Logistic robots - do they have a preferred home?

[quadrox]

I am curious about how logistics robots (and to a lesser degree construction robots) work.

When you add new robots, you add them to a specific roboport. Is that roboport their "home" which they will return to after completing their tasks? Or will they just go to the nearest roboport?

Will logistic robots hand off items to another robot from another roboport and return home, and then the next robot will get the item to the next roboport and so on until the item is delivered? I know the answer right now is no, but wouldn't that make it easier to manage your robot fleet?

The reason I am asking is that I would like to have as much control over how many robots are present in different parts of the base, and I want to reduce the time/distance each individual robot travels. If my robots travel through the entire map to deliver items, they will (might) be missed at their home base?!

[lpw]

They don't have a home base and will just "return" to the closest roboport with capacity after finishing their task(s).

[ssilk]

You can place robots also like capsules into the air. They fly to the next task or next roboport.

[quadrox]

You can place robots also like capsules into the air. They fly to the next task or next roboport.

Ah, I didn't know that, thanks

[BillH]

Take a look at Scarhoof's Botworld series for some examples of how to provide the control you're suggesting. He essentially creates multiple networks that deliver resources to each other via requester/provider chests (in later episodes he uses trains to increase throughput).

[Qon]

The reason I am asking is that I would like to have as much control over how many robots are present in different parts of the base, and I want to reduce the time/distance each individual robot travels. If my robots travel through the entire map to deliver items, they will (might) be missed at their home base?!

You don't need control. The robots can manage themselves. What you need is good base design where assembly machines can work continously without breaks, enough robots and enough and well placed roboports and a stable raw resource supply. If you design your base correctly so that robots can take the shortest route all the time, they will. You can split your network to control them, just letting you know that it isn't necessary since the robots will do this for you if your design isn't bad.

[quadrox]

You don't need control. The robots can manage themselves. What you need is good base design where assembly machines can work continously without breaks, enough robots and enough and well placed roboports and a stable raw resource supply. If you design your base correctly so that robots can take the shortest route all the time, they will. You can split your network to control them, just letting you know that it isn't necessary since the robots will do this for you if your design isn't bad.

I think your argument is flawed - just because something isn't strictly needed doesn't mean the game wouldn't be better with that thing. For example, the game could easily work without filter inserters but it would be more work for the player and factories would require more space for belt tricks.

That being said, I agree that this issue is of relatively low importance - I was mostly just curious about how things worked and if other players could

[ssilk]

You don't need control. The robots can manage themselves. What you need is good base design where assembly machines can work continously without breaks, enough robots and enough and well placed roboports and a stable raw resource supply. If you design your base correctly so that robots can take the shortest route all the time, they will. You can split your network to control them, just letting you know that it isn't necessary since the robots will do this for you if your design isn't bad.

This has already been discussed. There are currently two basic ideas:
1. By using inserters/chests and circuit network you can control the number of bots in each roboport.
2. The roboports with too less robots requests free robots from the roboports with too much robots.

Better explained and including also an overview over similar ideas around logistic network: viewtopic.php?f=80&t=18093

Discussions from there:
viewtopic.php?f=66&t=18996
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=28176

[Qon]

I think your argument is flawed - just because something isn't strictly needed doesn't mean the game wouldn't be better with that thing.
That being said, I agree that this issue is of relatively low importance - I was mostly just curious about how things worked and if other players could

Better explained and including also an overview over similar ideas around logistic network: viewtopic.php?f=80&t=18093

Discussions from there:
viewtopic.php?f=66&t=18996
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=28176

I didn't request removal of any feature and never argued against the implementation of any feature. My response was aimed at helping OP. I ignored the feature request completely. Sorry if that wasn't obvious.

[bobucles]

1. By using inserters/chests and circuit network you can control the number of bots in each roboport.

Oh yeah, I totally forgot this was a solution. Use smart inserters to pull bots out of the fringe chests, and request them back into the central roboports.