Oil Refining

[Kamata]

Kamata -

For Bobs Mod I typically separate my factory into plate processing, chemical processing, electronics department, research department, power supply and then the factory proper. For the factory proper I've done pretty well with 6 sets of 4 belts plus 2 sets of 4 pipes. At some point in the later game I give up and then just go to bot logistics.

Leave 5 belts free for your electronic circuits.

For the main electronics department you need:
- 10 belts in for copper plate, tin plate, plastic, raw wood, gold plate, silicon, lead plate, carbon, glass pl and calcium chloride
- 5 belts out for finished circuits
- pipes for Ferro Chloric Acid, H2SO4, water and Nitrogen
For the added mod department you need:
- Aluminum Plate and finished Gems (6 different types)

Great mod - played through 3 or 4 times now.

Yeah, I've already run into some things I'd like to have done differently, it's my first playthrough of bobs mods and a lot of it can be very confusing off the bat.
I have noticed however that after making circuits and getting the assembly mk 2 that it becomes much simpler. Making those circuits was so confusing for me at first! xD

on the topic of copper wires: the main reason, to me, that they shouldn't be bussed is that only a few recipes use them, and most of those are one-off recipes:
-electronic circuits
-advanced circuits
-beacons
-small electric poles
-combinators

that's all i can think of. if they were used more, i probably would buss them, even though it is less efficient, because of convenience. but as it stands, copper cables fail to meet my #1 criteria for bussing: used by a variety of items (that i usually automate)


also, the only time storing oil in barrels is more efficient is if you are using a bot-based storage system, because while 9 steel chests can hold ~4.25 times as much as a tank, the infastructure for a simple belt-based system would require:
-1 chest for full barrels
-1 chest for empty
-4 inserters (in+out for each chest)
-4 belts (in+out for empty/full barrel lines)

already that is 10 tiles, just to store 1 chest worth of oil in barrels, or about 1250 oil, in a size larger than a tank that holds 2500 oil

This would probably annoy most people, however I've never cared much for 'efficiency' so much. As long as all the belts on my bus are full and I get the items I need when I want them, I'm happy.
In terms of power, there's a huge map out there ready to be built upon. As for pollution, I really couldn't care less xD

Perhaps some day I'll actually build a factory based on ratios and efficiency but right now I'm happy with what I'm doing as everything I want to happen is working fine.

[AutoMcD]

I stand corrected about the wire, good points.

[sckuzzle]

also, the only time storing oil in barrels is more efficient is if you are using a bot-based storage system, because while 9 steel chests can hold ~4.25 times as much as a tank, the infastructure for a simple belt-based system would require:
-1 chest for full barrels
-1 chest for empty
-4 inserters (in+out for each chest)
-4 belts (in+out for empty/full barrel lines)

already that is 10 tiles, just to store 1 chest worth of oil in barrels, or about 1250 oil, in a size larger than a tank that holds 2500 oil

You need the infrastructure initially, sure. But once that is set up, it takes only two tiles for each additional chest-inserter pair. You could argue that this is actually 4 for the empty barrels if you aren't re-using them.

However, 1 chest worth of oil in barrels is 12,000 oil, not 1250. That may change your comparison of storage density slightly

[DragonHeart996]

This would probably annoy most people, however I've never cared much for 'efficiency' so much. As long as all the belts on my bus are full and I get the items I need when I want them, I'm happy.
In terms of power, there's a huge map out there ready to be built upon. As for pollution, I really couldn't care less xD

Perhaps some day I'll actually build a factory based on ratios and efficiency but right now I'm happy with what I'm doing as everything I want to happen is working fine.

The thing that annoys me the most in these forums is when people argue over 'how the game is meant to be played', and I have a very definitive answer for that: it is a game, and all games are meant to be played the way that is most fun for the person playing it! My only exception to that is for playing multiplayer, if it ruins other peoples experience, you shouldn't do it.

Also, I often go to both ends of the efficiency scale: in one world, I have a combinator-controlled smart factory that only uses/makes exactly what it needs, and in the same world, I have a insane factory that I am working on that, when complete, will guzzle 48 express belts worth of iron and copper ore, and over 1,000 (fully speed moduled) refineries worth of oil products, with a calculated output of ~1 rocket every 25 seconds when at full capacity (which it may well never reach)! XD I know, I'm crazy!

