Factorio Forums

... so that they will implement what we need in the game.
This isn't meant to be vicious in any way, dear developers.

This is about inter-planetary communication, which currently is not directly supported by the game, but is often posted about as a suggestion or question by different engineers. But we're a crafty bunch and surely there are some ideas to make this happen anyway. Hopefully, the ideas will be so cringe-inducing and ridiculous, that an alternative will be implemented in the game.

I'll start:

Item stacks as bits

• In this example we are transmitting a signal from Nauvis to the other planets.
• Certain items are used to represent bits on a dedicated space platform. This should be done with items that are typically unused in the game.
• Lets take an 8-bit number to have up to 256 signals that can be transmitted.
• An additional bit is needed for the planet to check whether the dedicated space platform is currently in orbit.
• Wooden chests represent the first bit, iron chests represent the second bit, small electric poles represent the third bit, and so on, up to 8 different items.
• The 0/1 state of each bit is represented by the item either missing from the space platform or being present in the amount of its rocket capacity.
• The space platform will always attempt to request the dedicated items from each planet so that it can be read as a signal.
• When done transmitting the signal to all other planets, the transmitter space platform returns to Nauvis.
• On the way back to Nauvis, all items that represent bits are voided into space.
• When arriving back at Nauvis, the items are sent back to the space platform representing the current state of the transmitter.

I haven't prototyped this yet, but i don't see any reason why this wouldn't work.

Any other ideas?

I had a prototype of this for trains, where a wagon was used to encode a message about what was to be loaded on the other wagons. It can work. But i had not real purpose for using it x).


I think the question of the purpose is important because using platform to transmit messages is possible, but what kind of message would make sense given that it takes the time of 1 platform to travel between 2 planets to transmit it ?

You could use a very fast platform as a "courrier". But the system with 1 wagon that encode what should be loaded in the other wagons is useless with platforms since they already hold the information about their request.

I'm not sure there would be some information worth transmitting through such system

You're right. Maybe inter-planetary communication isn't really that useful, although there is always someone out there that will have a use-case for the most edge thing.

The same principle could be applied for communication between space platforms though which would allow controlling of circuit networks on the platform - an even more horrible mess now that i imagine it.

jaylawl wrote: Sun Dec 22, 2024 12:03 pm You're right. Maybe inter-planetary communication isn't really that useful, although there is always someone out there that will have a use-case for the most edge thing.

I know some players would want to use interplanetary communication, for Gleba, but that would be a "fast" interplanetary communication, like "telephone or telegraph or radio", not like a physical platform used as the equivalent of a old-timey mail delivery system with courrier.

Maybe you could have a single platform dedicated only to transmit the message to stop or resume production of Gleba's science. That would cause (imaginary number) of other type of science-transporting platform to either wait indefinitly above Gleba, or start to follow their schedule of transporting science to Nauvis.

Like a messager plaftorm that transmit order maybe it could also transmit the amount of buffered things in other planet, so you have all values displayed in Nauvis for fun.

jaylawl wrote: Sun Dec 22, 2024 12:03 pm The same principle could be applied for communication between space platforms though which would allow controlling of circuit networks on the platform - an even more horrible mess now that i imagine it.

I'm not sure how to apply it to communication between space platforms. I would rely on the facts that platforms can communicate indirectly with planets via request and schedule conditions

My bad. I sometimes combine sentences while overthinking what i am writing. What i meant was communication between space platforms and planets of course. I don't really see any possibility for direct space platform communication, as there is absolutely no direct connection between them.

I think you could do this more simply. Pick an item type you're not transporting with 1k cargo capacity, maybe red science. Set the minimum launch amount to 1 and request 1k on the platform and 1k on the receiving planet. On your sending planet, build a dedicated rocket launch pad and load it manually with the amount you want to send in the signal.

The receiving planet can read the amount that gets dropped and then recycle loop to get rid of them. Now that I think about it, you wouldn't even be restricted to 1k items. You could do as many as you want, you just need to control how many items you insert into multiple launch pads.

You can use the Logistic Group Combinator mod to transmit Signals anywhere, regardless of Surface and with unlimited “Channels”. This is more powerful than the Radar Transmission Network feature which has only a red/green option.

eugenekay wrote: Sun Dec 22, 2024 11:21 pm You can use the Logistic Group Combinator mod to transmit Signals anywhere, regardless of Surface and with unlimited “Channels”. This is more powerful than the Radar Transmission Network feature which has only a red/green option.

Of course, we can do anything with mods. I might even be able to code up mods for myself if need be - but this isn't about mods.