Effective use of bots

[nikimilky]

I found it hard to go back after switching from playing without bots to using construction bots. I had a similar experience when I started using modules (productivity, speed, efficiency), and now I almost always design builds around modules and beacons.

However, I haven’t yet found a strong use case for logistic bots. I do use them occasionally for “awkward” production chains—for example, flying robot frames or yellow science, where the ingredients don’t connect cleanly to a main bus. In those cases, I use bots instead of creating messy belt setups.

That said, I haven’t experienced the same impact or “wow” factor from logistic bots as I did with construction bots, modules, faster belts, or better assemblers.

When I first started using modules, what really helped was seeing a prioritized list of where productivity modules provide the most value (e.g., rocket parts > labs > yellow science > blue circuits, etc.).

So my question is: is there a similar guideline for logistic bots? Specifically, where do they provide the biggest and fastest payoff when first introduced?

p.s - I saw similar posts with "just use them anywhere", which is... fair. But as I start up I cant just use them for everything... Like in the case of modules, if I would start using prod modules for iron rods or copper plates I might have not bothered with them at all.
Thats why Im asking specifically for the job/area they will make the biggest and most noticeable impact.

[Tertius]

I have these use cases for logistic bots:

• transferring items across the (mainly belt based) factory to avoid spaghetti
• supplying rocket silos with items requested by space platforms
• item transfer for all kind of automatic malls
• item sorting on Fulgora (includes a sorter optimized for very short distances - nothing is faster than bots if the maximum distance is up to 10 tiles)
• supply the perimeter defense wall on Nauvis and Gleba with artillery shells, repair packs and wall replacement items. Items are being delivered by train, then made available to the defense area by bots. Construction bots mainly. On Nauvis huge wall segments with 1000 or 2000 tiles, extremely long distance transfer, but throughput is not important at all.
• trash removal (spoilage) on Gleba. Trash removal must be done everywhere, and using belts would fill half of the area with belts dedicated just for spoilage.

In general, production lines are mainly belt based but deliver their end products to the logistic network. The research labs are still being supplied by belts, because science pack consumption is very static.

Building a proper logistic network is not just building a bunch of roboports and add 50k logistic bots. To get decent throughput, low latency and low bot usage even for distant items, you need to properly use buffer chests and create item flows by requesting items into buffer chests to move far away items to local where they're about to be used before the're actually being requested for consumption.

If you happen to own Space Age, an example for good buffer chest usage is requesting the cryogenic science pack to a buffer chest next to your rocket silos, so when they're being requested by your transport platform the bots can immediately move them into the rocket silo. If they're stored more far away, filling the rocket silo becomes very slow because the robots exhaust their battery en route very fast and need to recharge while holding a science pack instead of delivering it.

[Brathahn]

The first big useful case when you unlock logistic bots is personal logistics. I find it really handy to have a certain amount of intermediates and inserters/belts whatever in your inventory automatically stocked.
The second big part would be bot malls. no need for complicated spaghetti malls that take up huge amounts of space. Especially on other planets when you first visit them.