[DragonHeart996]

also, the only time storing oil in barrels is more efficient is if you are using a bot-based storage system, because while 9 steel chests can hold ~4.25 times as much as a tank, the infastructure for a simple belt-based system would require:
-1 chest for full barrels
-1 chest for empty
-4 inserters (in+out for each chest)
-4 belts (in+out for empty/full barrel lines)

already that is 10 tiles, just to store 1 chest worth of oil in barrels, or about 1250 oil, in a size larger than a tank that holds 2500 oil

You need the infrastructure initially, sure. But once that is set up, it takes only two tiles for each additional chest-inserter pair. You could argue that this is actually 4 for the empty barrels if you aren't re-using them.

However, 1 chest worth of oil in barrels is 12,000 oil, not 1250. That may change your comparison of storage density slightly

Did I do my math wrong?

1 barrel = 25 oil
1 stack = 10 barrels
1 chest = ~50 stacks
So 25 * 10 * 50 = 12500
Derp. I missed a 0 somewhere. Darn mental math XD

Ok, so 1 chest = 5 tanks? Personally, I'll never even think about doing that. Seems a bit too op for my liking. Like, ridiculous op.

Plus, in my worlds, only two things are ever happening to crude oil: either I'm using it up too fast, or I'm not producing it fast enough. The only reason I bother with crude oil tanks is for the times when all my oil trains sync up and want to unload their oil all at once, and then no train arrives for a minute or so.

[Kamata]

The thing that annoys me the most in these forums is when people argue over 'how the game is meant to be played', and I have a very definitive answer for that: it is a game, and all games are meant to be played the way that is most fun for the person playing it! My only exception to that is for playing multiplayer, if it ruins other peoples experience, you shouldn't do it.

Agreed, everyone has their preference on how to play.

Also, I often go to both ends of the efficiency scale: in one world, I have a combinator-controlled smart factory that only uses/makes exactly what it needs, and in the same world, I have a insane factory that I am working on that, when complete, will guzzle 48 express belts worth of iron and copper ore, and over 1,000 (fully speed moduled) refineries worth of oil products, with a calculated output of ~1 rocket every 25 seconds when at full capacity (which it may well never reach)! XD I know, I'm crazy!

That's quite the ambitious project but it sounds like fun to try out.
Let me know how this works out for you. I'd like to know how many problems you might run into trying this. I've not come up with a good system for feeding a whole bunch of rockets yet.

Ok, so 1 chest = 5 tanks? Personally, I'll never even think about doing that. Seems a bit too op for my liking. Like, ridiculous op.

I do see what you're saying there, for a chest to be so small and hold so much oil it doesn't seem quite right. It's a difficult one to work around in the game mechanics really. But at the same time it wouldn't just be OP for oil, In the real world you'd never fit so much ore, or power lines, or inserters into such small chests so really all chest usage is 'OP' - I guess it depends how you look at it really.
The way I see it is that it's an intentional game mechanic so I'll use it as such. Better than piping my oil from all over the map when a train makes it easier (Better solution; oil tankers for trains and ditch the barrels)

[DragonHeart996]

That's quite the ambitious project but it sounds like fun to try out.
Let me know how this works out for you. I'd like to know how many problems you might run into trying this. I've not come up with a good system for feeding a whole bunch of rockets yet.

My biggest problem so far was coming up with a 48 belt-and-lane-balancer for the train station output, as well as designing a station to unload a 2-9-2 train onto 6 fully compressed express belts in under 15 seconds. Getting and maintaining compression was tricky.

I do see what you're saying there, for a chest to be so small and hold so much oil it doesn't seem quite right. It's a difficult one to work around in the game mechanics really. But at the same time it wouldn't just be OP for oil, In the real world you'd never fit so much ore, or power lines, or inserters into such small chests so really all chest usage is 'OP' - I guess it depends how you look at it really.
The way I see it is that it's an intentional game mechanic so I'll use it as such. Better than piping my oil from all over the map when a train makes it easier (Better solution; oil tankers for trains and ditch the barrels)

True enough. But for oil barrels there is something to compare their OPness to. I agree with you on the oil tankers part, and the only reason I don't use the rail tankers mod is that their workaround, while quite functional, does not give very much loading/unloading capacity, and is a bit derpy.

[Kamata]

True enough. But for oil barrels there is something to compare their OPness to. I agree with you on the oil tankers part, and the only reason I don't use the rail tankers mod is that their workaround, while quite functional, does not give very much loading/unloading capacity, and is a bit derpy.

Totally get what you're saying. But the game is still early access and I'm sure I heard talk about them making their own train tankers (Maybe that was just a rumor I dunno) I guess at this stage, anything could change. That's part of the excitement of having an early access game could actually pass as a good game as it is! Love it! ^^