Earlier access to personal construction bots
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:39 pm
This idea grew out of, but is distinct from, my suggestion to move personal roboports earlier in the tree. The reasoning is the same here.
Rather than changing the function of the existing items, there could be a lower tech, more limited option for getting construction bots to follow you around as soon as you have them researched. Here's an example:
Add one recipe
Robot Control Unit
(probably some other name to avoid confusion with rockets)
2 steel, 5 gears, 9 advanced circuits
Unlocked by Robotics, works like a personal roboport when equipped to a weapon slot. Allows control of 5 robots (so max 15 if you fill all your slots). As a balance for not needing batteries, robots launched by an RCU do not benefit from speed or capacity research.
Change recipes
Roboport
35 steel, 20 gears, 5 Robot Control Unit
There is no net difference in the cost of this compared to before the change.
Personal roboport
10 steel, 2 processing units, 2 Robot Control Units, 45 batteries
Small difference in the circuit needs (and significantly less H2SO4), but mostly very close to the original
Rather than changing the function of the existing items, there could be a lower tech, more limited option for getting construction bots to follow you around as soon as you have them researched. Here's an example:
Add one recipe
Robot Control Unit
(probably some other name to avoid confusion with rockets)
2 steel, 5 gears, 9 advanced circuits
Unlocked by Robotics, works like a personal roboport when equipped to a weapon slot. Allows control of 5 robots (so max 15 if you fill all your slots). As a balance for not needing batteries, robots launched by an RCU do not benefit from speed or capacity research.
Change recipes
Roboport
35 steel, 20 gears, 5 Robot Control Unit
There is no net difference in the cost of this compared to before the change.
Personal roboport
10 steel, 2 processing units, 2 Robot Control Units, 45 batteries
Small difference in the circuit needs (and significantly less H2SO4), but mostly very close to the original