Oh, you think getting into fuel conservation being relevant anyway would be helpful for your argument?

Well okay then, I've literally never had a coal bottleneck, including at the stage at which you burn the stuff in boilers which consumes several magnitudes more fuel than vehicles.
If you get ...

How?

obtaining steam by chemical means
Both means burn things.
Never mind that fuel conservation is completely irrelevant at every stage of the game, how is that saving anything?

IMHO...If we use a lot of only one resource (often used coal), then it becomes less and production slows down.
if ...

How?

obtaining steam by chemical means

Btw: steam can be produced through nuclear energy.
Nuclear steam locomotives?

this is one of the possible options

What is the point? If you think current game mechanics you would burn coal in boilers near the stations and make pipe lines to stations ...

I'd like to suggest new type locomotive -- Fireless locomotive

A Fireless locomotive — a steam locomotive of conventional type except that it has no firebox (and, accordingly, a chimney) , its steam being obtained from an outside source, stored, and admitted to the cylinders at reduced pressure as ...

Xelephant wrote:But you don't use one Furnace to supply all your base with iron, do you?

am use Burner mining drill, Stone furnace, initial set at start, The base needs to be built quickly, saving resources and time.
I think it is necessary to explain, simple conveyor only for beginners

steinio wrote:Lol if you have an iron gear, you will have the one plate to build a belt. Well it's 2 belts.

saving is obvious, we save the resource (plate) and time (amount of time needed to craft the item)

I suggest adding a simple conveyor at the initial stage of the game, since, in the beginning the main resource is a tree, many save metal, therefore a simple conveyor will be constructed from Iron gear wheel and wood

it is necessary to specify (create) the parameter, content of impurities in %

idea based on post Brambor, Combined ore patches
https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=55884
copperferrite.png
I suggest adding a metallurgical plant for the separation of metals
principle of operation like oil refinery
Steel mill.png
p.s it is necessary to specify (create) the ...

for construction armored train, it will take a lot of resources,a temporary replacement (while the armored train will be is under construction) will be a platform with a tank

the artillery was added to the game, so I suggest adding Armoured train to the game, this function will be useful, since the train does not protect itself.
Armoured train.png
1.jpg
2.jpg
3.jpg
3.1.jpg
new personal transport, Armoured draisine
light armor 4.jpg
heavy armor 5.JPG
https ...

I think we need new mechanics that can help compete with bots

Manipulator on the rail (Rail Mounted Manipulator):
- takes up less space.
- will exclude tape overflow.

manipulator on the rail (Rail Mounted Manipulator).png 1m.jpg 2m.jpg

Screw conveyor:
- will enable to create a conveyor ...

I offer several options for lowering the pipes you can also dig a tunnel for pipes

В трейлере игры, рядом с паровыми генераторами, находятся озера зеленого цвета. В самой игре я их не встречал. Почему бы не добавить механику загрязнения водоёмов? Постепенно водоемы будут приходить в негодность и игрокам придется искать новые источники воды, или доставлять железной дорогой ...

Updated post

Updated post.Added:Coal-water fuel,Electrolysis,Fuel cell, Updated image

Device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent
Fuel Cell Power Plants
1.png
stationary installation -----------------1 MW ...

If oil shortage:
Synthetic liquid fuel from coal (CTL technology(coal-to-liquid))

CTL technology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_liquefaction
Direct and indirect processes
--DCL – Direct-to-Liquids
--ICL – Indirect-to-Liquids

Indirect (ICL) liquefaction processes generally involve ...

Pipe without connections Conveyor Cableway Bridge

I propose add to the game:
1. Pneumatic turret (Steam turret)
2.png

2. Plasma turret
4.png
Option 1 - require electricity
Option 2 - requires electricity and gas

3. Large-caliber machine-gun turret – requires large-caliber ammunition
5.png
Ammunition: explosive bullet, armor-piercing ...