A thought on the new tech tree in 0.15

[Kryptus]

I really like the thought process of expanding it to require more material, more automation and feel it's more interesting. I also support the removal of artefacts from the process. I have a couple thoughts:

1) What about an advanced lab? So your basic lab gives you research 1, 2, 3 but the mid/late game requires a bit more setup.
2) Is there enough stone & coal consumption? In current 0.13 on default settings I was able to launch several rockets without needing to go get more than what was in the start area. Obviously it's increased significantly.

Side note: Railroad tracks are a possible use for wood. Raw wood -> rail ties could be added to the current train track recipe.

[rolfl]

Wood is an un-automatable resource to collect. Requiring it for tracks is a problem because you can't "mine" wood.

Allowing for a "synthetic" wood-production system (say, concrete allowing for concrete "ties" instead of wood "ties") would be a good option, though, which would allow for fully-automated creation of concrete to produce railways, and using wood-ties if you have them too.

i.e. the railway recipe would be a (Wood or Concrete) + iron rods + stone + steel

[Kryptus]

Perhaps there's a way to automate it? The reason for my thinking of it is once I have drones if trees are in my way I end up with a crazy amount of wood and no use for it.

There was mention in the FF about possible early game basic drones. Perhaps tree gathering (and perhaps planting?) could fit in to that.

I'm not against an early game "necessity" use for concrete either. It also fits with my use more stone thoughts above. Good idea.

[Deadly-Bagel]

I use it to power trains, with the bigger wood stack size they run for days. At each outpost all the wood you clear can go into a chest next to the train stop to be loaded in to the train, and trash slots and requester chests keep my base's fuel stocks full with coal or solid fuel as a backup (never needed it). Also with upcoming nuclear power utilising boilers (not my preference but it is what it is) it's likely we'll need fuel to power them too so more uses for wood. Worth keeping those big stocks too for when your expansion slows and for a few tiles you can hold tens of thousands in chests.

[Tenebrais]

I created a mod that replaced the iron sticks in rail recipes with wood (and also replaced iron sticks in every other recipe cause they're kind of pointless) and it works great! You don't need to automate wood production when it's for rails, because the circumstances in which you need lots of rails are the same circumstances that you're collecting a lot of wood that needs to be dealt with. I'm very happy with it personally.

[aober93]

moving this to the idea and suggestion forum

[ssilk]

There are some mods, that enables wood-production automation.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Bobingab ... greenhouse
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/The_Evil_Pickle/Arborium
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/LukeM/TreeSaplings
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/aster26/ ... eExpansion
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/SamJBarney/renewal
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Blu3wolf/Treefarm-Lite
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/JJtJJ/TreeSeeds

EDIT: Uhm, I see, I mixed in some non-automateables. I think it doesn't matter, cause there are also mods, that half-automateable cut only trees away.