really take that much landfill. I just adjust the size of my "brush" with the plus/minus keys on the keypad, and lay down a strip just wide enough for the rails. Curves and diagonals get sloppy, so I try to do those on land.

And it's not like landfill is expensive or anything

I use a mod called Landfill Everything, you take blueprint in hand, click the button, and now there is landfill under everything on the blueprint. The issue is that these are modular setups based on tracks laid in a grid, and in order to avoid train snarls, the grid has to have sufficient choice to go around waiting trains, so the grid has to be extended over water. Straight line tracks don't consume a lot of landfill, but intersections consume a surprising amount. Because it is modular, on land a blueprint can just be slapped down with a roboport, trains deliver building materials, and the player can be off doing something else while it gets built. Over water, the landfill has to be laid down first before the entities, and it's either the player builds it (after carting tons and tons of landfill out there), or again, more landfill for roboports, and power, and, and... then it becomes evident it's not enough and the trains are still snarling, got to build out farther...

It just got to be too much, and now I'm basing off of rail segments, and maybe the segment sticks out into the water, but if the pod will fit in the part on land, I don't gotta build all the way out there, and all the train racks are inside the pod area and there's no trains on the rail segments that aren't heading somewhere else. It tends to result in a lot of squares, but they don't have to be complete squares to make the trains work.

OK, yes, I understand. Thank you for taking the time to explain. I'm still rather a n00b at Factorio, and I often think too small.

Advanced rail switching in particular continues to evade my understanding.

[GrumpyJoe]

LTN, yawn

I like this well written and constructive feedback.

While you kept it in the subforum, I wouldn't bother to read about your love for the mod, but it starts to make me feel the love too.

As I'll follow a certain advice you recently gave someone else, about forums and users, you don't even need to bother to appreciate my love for other people's contributions.

<3

[ptx0]

LTN, yawn

I like this well written and constructive feedback.
[..]
<3

thanks

[cbass]

Interesting, this is exactly what I was trying to do to create a modular style setup for growing the factory. I started on 0.18, so used LTN to make it possible. I'm in the process of converting it to vanilla, but havent had a chance to figure out a great way to do it yet.

https://factorioprints.com/view/-MRATOjD21weDXLH6lqr