Brainstorm This Factory Coordinator Computer [Slightly updated]

[lupoCani]

Like many of us, I have experienced the plight of managing a shipyard with a limited number of factories at my disposal. However, instead of making shipyards bypass factories altogether for a penalty, like some have suggested, I suggest we uproot the issue at it's core- factories are a tedium, let's add something to manage factories for us.

The factory coordinator computer should do just that. You link any number of factories, storages and shipyards to it, and it makes sure they're all doing what they need to.

What it would do:
It would have storages, factories and shipyards linked to it. These linked blocks would be the system to be managed.

It would take requests for items, either through the GUI, or in the form of pull ticks from linked factories or shipyards. It would then try to fullfill said requests, either by detecting the items in storages, or managing factories to produce them, making sure all steps and sub-steps are done properly.

If a request cannot be completed, it would inform the user of the raw materials required.

It would have a versatile interface. You could ask it to produce any quantity of any block, or you could ask it to match the block requirements for a particular blueprint, or n times the requirements of a blueprint if you're making a fleet. I'm sure there's more possibilities here I haven't thougt of.

Edit: For clarity, consider the following example. The player instructs their coordinator to make one thousand black armor and two hundred black armor wedges. The coordinator executes the following process:

• "We need one thousand black armor, two hundred black armor wedges.
• We have one hundred black armor already. Set st. factory 1 and 2 to make it into wedges.
• Set bs. factory 1 to produce black paint, set bs. factory 2 to produce black hull.
• Whenever there's no grey hull to paint, set bs.factory 2 to make grey gull, then switch it back when there is some.
• When st. factory 1 and 2 use up the existing supply of black armor, set st.f 1 to produce standard hardener, and set st.f 2 to produce black armor.
• When 1100 black armor has been produced, set both st.f 1 and 2 to make the remaining 100 wedges."

What it would not do:
It would not ever actually do anything besides set factories. Since it's exceedingly easy to set up your storages so that every factory can access everything that every factory makes, it's easier for the manager to assume this is the case. Then, it needs only to make sure the requested items are anywhere in the system it monitors, and know that particular need is fulfilled for now. This way, it remains purely a control block. It sets the behavior of existing ones, no more, no less.


Factories could become a whole lot more optimal if they're configured on the fly, and manufacturing in general could be a whole lot less redundant. The logic shouldn't be too hard to implement, at worst, it's a couple of steps of checking if a resource if there, if not, what is needed to make it? Since the flow of items follows an everywhere-to-everywhere structure, a lot of potential problems are cut out from the beginning, too. Hopefully, this block would remove one of the larger tediums of the game, while not actually changing any physical game mechanics.

 

[ltmauve]

Yeah, managing factory set-ups is a pain. Anything more complicated than automated refining requires a lot of effort to make this, then that, then another thing, and another.

Would this use shared enhancers (that is, would it not matter which enhancers are used for which factories?)

 

[lupoCani]

Well, no, that would defeat the point of a control-only block. Essentially, if a player moving about really fast and setting factories couldn't do it, this block wouldn't. The aim is not to change any physical mechanics, only to control the existing functionality better.

 

[Madman198237]

Great idea. My idea of a block like this is one that you link to all the storages, factories, shipyards, etc. that you want connected, and it then feeds materials to where they need to go.

 

[lupoCani]

I considered that, too. Eventually, I decided that if all inventory management was handled completely by that one block, it would render the rest of the very well thought-out inventory systems largely purposeless. So, for the time being, a block that purely controls other blocks is probably the best option.

 

[jstenholt]

How is this any different from linking shipyards and factories directly? It seems like you're suggesting an extra, and very unnecessary, step.


