Just another solar farm

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pichutarius
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Just another solar farm

Post by pichutarius »

Many posted their awesome solar farm layout, none suit my taste, so i design this myself.
Let's get to the point.

Goal:
1. Perfect 25:21 ratio
2. Tileable
3. Able to start from small
4. Able to construct via map view (use radar and roboport)
5. Pretty to look at (symmetric)
6. Minimize unusable space, radar, roboport.
solar farm blue print book
I will walk through my thought process. If u are not interested, the string is above, nothing to see below.
1x1 unit
Substation has the highest coverage to footprint ratio. Can 25 solar and 21 acc fit into a substation?
>>Tile usage = 25(9) + 21(4) + 4 = 313 tile
>>Substation coverage = 18 * 18 = 324 tile
In theory, yes. After some tweaking, i manage to fit them together.
Hereafter, i will call this 1x1 unit (18x18 tile) this is the building block.
1.png
1.png (283.71 KiB) Viewed 8390 times
2x2 unit
Rotate and arrange into 2x2 unit, rearrange some acc in the middle. Now roboport can be placed in the middle.
Notice that every corner has 2x2 tile, these space is reserve for radar, and server as visual marker as border of 2x2 unit.
If u prefer, there are spaces for chests and lights too.
2.png
2.png (85.99 KiB) Viewed 8390 times
Radar and Roboport, beyond 2x2
Not every 2x2 unit needs radar and roboport.
The next goal is make bigger tileable blueprint using 2x2 as building block.
>>Some restrictions:
>>-radar covers 12x12 unit (7chunk * 32tile/chunk / 18tile = 12.444)
>>-radar should always goes to 4 corner for any blueprint, this gives vision to the edge for future extension.
>>-roboport covers 6x6 unit (110tile / 18tile = 6.111)
>>-roboports connect each other within 2x2 unit range (50tile / 18tile = 2.778 -> 2 :()
Below shows the coverage size and connection range. Each square is 1unit (18tile).
Notice that Radar (R) is placed on black crossing (corner) while roboPort (P) is placed on yellow crossing (middle).
While roboport can be placed on either corner or middle, radar should always be placed on corner.
3.png
3.png (18.48 KiB) Viewed 8390 times
8x8 unit (12.8unit : 1port)
Although radar covers 12x12 unit, i realise that 12x12 blueprint is not the best choice, because 12x12 is SOO big that it cant fit inside my screen. I go for 8x8 instead. (Also radar is inexpensive)
As for roboport, aiming for highest coverage to roboport ratio is quite a fun challenge. This is the best i can find. (12.8unit : 1port)
4.png
4.png (20.23 KiB) Viewed 8390 times
other possibilities
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mrvn
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by mrvn »

Does roboport coverage matter that much?

Sure you want it to build the solar farm. But if you put the farm on the side of your base, so bots normally don't go over it, then once build you don't need any ropoborts. Maybe keep them around the border to expand the farm or repair damage. But no need in the middle.

Same for radar, who needs a radar in the middle of the solar farm? Nothing to see there.

Other than that I like your methodical approach and design explanation.
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pichutarius
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by pichutarius »

mrvn wrote:Does roboport coverage matter that much?

Sure you want it to build the solar farm. But if you put the farm on the side of your base, so bots normally don't go over it, then once build you don't need any ropoborts. Maybe keep them around the border to expand the farm or repair damage. But no need in the middle.

Same for radar, who needs a radar in the middle of the solar farm? Nothing to see there.

Other than that I like your methodical approach and design explanation.
did u mean deconstructing roboport and radar after building the solar farm? that seems like a hassle, but yeah u can deconstruct those the middle.
also by the time u consider deconstruct the middle radar/port, i imagine the cost of those will be minuscule compare to the farm or science stuff.

tldr: laziness
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mrvn
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by mrvn »

pichutarius wrote:
mrvn wrote:Does roboport coverage matter that much?

Sure you want it to build the solar farm. But if you put the farm on the side of your base, so bots normally don't go over it, then once build you don't need any ropoborts. Maybe keep them around the border to expand the farm or repair damage. But no need in the middle.

Same for radar, who needs a radar in the middle of the solar farm? Nothing to see there.

Other than that I like your methodical approach and design explanation.
did u mean deconstructing roboport and radar after building the solar farm? that seems like a hassle, but yeah u can deconstruct those the middle.
also by the time u consider deconstruct the middle radar/port, i imagine the cost of those will be minuscule compare to the farm or science stuff.

tldr: laziness
I would build the farm in a spiral and remove the ports to build the next loop of the farm. While resources to build roboports and radars even more so might not be too critical they also need power. How much of the solar farm is needed just to power the roboports and radars?
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Jap2.0
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by Jap2.0 »

mrvn wrote:Does roboport coverage matter that much?

Sure you want it to build the solar farm. But if you put the farm on the side of your base, so bots normally don't go over it, then once build you don't need any ropoborts. Maybe keep them around the border to expand the farm or repair damage. But no need in the middle.

Same for radar, who needs a radar in the middle of the solar farm? Nothing to see there.

Other than that I like your methodical approach and design explanation.
A few reasons:
  • If you remove the roboports and the bots try to fly over, if it is large enough, then they will run out of charge before reaching the other side, resulting in an endless loop of them trying to move across.
  • What if I want to deconstruct part of the farm later?
  • I like being able to zoom in from the map to see parts of my base. In this scenerio it is completely useless, but whatever.
  • My time is valuable (that's why I bought Factorio... wait...), and I don't have the time to remove all that.
There are 10 types of people: those who get this joke and those who don't.
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mrvn
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by mrvn »

Jap2.0 wrote:
mrvn wrote:Does roboport coverage matter that much?

