Just like yesterday, this artificial roadblock of bad balancing is bringing me here.
Again, 100x science map and i´m not able to produce enough ice with this abomination
Thats 79 asteroid collectors
Ice crushers with prod 1 modules.
Roughly 80 ice/min.
Not calculating productivity (it ran only 40min) thats less than 16 Oxide chunks/min at 5 ice/oxide, with some oxide gained back from crushing even.
Starting a ship around Nauvis always has been frustrating with standard asteroid spawn rate and i thought about complaining about it during my normal runs
But now it´s getting ridicolous.
The little ones could be alot more, since they dont hurt and beginners would see them impact and not be surprised when they first move a ship.
This always felt like something thats made annoying cos there were no other ideas.
Hence the ship name
I love this game, but even on my 3rd SA run, i have a bitter taste in my mouth
(ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
Asteroid spawn rates (I think?) are actually Constant while you are Stopped in Orbit, regardless of the Size or Shape of your platform… so adding more arms or enlarging your platform does exactly nothing.
You need to have your Platform move to somewhere with more asteroids if you want to catch those Asteroids. I agree that Factoriopedia’s graph of Asteroid Spawn Rates is not the best way to explain this mechanic (or a lot of things), but you will find that there are far, far more Oxide asteroids near Aquilo than Vulcanus. Adjust your platform’s schedule to visit these areas until you’ve restocked sufficiently… Interrupts are a great tool to detect & alter course so you don’t have to fly all the way out, just to pick up some rocks.
If you are getting Frustrated with the game and not having Fun, may I suggest that you stop playing for a little while? I find that playing a different game for a few days can clear my head… OpenRCT2 is a personal favorite.
Good luck!
You need to have your Platform move to somewhere with more asteroids if you want to catch those Asteroids. I agree that Factoriopedia’s graph of Asteroid Spawn Rates is not the best way to explain this mechanic (or a lot of things), but you will find that there are far, far more Oxide asteroids near Aquilo than Vulcanus. Adjust your platform’s schedule to visit these areas until you’ve restocked sufficiently… Interrupts are a great tool to detect & alter course so you don’t have to fly all the way out, just to pick up some rocks.
If you are getting Frustrated with the game and not having Fun, may I suggest that you stop playing for a little while? I find that playing a different game for a few days can clear my head… OpenRCT2 is a personal favorite.
Good luck!
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
You didn´t read the part about my 3rd SA playthrough?eugenekay wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2025 3:39 pm You need to have your Platform move to somewhere with more asteroids if you want to catch those Asteroids.
Also, top right corner, i can´t actually move yet.
I tought i have seen it all and can now begin to enjoy it, but every time i start it up i find some other half finished thought hanging around in a corner.
That´s 3h doing nothing, when not able to scale up, no matter how your platform looks
Well, the kitchen is clean now, wifey is happy.
AFK gaming 4tw
Only thing i can think of is making it alot smaller and duplicate it
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
Yes, I always read the entire post before Replying. I choose to assume that everybody can learn something every day, which is something that I aspire to do myself. I have been playing Factorio for years and I am still finding new Mechanics which surprise and delight me; I’m not sure how this is a problem?GrumpyJoe wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2025 3:51 pmYou didn´t read the part about my 3rd SA playthrough?
I tought i have seen it all and can now begin to enjoy it, but every time i start it up i find some other half finished thought hanging around in a corner.
Also, top right corner, i can´t actually move yet.
That´s 3h doing nothing, when not able to scale up.
Well, t he kitchen is clean, wifey is happy
If you are not getting sufficient Science Throughout from a single Platform for your chosen Research Cost and playtime… you can change something about your setup. This is an Open Forum, so you should expect to see Suggestions for other ideas to try, Discussion about the merits of your complaint, and other viewpoints.
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
I appreciate a hint in changing playstyle, i even thought about that multiple platform thing while reading your first reply.
It just felt like you overlooked me researching thrusters in the screenshot.
If its a fact that you cant scale up for orbit asteroids, more platforms is the only way.
Thats my main concern with SA. Its too restrictive "because balancing", while it was promoted as diversifying how people build
Anyway no offense intended, hope none was taken
It just felt like you overlooked me researching thrusters in the screenshot.
If its a fact that you cant scale up for orbit asteroids, more platforms is the only way.
Thats my main concern with SA. Its too restrictive "because balancing", while it was promoted as diversifying how people build
Anyway no offense intended, hope none was taken
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
As was said, the asteroid spawn rate in orbit is constant. Additionally, spawned asteroids are drawn to the center of the map, so if you build a platform whose collectors completely cover the whole perimeter, you collect them all. No matter how large the perimeter.GrumpyJoe wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2025 3:25 pm [...] i´m not able to produce enough ice with this abomination
So for a stationary platform the task is to find the smallest platform that covers all the perimeter with collectors and is still big enough to hold all necessary buildings.
As example, here is my creation from some time earlier in the game. For the early game without asteroid processing productivity it's balanced, as far as I remember. It's reprocessing metallic and carbonic asteroids to increase ice production.
If you need more than one platform is able to get, you need to launch multiple platforms. According to Rate Calculator, one platform of this is able to create 262 SPM. If you need more, you can increase productivity, but this costs energy, so you need more energy, which needs more space. Might be easier to just launch multiple platforms or to design a slowly moving platform with just 1 thruster that slowly travels between Nauvis and Vulcanus and is able to collect more asteroids. There are many more oxide asteroids near Aquilo, but in my opinion it's overkill to travel that far with that weapon requirements to handle the big asteroids there.
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
Thanks for the clarification and the BP
Multiple platforums it is then, need about 900spm
Sadly, "For the early game without asteroid processing productivity it's balanced" is way after the point I am now, since I´d need to visit Vulcanus for reprocessing first
Also needs blue belts, which i dont wanna research just yet

While writing here, Thrusters were researched and im about to build the first moving ship
Now that I know the concept of how asteroids spawn, I´d have a head start if i ever start a xXXX science map again
But i still think spawn rate in orbit is way too low, even for a normal x1 map
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Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
Reading this, it might be worth the devs adding thrusters research to the list of research that's exempt from the science multiplier and have it join Automation.
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
Almost true. There is enough randomness in the trajectories that if you use an absolutely smallest practicable platform some of the chunks will miss by far enough that they won't be collected; making the platform slightly wider will collect all of them. Testing in the editor with a minimal platform gave me about 24 chunks per minute; making it twice as wide increased that to about 30 per minute (which I'm fairly sure was everything).Tertius wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2025 5:16 pm spawned asteroids are drawn to the center of the map, so if you build a platform whose collectors completely cover the whole perimeter, you collect them all. No matter how large the perimeter.
So for a stationary platform the task is to find the smallest platform that covers all the perimeter with collectors and is still big enough to hold all necessary buildings.
Re: (ICE) Asteroid spawn above Nauvis
Nah, its ok(ish), i believe its only half the silo. with 3 science "collector" platforms i got it down to an hour, which is roughly what i was "aiming" forcomputeraddict wrote: Thu Feb 27, 2025 5:40 am Reading this, it might be worth the devs adding thrusters research to the list of research that's exempt from the science multiplier and have it join Automation.
Making it completely exempt is overkill