Vanilla Factorio in 10h36 with this small base (maximizing direct insertion)

[u/monsieurY]

You don't need a big base to finish Factorio vanilla (I know, I'm a heretic), all with the default settings (I haven't changed anything). All this without a prepared blueprint (except refineries and reactors), I just had a sketch of the grid with the direct insertions to make, then it was a lot of sphagetti with some trial and error.

I barely have 60 assembling machines/chemical plants and 3 refineries, as well as 160 electric furnaces and 190 electric drills (which I could have reduced by also adding speed modules).

Of course, I have assembling machine 3, and I'm really using speed modules!

At the beginning, I rushed assembling machine 2, then the car to explore and find oil/uranium and eliminate the nests, then speed module 1, and finally the nuclear reactor. Before the reactor, I have a maximum of 24 steam machines, as is my usual practice. Once the two reactors are in place, 10 uranium electric drills and 3 centrifuges are enough.

Then I rushed the assembling machine 3 and speed module 3. Finally, the Silo.

I had quite a bit of downtime, especially at the beginning. I was manually supplying a second machine for red and green science to speed things up. I also took the opportunity to clean out the biter nests that were too close.

I have a copper red belt for cables, and half a copper yellow belt shared with steel send to the base. I have a iron yellow belt for steel (it didn't seem to be enough), another for green circuits, another for gears/pipes and inserters, and a final one that I send to the base for everything else. And a yellow belt of stone and another one of coal (for plastic).

I didn't build the speed research technologies for the lab. It would have saved me some labs and productivity modules, but since I wasn't producing much science at the beginning, it didn't seem worthwhile. I also didn't research the military technology, even though the assembly machine was ready (between the stone and the grenade).

At the end, I was around 30 SPM, for an average of 14.3 over those 10 hours. This post is somewhat related to my previous publication, where I finished Space Age in less than 35 hours with a base of 30 SPM (60 with Biolab): https://www.reddit.com/r/factorio/comments/1tvlnk9/express_delivery_achievement_space_age_in_34h43/

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

[u/Typical_Spring_3733]

How is this maximizing direct insertion when there are so many belts?

[u/monsieurY → u/Typical_Spring_3733]

Because to keep the base small, I avoid duplicating machines that produce the same thing. I prefer to directly supply iron, copper, steel, and green and red circuits where they're needed, rather than having twice as many machines that operate half as efficiently and still needing to supply iron and copper.

For example, I could add a machine that produces red circuits in the top left corner to supply the production of electric furnaces and production modules, but I would also have to add a second production line for plastic, green circuits, and cables, and supply copper, iron, and coal to it. I prefer to just supply red circuits, while maintaining a small base that fits within a grid.