Also, when you say

However, instead of making shipyards bypass factories altogether for a penalty, like some have suggested, I suggest we uproot the issue at it's core-

I kinda feel like it's a direct jab at what is in my opinion a far better solution to factory management.
Recognized - Raw Resources used in Shipyard BP Construction

 

[Madman198237]

It's not different, in that way. Except is does add another thing to interact with. Also, this particular block could be used to mass-produce, say, white standard armor, without micromanagement. It's not just useful for shipyards, if you give it the proper inputs. This block could take, without an excess of effort, your stocks and factories, and then be used to produce things if, say, you're building a ship in survival and need to mass-produce a color of armor for the hull. You set this block to make X number of that armor block, and it does.

That's how it's different.

 

[jstenholt]

You set this block to make X number of that armor block, and it does.

That's how it's different.

Yes, but that's an extra block that doesn't need to exist. That option could easily be included in the factory block itself and I'm fairly certain I've seen that in a recognized thread somewhere.

 

[Madman198237]

Yes, but the difference is that this block could do it faster, by making all the requisite components in multiple factories simultaneously. It's completely up to Schine, as always, but it's really a "add more functionality and mess to factories and their UI" or "Add another new block to figure out" discussion at this point.

Pick a favorite: The two are just about evenly matched from my point of view.

 

[lupoCani]

How is this any different from linking shipyards and factories directly? It seems like you're suggesting an extra, and very unnecessary, step.

How is it different? It's not. In fact, I even made it clear- you'll still be linking factories, storages and shipyards together. This block would handle that which comes afterwards. Setting factories to produce needed blocks, setting factories to produce the materials needed for those blocks, and the materials needed for those materials, and so forth. It's not an extra step, it's an optional convenience. It sits outside of the factory system and makes sure it does what it needs to, so that you don't have to.

Also, when you say

I kinda feel like it's a direct jab at what is in my opinion a far better solution to factory management.
Recognized - Raw Resources used in Shipyard BP Construction

Yes, it kind of is. That suggestion annoyed me a bit- when observing that "this part of the game is tedious", the first solution to come up should not be "remove that part of the game", much less "hard-code a bypass to effectively remove in this particular subsection of the game". As I said, I want to uproot the problem, not effectively give up on factories altogether, nor reduce them to a mechanic where you trade resource efficiency for tediousness.

Yes, but that's an extra block that doesn't need to exist. That option could easily be included in the factory block itself and I'm fairly certain I've seen that in a recognized thread somewhere.

Well, not really. I mean, it could, but it would get a whole lot more messy, and wouldn't be as good in the end. This block sits outside of the factory system and manages it.

• "We need one thousand black armor, two hundred black armor wedges.
• We have one hundred black armor already. Set st. factory 1 and 2 to make it into wedges.
• Set bs. factory 1 to produce black paint, set bs. factory 2 to produce black hull.
• Whenever there's no grey hull to paint, set bs.factory 2 to make grey gull, then switch it back when there is some.
• When st. factory 1 and 2 use up the existing supply of black armor, set st.f 1 to produce standard hardener, and set st.f 2 to produce black armor.
• When 1100 black armor has been produced, set both st.f 1 and 2 to make the remaining 100 wedges."

Is the kind of action plan it would set up and implement when you say "One thousand black armor, two hundred black armor wedges, use existing blocks if possible". One factory could do this, too, but it really is functionality worthy of it's own block, particularly if it's also going to keep track of shipyards and see what they need.

 

[Keptick]

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes omg yes yes gib

Setting up and using factories at the moment is cancer, somethint that's not enjoyable in a GAME.

 

[lupoCani]

Well, that's an endorsement I can get used to. I added the example to the main post, hopefully it might clear up some confusion.

Come to think of it, maybe this shouldn't be a block, but an NPC? It would make them one of the most beloved features in the game, get them used regularly and overall give them a place in the game. It does seem like the sort of thing they'd do.

 

[Keptick]

I'm just gonna bump this, things would be so much better if the suggestion was implemented.

Seriously, people would definitely interact of fight more with one an other if they didn't have to do 10 hours of slave labor to produce a single ship...

