Factorio Forums

Hello,

I completed the red science pack (aka automation) and all its technology a long time ago and I'm working towards the logistic science pack. This pack requires a laboratory instrument which requires a circuit board. It looks like the circuit board recipe used by the player (wood, copper plate, and copper cable) can't be constructed by any of the automation. This seems to indicate the only real path forward is the significantly more complicated recipe (circuit substrate, vacuum tube, inductor, capacitor, resistor).

Did I miss an easy way out? I'm like 80% of the way through automating the more complicated recipe but given how rediculous the jump in difficulty feels from the automation science pack to the logistic science pack I'm starting to wonder if I missed an easy way out. (Besides hand crafting circuit 1s in mass...)

Yes, you're correct. The basic recipe only exists so that basic machines can be crafted in the early game, but to automate circuits you do have to use the complex recipe.

And if you think the difficulty jump is big from red to green science, wait until you see blue science and circuit 2s.

Thanks for confirming I didn't miss anything. I'd have been really sad if I almost finished the more complicated recipe just to find out the simple one was craftable from the start.

I'm not there yet so we'll see but honestly I doubt it'll compare, at least not in the way I meant in my original post.
Automation is maybe ~15 crafting steps? Less even?
Logistic has at least 100 crafting steps. Unless the next science pack has 1000 crafting steps its not the same "level" of jump. Still I'll find out soon :p

Honestly you might as well start cranking out logistic science packs fed by handcrafted circuits. They literally cost more when automated, even putting aside the complexity.

Yeah, even with prod modules1 everywhere you can, it's :
4.88 copper plates, 0.17 wood, and 0.52+ MJ per handcrafted circuit1
3.26 copper, 1.21 iron, 0.86 tin plates ; 0.81 glass, 0.01 wood ; bunch of other stuff ; 14.00+ MJ per automated circuit1
[for latest 0.16, which does NOT need circuits1 for RGM science]

also science 3 is also a guge step in complexity
but purple is easy after
high scince will be a pain to properly supply but as a complexity steep it will be similar to green

The steps to make red circuits make the automation of the first circuits look easy. It feels so good once you get it though and it's awesome to see the whole factory work together to make that one little item. Just wanted you to be prepared and not surprised.

I like the "Todo List" mod to help tackle one step in the process at a time. It helps you break down big chains into manageable steps.

Helmod seems to be more appropriate for that ?

BlueTemplar wrote: Tue Jan 07, 2020 12:53 am Helmod seems to be more appropriate for that ?

Yea, sort of. I'm more talking about how nice it is to help set up manageable goals. Using Helmod to figure out circuit 2's is going to give you a ridiculous big chain to make. I would add goals along the way that would get me there. Also helps remind you where to pick back up at.

Oh yeah, I know.
(I'm using more the TODO list as a reminder so that when I'm in the middle of something, and thing of something else that needs to be done, to not forget about one of these once I finish the other.)