Friday Facts #441 - Space logistics improvements

[LegoBrainBiker]

lots of good improvements, now the only thing I want is to be able to place multiple landing pads on a single planet

[macdjord]

As for the rocket capacity mentioned in the item tooltip, which was another blocker for this feature, I decided to keep it referring to the default capacity in utility constants. Changing it to item weight and letting players calculate rocket capacity in their heads might have been better for mods with many custom rocket silos but not so much for Space Age.

Why not just show both? You could even display it as a single entry. Something like "Weight: 10 kg (100 units / 2 stacks per rocket)".

This would be particularly useful in combination with the new system of mixed rockets, because while 'rocket capacity' is the more useful metric when you're working with single-item rockets, trying to calculate mixed rockets is much, much easier using weights.

Now I see diagonal rocket nozzles and can't unsee it

06-05-2026, 14-48-12.png

I know, right? It's bugged me for years. I'm honestly surprised more people don't complain about it; there's got to be a lot of overlap between this game's playerbase and KSP, so we should have plenty of people around here who know what a rocket should look like.

This also applies to any items manually trashed of course, so your expedition ships don't leave while you're waiting for your construction robots and such.

What does this mean? Afaik my personal construction robots can't do stuff while the character is in orbit, so does this mean all space ship logistics grinds to a halt while I have anything in the trash slots while on surface?

He's talking about a scenario like this: you arrive at a new planet for the first time and drop the player-character to the surface. You then order your ship in orbit to drop your starting supplies, including a couple stacks of construction robots, so you can get started; you also order the ship to head back to Nauvis, since you won't need it for a while. You then switch to the player-character and take a look around. A couple minutes later, you go 'wait, why hasn't my stuff arrived?', and go check, only to find the ship left orbit before actually sending your supplies down, and has now dropped them on Nauvis instead.

[zwickau]

Great improvements.

However a few more things would really make things a ton better.

1) Please add combinators with multiple if then else conditions that can be controlled explicitly instead of toggling and auto grouping into "and" and "or" conditions the way it is now. Then add value to output if true and a different one if false.
2) allow copy/pasting conditions in combinators
3) allow copy/pasting individual conditions and rules in space platform schedules
4) allow copy/pasting individual conditions and rules in train schedules
5) make space platform schedules work like logistics requests in that you can name a schedule and then share that schedule with different platforms. then when you modify the schedule, all platforms are updated at once
6) make space platform schedule work like train schedules in that they get evaluated when something changes or periodically, not just when the platform decides to depart. If you want a platform to go get fuel for example, it won't if it's stopped at a planet waiting for some reason. It should check it's schedule conditions while waiting and then depart if the condition is met. same as train schedules, I don't understand why you didn't implement space platform conditions like train conditions in this respect. Train conditions are superior.
7) please add channels to radars on the planet as well as in orbit. In the GUI you only show it for the space signal.
8) hopefully this is the case already, but please allow using any signal for radars not just planets, eg IRON, A, B, 1, 2 etc
9) please allow using named strings as signals in combinators, radars etc. Instead of picking signal "A" or "blue" or "iron ore", let us type a name like "fuel" when picking a signal

+1 !!

To every point above, +1. I have thought all of this myself. Except that last one, and I doubt they'd add such a thing, but it would be incredibly useful.

The best QoL change they could make is adding an "else" section to combinators so I can fit in a full "if ... then X else Y" structure.

Close behind is copying/pasting train schedule instructions. It's a no-brainer. Earlier, I've thought, "but there must be SOME way to do it!"

[k-Knight]

Can anyone tell me if this is already available in experimental? Can't wait!

[Loewchen]

Can anyone tell me if this is already available in experimental?

No, experimental release is expected end of this month.

[k-Knight]

No, experimental release is expected end of this month.

[Neutronium]

The platform transferring stuff is very exciting, this will bring about a lot of new blueprints and ideas.

Will players be able to transfer platform -> platform as well?

[Nemoricus]

Now I see diagonal rocket nozzles and can't unsee it

06-05-2026, 14-48-12.png

I know, right? It's bugged me for years. I'm honestly surprised more people don't complain about it; there's got to be a lot of overlap between this game's playerbase and KSP, so we should have plenty of people around here who know what a rocket should look like

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... launch.jpg

There’s real world precedent.

