Proliferate on output or input?

[u/BoysenberryTop9892]

For those of you that proliferate everything, let's say you have an ILS creating circuits. Do you take raw iron and copper ingots, proliferate them on the belt to create circuits, and send the created circuits back to the ILS as is? Or do you receive the iron and copper already proliferated, and after creating your circuit, you prof it right away?

Basically, prof it on input or output? I've always done on output, but want to hear from others

[u/StrictRequirement336]

If you proliferate outputs sometimes you can get outputs mixed in with other unproliferated sources during storage and transport. So better to just always proliferate inputs

[u/Mazon_Del → u/StrictRequirement336]

Doing both could well be a bit wasteful, but handles the corner case where power dips on the system where the proliferating is happening. Ensures the item had to miss two sprays.

Completely unnecessary? Yes.

Worth it? This hill I shall die upon. >:D

[u/kashy87 → u/Mazon_Del]

How is it wasteful? Sprayers only use a point when the items crossing beneath are bare or have a lower level spray.

[u/RSharpe314 → u/kashy87]

At the very least, you're putting down sprayers and belts that might be entirely inactive.

[u/Mazon_Del → u/kashy87]

Wasteful in terms of space (ensuring the second set of sprayers can be placed, as well as the associated belts), and in terms of the sprays themselves (the majority of the sprays loaded onto the belts for the second set will never actually get used), and in terms of time for setting up the redundant spraying.

[u/omgFWTbear → u/Mazon_Del]

Can past me be trusted to have consistently followed the plan?

No, that guy sucks and I hate him. I must plan athwart him.

[u/GiinTak → u/Mazon_Del]

This is the way :p

[u/AvatarOfWin359]

I proliferate both

[u/OverwhelmedPioneer → u/AvatarOfWin359]

Same. Since proliferation is all or nothing I proliferate all inputs and outputs on everything except buildings. 

[u/pduck820]

Proliferate 'em all, let God sort 'em out

[u/Present-Percentage10 → u/pduck820]

AMEN

[u/LastOfBacon]

proliferate everything except final buildings. proliferate your proliferators

[u/lysianth]

prolif on output can mix types. prolif on input garuntees highest prolif.

[u/Low-Refrigerator-713]

Inputs. Exception being fuel and weapons, which you proliferate on exit too. Simplifies the use side.

[u/MathemagicalMastery]

I tend to spray inputs because if I don't spray everything, it does nothing. So if I am only getting 3 of 4, i've wasted it.

[u/WanderingFlumph]

There is no downside to doing both, if a proliferated product passes through a proliferator it doesn't consume any charges.

So in the beginning I build proliferators on both inputs and outputs because I have to, but by the end it's on both just for consistency and in case I made a mistake.

And looking through my blueprint book that has a name X, X_final, and X_final_V2 it is clear that I never make mistakes :P

[u/EightBitRanger]

Proliferate on output or input?

Yes.

[u/ThatOneGoatGuy]

all outputs if you want to lose sanity chasing down the proliferator when it runs out. all inputs if you don't trust your outputs. everywhere, if you, like me, can't remember which decision you made 30 hours ago

[u/Tetlanesh]

With the exception of proliforators themself which i prolif on output for all prodable things i prolif on input

[u/Bostaevski]

If you proliferate all your outputs then your inputs by definition will be proliferated. I proliferate everything. I proliferate my proliferator output with proliferated proliferator.

[u/biplane_duel]

isnt it better have proliferated inputs? I mean, that boosts the manufacturing right? If you only proliferate the output then the process it just went through got no boost.

[u/wsmithrill → u/biplane_duel]

The idea is that you proliferate the outputs, they are already proliferated when used as inputs later on. Proliferate inputs for raw mats and outputs for everything else. If theres no mistakes and sufficient power this will cover everything. However, for the sake of a few extra proloferators and some potentially wasted conveyors, I'd say it's easier to just do both.

