Circuit can control provide/unload of space platforms
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2026 4:57 pm
TL;DR
Toggle a space platform's "Provide materials to other platforms" setting using a circuit signal.The same concept could also be used to dynamically set "Unload" for each planet.
What?
Platform-to-platform transfer is amazing, and it could be even better if the toggle could also react to a circuit signal.A "Set provide" option could be added under the "Circuit connections" panel.
Since v2.1.10 introduced LuaEntity::providing_to_other_platforms, I used it to make a proof-of-concept mod:
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/bbprovide
And since the red/green circuit inputs are now distinct, we could extend the same idea to the "Unload" behavior.
A "Set unload" option could be added under the "Circuit connections" panel.
Providing a planet's signal would set the "Unload" toggle for that planet.
Why?
A player may want to have a certain amount of an item on a platform before allowing it to provide that item to other platforms.For planet unloading, a player may also want to skip unloading under certain conditions. Eg: priority service, or backup
Since requests can already be controlled by the circuit network, it seems logical to also be able to control the sending/unloading behavior through circuits.
I think this add depth to the game, especially space platforms, without introducing more complexity.