 

[Madman198237]

I hope that a system gets implemented soon, because right now it's a pain in the rear to grind up stuff for anything.

 

[spunkiethefirst]

Or perhaps a Factory foreman NPC?

 

[kiraen]

I actually do enjoy setting up and running factories. (I know, I'm wierd)
My only problem is controlling the numbers, which this looks like it would fix.
+1

 

[Lukwan]

I actually do enjoy setting up and running factories. (I know, I'm wierd)
My only problem is controlling the numbers, which this looks like it would fix.
+1

I also enjoy designing a factory set-up. What I don't enjoy is the overly complicated crafting system that is tedious due to the micromanagement. (Multi-stack armour...I'm looking at you) If this were fixed I could work around the other things.

1) Currently you can make limited production runs using finite cargo-areas for each factory. The factory stops producing when the cargo area is full. I would love to have the 'Full' status trigger a logic O/P to help with automation. The OP has a good idea about setting limits via a GUI. I don't know if the Devs are favoring a Voxel solution over the GUI (SM uses both) but the GUI would easier for new players and more versatile so I support this approach.

2) What I would find most helpful would be a display that tells me what ingredients have become depleted so I can go on a quest for Mats.

3) Some people say they can't build, some say they are terrible pilots, others say they hate their factory-job. Why do we assume this is a bad thing? We all do something well and we all like this game or we would not be here. Why not embrace these differences? They speak to our individual uniqueness and they are the makings of a good squad... or a great crew! Maybe we we should celebrate the fact that SM has so much depth that none of us can master every element. This makes for a good motivation to join a faction and find our role in the team & get to know our community.

Edit:*** 'I would love to have the 'Full' status trigger a logic O/P to help with automation.' ***
---I have recently learned that factories will send a logic signal (via C-V?) when full.---

 

[lupoCani]

I also enjoy designing a factory set-up. What I don't enjoy is the overly complicated crafting system that is tedious due to the micromanagement. (Multi-stack armour...I'm looking at you) If this were fixed I could work around the other things.

1) Currently you can make limited production runs using finite cargo-areas for each factory. The factory stops producing when the cargo area is full. I would love to have the 'Full' status trigger a logic O/P to help with automation. The OP has a good idea about setting limits via a GUI. I don't know if the Devs are favoring a Voxel solution over the GUI (SM uses both) but the GUI would easier for new players and more versatile so I support this approach.

2) What I would find most helpful would be a display that tells me what ingredients have become depleted so I can go on a quest for Mats.

3) Some people say they can't build, some say they are terrible pilots, others say they hate their factory-job. Why do we assume this is a bad thing? We all do something well and we all like this game or we would not be here. Why not embrace these differences? They speak to our individual uniqueness and they are the makings of a good squad... or a great crew! Maybe we we should celebrate the fact that SM has so much depth that none of us can master every element. This makes for a good motivation to join a faction and find our role in the team & get to know our community.

This is... quite reasonable, in fact. Of course, it's important to remember that while no one can master all aspects of the game, neither should one have to. Builders can hand control of their ships over to the AI. Pilots can download capable ship blueprints and use those. I guess factory management is a bit of an outlier- unlike building or piloting, it's a completely mechanical task, so AI won't be substitute, it will be a superior replacement.

Nevertheless, one who actually enjoys the task will likely be able to do so in spite of the more efficient alternative, particularly seeing as this isn't an area of competition in the same way as building or piloting.

 

[Madman198237]

I'd argue that some people will use factories as a form of competition---he who rebuilds his fleet faster wins the next engagement.

 

[Magrim]

Come to think of it, maybe this shouldn't be a block, but an NPC? It would make them one of the most beloved features in the game, get them used regularly and overall give them a place in the game. It does seem like the sort of thing they'd do.

This got me hook line and sinker. It also got me thinking that this idea could be a part of crew stations. Assign an npc to your factory setup and the factoy management interface would become available when you talked to the npc.