Oil, power, combat and alien tech
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:24 pm
Ok, lets make this simple. This game is great, right now even though its only in alpha it still feels like a complete game, but it has its problems. My first problem is oil. Well, when I say problem I mean possible solution to a probable problem.Oh and before anybody goes on about "this is too long, too descriptive etc etc" I honestly don't care. I read the suggestions on how to make a post and such but honestly, all that was saying is "have idea, want to explain this idea? TOUGH! Just tell use that you have this idea". Screw that, im writing my damn life story in this thing!
So, here's the thing. Oil is incredibly spread out, there tends to be a single patch of 1/s oil every few, what can be compared to "Miles". In real life, this wouldn't be a problem, but in game it is. Its difficult enough to protect your main "factory" so its never a good thing to have pumpjacks and refinery's far beyond your manageable borders. It also, along with the players limited access to the oil, the oil is limited itself. It seems to run out insanely fast and there is literally nothing that can be done.
Now, there are MULTIPLE ways this can be fixed, if its really a problem that is. For one, the availability of oil could simply be increased, but that's too boring and too simplistic. On the other hand, the grouping of oil could be increased meaning instead of finding one or 2 raw oil "puddles" scattered around, you find large pools. That, on its own, is also another solution. Early on, oil is not such a big issue but further in the demand for oil is increased so maybe along with the small puddles, larger pools which can only be collected via a larger, higher tech jackpump could be added. These pools would obviously have a higher yield an last longer. There is also a third, more interesting I guess, suggest I have for this. Instead of increasing the availability, a certain research could be added. This research will add 2 things. 1: deeper pumping and 2 : Deeper searching. Basically, the first research just increases the natural yield you get from each. For example, originally a puddle of oil would have a yield of 1.2/s and last for 10 minutes of pumping lets say. With this tech, the yield will go up to 1.8/s and last for a lot longer, it will take longer for the yield to decrease. The second tech from this research is a refueling of sort. At the cost of some electronic circuits, iron plates and steel, the yield will be increased or maybe just reset due to the pump digging and searching further. The cost will depend on the yield itself. If the reset system is used, lets say the original yield *including the first research bonus* is 1.3/s but it goes down to 0.3/s, at the cost of 10 electronic circuits, 20 iron plates and 10 steel, the yield will go back up to 1.3/s. The next time you do this on the same jackpump though, the cost will double, making the cost 20 circuits, 40 iron plates and 10 steel no matter how much the oil was depleted by. For the increased idea, the cost will depend on the yield. If the yield is 0.5, the cost will be 5 electronic circuits, 10 iron plates and 5 steel. The yield will then become 1/s. If the user were then to do the same on 1/s, the cost would be 10 electronic circuits, 20 iron plates and 10 steel. The yield would become 2/s and so on and so forth. The cost will not double, but will vary depending on the yield meaning a newly acquired pumpjack of 1.3/s oil will still cost something like 13 electronic circuits, 26 iron places and 15 steel even if no increase has been done on this pumpjack before, and it will increase the yield to 2.6/s. Doing this will increase the availability of oil without having to search incredible distances with no secure or fast way such as a liquid transport cart for the train of transport and without having to just increase the amount of oil. Oh, and as previously mentioned, liquid transport carts for trains for be great for if you have no choice but to go far distances for oil
My next issue, or pet peeve, is power and electricity. Steam power plants are huge. They require massive amounts of space and a steady, or large anyway, supply of coal. This is GREAT and fine for when your starting, but as your factory increases in size and energy consumption increases also, adding more just becomes a little annoying. Some may try to point out to me "solar energy" but the space and cost required for the solar panels to supply the same energy as a single steam power plant is many times greater. They are honestly only useful for small outposts requiring little to no power or for when you are trying to attack enemy bases which are far away. I also know that nuclear power and possibly geothermal power may soon be added, but both would require access to natural resources and may possibly be exhausted, that's why I would like to suggest solar towers. Solar towers will basically act as a rather costly amplifier for solar panels. I say costly, because they would allow the player to generate incredibly large amounts of power limitlessly. For a start, they would still require solar panels around them, but the power output of