Map settings for resources

[Elijah]

Hello everyone,

usually with standard settings I have plenty of resources so that I usually don't have to expand too much. I'd like to find a setting so that expanding is required and you have to be careful of not wasting resources. The reason for my wish (apart from making the game more difficult) is to being forced to fight the biters if I want to get to the resources I need, having to strike the right balance between fighting too early, and not having the right tech, and fighting too late with the risk that resources may finish before I can set another mining venture.
Also another thing is that usually resources are very close together, i'd like them to be much more sparse, with maybe more richness? ( I don't really know)

So I'd like to know what you would suggest me to set as map settings, and also I'd be very interested to know what settings YOU do play for challenges or usually.

[Boogieman14]

I've never really tried to get what you're after using the vanilla game, I started using https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... =14&t=4761 a while back and kinda never looked back It isn't fully updated for 0.11, so you'll need some modifications that I posted on one of the last pages.

[TheSAguy]

That's very true Elijah, currently the game's resource placing process is not the best. I''ve been asking for improvements since starting in version .8
The only really need a bit of Iron, even less of copper and a spot of stone to start with. If you're playing with the tree mod, you don't even need coal, but if not you need a little of that.

RSO is a good start, but with Dytech is places all the resources in the starting area, I don't like that and not sure how to turn that off. You need to go work to get the crystals, gold and other exotic stuff...

So to force myself to expand I use the below settings, as you can see just Iron and a little copper. You re-start the map until you have a little of both in the starting area and you're good to go.



Have fun expanding!

[chapium]

I usually play with /c game.alwaysday = true enabled from the console. The reason for this is that I do not find running around in the dark or constantly building lights a fun part of the game at all. To balance this I impose the restriction of not to use solar panels as well since that would be very cheaty. I just finished my first play through up to rocket defense only using solar panels to power my boiler inserters for power. It worked really well. In my next play through I am removing solar panels entirely and using a spare steam engine on a separate grid to power inserters and possibly coal production as well.

[Elijah]

That's very true Elijah, currently the game's resource placing process is not the best. I''ve been asking for improvements since starting in version .8
The only really need a bit of Iron, even less of copper and a spot of stone to start with. If you're playing with the tree mod, you don't even need coal, but if not you need a little of that.

RSO is a good start, but with Dytech is places all the resources in the starting area, I don't like that and not sure how to turn that off. You need to go work to get the crystals, gold and other exotic stuff...

So to force myself to expand I use the below settings, as you can see just Iron and a little copper. You re-start the map until you have a little of both in the starting area and you're good to go.



Have fun expanding!

Thank you. I'm gonna try this setting now, as the new dytech version just was released

I usually play with /c game.alwaysday = true enabled from the console. The reason for this is that I do not find running around in the dark or constantly building lights a fun part of the game at all. To balance this I impose the restriction of not to use solar panels as well since that would be very cheaty. I just finished my first play through up to rocket defense only using solar panels to power my boiler inserters for power. It worked really well. In my next play through I am removing solar panels entirely and using a spare steam engine on a separate grid to power inserters and possibly coal production as well.

Actually it is very annoying to have to run during the night, yes. And lights really slow the game for me (my computer being a laptop isn't really a beast). I will actually consider this.

[TheSAguy]

Not sure if this will work, but you can give this Map string a try.
Using Factorio 11.1 and Dytech 11.1+. (I also use Tree Farm Mod and Google maps mod)

>>>AAALAAEAAAAEBAkAAAAEAAAAY29hbAICBAoAAABjb3BwZXItb3Jl
AwIECQAAAGNydWRlLW9pbAICBAoAAABlbmVteS1iYXNlBQQACQAAAGd
lbXN0b25lcwICBAgAAABpcm9uLW9yZQMDBAUAAABtYWdtYQICBA8AAA
BtZXRhbGx1cmd5LW9yZXMCAgQFAAAAc3RvbmUCAgRvYgQM3jIAAFZLA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAMAeZPcuw==<<<


Let me know if this works, just curious.
*** WARNING, this map had no oil nearby and should not be tried.

[Starman001]

Just a short hijacking of this thread here I'm also currently trying to find a map setting which is more to my liking. As the OP, i also want a map that Forces me to build stretched out ressource bases that I have to maintain and make logistic for (aka an assload of trains )...But I would like to give me a bit more help at the start (the current example might have to less copper for my taste), because I play with Dytech.

I'm not fully sure I understand all the settings though

Frequenzy is pretty clear, same for size... Richness (just doublechecking) is the AMOUNT of ressources inside the "size", correct ?

How do these values apply to the enemies ? Again, Frequenzy is clear. But they are also creating new bases, so I assume "size" is the number of hives, maybe worms too, but how does "richness" affect the enemies ? What effect has "richness = very poor" on them ? Less hives, or less critters (in what timefrime ? ) I don't want to lower attacks, but the bases in dystech are nearly impossible to take... I would like to have many small bases, that also attack me, but only a few hives in it.

Also, the second thing not really clear to me, is the "Starting area" ? Which part of the map is the starting area ? Maybe I'm missing something, because so far I haven't left the area, an MK1 radar is unveiling. I would be happy if someone could explain this too me, the help didn't lead me to something usefull.

