Construction Robotics Trains

[The Phoenixian]

So I've been playing the game a fair bit and I have a simple little idea to consider for a niche I noticed in the late game. Specifically for building outposts automatically (something I've seen people complain about in this subforum).

The idea is simple enough: A train (car) that acts like a construction robot allowing it to place rails, electric poles, inserters, chests, roboports and suchlike from it's own inventory (And possibly to deconstruct buildings for when you're packing things up.)

As long as it can place objects two spaces away from the rail it's on and can place curved rails (whichever needs more range) it should be enough to bootstrap one's way up to a roboport and from there to a full scale facility.

The only system not in the game now that would be required for it would be the ability to path along ghost rails to stations.

Trees are a problem for their interference with ghost buildings & blueprints... but that's why we have long outdoor walks and the joys of agent orange environmentalism... by which I mean poison capsules. (I swear this game has turned me into a Captain Planet villain.)


Basically think an upgraded variation on this machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MKcTbYDP7w

Apologies if this is a bit overspecific.

[ssilk]

I understand exactly and like it.

I think the best description I remember is here: https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... der#p19588

But also other posts:

https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... bot#p11017
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... +bot#p4513
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... der#p19764
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... der#p16887
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... der#p14092

[The Phoenixian]

I understand exactly and like it.

I think the best description I remember is here: https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... der#p19588

But also other posts: -snip-

Ah, it was under "blueprints" and "builder" not "trains". Explains why I missed it. Sorry about that.

Thinking further though, one of the odd uses that comes to mind here is that if the range of the train's building placement is long enough it could be feasible to a construction traincar loaded with walls and/or repair packs and a line of rails to maintain one's perimeter defenses. Hmmm... Can't help but think that's nudging too far into the roboport's territory.

[ssilk]

Well, for that I point to this: https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... ort#p23548

Roboports have colors and only roboports with the same color belongs together. Other colors can "overlap" and those areas are "exchange zones", which are eventually useable for such stuff.

[Chthon]

Also, due to the power requirement, roboports are also meant for short range transport. Medium is possible, but the larger the area, the more prohibitive the cost becomes. It falls under N^2 for power requirement, where N = Radius of the network. The biggest issue is that if you don't build the network roughly square you will lose many robots as they try to take a direct line to their destination. They run out of power halfway and crash and burn.

Railroads do not suffer from this, and an easier way to lay down long segments of tracks would be great.

[jorgenRe]

There was just released a mod that does add a roboport to trains! Check the mod section of this forum.

[ssilk]

Also, due to the power requirement, roboports are also meant for short range transport. Medium is possible, but the larger the area, the more prohibitive the cost becomes. It falls under N^2 for power requirement.

I see the robots also only as short range transport. But they can be used quote well to sort the things. To bring the stuff in the right chests. Make it ready for transport, pack it. Or unpack it and bring it to the right places for production.