any solar panels made to face the tower around it will be multiplied by 10. This means each solar panel would output 600kw. Insane, right? Of course, the solar tower would be quite large. It may also attract a greater amount of aliens, meaning a swarm of 5 attackers every now and then becomes a swarm of 30 attackers that frequent your front door. Also, the solar tower would require its own solar panels to make, maybe around 50? Also, it would require advanced circuits and the other blue circuits which name I cannot remember among other things. Now it may seem to costly, but for limitless energy this would still be quite cheap. Ok, so lets put this into context in a comparative manner. Nuclear power plant. They would cost a lot to make, and still require natural resources, uranium, which may be low in number BUT a single nuclear power plant may produce in excess of 2k KJ on its own without the need of outside factors such as solar panels which are only affected within a certain area, meaning maybe only 4 would be affected and maybe the increase would only be to 300-400, meaning each solar tower would produce 1.2k kw while attracting foes and taking up large amounts of space and being pretty damn costly, but being limitless. Geothermal generators would require water, and most likely an access to underground heat. Finding a spot where both are close may be tricky and may require vast pipe systems. On the other hand, the power would be limitless yet again and would probably generate 200-300kw on its own without the need for something like a solar tower. The power produced may also be affected by the heat of the source. Basically, all high tier power supplies have their own advantages but would allow the user to generate enough power easily no matter their spawn point or situation.
Ok, onto combat. I guess what im about to rant and complain about isn't combat directly but is a major factor in combat. We've all had that moment when we are doing something really important, necessary to advance to the next tier of tech but then boom, you get a message saying your turrets are in combat. This has happened 7 maybe 8 times already up to this point, so it should be fine right? Wrong. The next thing you know your getting a message saying two of your laser towers have been destroyed and most of the great wall of factorio has been climbed by the huns. So you head on up to replace them....and all you see is red. Red health bars on your towers, on your pylons, on your walls. Everything is red, so you have to waste a million resources on a hundred repair packs. I thought this game was about automation! Why do I have to manually replaster the walls and put a screw back where it belongs in a high-tech laser automated turret. We need repair roboports which will repair anything not currently in combat or being attacked, and later on combat repairports which will repair things in combat or being attacked but will cost more resources and energy plus the aliens will target and be able to destroy the repair bots which will need to be remade themselves. This will make my life so much damn easier. Maybe auto-placers as well which will place things in pre-set places if there is nothing occupying them meaning you could have an automated crafter making laser turrets or just have a small amount on stand-by so that when one is destroyed you don't have to take a train, get off at stop 10, get in a taxi and drive for 30 minutes to reach you destination just to right click and be done.
Ok, finally, there's alien tech. Im just going to start this with ALIEN TECH IS INSANELY HARD TO GET IN THE FIRST PLACE DUE TO THE INSANE SPAWN RATES AND MASSIVE SWARMS. Ok, that's my rage down. Now, not only are they difficult to destroy but once you finally manage to destroy one, after all that effort you get...4 alien tech? Doesn't that mean you can only get 4 science juice? In that case, you would need to destroy well over 130 spawner's to get all the tech. Surely the biters should have a chance of dropping tech depending on their size. Surely the worms, the things that actually fight back and do a lot of damage, should drop some alien tech. Surely there should be larger spawners which drop 10, maybe 20 alien tech.
Well, for anybody patient enough to read all the way through this without saying "HANG ON A MOMENT, I COMPLETELY DISAGREE AND THATS A RUBBISH IDEA BECAUSE...." just to have somebody point out I already addressed your issue in a later section, thank you for reading and jesus you deserve a medal. Please tell me what you think of my suggestions AKA general whining about an alpha game that feels complete but is still no where near to completion although it has already almost reached the stages of perfection. If you have any idea's that could be added onto mine, please comment on it and I will most likely devise a complex, dewey decimal like idea from your idea. Basically, a "add more ores!" will become only something well trained 50 year old virgin librarians who have been reading J R.R Tolkein since before they were born can understand or in any way, grasp. So, to sum it up, thanks for reading to much and boring yourselves to death and thanks for complaing about my complaints.
