Factorio Forums

TL;DR

Make Thruster Fuel and Thruster Oxidiser barrel-able to support platform-platform transfers and kickstarting large platforms

What?

Allowing thruster fuel and oxidiser to be barrel-able via removal of the current auto_barrel = false line.

Why?

Since 2.1 introduced platform to platform transfers barrelling oxidiser and fuel has become much more relevant. Kickstarting a large ship, particularly over Nauvis, requires waiting a very long time to collect resources before the ship can start to move. Being able to 'plug in a fuel hose' could make this much faster.
This doesn't reduce gameplay complexity in any way, and using it would actually require technical effort such as having built a dedicated platform that produces excess fuel, oxidiser and barrels.
A new mod has already been created before we're even out of beta that does exactly this: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/barrel-thruster-fluids indicating demand for this process.
I recognise that making these fluids non-barrel-able was intentional as documented by Kovarex on viewtopic.php?p=700173#p700173 however I feel that the introduction of platform to platform transfers materially changes the context and should allow that decision to be reconsidered.

One of the suggestions raised in that thread was that one should transfer ingredients or chunks instead, however for ships that do not pass these products through the hub this is non-preferred and would require significant redesign of ships for 5 minutes of use before that part of the ship is no longer required/optimal. Designing a purpose built drydock/supply ship is much more engaging gameplay. I'm already barrelling in water to kickstart nuclear power when there's insufficient ice around.

From a physics/logical standpoint being unable to barrel and transfer thruster fuel and oxidiser is nonsensical. It's fuel, stored in tanks, for thrusters, that move something through space. The tank being unable to be barrel shaped is illogical.

This is a really quick 'fix', in response to evolving gameplay options, that breaks nothing and improves player experience.

Instead of the liquied you can request the ingredients, similar to one time logistic requests on a planet.
Open a fuel chemical plant, with q pick up the ingredient e.g. iron ore and then rightclick or capslock leftclick to request Ingredients in that slot. It automatically get set as missing construction materials, is requested from palnet or other platforms and after delivers is automatically inserted in the machine. With a buffer/bootstrap platform that has iron, carbon and calcite you can qickly bootstrap a platform without the need of barreling any fluid and dealing with empty barrels etc.

revilowaldow wrote: Sat Jul 25, 2026 10:27 amOne of the suggestions raised in that thread was that one should transfer ingredients or chunks instead, however for ships that do not pass these products through the hub this is non-preferred and would require significant redesign of ships for 5 minutes of use before that part of the ship is no longer required/optimal.

You can manually make an item request ghost in the relevant buildings, and it will be satisfied from the hub. So for one-off item movement you don't have to do a redesign.