Factorio Forums

Cheers,

first of all: Thank you for providing us with this great game experience and exceptional maintenance for over a decade.

I have something i am not sure about of it is intended or if it is a bug:
Problem Short Description:
Space Platforms with a space platform starter pack in their inventory never service requests from space platforms to be built.

What i did:
1. Build space platform ("Melfish") that assembles space platform starter packs and keeps them in the inventory. Let it build and keep some starter packs.
2. Activate "Provide materials to other platforms" on that platform.
3. Deactivate automatic fullfilment of service requests on planet bound rocket silos.
4. Use "+ Add space platform" in map view to set up a new request for sending out a starter pack to a new platform ("CubeFanGaming") over the same body ("Nauvis").
5. Wait.

What happened:
1. Nothing, hovering over the entry of the space platform to be built says: "Space platform hasn't been built yet. A rocket must deliver a Space Platform Starter Pack first."

What i expected:
1. The request to be served via inter-space-platform-logistics.
2. The new space platform to be built.

When does it happen:
1. Always

Why could this be a bug?
To my understanding this might be intended behavior as the tooltip says "rocket must deliver", or it could be an oversight when introducing inter-space-platfrom-logistics. The current situation is somewhat anti-thematic as rockets only provide a cargo pod into orbit, the same as space platforms via logistics. With regards to real word physics, servicing would also make sense as the servicing space platform already is in orbit and orbit adjusting could be made by implicitly already existing station keeping thrusters. With regards to game balancing, there have been some controversial discussions in the linked reddit thread, my personal view is that there is no cheese included, as the "saved cost for rocket launches on the planet" are countered by the investment to make starter pack assembling possible. There's no clear justification for space plaforms not servicing "new platform requests" apart from the tooltip stating "by a rocket".

Additional Information:
* This topic was discussed on reddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/factorio/comme ... _does_not/
* A somewhat similar topic has been discussed in this ideas and suggestions: viewtopic.php?p=699725&hilit=starter+pack
* EDIT: After submitting i found this additional bug report which fits this report very well: viewtopic.php?p=698810&hilit=starter+pack

Attachments:
Log, Save game


Screenshots:

The space platform expecting to serve the upcoming request, about to click "Add space platform"
The tooltip, saying that it needs a starter pack.
Version, Environment:

Welcome on forums and thanks for the report.

I am not sure this classifies as a bug, also not sure if classifies as intent. Its definitely not a regression because starter packs provided from other space platforms were never a thing before so its not that it stopped working. When orbital logistics were added, i always thought of silo rockets as being a "worker robot" of the orbital network which served the purpose of a construction robot (for building space platforms) and a logistic robot (for providing supplies) so it is not unreasonable to have a separation between what platform to platform logistics can do or what it cannot do compared to rocket silos. I think space platforms also cannot resolve item launch products which is exclusive to rocket silos, so if a mod would add a satellite to a space-age, it would not be possible to obtain space science packs related to launching a satellite just by transferring that satellite from one space platform to another. What you are asking for is not a behavior that is not working, it was never designed nor implemented and as such i believe correct place for this topic is in Ideas and suggestions, especially that it involves deciding if we even want this behavior to be present or not.

boskid wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2026 10:10 am Welcome on forums and thanks for the report.

...

What you are asking for is not a behavior that is not working, it was never designed nor implemented and as such i believe correct place for this topic is in Ideas and suggestions, especially that it involves deciding if we even want this behavior to be present or not.

Thank you so much!

In that case, would you like to move my post to "ideas and suggestions"? Or what would be the course of action?