Set requests for space platform hub via circuit signals

[MrSpreadsheet]

TL;DR

Allow setting space platform hub requests via circuit signals (and allow getting them from the planet) so you can set up dynamic resupply space platforms.

Why?

I want to keep Fulgura regularly resupplied to a certain amount with Green Circuits from Nauvis. I create a Nauvis-Fulgora space platform that goes back and forth shipping resources one way, and science back. I calculate the number of Green Circuits I need on Fulgora but cannot use that signal to set Space Platform Hub requests. With this and either Radars on space platforms should link signals to the planet under them or Radars should be able to link circuit signals between planets you could use circuit signals to set requests on the Space Platform Hub based on resources required on a given planet and load rockets more optimally.

[Kenira]

Seconded. Another good use case for this is the prometheum science pack, since it requires biter eggs and you only want to request them when you actually want to craft more science packs. So being able to request based on circuit conditions would be helpful here to avoid always asking for eggs which then spoil and cause attack notifications.

[Malidictus]

Completely agreed. I was trying to perform a similar task - make requests on Fulgora, then send a platform back to Nauvis to fulfil those requests. However, I've no means of dynamically changing the platform's requests so there's no way for it to adapt to what's needed. I can't even "cheat" by sending signal requests to the platform's internal inventory to "fake" it having items in stock, because signals aren't interpreted that way. If I say a signal of 50 Uranium Fuel Cells to the station, that doesn't tell it that it HAS 50 Uranium Fuel Cells in stock. Those signals are only ever used for scheduling, not requests.

So I would very much like to be able to set platform requests via circuit signal, like I can with pretty much every other logistics container in the game.

[RockPaperKatana]

This would be useful for promethium science platforms, where it only requests biter eggs when it's about to depart.

[hylomane]

I want to throw my support for this here.

There is a lack of automation support for space platform requests that is seriously needed. Currently the only working system to automatically request items from other planets is by using the same named logistic group on the landing pad as on the space platform. This means that items are doubled, one set on the pad and one on the platform which leads the platform to run around carrying items that are not needed, instead of having available room for return items.

I think the best way to allow this is to be able to set requests for a named logistic group through the circuit network. There is one complication here which is that there can only be one "setter' and it can't be overwritten until that setter is deleted. In the UI I imagine a checkbox in the object where the logistic group is added to "control throught circuit network" and then everywhere else where that group is used again, instead of the checkbox is says what is setting that dynamic request, maybe a button to take you to that entity so to the player can go there and remove it. That is my suggestion, maybe the devs find a better way to implement this, but I think this would solve people's problems and also allow a lot of other cool things in the game.

[rosilisk]

Agreed - this seems like a natural thing to have and it directly addresses an otherwise annoying problem with biter eggs spoiling when not needed for the promethium science pack.

To avoid communication that can't exist otherwise, I don't think the circuit connection should allow one ship to set a request via local circuit signal that is somehow propagated to other ships. Therefore, I guess this should be implemented something like:

1. In the "Circuit connection" dialogue of the Space platform hub that pops up when a wire is connected, add a checkbox like "Set logistics requests".
2. If checked, a new logistics group appears that can't be directly modified, but includes all items requested.

The main issue I see with this kind of solution, and why I guess it has not been implemented yet, is I'm often reading the contents of the space platform hub, too. So that signal would set requests for every item that's currently in the hub, which is annoying and unintuitive. There needs to be a separate networks for 'read' and 'send' operations, somehow. Red/green wire is a natural choice for this, or perhaps the hub is modified slightly to include two points for circuit connections like a combinator. If those modifications are too invasive or problematic, perhaps the circuit network cannot request 'all' signals but only a specific one that can be mapped by the user. For example, the user specifies that signal "B" means request that amount "Biter eggs". For me at least, that's all I'd need.

[Eternal]

i thought im not capable of solving it...

currently i set some conditions if i run out of ore or chips, it vents out into space the remaining eggs, but i cannot stop the requests...

[Hellkeeper]

would also love to see this - especially for requesting Biter Eggs on my Promethium Fleet only when really needed ...

[eugenekay]

While not in the Base Game, you can use a mod such as
Logistic Group Combinator to set the contents of a “Logistic Group” using a Signal; which can then be added to the Platform Hub.

Good Luck!

[Khazul]

+1, also viewtopic.php?f=6&t=123460

[Loup&Snoop]

+1
Since all the circuits for signals get really messy at a hub, maybe it would be good to just have the ability to toggle a logistic group with a circuit signal. Instead of passing in item requests like for a logistic chest, which will lead to a lot of weirdness with whatever is in the hub. Something like this, but prettier.

01-20-2025, 12-35-07.png (15.57 KiB) Viewed 4313 times

[adam_bise]

++

[PianoAddict]

+1
For anyone looking for advanced platform logistics in the meantime, consider using token items as described here https://youtu.be/hM-fR2_N3Mw
It's impressive how creative ideas can overcome limitations like this, but unfortunate that it's so hard to compensate for the lack of a feature that would feel so intuitive and consistent with other parts of space age.
Edit: spelling

[Aplyde]

+1, would really love to see this. The process of getting promethium science is already intricate enough in my opinion, all the solutions I've come up with for biter egg handling are awkward in a way that doesn't feel right for Factorio. The expansion does a great job at pushing players out of their comfort zone to motivate them to come up with new designs and solution (especially Gleba and Aquilo) but the biter eggs just don't feel right to me because of the inability to dynamically request biter eggs only when needed.

[Speedy]

I really wish we could do this, mostly for handling biter egg requests on my promethium platform... But there would be so many other uses for it.

I don't see why circuit network communications between a platform and the planetary surface would be problematic. The whole point is that there's no INTERPLANETARY communication via circuit network, and that's not violated so long as we're just talking about requests for items between a space platform and the planet it's docking at.

[Speedy]

To be clear, I don't think the contents of circuit networks on different surfaces need to be linkable via radar. I just think we should be able to set a space platform hub's requests via circuit, not just manually.

Right now, I have to jump through some crazy hoops to create promethium science on a platform AND still have 75,000 FRESH biter eggs sitting in inventory when my promethium ship departs for a shattered planet run. I'd really like to be able to tell my circuit network to request 10,000 biter eggs while crafting promethium science, and then once all the promethium chunks have been used up, I'd throw all the biter eggs into space, and then set the request to 75,000 biter eggs (which would all be delivered at once, fresh), and then immediately depart for the shattered planet.

As things stand, I'm always requesting 75,000 biter eggs, that can't change via automation, and all the planetary surface knows is that it needs to keep supplying 75,000 biter eggs non-stop. Very difficult to deal with.

I guess maybe I could build something that detects the rate of promethium science packs being dropped down from space, and somehow limit the number of biter egg rocket deliveries until the rate of promethium science pack deliveries drop below a certain threshold... But that's a pretty janky "solution" to what shouldn't be such a difficult problem.

[Magnote]

+1, I've just found this issue, completely scraps my idea of a platform suppling precise amounts of items, only carrying immediately desired items.

[SirSmuggler]

+1

As for the specific problem of prometheum science and biter eggs, my solution is to have a stationary platform for it that requests prometheum chunks and eggs. At Nauvis I only activate the inserters extracting eggs when the request for prometheum chunks is 0 (so when the platform has all the chunks it requests). That way eggs are not sent up untill needed.

I know it's a some what inefficient solution as the chunks are sent down to the surface only to be sent up, 10 at a time, again. But at the stage when you can get prometheum to begin with, a few extra rocket launches are realy insignificant.