Brainstorm This Factory Coordinator Computer [Slightly updated]

[Nickizzy]

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.

I swear, you must have gotten that idea tthe same way I did. I thought exactly the same thing about that time, you're actually in the thread to!
This was my idea:

I think a way to reduce lag with it would be to have a new block that would act as a "conductor" block. Slave it to a storage, factory, shipyard, shop, or any block with an inventory and slave a factory to the conductor(Storage>Conductor>Factories<---Notice the plural!).

The conductor would have a setting like AI, and would have these things:
A dropdown with "maintain"(keep x amount constantly in master slave), "supply"(give master slave any items it requires[as with shipyards or factories]), and "give"(give master slave x amount every tick seconds if it can).

A variable number input for the x in the settings above

A variable number input for the seconds between ticks in the give setting, and maybe also the tick on which maintain and supply check values.

An on/off toggle that could be activated by logic.

Maintain setting would be for always having a spare 10,000 shield blocks no matter what, or keep a certain stock of blocks in your store.

Supply would be sorta be for this thread, it could be used to automate colored advanced armor/multilevel crafting recipies and building ships a lot easier.

Give would allow role play and faction settings where you could have shops that would slowly regenerate, role play reasource gatherers, investments, and giving new faction members a small amount of stuff every day, without you and them having to be on.

If not connected to a conductor, the storage makes no big calculations.

My 33 lines!

Everyone ignored it, the thread continued on, it didn't get discussed. Now someones made that rough idea into a thread! Thank you.

I think I like my version (above) a bit better. It's a bit less OP or omnilike, the first thing I kinda thought about is just having one in the middle of your station and linking everything everywhere to it, for total automation. Mine is a bit more versitile, at least by what you explained your's did, an is more of a, well, one step conductor instead of a funnel system. It means you would need one for every step of the automation process.

One thing I would add to my "conductor" would be a note that you could connect multiple production levels of factories with multiple conductors. The shipyard connected to a conductor connected to a bunch of factories could only do one step recipies, and could only do it if the factories had the materials. Adding more steps(the factories having their own conductors connected to a second set) allows for multistep recipies.

 

[lupoCani]

[Not sure you get the notification unless I quote you directly.]

Could you elaborate on that? Having local, single-step conductors seems impractical for coordinating a network of several factories.

Also, funnel system? Wouldn't that imply moving items? Because, again, I never intended for the coordinator to do that.

 

[Darwynn]

In addition it would be nice to have this block able to set levels of items like setting the pull on an inventory. so if the inventory it is managing falls under say 100000 grey hull it will start producing it up to that level again.

 

[StarWars1981]

I love the NPC idea. Having an NPC control it just seems like the right way to go. Have his "chair" or other duty station set up to contain all the factories and cargoes you want, and he just stands there. All day, every day, forever. Awesome job. But you talk to him, ask for factory controls, and fiddle with GUIs to your heart's content.

 

[Nickizzy]

Could you elaborate on that? Having local, single-step conductors seems impractical for coordinating a network of several factories.

Also, funnel system? Wouldn't that imply moving items? Because, again, I never intended for the coordinator to do that.

I kinda think it would balance things out more. It might be less confusing as well, having one step directors than having an omni-controler.
How can your's not move items? You said

It would take requests for items, either through the GUI [Player requesting it] , 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 [then would it just leave them there?] , or managing factories to produce them, making sure all steps and sub-steps are done properly [the factory automation techneque that this thread about] .

Unless it funneled the products and resources between factories (requests from the shipyards or other factories, which need them to be moved between them) and requests from the player (where it needs to bring it to the player in the GUI inventory). Without the ability to pull items, the block would be practically useless(well, it would turn factories on and off for different recipies, but it wouldn't be able to transfer the outputs between them).

Honestly, I think your's and mine are mostly the same except for mine is more one step instead of a system computer. No more hyjacking of the thread by me. My old quote is just a one-step version of your idea. I brought some new functions to the block (using it with shops... Ect.)

Thanks for the quote alert. Sorry I couldn't reply before now, I am much more active on weekdays.

 

[lupoCani]

I kinda think it would balance things out more. It might be less confusing as well, having one step directors than having an omni-controler.
How can your's not move items? You said
Unless it funneled the products and resources between factories (requests from the shipyards or other factories, which need them to be moved between them) and requests from the player (where it needs to bring it to the player in the GUI inventory). Without the ability to pull items, the block would be practically useless(well, it would turn factories on and off for different recipies, but it wouldn't be able to transfer the outputs between them).

Alright, I suppose I should have been more clear on that part. Since factories can pull exactly what they need from any number of storages, and any number of storages can auto-pull from them without actually interfering, it's very easy to set it up so that every factory can access every resource. Instead of actually moving blocks around, it's easier for the coordinator to assume the system is built this way, and just stick to setting productions.

Or, I'm not sure it's technically easier, I just like the idea of a block that only automates, and does nothing that isn't already possible. That's mostly why I think this could be an NPC as well.

Honestly, I think your's and mine are mostly the same except for mine is more one step instead of a system computer. No more hyjacking of the thread by me. My old quote is just a one-step version of your idea. I brought some new functions to the block (using it with shops... Ect.)

On the suggestions forum, there's no such thing as hijacking, there's only the front page, and the other pages. I welcome any scrap of attention this thread gets. In general, popular suggestions have it tougher, without any raging arguments to keep them afloat, so disagreement in particular is welcome.

 

[Nickizzy]

Alright, I suppose I should have been more clear on that part. Since factories can pull exactly what they need from any number of storages, and any number of storages can auto-pull from them without actually interfering, it's very easy to set it up so that every factory can access every resource. Instead of actually moving blocks around, it's easier for the coordinator to assume the system is built this way, and just stick to setting productions.

Okay. So this is just assuming every storage and factory in the system is all there is, and that everything is linked together.


Nice. I like it.
Should I say more?

 

[Criss]

I believe something like this was discussed internally for a brief period. I am uncertain if it was a planned feature (it looked promising) however there are no plans to introduce it now. Adding complexity to the factory system is something I would personally like to avoid. Even if this block makes managing factories easier, it's one more block in a list of 9 or so blocks a player needs to learn about / craft in order to become proficient with the crafting system.

If you ask me, we could do a lot better with our crafting system, however with a game like ours I am not sure what the alternative looks like just yet.

 

[Nickizzy]

I believe something like this was discussed internally for a brief period. I am uncertain if it was a planned feature (it looked promising) however there are no plans to introduce it now. Adding complexity to the factory system is something I would personally like to avoid. Even if this block makes managing factories easier, it's one more block in a list of 9 or so blocks a player needs to learn about / craft in order to become proficient with the crafting system.

If you ask me, we could do a lot better with our crafting system, however with a game like ours I am not sure what the alternative looks like just yet.

It's something that could be used by more experienced players that beginers don't need to use. Hide it somewhere in the Adv factory if you want. It decomplicates the factory system a bit after a while actually.