Sure you want it to build the solar farm. But if you put the farm on the side of your base, so bots normally don't go over it, then once build you don't need any ropoborts. Maybe keep them around the border to expand the farm or repair damage. But no need in the middle.

Same for radar, who needs a radar in the middle of the solar farm? Nothing to see there.

Other than that I like your methodical approach and design explanation.
A few reasons:
  • If you remove the roboports and the bots try to fly over, if it is large enough, then they will run out of charge before reaching the other side, resulting in an endless loop of them trying to move across.
  • What if I want to deconstruct part of the farm later?
  • I like being able to zoom in from the map to see parts of my base. In this scenerio it is completely useless, but whatever.
  • My time is valuable (that's why I bought Factorio... wait...), and I don't have the time to remove all that.
You need the blueprint printer mod and have to design some grey goo to automatically extend the farm as needed.
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pichutarius
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by pichutarius »

How much of the solar farm is needed just to power the roboports and radars?
Using 8x8 unit in my original post, which contains 1600 solar.
1 radar uses 7.14 solar,
5 roboports use 5.95 solar,
7.14 + 5.95 = 13.1 solar, which is 0.82% of 1600 solar.

I still think its not worth the hassle, but maybe that's just me.

Also Jap2.0 has a good point about recharging bots in mid flight.

Edit: about the mods, i assumed that this forum is for vanilla, or maybe im wrong.
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mrvn
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by mrvn »

@pichutarius: So about 1% power loss to save setting a destrcut planner on 6 entities.

@ jap2.0:
As said put the farm to the side where no bots are flying. Otherwise I totaly agree. Not having recharging where bots are flying is a death sentence for logistics.
If you want to deconstruct it then you have to work in reverse. Place roboports one loop further in, remove outermost layer.

On second thought when you expand the farm there are robots flying over it, unless you have provider stations around the farm and construction bots in every roboport. So maybe better leave those. But the radar seems worth removing. Or simply not placing them at all. Zooming in is nice but for the solar farm it is totally useless. I'm playing with AAI vehicles so I would just send one of them there by remote control to place the blueprint (AAI vehicles have their own mobile radar) and then send it away again.
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CLion
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by CLion »

mrvn wrote:But the radar seems worth removing. Or simply not placing them at all. Zooming in is nice but for the solar farm it is totally useless. I'm playing with AAI vehicles so I would just send one of them there by remote control to place the blueprint (AAI vehicles have their own mobile radar) and then send it away again.
zooming in is necessary in vanilla for placing blueprints, so u need them if u want to infinitely expand without walking around
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pichutarius
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by pichutarius »

mrvn wrote:@pichutarius: So about 1% power loss to save setting a destrcut planner on 6 entities.
to be fair, probably more than 6 entities because if u do, u probably gonna do it in one fell swoop.
but then figure out where to deconstruct without breaking the link is just another hassle.
and in map view, some are scanned some are not is just very ocd unfriendly.

we will just have to agree we are different, and thats fine with me ;)
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mrvn
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by mrvn »

pichutarius wrote:
mrvn wrote:@pichutarius: So about 1% power loss to save setting a destrcut planner on 6 entities.
to be fair, probably more than 6 entities because if u do, u probably gonna do it in one fell swoop.
but then figure out where to deconstruct without breaking the link is just another hassle.
and in map view, some are scanned some are not is just very ocd unfriendly.

we will just have to agree we are different, and thats fine with me ;)
Note that removing them from a large field is simple if you keep it rectangular. Just set a filter for radars and select the whole area inside the outermost line of radars.
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pichutarius
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by pichutarius »

"If you believe something to be true, you have to set out to disprove it."

i try to use the "spiral" method just to see what it looks like (esp. in the map view), but alas i can't.
i like to set water to very big. the map is more interesting, and my factory, railway has to adapt to the shape of land/water.
for me it is very pleasing to see them built along the coastline, and solar is no exception. the shape of my farm is not a big square, but the shape of the land.
and nope, using landfill defeat my philosophy. i only use it on extreme cases.

and of course there exist superfluous radar/port but that's just another hassle and more ocd unfriendly.
in attempt to disprove it, i end up liking it more.
that doesnt mean ur method is not good though, just it doesn't suit my playstyle.
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mrvn
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by mrvn »

pichutarius wrote:"If you believe something to be true, you have to set out to disprove it."

i try to use the "spiral" method just to see what it looks like (esp. in the map view), but alas i can't.
i like to set water to very big. the map is more interesting, and my factory, railway has to adapt to the shape of land/water.
for me it is very pleasing to see them built along the coastline, and solar is no exception. the shape of my farm is not a big square, but the shape of the land.
and nope, using landfill defeat my philosophy. i only use it on extreme cases.

and of course there exist superfluous radar/port but that's just another hassle and more ocd unfriendly.
in attempt to disprove it, i end up liking it more.
that doesnt mean ur method is not good though, just it doesn't suit my playstyle.
Water: Only in starting area. Problem solved. :)
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pichutarius
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by pichutarius »

:lol: :lol:
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Xtrafresh
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by Xtrafresh »

pichutarius wrote:i like to set water to very big. the map is more interesting, and my factory, railway has to adapt to the shape of land/water.
for me it is very pleasing to see them built along the coastline, and solar is no exception.
OMG there's more of us! :shock:

Love the fractal solar farm btw!
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pichutarius
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Re: Just another solar farm

Post by pichutarius »

thanks. and glad to know someone similar to me.
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