BTW; is there already a handbook / complete wiki in existing ? The current one is not bad, but it's not covering all.

Thanks !

[cube]

Just a short hijacking of this thread here :) I'm also currently trying to find a map setting which is more to my liking. As the OP, i also want a map that Forces me to build stretched out ressource bases that I have to maintain and make logistic for (aka an assload of trains :) )...But I would like to give me a bit more help at the start (the current example might have to less copper for my taste), because I play with Dytech.

I'm not fully sure I understand all the settings though

Frequenzy is pretty clear, same for size... Richness (just doublechecking) is the AMOUNT of ressources inside the "size", correct ?

How do these values apply to the enemies ? Again, Frequenzy is clear. But they are also creating new bases, so I assume "size" is the number of hives, maybe worms too, but how does "richness" affect the enemies ? What effect has "richness = very poor" on them ? Less hives, or less critters (in what timefrime ? ) I don't want to lower attacks, but the bases in dystech are nearly impossible to take... I would like to have many small bases, that also attack me, but only a few hives in it.

Also, the second thing not really clear to me, is the "Starting area" ? Which part of the map is the starting area ? Maybe I'm missing something, because so far I haven't left the area, an MK1 radar is unveiling. I would be happy if someone could explain this too me, the help didn't lead me to something usefull.

BTW; is there already a handbook / complete wiki in existing ? The current one is not bad, but it's not covering all.

Thanks !

You can imagine the resource placement as hills covered by water. Then the islands wil correspond to resource fields. The more the island rises from the water, the more ore there is on a tile.

Frequency: this is the frequency of the noise that is used to generate the resources, basucally how stretched out the mountains are. Higher frequency means more smaller islands, smaller frequency means only a few large islands.

Size. This controls the water level. Large size means that the water level is low, the existing islands will be larger and some new ones may appear.

Richness: Richness is the simplrest of the settings, when we generate some resoucess using the previous two parameters, richness gives us a multiplier for the ammount. From 0.5 to 2, iirc.

[Schorty]

How do these values apply to the enemies ? Again, Frequenzy is clear. But they are also creating new bases, so I assume "size" is the number of hives, maybe worms too, but how does "richness" affect the enemies ? What effect has "richness = very poor" on them ? Less hives, or less critters (in what timefrime ? ) I don't want to lower attacks, but the bases in dystech are nearly impossible to take... I would like to have many small bases, that also attack me, but only a few hives in it.

I think richness determines the amount of alien artifacts you get, when taking down a nest. Don't qoute me on that, it's just a guess

Also, the second thing not really clear to me, is the "Starting area" ? Which part of the map is the starting area ? Maybe I'm missing something, because so far I haven't left the area, an MK1 radar is unveiling. I would be happy if someone could explain this too me, the help didn't lead me to something usefull.

The startingarea is always free of biters and contains water. The bigger you set it, the further away the biters are. If you set it to none, you could even spawn inside of big nest of biters

BTW; is there already a handbook / complete wiki in existing ? The current one is not bad, but it's not covering all.

Only factorioforums.com/wiki, afaik. If there is something missing, you are free to request an account and insert it. That way the wiki will be complete one day

[Dantounet]

You definitively should try the "ressource spawner overhaul mod" it may fits with your needs (i had the same feelings about ressources)
You need the 1.03 version of the mod to make it work with 11.1

I Just played a 15h game of 2 players with this mod, and all i can say is its AWESOME.
If you compare it to vanilla, its a lot more exploration to find ressources, and i find it a lot more realistic.
Also, the trains gets a big part of the game with this mod, while you can play without them in vanilla games (most of my vanilla games I was camping almost all the game in my starting area)

We had barely enought ressources at start to make trains going on, and then we had to expand from long distances to get more.
After 15h we managed to make a big train network, going in every corners of the map (like 8 or 9 trains going on 6-7 different outposts and a big central station)
Oil in this mod is something a bit rare, but its fine, we need something to be rare to have a little challenge, and with exploring we found enought oil to make things work, but not that much so we had to think a bit more about how we spend it.

I will add a screen of our map later then you can see how far the ressources are compared to the vanilla settings (Not at home atm)

Download link for the 1.03 of this mod can be found here:
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... 1&start=50

[Align]

Actually it is very annoying to have to run during the night, yes. And lights really slow the game for me (my computer being a laptop isn't really a beast). I will actually consider this.

There's a setting in the options for lighting quality, does lowering that help?

[cube]

Continuing:

Starting area is placed around the coordinates (0, 0). This area has a fixed settings for water, all basic resources and no biters. At the sides of the starting area its effect is slowly decreasing. You can see the starting area when you select no water, then the circle of lakes in the middle is where starting area has 100% power

[Starman001]

Thank you for the comments guys I will try a bit different settings today... Regarding the ressource mod, i was already eyeing with it, but is it compatible with Dystech ? I gotta take a look.

[Dantounet]

Here is a map screen of the game i played for 17h now with ColonelWill, and the ressoure spawner overhaul mod.

As you can see we have a serious train network, and some are going very far.
We managed to make 4 iron trains coming from the big iron spot on the west, while the same line is used by a 1 copper train and 1 oil train.