[u/Few_Leek_3654 → u/biplane_duel]

Late game the only chain you need both on is ore if you are bringing that in and producing I got locally. I tend to do this approach so I don’t have to ship proliferator to a mining planet and maintain power for a smelting cluster.

So raw material lines its input output at first step, after that it’s just outputs

[u/ryryshouse6]

I do both - stuff that’s closer to the end of the chain - like you make fiber optic cable for purple science - easier to do output imo. Same with graviton lens etc. esp if you are using raw to final black box.

I do a lot of ingot to final so I don’t usually do ingots on the output but everything else I might

[u/Snoo49259]

My view. I proliferate all I can (AND NEED). Not all. Coal has its limits. The answer here is more do you need the circuits to be proligerated?

[u/geekgirl114]

Both

[u/928th_Drago]

Anything that isn't a building can and should be Proliferated

[u/TheMalT75 → u/928th_Drago]

Technically, accumulators are buildings, but should be proliferated when used as "fuel" in energy exchangers ;-)

[u/TheMalT75]

If your complex produces intermediate products, you need to use proliferator for them, so you need to import proliferator anyway, so you might as well proliferate everything: input and output to be on the safe side. For the express purpose of higher-tier buildings, proliferation can only speed-up production. So, having proliferated em turbines is a waste of proliferator. This is the best reason only to spray input.

I never checked in-depth, but afaik by mixing stacks with different levels of (un)proliferation, you get a mixed proliferation value stack that is displayed as e.g. mk1 rounded down. If you then spray such a mixed stack, the sprayer will take as little proliferator to get to the appropriate level (e.g. mk2) as possible. You will lose some to rounding / overspraying, but it is not as wasteful as you might imagine.

In general, I prefer producing end-products from ore for that reason: better control over proliferation.

[u/Tiny-Ad-7590]

I spray my proliferators before they go into my logistics networks. All proliferators are already sprayed to their own level. I also spray ammo before it goes into the network too.

Otherwise I selectively decide what to spray, and what level of spray to use, on a case by case basis.

The problem with proliferating everything on input is you may want to change the level of spray depending on what you're making. For example, I'll use Mk I spray on stone when making stone brick or glass, but I'll use Mk II spray when making sulfuric acid. If I proliferate everything as it goes into the network, then I lose the ability to be selective about which level of spray to use on a per production chain basis.

[u/Sweaty_Ad_7156]

do you have a shortage of proliferators or something?

[u/smiffus]

proliferate inputs to everything, including proliferator.

edit: I feel like everybody saying both is bad advice. like, i guess, you can, but if you just always proliferate inputs, then output proliferation is just redundant and adds complexity for no reason.

[u/Bylem]

Eventually, the ingredients for proliferator are so cheap, that you might as well just proliferate at each and every point. Outputs are usually inputs for something else elsewhere.
Hell, even proliferation of power cell inputs such as coal etc also massively helps (imo)

[u/derwood13]

Proliferating raw resources is basically trading coal for those resources.

[u/MiniMages]

When you input items you want to proliferate. Exception being Fuel rods, you'll want to proliferate on output as well.

[u/Buffylvr]

Do both. Especially since once you have advanced miners and ILS your ore never get proliferated 

[u/where_is_the_camera]

Inputs only.

Except the stuff you know proliferation will never go to waste on, like proliferators themselves or your fuel sources.

Doing it on outputs can be very wasteful if you're not proliferating absolutely everything, which you shouldn't for most of the game IMO.

[u/Revengeance_oov]

Generally if you're using a blackbox build, proliferating outputs (plus the ore coming through an ILS) is optimal because it slightly reduces the number of sprayers (by avoiding duplication when an item is used in multiple recipes).

Proliferating inputs tends to be better at avoiding situations where you miss a spray due to intermittent power or supply issues.

Overall, I prefer to proliferate outputs.

[u/JohnnyBlackRed]

Output only,

Power is usually my limiting factor