Assembling machines useful late-game

[mg79]

TL;DR

Make Assembling Machine 1 not suck. Instead of each tier of assembling machine obsoleting the previous, make each tier good at different things.

Problem

Currently this game about automating things doesn't really start until you've researched Automation 2, because that's when you can actually automate things. Assembling Machine 1 is simply too limited and can barely make anything useful. You can't even use it to make basic splitters or more assembling machines. Consequently, the only thing you use Assembling Machine 1 for is to make Red science packs and get Automation 2 as soon as possible.

However, once you've researched Automation 2 you never put down another Assembling Machine 1. They've been made completely obsolete less than an hour into the game.

Suggestion

• Let Assembling Machine 1 make items with up to 3 components. This would give players more option in their early research instead of forcing them to make a beeline for Automation 2.
• Differentiate the assembling machines so they each have a niche of usefulness.
  Example: Assembling Machine 1 could have a bonus that makes it the best choice for crafting simple items such as gears, wire, sticks, etc. AM2 could be best for crafting mechanical items such as engines and other machines, while AM3 could be the best for advanced items that use advanced/processing circuits.

[cellular]

I still use Assembly Machine 1s for quite a while after researching Automation 2 because they're cheaper and faster to hand-craft. They're enough to make transport belts, green circuits and gears, which are generally all I want to make in bulk before researching Automation 2 anyway, so they're not a particularly severe gatekeeper and I don't think it's a good idea to remove the two-item restriction. Giving every item different crafting times depending on the assembler seems like it would be a pain to keep track of, and might be very hard to implement without undesirable side effects - when mods do this sort of thing they generally need to add a specific recipe for each machine, which clutters the crafting menu substantially.

[Caine]

However, once you've researched Automation 2 you never put down another Assembling Machine 1

I disagree. Assembly machine 1 is cheaper and more energy efficient than assembly machine 2. It also operates at a different crafting speed which makes it possible to align ratios.

Suppose you need two assembly machines 2 creating piercing rounds (common in e.g. military science setups), these are nominally crafted 1 every 3 seconds, which means for an assembly machine 2 it requires 4 seconds to craft. It needs 1 firearm magazine as input.

An assembly machine 2 will produce a firearm magazine every 1.33 seconds. In the time that two assembly machines 2 each create a piercing round an assembly machine 2 will create three firearm magazines, thus overproducing. An assembly machine 1 will only produce a firearm magazine every two seconds, thus perfectly aligning with the assembly machines 2.

[Oktokolo]

The lower tier assemblers are not obsoleted. They are an ingredient to the higher tier recipes.
The higher tier assemblers have a higher power demand (in action and when idle). You could use the lower tiers to conserve power and reduce overall pollution generation in a deathworld.
The higher tier assemblers are also quite costly in an expensive recipes setting.

Normally, i replace assemblers with higher tiers in my factories as soon, as they become available. But there are scenarios where the lower tiers might be the better option for some extended time after unlocking the higher tiers.