Why do my robots keep going to storage?

[Zpike]

I build construction and logistics robots but they seem to end up in storage after a while.

Anyone know why?
Do they pull themselves back out of storage when needed or do I need to go get them once in a while and put them back into action?

[Gandalf]

By storage, do you mean yellow storage chests? As far as I know there is no mechanic for robots that are in the network (as in flying around) to get out.
Here's what might be happening:

• Do you have automated production of robots and could it be those are the robots you are finding in storage?
• Do you maybe have an inserter taking robots out of a roboport and putting them into chests?

As for getting robots back in the network: You could set up a requestor chest next to a roboport, have the chest request robots and an inserter transfer them from the chest directly into the roboport.

[Koub]

The roboport is the natural storage for logistic robots that have nothing to do at a particular moment.

For construction and logistic robots to get to work, you need :
- either a ghost building (the one you get with shift-click or with a blueprint) AND what's needed to build it in your logistic network (in a provider chest, or in a storage chest)
- either a damaged building in the range of your roboports AND some repair packs in your logistic network (in a provider chest, or in a storage chest)

For logistic robots to get to work, you must have :
- either a requester chest somewhere that requests something (and doesn't already contain it) AND that the requested item exists somewhere in a storage chest or a provider chest
- either you requesting something in one of your logistics slots (and you don't already have it in your inventory) AND that the requested item exists somewhere in a storage chest or a provider chest.

Note : when a robot is first built, it's a intert object it has to be "activated", either by "building" it (like a building of your factory), either by placing it in a robot slot of one of your roboports.

Hope that helps.

[Zpike]

I think I've figured out what's happening...

I have roboports placed all over the place within range of each other so they link up.
II don't have any inserters either pulling or placing robots in my roboports, I've been building robots by hand when needed.
I keep 20 or so of the Flying Robot Frames in my personal inventory and build either construction or logistics robots when needed and drop them by hand on a roboport.

Here's what I think is happening. I've been using robots to fight my battles with the critters. I made a blueprint of a laser turret defended roboport and I spam them all the way out to a critter base and the robots end up destroying the base for me. I can walk away and do something else while they are cleaning up the area. Then I create a bunch of new robots to replace those lost in the battle and destroy all the installations I built for the battle by tagging the area for destruction and letting the robots clean up. Easy squeezy!

Here's the rube --- when the robots clean up the roboports, there are robots in the port and these robots get sent to storage along with all the other junk being cleaned up after the battle. Laser turtets, walls, roboports, lights, and yes --- robots trapped in the destroyed roboport!

Mystery solved!

I'm going to take your advice and place a requester chest by a roboport and have it collect any robots in the storage system and place them back in a roboport. Done and done!


Thanks for the replies everyone!

[SHiRKiT]

Huuum, understood. Also, it's hard for the devs to change this behaviour, i.e. make robots inside a roboport spawn when robots pick a roboport, because it's unknown what's the player's intention.

[DukeAl]

Wouldn't it be enough if robots left a roboport if it is marked for deconstruction?