Factorio Forums

TL;DR: Combat robots in my inventory should be automatically deployed when I'm near enemies. I shouldn't have to click 100 times to launch 100 robots.

Original thread: create an entity that fits in armor slots to launch combat robots automatically.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=42222

ssilk wrote:I click only once, until I have enough.

Wow, I just tested that and it works! I'm past 800 hours in this game. Am I the only one who didn't realize you could do that? Ssilk can you add that to the wish-list for the combat tutorial?

Anyways. It's still tedious (although not as tedious as I thought) to launch 100 combat robots.

ssilk wrote:How will you automate that, how many numbers should be released then if this is automated?

Here are a few options:
1. A separate GUI that allows you to specify combat robot deployment, then a hotkey to allow you to launch that configuration instantly. (Bonus points if you allow multiple configurations.)
2. Make a shortcut/hotkey to launch lots of robots at once. Control+left click could launch up to a full stack of robots and control+right click could launch up to half a stack of robots. (I'm saying "up to a full stack" instead of "a full stack" because you're still limited by your follower robot count research level.)
3. Shortcut/hotkey to launch up to ten more combat robots.

Now that the devs made the rail planner, IMHO the most tedious things in the game are launching lots of combat robots and laying long lines of transport belt or underground pipe. I hope this can be made easier to use.

I was suggesting a bit of a rework on combar drones here
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=35543

mattj256 wrote:

ssilk wrote:How will you automate that, how many numbers should be released then if this is automated?

Here are a few options:
1. A separate GUI that allows you to specify combat robot deployment, then a hotkey to allow you to launch that configuration instantly. (Bonus points if you allow multiple configurations.)
2. Make a shortcut/hotkey to launch lots of robots at once. Control+left click could launch up to a full stack of robots and control+right click could launch up to half a stack of robots. (I'm saying "up to a full stack" instead of "a full stack" because you're still limited by your follower robot count research level.)
3. Shortcut/hotkey to launch up to ten more combat robots.

I dunno. for me it depends to so many reasons if I launch 5, 15 or 100 robots, that I would not make that automateable. Press button until enough. The numbers of course are "crude", would be better to have 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 ... instead. But that is another suggestion.

Now that the devs made the rail planner, IMHO the most tedious things in the game are launching lots of combat robots and laying long lines of transport belt or underground pipe. I hope this can be made easier to use.

Transport/Pipes: Yes, and automatically lay underground belts. Also already suggested.

ssilk wrote:

mattj256 wrote:

ssilk wrote:How will you automate that, how many numbers should be released then if this is automated?

3. Shortcut/hotkey to launch up to ten more combat robots.

I dunno. for me it depends to so many reasons if I launch 5, 15 or 100 robots, that I would not make that automateable. Press button until enough. The numbers of course are "crude", would be better to have 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 ... instead. But that is another suggestion.

That is my suggestion #3. Pressing a modifier key launches robots five or ten at a time. You want me to make another thread for that? I don't want to spam the forum.

They are already launched 5 at a time.