Rocket and science packs...

[mp0011]

The rocket has to have a satellite in order to get the science packs (the rocket has to be able send back the discoveries, right?).

It sounds like another 100% automatic system.

How about this: Satellite is landing on a specific tile (like on the silo, or some new building), but with limited accuracy, determined by some factors (eg. difficulty level, science progress, number of rockets send, option at game start, etc). After sending rocket, you should make a mission to recover the satellite payload... So it may land on the spot, or 10 screens away.

[redlabel]

I feel this is too complicated for what it achieves.

ON another idea we said that instead of getting science packs you would get some element that you then transform into science.

Another idea would be that instead of getting this science (or whatever you get) at once, you get it slowly or in installments ever x minutes..

[5thHorseman]

The rocket has to have a satellite in order to get the science packs (the rocket has to be able send back the discoveries, right?).

It sounds like another 100% automatic system.

Good. IMO everything in Factorio should be 100% automatic, or have an option to do it 100% automatically. My biggest problem with 0.14 (and all versions I've played before) is that alien packs means you can never automate your factory 100%. I'm so glad that's changing in 0.15.

How about this: Satellite is landing on a specific tile (like on the silo, or some new building), but with limited accuracy, determined by some factors (eg. difficulty level, science progress, number of rockets send, option at game start, etc). After sending rocket, you should make a mission to recover the satellite payload... So it may land on the spot, or 10 screens away.

Sounds like a fun mod, or an alternative to the automated system to maybe get more science. But don't remove the option for me to set it and forget it.

[quyxkh]

Heh: rocket control 0: you can deorbit the satellite, it'll land . . . somewhere . . . within a few hundred chunks of where you say, you might not want to risk it hitting anything you care about . . . but the crashes come back with 500-1000 of _all_ the science. Rocket control 1: crash within a few dozen chunks of where you say. Rocket control 3: satellites can just beam back the science, or you can pinpoint-target the crashes, it turns out that helps a _lot_ with the very biggest baddest biter bases.

edit: thinking about it, by the time you've got a rocket 1000 science is nothing. ×10 that, or more, guess we'll have to see what the new balancing looks like.

[Roxor128]

I think a better approach would be to have Satellite Uplink Stations which get data from the satellites and load it onto a hard drive for use in making the space science pack. Each uplink station needs a satellite for its source of data, so if there's a mismatch, you'll have stations which aren't filling drives or satellites whizzing around in orbit doing nothing, much like a mining outpost with full chests waiting for a train to empty them.

Just an off-the-top-of-my-head recipe idea with this system:

Advanced circuit + Processing unit + iron ore + copper wire + electric engine unit -> Empty Hard drive
Empty hard drive -> Full hard drive (made in Uplink Station)
Full hard drive + rocket control unit -> space science pack.