Do you plan the whole factory from the start?

[NananLummox]

Cause I can't. I always have to make changes, considerable changes due to planned size and it ends being not big enough usually, or I wanna inject more iron to the thing and not enough space and I gotta play tetris or redo the whole thing.

[pioruns]

I never plan anything. It's a sandbox game after all, not paper RPG.

[Tertius]

I cannot think while the game is running. This is some kind of pressure I can't stand. So I have a copy of my map, switch to map editor mode, then design new stuff with the map paused. I design for some goal, for example some initial factory for use after landing on a new planet, or the science production for a new science pack with the same SPM as for the early science packs on Navis. Or design some generic mining outpost layout so I can just stamp down a blueprint, connect rail tracks, and the new mining outpost is up and running.

This results in some self made blueprints I deploy on the real map. Then fixing stuff until it actually works, because the conditions in map editor are always different than with real map.

[Fabriken AGI]

No plans. No main bus. No other peoples blueprints. Periodic refactoring when upgrades gets available. Strive to balance ratios. when happy with ratio and somewhat compact, it could accidentally become a blueprint and added to the library (and never used)

Otherwise it would just feel (for me atleast) like a kids coloring book where its just tedious work of filling in the blanks

Tbf i mostly enjoy building with circuit network and such. The game around is a nice scenery Recently discovered fCPU mod, AAI etc and plans to try it out tonight. Loved Shenzhen I/O so i am hyped!

[Kyralessa]

For Space Age, at least, design-from-the-start wouldn't really work anyway, unless you plan to never refactor later.

In the course of the game, you get:

• beacons
• turbo belts
• electromagnetic plants
• foundries
• stack inserters
• biolabs
• recyclers
• cryogenic plants
• etc....

Granted, turbo belts and stack inserters are basically drop-in replacements, but most of the others have different space requirements.

Of course, you could just not use them... But given the 50% productivity bonus, it makes a lot of sense to redesign and migrate when you can.

I guess if you want to avoid major redesigns, you should probably plan out your factory with about twice as much space as you initially need, to allow room for larger buildings later.

[Amarula]

Not a detailed design at the start, but the big picture - I use map tags to show the plan power is going to go over here, research labs down here, starter base planned to transition to mall here in the middle. And I love trains so I know I am going to be moving to trains as soon as I can, so my layout is taking that into account from the start.

[Silari]

Rarely actually plan anything in my base, just build things as I need them where there's room, and try to leave extra space around things to rebuild stuff if its needed later. Sometimes, its almost enough extra space.

If you're doing a main bus, it's not too hard to add a station to sideload something onto it to refill.

[NineNine]

No plan.

Just build.

[J-H]

I look for what direction I can build a main bus (although with SA the bus is far less important). Starting on the 2nd playthrough of SA, which I'm still on, I also leave gaps in my factory so I have room to add things later, like pipes for molten metals, room to swap green and red circuit production over to foundries and EM plants, etc.

[jdrexler75]

Plan? What's that? Sounds like a hassle.

If I'm not going to snake new belts through already overloaded areas I'd be bored.

[trancexpress]

I do plan from the start, leaving space to grow bits where more production is needed. Unfortunately I always run into space issues sooner or later, then I have to remake the factory.

[Mightyloly]

The plan usually from the start is the following:

rush to furnace stacks -> automate belts -> do automate other stuff

start messing around at around getting oil

start burning up biters and exploding them

back to oil products

continue to liberate those terminid-i mean evict biters for the precious oil

start doing "end-game" for normal factorio
or "mid-game" for factorio space age stuff

profit

if space age -> go to any planet that is not aquilo

and rinse/repeat the bootstrap process

The map tags are helpful!!! I usually go from starter base to mid base to mid base to mid base to "main base"
I usually leave a *lot* of room for expansion between builds and therefore i have to clear more biters out for that precious land
rails are a time sink but they work very well once set up

circuits are fun

tl;dr its a sandbox play how you want it. the world is your oyster yadda yadda
feel free to mess with world settings to ur liking

[Shulmeister]

I find it impossible to plan the whole factory from start , there's always stuff I want to add, or new ideas along the way.