Upgrading Coal Power
This guide follows on from the Coal Power 101 guide, the focus here is about expanding coal power, in particular using overclocking and underclocking.
The message I hope to convey is by planning your coal power builds from the start, you can easily upgrade their power output with minimal effort.
Coal Power Tutorial
Coal power is the first time you use pipes to move fluids in the game. It is the simplest form of automated power (apart from Geothermal) however if you don't set it up correctly you can end up with power outage situations that can be frustrating to resolve.
Pillars For Conveyor Belts
One of my favourite aesthetic techniques is using the Pillar Middle foundation piece for running conveyor belts and pipes.
Calculating Freight Train Size & Buffer Theory
If you use trains to transport resources then you are going to want to make sure the train can supply enough resources to last the round trip. This video explains how to calculate this along with a working example. This video also explains the theory behind using buffers for the freight platforms.
Smart / Programable Splitter and Overflow
A Smart or Programmable Splitter allows you to define which output of a splitter a product can be directed. Using the overflow feature of the splitter allows for excess product to be directed somewhere like the AWESOME Sink which in turn prevents your production lines from going dormant.
Manufacturer Layout
In this tutorial I demonstrate the design layout I use with Manufacturers.
Oil Processing and Refineries
Unlocking the Oil Processing milestone gives access to the Oil Extractor and the Refinery. I'll explain how Refineries work and how they have dual inputs and outputs and how you need to manage them.
Temporary Plastic and Rubber
This guide shows you how build a temporary setup to generate plastic and rubber.
Vertical Building - Copper Factory
Here I will demonstrate how to build vertically for a copper node making copper products.
Manual Automation
Manual Automation shows you how to use storage containers for the inputs and outputs of a machine and hence you can fill those containers with materials and parts will automatically be created, all you need to do is top up the containers occasionally.
Manifold vs Load Balance
There's lots of debate between which is the better choice, Manifold or Load Balance. This article demonstrates both techniques.
Parts Per Minute (PPM)
Parts Per Minute is a key concept of the game, the buildings in the game input and output resources at a rate per minute. This also relates directly to the different conveyor belts that have different speeds.