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A Defensive Tower that can use robot capsules to combat biters. When biters get in range. The tower deploys robots similar to the roboport to attack. When the robots are deployed, a capsule is used.

Maybe this tower could use Shock and Poison capsules too. OR instead of capsules a new combat robot could be implemented that deploys and returns like logistics robots.

I like the first idea, just putting capsules as "ammo" in the tower.

The second idea, The new combat robots that you put in the Defensive Tower would often get destroyed by biters and have to be replaced which can be expensive (i assume combat robots would be more expensive to make than logistics robots, since they need guns and armor)

PTR2013 wrote:I like the first idea, just putting capsules as "ammo" in the tower.

The second idea, The new combat robots that you put in the Defensive Tower would often get destroyed by biters and have to be replaced which can be expensive (i assume combat robots would be more expensive to make than logistics robots, since they need guns and armor)

According to this, Poisoncapsules (18 iron, 4.5 copper, 10 coal) and Slowdown capsules (12 iron, 3 copper, 5 coal) are cheaper than logistic bots, but the prices skyrocket from here (Destroyer capsule: 247 iron, 220 copper, 17 coal, 51 oil)

Then the Defense Tower should either just become a Capsule Launcher Tower which uses capsules as ammo or a Combat Robot could be added.

By the way, Defender Capsule costs only 13 iron ore and 8 copper ore. Who said it had to be a Destroyer Capsule?

I like the first idea also, of being able to use the capsules as "ammo"

Joined them together. ssilk

In the theme of complete automation:

A "Launch Tower" that automatically launches bots in its inventory.
It can also fire capsules & Grenades at incoming enemies, if supplied with them. Surviving capsule bots will return to the facility for re-packaging into capsules (exception: Distractors, since they're stationary). Grenades, Slowing & Poison capsules will (obviously) not be reusable.
The tower should have a launching speed of 1 per second or so, but that's more of a balance issue. If you want more speed you can always build more towers.

The building should contain fields to enter the max number of bots in the current network (2 fields, one for each bot type). Default 0, which will launch bots without restriction. (just one field would also work. You'd then have to build 2 towers if you don't want con and log bots to have equal max population)

(This has got to have been suggested in the past, but I didn't find it)

Please, do at least read the second page before suggesting things that have already been suggested.
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... =6&t=14034

I actually did. I read the first 3 pages, but somehow missed that one. Sorry.

Guess I'll say that mine is slightly different though as the capsule throwing is only part of the functionality. I originally thought up the idea when I was deploying yet another batch of Logistic Robots, thinking that that should be possible to automate.

/edit: I just realized I could insert the bots into the roboport to get them to launch automatically. doh.
This suggestion can be scrapped.
All I need now is some way to limit the amount inserted, like a sensor that can report the number of bots active in a network.

There is probably some ingenious way that you can do that with a circuit system...just don't ask me how to do it