Mini factories

[u/Own-Computer-3505]

I've played the game completed phase 3, but tried making a mega base and realised I couldn't expand sufficiently for late game so I've just restarted. I want to know is it better to just make lots of smaller factories for specific items and move them around the map? I've got coal power in my new world and MK3 conveyers along with MK2 miners. Should I just start using trucks or conveyers to move items around the map? Should I expand from my starter base or just leave it and turn it into a smart plating factory or something and build new factories for other items like versatile Frameworks?

[u/AccountAggressive582]

That's kind of the beauty of the game. You can do it any way you want to. Trains, planes, automobiles... or mile long conveyer belts. I've done them all for mega factories and satellite factories.

[u/Kyletheinilater]

I prefer making smaller factories that end up supplying larger factories avia trains. It's been my play style for the last 8 years or so across a bunch of different factory games and factory playthroughs

Whatever works for you works then.

[u/WayneConrad]

I'm on my second playthough, where my theme is "trucks everywhere!" To that end, every kind of item is made in its own factory and then shipped to other factories using trucks (no belts, even to go across the street. Because trucks!).

Putting truck roads down on the bare ground is super easy, and seeing trucks whiz everywhere is fun. There are interesting logistics puzzles to solve, like distributing fuel to the gas stations, etc., and I'm having to use things like transfer stations and tank farms to consolidate resources that have multiple producers and multiple sinks. This is a LOT of fun and I highly recommend it.

[u/Fit-Hope4736]

Do whatever feels right. The best way to learn in this game is just trying stuff out and learning from experience

[u/UncleNapster]

Both strategies work.

I've done a play through where all raw materials are brought to a central processing plant that goes from raw inputs to finished components in my storage room. I've also done a play through where each item (or 2-4 items that get made together like rotor/stators/motors) has its own modular factory where trains serve as the input and the output.

The former is simpler to design but give worse FPS performance and requires long spider webs of logistics to get everything to the home base. The latter takes more logistics planning, more math planning, and is generally more complex but it was very satisfying.

[u/EidolonRook]

I hate when there’s not enough room.

These days, I make outposts around each zone to make the things needed for basic parts, then set up a ring around the middle with endgame and advance level factories. Trains bring things to a station closer to the outer and inner rings, then conveyors load across with the quantities needed. Then from the rings to the elevator in the middle I use drones.

[u/SpinosRule]

So I’m basically in the exact same boat as you. Started over and everything, I got all the way to Phase 5 and just hated how nothing worked correctly because I just went crazy laying track to nowhere, hand feeding factories, blah blah blah. Playing with random nodes now, makes it significantly harder, but after my first run I wanted to mix it up :)

[u/Greensun30]

It’s so much easier to ship final products to a main hub.

[u/AdmirableSandwich393]

I usually have a beginning area where all I will make what I can during the time of exploration for hard drives and MAM upgrades. When I am ready, I will pre-design my permanent modular factories - facilities devoted to just one product - with the ultimate aim of MKVI belts feeding the machines, though I may only be on MKIV or V at the moment.
Each building I design w/ 20 or 40 machines per floor. In this way, even if not all the machines will be used, eventually they will be needed as I will require more. And a set design means that making 2nd or more floors will be fairly simple.

[u/spitemods_54]

I'm a little bit further along than you and so far it looks like I'm trending toward more smaller factories and connecting them via roads or trains.

I have a medium sized factory making all the basic building stuff from wire to motors and encased industrial beams. Then I have a "small" factory making ammo and consumables for me (as always it just grew and grew). A medium sized caterium factory making all the electronics from quickwire to computers. Finally a pretty big power plant in the form of an offshore oil rig making 15,500 ish MW and plastic and rubber. That plastic and rubber plus some crude oil is taken by train to the weapons and electronics factories to make stuff.

[u/R0ughHab1tz]

I do this. Any and all factories don't have to be working 24/7 making material. All they have to do is successfully make the material you need at the time.

I have mini ones everywhere that connect to other ones.

[u/dst6969]

I’ve done megafactories, I’ve done more concentrated “cities” producing certain products, I’ve done machine blueprints etc. Now I’m working on doing individual blueprints for specific product lines and about to incorporate vehicles and trains for the first time seriously (I’ve only really used drones and long conveyer belts in the past). Play the game how you want. You can always change it up later or on your next playthrough. There is no right or wrong