Uncommon+ Satellite ROI?

[reduke]

Since a rocket launch is very expensive and a satellite is only a relatively small part of that, I was wondering if anyone had done the calculations to determine if there is a positive return on investment for uncommon satellites? (I don't have the brain power right now to figure it out!)

Obviously putting quality modules into the final machine is an easy net win, but what about specifically producing uncommon+ quality parts?

[eugenekay]

The Quality Mod is part of the Space Age DLC. Enabling the “Space Age” mod disables the Satellite recipe from the game and lowers the cost of a Rocket launch. While it is possible to enable with third-party mods there are probably not that many Quality Satellites that have ever been crafted.

[reduke]

Ah, I haven't enabled Space Age yet, only Quality.

[Techjar]

In terms of raw resource input, quality science is always a net loss. Uncommon only gives double the science value while costing about 4x as much resources (assuming you use ore upcycling/voiding with legendary quality module 3s, which I think is the only really practical way of doing it). The benefit of making uncommon science is that you need half as many machines and labs to produce and consume it for the same SPM, so at megabase levels you can get more "SPM per UPS".

[Hurkyl]

In terms of raw resource input, quality science is always a net loss. Uncommon only gives double the science value while costing about 4x as much resources (assuming you use ore upcycling/voiding with legendary quality module 3s, which I think is the only really practical way of doing it). The benefit of making uncommon science is that you need half as many machines and labs to produce and consume it for the same SPM, so at megabase levels you can get more "SPM per UPS".

That isn't true. For example, you can make quality production science by dropping four quality modules in the crafters for electric furnaces, production module 1s, and rails, filtering the higher quality items off to machines to craft higher quality science, and adding a process to deal with the (relatively tiny) excesses of one type of item or the other from random variations.

Since you can't use productivity for those ingredients, you aren't paying a resource cost in the crafting.