Factorio Forums

It has been suggested many times, that construction bots should be more intelligent (at least select the nearest work order when they leave). Devs have told that it is not possible due to the CPU consumption. However, megabases with thousands of construction bots are quite specific play style but almost all players use personal bots to make and disassemble things and suffer inefficient work of current stupid construction bots. Could it be possible to make special clever construction bots for personal roboport use or give the standard bots more intelligence if they are launched from a personal roboport? Typical number of personal bots is less than 100, and if they were more effective even the smaller amount would be sufficient, so that the CPU load would probably not be excessive.

When I use construction bot to build new section I generally do so by making sure to use only one roboport disconnected from all other roboport.

It's the fastest way to use construction bot.

With 3 or 4 personal roboports in your inventory slots this is no problem. So I doubt it will be changed, cause there is no added game-value.

ssilk wrote:With 3 or 4 personal roboports in your inventory slots this is no problem. So I doubt it will be changed, cause there is no added game-value.

I am surprised that you do not see the obvious game value. Problem is immense if I make some larger thing, for example solar field, concrete tiling, large forest clearing or railyard. Even I have 4 fusion reactors, 9 roboports and 90 construction bots there are only 4 recharge places and robots begin to wait when they lose their charge because futile flying to most distant part of working area.

There would be other (partial) solution too, very short range of personal roboports. It that moddable? I could run continuously and (maybe modded) bots would do everything at around 10 units.

With 9 roboports there are actually 18 recharge places.

Hm. I don't see a game value, cause you have not explained what you understand about "more intelligence". For example often wanted is that the roboport can be switched on/off. (There are some useful mods that do that in one or the other way). Others wish, that the roboport only work while you do not move. And much more. You just want to make them building the nearest things first and I answered that this is normally not a problem, if you use more bots by using more roboports.

And with "normally" I mean, that I would never come to the idea to use my personal roboport to place solar fields or concrete. That takes much too long. And I can do so many other things meanwhile. Like increasing production flow for solar panels or accumulators.

Constructing such big stuff is a job for the construction bots in your logistic network. Not personal roboport.

ssilk wrote:Hm. I don't see a game value, cause you have not explained what you understand about "more intelligence".

First very easy to program and very fast to execute intelligence would be that the robot would select always the nearest target immediately before it leaves the player. If we talk about 100 personal robot and work area of few chunks, that would not load CPU significantly even if it is programmed with the most trivial algorithms. I would expect about an order of magnitude better performance and it may be that there would not be need for more intelligence. But it would also be quite straightforward to for example place several entities at one trip if cargo size allows it.

Constructing such big stuff is a job for the construction bots in your logistic network. Not personal roboport.

I see, it is the only reasonable option now. But it could be much faster and convenient with very small changes in robot logistics and annoying extra roboports in large constructions would not be needed and annoying problems because robots can not place some power pole which connects the critical roboport would disappear. In my opinion, it is the problem which just consumes player's time and do not give any value to game.

Hannu wrote:

ssilk wrote:Hm. I don't see a game value, cause you have not explained what you understand about "more intelligence".

First very easy to program and very fast to execute intelligence would be that the robot would select always the nearest target immediately before it leaves the player. If we talk about 100 personal robot and work area of few chunks, that would not load CPU significantly even if it is programmed with the most trivial algorithms. I would expect about an order of magnitude better performance and it may be that there would not be need for more intelligence. But it would also be quite straightforward to for example place several entities at one trip if cargo size allows it.

Well, that is worth discussion, cause me for example see that the items should have priorities: Electric first, then roboports, then inserters, ... explained in some other thread.

I see, it is the only reasonable option now. But it could be much faster and convenient with very small changes in robot logistics and annoying extra roboports in large constructions would not be needed and annoying problems because robots can not place some power pole which connects the critical roboport would disappear. In my opinion, it is the problem which just consumes player's time and do not give any value to game.

Do you see: my suggestion with the priorities makes much sense?!

Priorities would be good idea for intelligence too.