Burner Assembling Machine

[DaveMcW]

The dominant opening strategy is to rush for Automation and build assembling machines. This makes a lot of sense, since automating things is what the game is about.

But Automation requires research labs, and research labs require electricity. So electricity rush is also the dominant strategy.

I suggest a burner assembling machine that gives people an alternative to the electricity rush.

It could have stats like:
Max Ingredients: 2
Crafting Speed: half of Assembling Machine 1
Max Power: same as Assembling Machine 1
Recipe: same as Assembling Machine 1, but replacing the electronic circuits with a stone furnace.

[Artman40]

This is a bit tough. As with burner miners and burner inserters, there's nothing to do with them once you get to the higher tech as they're not used in any of advanced recipes.

[DaveMcW]

This is a bit tough. As with burner miners and burner inserters, there's nothing to do with them once you get to the higher tech as they're not used in any of advanced recipes.

Burner assembling machines will extend the life of burner miners and burner inserters, since you can build assembly lines without making them obsolete. This idea will help too.

As for your advanced recipe problem, adding one more burner won't make it any worse. Maybe you can start a suggestion thread for what to do with them.

[ssilk]

There is some points I want to add:

The rush for electricity has the sense to reduce pollution and at the same time speed up the game.

It is for example less polluting to build steam engine and electricity miner than the same amount of production in burner miners. This won't change much with a burner assembly and is another reason to rush for electricity.

The speed up is the next big reason: Factorio is in my eyes still much too slow. I see there some reasons.
1. You have so many options, that you need sometime to sit and think. I have for example the habit to drive with the train around then.
2. The grade of detail is ... How could I say that? ... Too high. you get always distracted. you see some walls a bit damaged: uh, I need to repair. Uh, I don't have repair packs left. Must go and catch iron. Uh, my coal gets empty... 5 minutes later you have forgotten what you want to do.
3. It needs a lot of time to built every single thing. More things to built, more complexness, but not more gameplay.

I see this as a mod. And I think there are already some stuff like this available as mod.

[DaveMcW]

Yes, I know you hate the early game and have the beeline for trains memorized.

But giving more REAL choices in the early game makes it more re-playable for people who are interested in that stuff.

[ssilk]

Again: You want to change the game. That is not useful. If you would say " the early game needs some more tweaks", well, that's somehow better (there is per sure some thread about this theme), but me (and you) couldn't tell the answer, cause that would take some analysis, and some tries. Maybe a burner assembly is one answer, but definitively there are many more tweaks to do.

These things can be tried out as mod. Therefore they exist. If the mod is good, we can see.

[Garm]

Yes, I know you hate the early game and have the beeline for trains memorized.

But giving more REAL choices in the early game makes it more re-playable for people who are interested in that stuff.

Thing is - its not a real choice. 1 extra resource is a humongous hindrance. compounded by broken burner inserter (because even if you make it refuel itself it would still need coal on every belt - big no-no for assembly machines)

This hindrance is what making coal nonviable - more complexity and almost none of benefits.


Please refer to the thread I made recently covering this particular topic: https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... f=6&t=3788

ATM I see no other solutions to coal age, and just adding more buildings without changing core mechanic wont help.

[xrw]

Tell me, why would a space faring civilization carry around machines powered by coal? Wouldn't everything be electric? A space faring civilization would have access to fusion power. You're toaster is going to be electric, your oven is going to be electric, most vehicles, and machines would be electric. Coal would be essentially banned for energy as it would be to polluting. Now whatever you're mission was at game start something has obviously gone wrong. Most of your high-tech stuff is broken, or gone. Coal powered steam engines makes sense as a quick hack to get electricity running and nothing more IMO. It seems foolish that space faring people would carry around blue prints for coal powered robotic arms (inserters).