[luc]

Omg omg omg! I'm so hyped for platform-to-platform requests, how is that major headline news so far down the post

And everything else of course as well. The full rocket to order 1 comparator was such a waste, and I will definitely find a use for global signals as well <3

You guys sure this shouldn't be a paid upgrade? Donations at least? Take my money please

---

lots of good improvements, now the only thing I want is to be able to place multiple landing pads on a single planet

Just to make sure: you've noticed that placing multiple cargo bays lets you receive more orbital drops simultaneously right?

[macdjord]

Now I see diagonal rocket nozzles and can't unsee it

06-05-2026, 14-48-12.png

I know, right? It's bugged me for years. I'm honestly surprised more people don't complain about it; there's got to be a lot of overlap between this game's playerbase and KSP, so we should have plenty of people around here who know what a rocket should look like

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... launch.jpg

There’s real world precedent.

Yeah, but those are small vernier motors used for steering. The ones on the Factorio rocket are visibly either the same size as or only slightly smaller than the big central engine.

[evandy]

The platform to platform feature is seriously game changing and TBH, might even be a little over powered. I think there should be some cost to sending packages between platforms, or at least some sort of ship to ship launcher system kinda like how space exploration worked with their cargo guns. Being able to just get close to another platform in orbit and launch like 20 cargo drops between them seems both awesome and OP. Will have to play with it when it arrives.

I mean, the cost should be fuel. Only possible when at least one of the platforms has (fueled) thrusters maybe? Not that I have any issue with the current announced implementation, just pondering.

[evandy]

My goal is to maintain a buffer of various materials near a Rocket Silo so that incoming platform requests can be fulfilled immediately. If the buffer chests are supplied by belts or trains, this works fine. However, I haven't found a convenient way to do the same using only the logistic network.

I have always viewed this as a use case for separated logi-networks. Should work just like you want if you make a separate logi-network for the silo from the rest of your base. You can supply your buffer chests via inserters and circuits via requestor chests in a nearby logi-network 1-2 tiles away with circuits to manage the incoming requests.

[LizardOfOz]

Personally, I'd prefer if sending mixed-rockets into space would've been a task for the player to solve (but you could launch rockets with circuits and read rocket weight), rather than for the game to hand out the solution on a silver platter.

However, if you're playing Space Age for the first time (and especially if you're playing both Factorio and Space Age for the first time), it's significantly more difficult than on the subsequent playthroughs, so, I can understand why the devs chose to eliminate this challenge.

Oh, I have an idea: allow to launch rockets with circuits, and make it be possible for the mod API to disable mixed-rocket automation?

[aaron311]

Love the improvements!!! You have fixed a TON of my 'gripes'.

Now if we could only:
* set space platform destination via circuit network
* launch rockets via circuit network
* put blue circuits, rocket fuel, low density structures INTO rocket cargo via inserter

I my full list of annoyances re: circuit networks & rocketry would be completely solved

But hey, I am grateful still ofc <3

(And yes there are mods to do 2 and 3)

[InanisLector]

Since this change is mainly just behavioural and only really matters on the early or, maybe, mid game - why not make it a separate official mod that comes with space age? In that way people can use it through the stages where rocket efficiency matters and switch to the much simpler calculations of "fill up the smallest rocket that does not overfill" in the stage where performace becomes a concern due to number of silos and platforms.

And since, as I said, rocket logistic requests is purely a runtime thing that does not affect the saves (as far as I'm aware) - switching mod on and off during the playthrough should not be an issue. Basically free win for both sides.

[brucemalt]

This is everything I ever wanted!

Thank you so much!

[schinni]

booyaH!

[deer_buster]

As for the rocket silo animation, I would rather see the assembly of the rocket from ghost to full rocket with the launch doors open while building. Leave them closed when one isn't requested.

[Tealtanium Golem]

So with the new ability to "Set requests" and "Read contents" on the space platforms. Does this carry over to being able to use both "Set recipe" and "Read contents" on machines? A blueprint I was working on a while ago I could not get to work the way I wanted specifically because of this issue.

[Kibb99]

Love all the updates and that the FFF is back! (for now )

Couldn't help but notice that some of the ship designs look an awful lot like FTL ships... For sure noticed the Bulwark and probably the Kestrel too!

Very observant!
viewtopic.php?p=693452#p693452

Thanks for this! I made my own Kestrel and Bulwark but approximated the shapes by hand! (I think I tried to see if something like this was available and didn't find anything with a quick search back when 2.0 first came out)