So, here's the thing. Oil is incredibly spread out, there tends to be a single patch of 1/s oil every few, what can be compared to "Miles". In real life, this wouldn't be a problem, but in game it is. Its difficult enough to protect your main "factory" so its never a good thing to have pumpjacks and refinery's far beyond your manageable borders. It also, along with the players limited access to the oil, the oil is limited itself. It seems to run out insanely fast and there is literally nothing that can be done.
Now, there are MULTIPLE ways this can be fixed, if its really a problem that is. For one, the availability of oil could simply be increased, but that's too boring and too simplistic. On the other hand, the grouping of oil could be increased meaning instead of finding one or 2 raw oil "puddles" scattered around, you find large pools. That, on its own, is also another solution. Early on, oil is not such a big issue but further in the demand for oil is increased so maybe along with the small puddles, larger pools which can only be collected via a larger, higher tech jackpump could be added. These pools would obviously have a higher yield an last longer. There is also a third, more interesting I guess, suggest I have for this. Instead of increasing the availability, a certain research could be added. This research will add 2 things. 1: deeper pumping and 2 : Deeper searching. Basically, the first research just increases the natural yield you get from each. For example, originally a puddle of oil would have a yield of 1.2/s and last for 10 minutes of pumping lets say. With this tech, the yield will go up to 1.8/s and last for a lot longer, it will take longer for the yield to decrease. The second tech from this research is a refueling of sort. At the cost of some electronic circuits, iron plates and steel, the yield will be increased or maybe just reset due to the pump digging and searching further. The cost will depend on the yield itself. If the reset system is used, lets say the original yield *including the first research bonus* is 1.3/s but it goes down to 0.3/s, at the cost of 10 electronic circuits, 20 iron plates and 10 steel, the yield will go back up to 1.3/s. The next time you do this on the same jackpump though, the cost will double, making the cost 20 circuits, 40 iron plates and 10 steel no matter how much the oil was depleted by. For the increased idea, the cost will depend on the yield. If the yield is 0.5, the cost will be 5 electronic circuits, 10 iron plates and 5 steel. The yield will then become 1/s. If the user were then to do the same on 1/s, the cost would be 10 electronic circuits, 20 iron plates and 10 steel. The yield would become 2/s and so on and so forth. The cost will not double, but will vary depending on the yield meaning a newly acquired pumpjack of 1.3/s oil will still cost something like 13 electronic circuits, 26 iron places and 15 steel even if no increase has been done on this pumpjack before, and it will increase the yield to 2.6/s. Doing this will increase the availability of oil without having to search incredible distances with no secure or fast way such as a liquid transport cart for the train of transport and without having to just increase the amount of oil. Oh, and as previously mentioned, liquid transport carts for trains for be great for if you have no choice but to go far distances for oil
My next issue, or pet peeve, is power and electricity. Steam power plants are huge. They require massive amounts of space and a steady, or large anyway, supply of coal. This is GREAT and fine for when your starting, but as your factory increases in size and energy consumption increases also, adding more just becomes a little annoying. Some may try to point out to me "solar energy" but the space and cost required for the solar panels to supply the same energy as a single steam power plant is many times greater. They are honestly only useful for small outposts requiring little to no power or for when you are trying to attack enemy bases which are far away. I also know that nuclear power and possibly geothermal power may soon be added, but both would require access to natural resources and may possibly be exhausted, that's why I would like to suggest solar towers. Solar towers will basically act as a rather costly amplifier for solar panels. I say costly, because they would allow the player to generate incredibly large amounts of power limitlessly. For a start, they would still require solar panels around them, but the power output of any solar panels made to face the tower around it will be multiplied by 10. This means each solar panel would output 600kw. Insane, right? Of course, the solar tower would be quite large. It may also attract a greater amount of aliens, meaning a swarm of 5 attackers every now and then becomes a swarm of 30 attackers that frequent your front door. Also, the solar tower would