Turn off / on tanks, devices, transfer between tanks

[kingdark]

Hi,
I have no clue if this has been suggested already or not, but here goes anyway.
I am a relatively new player and have been enjoying Factorio immensely. Anyway, I reached the oil stage for the first time and I put down several tanks while I was busy with other things. But when I returned it had hardly climbed at all. So I figured I could either remove a tank so it would climb faster. Except that resulted in the loss of a lot of its content. So, that leads me to my first suggestion: transfer the contents of tanks. Or, to have a way to 'lock' a tank until the first has been filled to the max.

The option to have the ability to transfer between tanks makes a lot of sense I think and it could be convenient if you wanted to redesign the layout a little bit.

What also would be very useful would be the option to turn off / on (electronic) devices. While you could simply cut the power by removing a power pole, it could become a mess further down the line. So having a tool to turn of any factory or any device really would be useful.

Which leads me to another question, this not so much a suggestion, but just a question. I figure I shouldn't make another topic if I could just ask here.

Is it normal that petroleum gas goes so slowly? I mean, I had SIX factories that produce it, into six tanks and it seems like it's doing nothing at all! (I checked and double checked but it's functioning fine)

That's also why I'm suggesting an option to transfer between tanks. So if you have too many, you could transfer the contents to other tanks so you could then remove one or more tanks.

Looking forward to any responses.

Kingdark

[OdinYggd]

I'm thinking this thread needs to be moved to general discussion, since it sounds like you've got quite a few gameplay issues here.



Firstoff, have you explored the circuit network? This is how you control your devices, making them start and stop as needed instead of running till they either run out of material or have filled up their output containers. You can attach circuit network control to any box, inserter, fluid tank, or pump, and can perform logical controls using combinators or power switching using the provided power switch item.

Secondly, oil refineries produce all 3 output fluids at the same time. If you don't have storage space for these fluids, it will only run a couple of cycles and then stop. This is somewhat different from other functions encountered up to that point where it only makes one output at a time. I recommend that you just provide 2 tanks for each type of output, and as soon as you have your plastic and battery manufacture operational research advanced refining- this produces a greater amount of gas for each crude input by making less heavy and light oil. It also allows use of the cracking recipies to break down heavy oil into light oil and light oil into gas.

When installing tanks, a good idea is to leave at least 1 tile of straight pipe in between the tank and anything else. This is so that if you should need to remove the tank, you can install a small electric pump in place of that piece of pipe in order to empty the tank back into the system it came from. You'll find that more often than not the small electric pump is used as a valve instead of being used as a pump.

Post some screenshots of your setup where things don't seem to be working right. People on here can take a look at what you've got and offer suggestions for improvements.

[ssilk]

my first suggestion: transfer the contents of tanks. Or, to have a way to 'lock' a tank until the first has been filled to the max.
The option to have the ability to transfer between tanks makes a lot of sense I think and it could be convenient if you wanted to redesign the layout a little bit.

I think this is a wanted issue in the game: You will loose the fluids inside pipes, tanks, and all the other devices that can handle fluids, if you mine them. So instead of redesigning the game you might think about designing your placed tanks in a way, that you can plug a pump between them to refill them. See answer from OdinYggd above! I do that also to see, in which direction the fluid flows.

[I do also other things, for some number of tanks I make an underground belt to connect the next group (which enables me to run through) and it enables me to remove the tanks or lay other pipes without loosing the content.
But such strategies are only useful in the early or middle-game, in the end-game it's useless to think about the content of just one tank. ]

What also would be very useful would be the option to turn off / on (electronic) devices. While you could simply cut the power by removing a power pole, it could become a mess further down the line. So having a tool to turn of any factory or any device really would be useful.

Why don't you use the power-switch?

Is it normal that petroleum gas goes so slowly? I mean, I had SIX factories that produce it, into six tanks and it seems like it's doing nothing at all! (I checked and double checked but it's functioning fine)

I don't know, cause slow is relative. And it's a gameplay question, not a suggestion. I guess you should ask in Gameplay-Help with a screenshot or better the savegame as attachement. They can help 100%.

That's also why I'm suggesting an option to transfer between tanks. So if you have too many, you could transfer the contents to other tanks so you could then remove one or more tanks.

Well, we had here suggestions that where asking, that the character should be enables to carry fluids. "In what?" the other forum users asked. But maybe someone can make a mod, that adds a slot-item, with which you can transfer fluids? On the other hand the power-suit is more in the middle of the game and you need it in the early game...