Factorio Forums

When multiple isolated logistic networks exist in Space Age, the game sometimes chooses a silo belonging to a low-stock network to satisfy a rocket’s request, even though another network holds ample supplies. As a result, it fires off dozens (or hundreds) of rockets loaded with only the minimum cargo instead of launching a single, properly filled rocket from the well-stocked network.

Steps to reproduce:
- Start a Space Age save with two fully disconnected logistic networks.
- Network A: 50 Item in storage. (science is a good item candidate for this test)
- Network B: 1000 Item in storage.
- In orbit, create a spaceship request:
- Request 500 Items
- Minimum load 10
- Allow automatic loading and launch.

Network A can only offer 50 items.
Network B can fill the spaceship with one single rocket.

Observed behavior
The game sometimes satisfies a rocket’s optimal request (500 Items) by pulling from network A, even though another isolated network has plenty in stock (Network B). This can cause dozens of rockets to launch with tiny payloads (at or just above the minimum) until every low-stock network are emptied (if they ever empties!).

Why is it a problem:
If Network A is currently crafting (or collecting in case of Fulgora) items, it will continuously launch rockets with 10 item, so 50 rockets of 10 item each!
The rocket from Network B could satisfy the initial request, but it didn't pick the proper rocket for the job.

Expected behavior:
The game should select a silo from the richest network (Network B), load 500 items in a single rocket, and launch.

Suggested fix:
Prioritise the silo/logistic network with the largest count of available items for the request, so a minimum number of rockets are launched:
- Fetch a list of all the networks on the planet with available automated rocket silos
- Sort the Network list by the count of available requested items, descending
- Pick a rocket silo in the Network at index 0 (the Network with the most items)

Thanks for the report however this is not a bug. If a network has a silo with auto requests enabled and has the items a platforms requests then it is valid to be requested from.

You can either not have auto requests enabled or don’t have those items in the network if you don’t want it to use them.

Thanks for your answer.

Maybe the context is important to understand why this is a major issue (even though it’s not a bug, it’s definitely a QOL issue):

We are in a multiplayer game, on Fulgora.
Each player took an island and made a base. Of all the players, only one already knew Fulgora, the others were beginners.
The beginners were tasked with making the science, and the experienced player was there to assist.
We don’t touch each other’s bases, we could, but we decided it's more respectful and fun to let everyone play the way they want.

Now, the issue arises because when the spaceships go to Fulgora, they drain resources from the beginners' bases, while the experienced player's base, which is overloaded with items, does close to zero launches.
Later in the game, we just gave up on Fulgora because the rocket launches were so unreliable, and moved production to Vulcanus instead.

I see. So you're playing completely outside of the games designed systems and want custom behavior for this specific use-case.

It really sounds like you want to use a mod to put each player on their own force (own team) which would get the exact behavior you're after.