require its own solar panels to make, maybe around 50? Also, it would require advanced circuits and the other blue circuits which name I cannot remember among other things. Now it may seem to costly, but for limitless energy this would still be quite cheap. Ok, so lets put this into context in a comparative manner. Nuclear power plant. They would cost a lot to make, and still require natural resources, uranium, which may be low in number BUT a single nuclear power plant may produce in excess of 2k KJ on its own without the need of outside factors such as solar panels which are only affected within a certain area, meaning maybe only 4 would be affected and maybe the increase would only be to 300-400, meaning each solar tower would produce 1.2k kw while attracting foes and taking up large amounts of space and being pretty damn costly, but being limitless. Geothermal generators would require water, and most likely an access to underground heat. Finding a spot where both are close may be tricky and may require vast pipe systems. On the other hand, the power would be limitless yet again and would probably generate 200-300kw on its own without the need for something like a solar tower. The power produced may also be affected by the heat of the source. Basically, all high tier power supplies have their own advantages but would allow the user to generate enough power easily no matter their spawn point or situation.
Ok, onto combat. I guess what im about to rant and complain about isn't combat directly but is a major factor in combat. We've all had that moment when we are doing something really important, necessary to advance to the next tier of tech but then boom, you get a message saying your turrets are in combat. This has happened 7 maybe 8 times already up to this point, so it should be fine right? Wrong. The next thing you know your getting a message saying two of your laser towers have been destroyed and most of the great wall of factorio has been climbed by the huns. So you head on up to replace them....and all you see is red. Red health bars on your towers, on your pylons, on your walls. Everything is red, so you have to waste a million resources on a hundred repair packs. I thought this game was about automation! Why do I have to manually replaster the walls and put a screw back where it belongs in a high-tech laser automated turret. We need repair roboports which will repair anything not currently in combat or being attacked, and later on combat repairports which will repair things in combat or being attacked but will cost more resources and energy plus the aliens will target and be able to destroy the repair bots which will need to be remade themselves. This will make my life so much damn easier. Maybe auto-placers as well which will place things in pre-set places if there is nothing occupying them meaning you could have an automated crafter making laser turrets or just have a small amount on stand-by so that when one is destroyed you don't have to take a train, get off at stop 10, get in a taxi and drive for 30 minutes to reach you destination just to right click and be done.
Ok, finally, there's alien tech. Im just going to start this with ALIEN TECH IS INSANELY HARD TO GET IN THE FIRST PLACE DUE TO THE INSANE SPAWN RATES AND MASSIVE SWARMS. Ok, that's my rage down. Now, not only are they difficult to destroy but once you finally manage to destroy one, after all that effort you get...4 alien tech? Doesn't that mean you can only get 4 science juice? In that case, you would need to destroy well over 130 spawner's to get all the tech. Surely the biters should have a chance of dropping tech depending on their size. Surely the worms, the things that actually fight back and do a lot of damage, should drop some alien tech. Surely there should be larger spawners which drop 10, maybe 20 alien tech.
Well, for anybody patient enough to read all the way through this without saying "HANG ON A MOMENT, I COMPLETELY DISAGREE AND THATS A RUBBISH IDEA BECAUSE...." just to have somebody point out I already addressed your issue in a later section, thank you for reading and jesus you deserve a medal. Please tell me what you think of my suggestions AKA general whining about an alpha game that feels complete but is still no where near to completion although it has already almost reached the stages of perfection. If you have any idea's that could be added onto mine, please comment on it and I will most likely devise a complex, dewey decimal like idea from your idea. Basically, a "add more ores!" will become only something well trained 50 year old virgin librarians who have been reading J R.R Tolkein since before they were born can understand or in any way, grasp. So, to sum it up, thanks for reading to much and boring yourselves to death and thanks for complaing about my complaints.
Besides oil everything else is being worked on already but great ideas man!
