Logistic Robot Maintenance Center

[Telarin]

The Logistic Robot Maintenance Center would be an optional construct that would do several things:

1) Idle logistics robots would return to the maintenance center. This prevents the problem of robots hanging out in dangerous areas when they have no work to do, since they seem to be a preferred target for creepers.

2) Logistic robots near the maintenance center would be automatically repaired.

3) optional: The maintenance center could be stocked with logistics robots and automatically maintain a certain number of active robots as set by the player. The logistics bots could be placed in the maintenance center manually, or fed in with an inserter.

[zer0t3ch]

The Logistic Robot Maintenance Center would be an optional construct that would do several things:

1) Idle logistics robots would return to the maintenance center. This prevents the problem of robots hanging out in dangerous areas when they have no work to do, since they seem to be a preferred target for creepers.

2) Logistic robots near the maintenance center would be automatically repaired.

3) optional: The maintenance center could be stocked with logistics robots and automatically maintain a certain number of active robots as set by the player. The logistics bots could be placed in the maintenance center manually, or fed in with an inserter.

+1

This sounds wonderful. I can definitely agree that the current system for logistics robots is not that great. At the very least, I believe it should be implemented that they all return to where they were placed if they have nothing to do.

[EDIT] They could implement that first, then implement the maintenance center, and 1 will basically be done itself.

[ssilk]

See also this post from slpnwd: https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... =917#p7629

1: Yes. This is really needed yet. I hope this will come in v 0.7 because I lost many bots like that.
I found a way to make a "bot trap", somethings, which will request the bots back. But it's just a requester chest which requests 1000 iron ore and empties it slowly. Not very safe and produces constant load.

2: I dunno. I think this is maybe too easy. Perhaps we need a "repair-module" for that. I think that would make very much sense, because the module-idea is really great!

I would also add: The robots can fly only a limited distance (from center/pole to center/pole only). This prevents players to think, that logistic bots can be used to transport any stuff, even raw resources. And the energy consumption should be not too low, this prevents to build >500 bots or so.

[Dakkanor]

i always liked the idea of a bot control center, each center supports a specific number of bots and they come back for repairs and recharge.
for recharge, repair or if idle for too long they could dock into the station with a short animation and have to launch if they're needed again.

for repairs it could use iron plates/circuit boards as a repair material, which would prevent it from being too over powered

[Arakasi]

I like idea of logistic robot center.
The most thing you have mentioned here is quite interesting:
1. reach of the robots
2. energy consumption
3. repair in station
4. some kind of buffer for currently unused robots

I also presume that recharging robots will take energy from network and repairing take also some material.

And what about some rules when and how the robots will be recharged?
1. recharge only 10 robots in one time (just example)
2. recharge depending on day-night cycle
3. recharge only on certain level of energy reserves
4. connection to red+green wires