Factorio Forums

ASCII approximated within the code tags is my preferred method in lieu of a screenshot.

But then, I grew up in a different era from the average user here.

n9103 wrote:ASCII approximated within the code tags is my preferred method in lieu of a screenshot.

But then, it wouldn't be a >screen< ... >shot< any more

Koub wrote:What's the exact problem with posting a mere screenshot ? Maybe could we help you with that ? an example tells more that thousands words ^^

The exact problem is that it's too much trouble to take a screenshot using the Windows method. It's a procedure with ridiculously many steps, compared to in-game screenshot features in games such as "7 Days to Die".

:snipped:


So you're saying it's too much trouble for you to

- open Microsoft Paint (it's preinstalled)
- select Factorio window
- ALT + PrintScreen
- select Paint window
- CTRL + Insert
- save the file

and still you're playing a game like Factorio? Dafuq?


Rather you write stories about fantasy factories where every reader has to go though the wall of text and has to figure out what you meant and wonder if this mental construct was the one you wanted to describe - when looking a image would take 0.5 seconds.

Personally for me this comes over as pretty rude. Nothing personal (I don't even know you) but the overall workflow about presenting an idea is lacking.

Or he could use a sceenshooting software like the one I suggested at the bottom of the parent topic that will take the screenshot and upload it automatically to a server for easy access. It's even linked

Hey guys i'm wondering around that i couldn't see a good and compact blue science pack factory, so after some hour i figured out this. I'm waitong some respond to my build that is good ? or should it be more compact.

Here the picture in bigger resolution

Updated:

• Added the Blue Science Module
• Revamped the factory modules section a bit to help make the section a bit clearer

I was inspired by this thread to make a power generation priority list.

Firstly it would use solar panels, and then it would use accumluators, and when the power went off, it would turn the steam engines on.

All went fine and well but I rage quit when I figured out the whole time I was using smart inserters, which relied on power, as a keystone for my logic. The whole thing went from pretty sweet to completely useless since it didn't do the one thing it had to do.

Giving the inserters their own power supply would have been impossible since everything was so tightly knit and AFAIK there is no way to disconnect nearby power poles from their neighbors.

Destroyed the whole setup with my shotgun and quit the game. Oh well, maybe next time I'll figure it out.

There is a way to disconnect powerpoles. Shift click them... and use copper cable like green/red wire to reconnect them.
I don't no for sure out of the top of my head if it's shift right or shift left click.

Takezu wrote:There is a way to disconnect powerpoles. Shift click them... and use copper cable like green/red wire to reconnect them.
I don't no for sure out of the top of my head if it's shift right or shift left click.

Very helpful, thank you.

That isn't going to bring back my setup but i'll probably do it better next time anyway with that knowledge.

EDIT: Turns out the solution was a lot simpler than I thought. Simply plop a few reverse-facing pumps next to the steam line. When the power goes out, the pumps will start to die out as well, which will then allow the water to go into the steam engine. It's not perfect but it at least pushes the steam engine into the tertiary priority.

Funny enough, as well, the steam engine will spam on and off just enough to produce enough power, so it gives a LOT of warning. Also won't waste any of your fuel if you're super concerned with pollution. The most ideal use for this would be to set up solar in the day, accumulator during the night, and steam as a backup.

I have a question about boiler to steam engine ratio. Why 14:10? I use 10:10 and all my steam engines work at full capacity, why should I add another 4 boilers?

If you compare the consumption of a boiler with the production of a engine, you'll find a difference between the two. the difference nnullifies at 5 engines to 7 bpilers ore 10 engines to 14 boilers. since an offshore pump supports 10 engines the rotatio is 10/14/1. i suspect you make a mistake by reading your values, or you're running your engines not at full blast, meaning not at 510Kw per engine. 10 to 10 won't reach 5.1 Mw it should be somewhere around 4Mw maximum, you can't gain more energy then your boilers consume.

Takezu wrote:If you compare the consumption of a boiler with the production of a engine, you'll find a difference between the two. the difference nnullifies at 5 engines to 7 bpilers ore 10 engines to 14 boilers. since an offshore pump supports 10 engines the rotatio is 10/14/1. i suspect you make a mistake by reading your values, or you're running your engines not at full blast, meaning not at 510Kw per engine. 10 to 10 won't reach 5.1 Mw it should be somewhere around 4Mw maximum, you can't gain more energy then your boilers consume.

To be honest, the various UI indocators of current performance vs max performance are extremely non-intuitive.

roman566 wrote:I have a question about boiler to steam engine ratio. Why 14:10? I use 10:10 and all my steam engines work at full capacity, why should I add another 4 boilers?

10:10 might work for the time you checked, it's based mostly on how much power your base is using. Steam engines slow themselves down and even shut themselves off when the base does not need a lot of power. Remember that as you build, more power will be used, and the setup you currently have wont be effective somewhere down the line, and you'll have to make your power setup either more efficient or build more power setups to compensate, or both if your base is big enough. I like to keep tabs on my power use, watch how high the usage goes over a certain period of time to prepare for the next half hour or so of gameplay, I barely ever run into power issues when I do this, only on the off chance I forget or the locals decide to pay a visit

So remember, the setup for the steam power of 1:14:10 is designed around the most efficient power output, this does not factor in base usage so the actual efficiency is subjected to how power hungry you are

if use a replacation the mod you get small e ferness

PROTOS wrote:if use a replacation the mod you get small e ferness

...what? This thread is vanilla based, not modded

Does anyone know how many Electric Drills I need to keep a boiler running full time?

roman566 wrote:Does anyone know how many Electric Drills I need to keep a boiler running full time?

Less than one...

I'll take a quick stab at it. At full power a boiler is producing 390kW at 50% efficiency, and as such it is burning 780kW. One piece of coal is 8MJ. So it uses 780/8000=0.0975 coal per second (just under 1 coal / 10 seconds). An electric drill produces 0.525 coal / second. So one electric drill can supply, what, 0.525 / 0.0975 = 5.38 boilers?

Take these numbers with a grain of salt - I haven't checked them. It seems reasonable, though.

Also: one benefit of solar power is that you have plenty of instantaneous power production. When I'm not using solar, I tend to end up building substantially more production than I need, because otherwise lasers will shut off the base entirely.

The Lone Wolfling wrote:

roman566 wrote:Does anyone know how many Electric Drills I need to keep a boiler running full time?

Less than one...

I'll take a quick stab at it. At full power a boiler is producing 390kW at 50% efficiency, and as such it is burning 780kW. One piece of coal is 8MJ. So it uses 780/8000=0.0975 coal per second (just under 1 coal / 10 seconds). An electric drill produces 0.525 coal / second. So one electric drill can supply, what, 0.525 / 0.0975 = 5.38 boilers?

Take these numbers with a grain of salt - I haven't checked them. It seems reasonable, though.

Thanks for the numbers.

Also: one benefit of solar power is that you have plenty of instantaneous power production. When I'm not using solar, I tend to end up building substantially more production than I need, because otherwise lasers will shut off the base entirely.

Have you tried using accumulators with boilers? They work quite well covering most sudden jumps in energy consumption in my bases.