Factorio Forums

TL;DR

Building differents payload to launch with silo to get differents results

What ?

Add researches and receipes for differents kinds of satellites. right now the satellites are made with radars. Replace those radars with another component for :

• a scientific/high tech payload : build a sat. with science labs
  => get the space science packs ( as it is currently)
• a scanning payload : build a sat. with radars (like the one we have currently)
  => reveal a large (maybe random) portion of unexplored map. Or a fixed amount in every direction.
• a military payload : build a sat. with artillery shell/nuke/explosives/etc
  => get the option to make an orbital strike at any point on the map, clearing bitters, forest, cliffs... [not in multiplayer mode]
• a manufacturing payload : build a sat. with assembly machines
  => get...hmmm... rock ? debris from previous launches ? a thank you note from the dev ?

Why ?

To add some option in the endgame, based on the path you want to choose.
Plus we lack some long range scanning without military researches (or i missed it ? ). Trainworld require large exploration and oceans are hard to cross

VieuxConAigri wrote:a scientific/high tech payload : build a sat. with science labs

Tis already in teh gamez! The devs can read minds. :P

VieuxConAigri wrote:a scanning payload : build a sat. with radars (like the one we have currently)

Revealing areas of the map that aren't used makes the savegame larger for no reason. Maybe if there was a choice where to scan...

VieuxConAigri wrote:a military payload : build a sat. with artillery shell/nuke/explosives/etc

The devs have read your mind again: MIRV

VieuxConAigri wrote:a manufacturing payload : build a sat. with assembly machines

Try a fish maybe :P? Or launch yourself!

eradicator wrote:

VieuxConAigri wrote:a scientific/high tech payload : build a sat. with science labs

Tis already in teh gamez! The devs can read minds.

Yeah, i know, that why I noted that ! I was just proposing a stronger link between what's used for building the satellite and the effect of the launch.

eradicator wrote:

VieuxConAigri wrote:a scanning payload : build a sat. with radars (like the one we have currently)

Revealing areas of the map that aren't used makes the savegame larger for no reason. Maybe if there was a choice where to scan...

I may have missed something here. Long range scanning ?
And the reveal is not happenning at random, there's a decision made to build and launch that kind of sat.

eradicator wrote:

VieuxConAigri wrote:a military payload : build a sat. with artillery shell/nuke/explosives/etc

The devs have read your mind again: MIRV

Yep, that the idea !

eradicator wrote:

VieuxConAigri wrote:a manufacturing payload : build a sat. with assembly machines

Try a fish maybe ? Or launch yourself!

Looking for things to get in return... more of a dolphin

VieuxConAigri wrote:

eradicator wrote:

VieuxConAigri wrote:a scanning payload : build a sat. with radars (like the one we have currently)

Revealing areas of the map that aren't used makes the savegame larger for no reason. Maybe if there was a choice where to scan...

I may have missed something here. Long range scanning ?
And the reveal is not happenning at random, there's a decision made to build and launch that kind of sat.

VieuxConAigri wrote:=> reveal a large (maybe random) portion of unexplored map. Or a fixed amount in every direction.

I'm pretty sure you mentiond "random" there :P. Also most people don't expand in all directions equally. I'm just saying that a fixed revealing pattern is suboptimal. So maybe a targeted scan like with artillery targeting.

VieuxConAigri wrote:Looking for things to get in return... more of a dolphin :D

I'm sorry, they're not coming back. Maybe i can interest you in a nice highway?

eradicator wrote:Revealing areas of the map that aren't used makes the savegame larger for no reason. Maybe if there was a choice where to scan...

If you do not have a reason someone else may have. For example if he builds a huge railworld with long distances between factories. If someone does not want to discover area then he can just avoid sending radar satellites.

I know that there are mods with large area radars and I use them in most of games, but scanning large areas from space would fit very well into game. It would be realistic, consistent and would give more possibilities to rocket launches.
I would prefer to ask who cares how long autosave takes? If you set it happen once per hour it gives notification to stretch your hands to avoid injuries.

Hannu wrote:

eradicator wrote:Revealing areas of the map that aren't used makes the savegame larger for no reason. Maybe if there was a choice where to scan...

If you do not have a reason someone else may have. For example if he builds a huge railworld with long distances between factories. If someone does not want to discover area then he can just avoid sending radar satellites.

Welcome to the Ideas and Suggestions forum. Suggestions here are supposed to be good for everyone playing vanilla. Including such a major feature and then making it useless for non-railworlds is a waste of time. A choice of "where do you want to scan" works for everyone. Your "just don't use it" does not.

A radar satellite could also be used to permanently show already-explored portions of your world.

Jap2.0 wrote:A radar satellite could also be used to permanently show already-explored portions of your world.

I'd love that. But i know the engine can't do it :x. There was an LP once with some guy showcasing his 128 artillery train that showed how the engine counldn't keep up with the scanning. (probably this(?), can't watch right now).

eradicator wrote:

Jap2.0 wrote:A radar satellite could also be used to permanently show already-explored portions of your world.

I'd love that. But i know the engine can't do it . There was an LP once with some guy showcasing his 128 artillery train that showed how the engine counldn't keep up with the scanning. (probably this(?), can't watch right now).

I believe that was filed as a bug and fixed.

Jap2.0 wrote:

eradicator wrote:

Jap2.0 wrote:A radar satellite could also be used to permanently show already-explored portions of your world.

I'd love that. But i know the engine can't do it :x. There was an LP once with some guy showcasing his 128 artillery train that showed how the engine counldn't keep up with the scanning. (probably this(?), can't watch right now).

I believe that was filed as a bug and fixed.

I thought it was moved to "won't fix".

eradicator wrote:

Jap2.0 wrote:

eradicator wrote:

Jap2.0 wrote:A radar satellite could also be used to permanently show already-explored portions of your world.

I'd love that. But i know the engine can't do it . There was an LP once with some guy showcasing his 128 artillery train that showed how the engine counldn't keep up with the scanning. (probably this(?), can't watch right now).

I believe that was filed as a bug and fixed.

I thought it was moved to "won't fix".

Ah, I checked and you're right.
If they implement this, they'll do it right, though, so I doubt it'll be much of an issue.