Challenge: Most Buffed Assembler

[DoctorWho?]

Hello!

I've seen alot of posts recently about strongly boosted assemblers, and I was wondering: How buffed can it get? I have done the obvious solution of spamming beacons around an Assembler Mk. 3, but I can't access it once I do that. So, what can you come up with?

Note: Only Speed and Production boosts will be accepted, as Efficiency modules have a set cap.

[DaveMcW]

Advanced circuits buffed to the max. It produces as fast as 9 normal assembling machine 3's, with 28% less resource consumption. It also uses 347% more power and produces 322% more pollution.

If you try to use a faster recipe, your inserters will have trouble keeping up.

[NotABiter]

Efficiency modules have a set cap

Just thought I'd point out that that's not exactly true... it's power usage relative to a completely unmodified assembly machine (or chemical plant, or refinery, or smelter) that is capped (at -80%). The difference matters when you are using more than one type of module.

E.g., my smelter setup has alternating rows of beacons and electric smelters (so each smelter is affected by 8 beacons, and likewise each {interior} beacon is affecting 8 smelters). One might argue that just putting two level-2 efficiency modules in each smelter means you're already "stuck at the efficiency module cap". But providing a -80% bonus is not their limit. If instead one puts 2 level-3 productivity modules in the smelters (which cost a total of +160% power usage), one can then put 10 level-3 efficiency modules in the beacons which will provide a -240% bonus. Or, since there's 8 beacons (16 slots), you can instead use 3 level-3 speed modules (which in beacons cost a total of +105% power usage), and 13 level-3 efficiency modules, at which point the efficiency modules will provide a -325% bonus. Though that module mix only achieves a final power usage of -60% and I tend towards using module mixes that reach the full -80%, at least until I decide to play a "massive pollution" game. I may wait for them to add crafting of the "gas mask" to the game before I do that as I'm somewhat fond of breathing.

Another interesting point is that by combining speed modules with efficiency modules, it's actually possible to create less pollution per item crafted than by just using efficiency modules alone. (At least I think that's how it works -- pollution is created over time, so if creating pollution at the same rate for a shorter time one should end up with less total pollution generated. I haven't tried measuring this to confirm it though.) Likewise, combining speed modules with efficiency modules should result in less energy used than just efficiency modules alone. (I believe the description of efficiency modules is actually a bug -- they don't provide an energy reduction, but a power reduction. Now I'm going to have to put this to the test, because I actually know how to measure energy use in the game.)

[DoctorWho?]

Efficiency modules have a set cap

Just thought I'd point out that that's not exactly true... it's power usage relative to a completely unmodified assembly machine (or chemical plant, or refinery, or smelter) that is capped (at -80%). The difference matters when you are using more than one type of module.

E.g., my smelter setup has alternating rows of beacons and electric smelters (so each smelter is affected by 8 beacons, and likewise each {interior} beacon is affecting 8 smelters). One might argue that just putting two level-2 efficiency modules in each smelter means you're already "stuck at the efficiency module cap". But providing a -80% bonus is not their limit. If instead one puts 2 level-3 productivity modules in the smelters (which cost a total of +160% power usage), one can then put 10 level-3 efficiency modules in the beacons which will provide a -240% bonus. Or, since there's 8 beacons (16 slots), you can instead use 3 level-3 speed modules (which in beacons cost a total of +105% power usage), and 13 level-3 efficiency modules, at which point the efficiency modules will provide a -325% bonus. Though that module mix only achieves a final power usage of -60% and I tend towards using module mixes that reach the full -80%, at least until I decide to play a "massive pollution" game. I may wait for them to add crafting of the "gas mask" to the game before I do that as I'm somewhat fond of breathing.

Another interesting point is that by combining speed modules with efficiency modules, it's actually possible to create less pollution per item crafted than by just using efficiency modules alone. (At least I think that's how it works -- pollution is created over time, so if creating pollution at the same rate for a shorter time one should end up with less total pollution generated. I haven't tried measuring this to confirm it though.) Likewise, combining speed modules with efficiency modules should result in less energy used than just efficiency modules alone. (I believe the description of efficiency modules is actually a bug -- they don't provide an energy reduction, but a power reduction. Now I'm going to have to put this to the test, because I actually know how to measure energy use in the game.)

I did not no this, and actually have never tried mixing module types for some reason

Very impressive if you can make 500 circuits/sec for half or even a quarter of normal polution, however