Request blueprint materials from logistic system / Usages for information about needed blueprint materials

[Azzinoth]

Similar suggestion:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14504&hilit=request ... +blueprint

Mod:
viewtopic.php?f=144&t=31722

[studix2002]

TL;DR

Logistic Request for the contents of a Blueprint

What ?

When a blueprint is created and placed in the Logistic Request Slot or Requester Chest
All contents of that Blueprint are automatically requested,

Why ?

This will ensure all items are to hand when building the required elements, without having to return to your main base to be resupplied

[Terukio]

TL;DR

See title. I would like to drop a blueprint into my logistic requests and have it set all of the materials required to build the blueprint in my logistics requests.

What ?

Simple idea really. Drag a drop a blueprint onto the logistics requests section in your inventory to set the request to what is required to build the blueprint. Perhaps a multiple of the items required too.

Why ?

Makes blueprint more useful. Think about building a nuclear setup that is segregated from your main factory bots. Drag your blueprint to your logistics requests and have your bots bring you the materials required. Maybe make it able to set a multiple of items required such as x2 so you will have enough materials brought to you so you can walk out and build 2 setups without walking back because you forgot materials or didn't request enough.

[Koub]

[Koub] Did some merging into older topics with same suggestion.
A mod was made for that, but not updated for 0.16 : https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Blueprint ... %20Request
Seeing the long time interest in the subject, the devs might consider adding the feature.

[mrvn]

I think for this to work there need to be another type of logistic slot. A request-once slot.

A normal request slots set to 100 stones always requests as many stones as are lacking from 100 stones in the players inventory. So as each stone arrives and the personal roboports utilize it a new stone is requested.

A request-once slot on the other hand would be initialized with the number of missing stones and request them. But every stone that arrives decrements the amount until 0.

That would also "solve" the problem with a blueprint larger than the players inventory. The logistic bots can only drop part of the blueprint into the players inventory. Then the players goes out and builds part of the blueprint and when he comes back only the remainder is requested.
For very very large blueprints: rince and repeat.

[adam_bise]

Please add any of the solutions for requesting from blueprints.

Some related ideas:

There was talk of removing blueprints as an item here: https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-249 so I don't know how this would work but, it would also be nice to set a blueprint as a filter and signal.

The filter would work as expected, the filter would count towards the BP items and their quantities.
The signal would add the proper amounts to the proper signals.

Since the filter would have an effect of increasing filter slots, it would probably need additional research.

Settings a BP as a signal, however, would be so much faster than having to set up the required combinators.

Perhaps simply allow dropping a blueprint in a constant combinator to output those signals.

You could then add multiple blueprints in a combinator.

You could also set the multiplier as you would any signal value.

[Apanatchanka]

This is really needed. Also I would really like to be able to shift right click /shift left click from a requester chest to a cargo wagon to lock some space.
And generally having all this options between containers and blueprints like :
blueprints -> cargo wagon
blueprints -> requester chest
requester chest -> cargo wagon

[ceefive]

For late game it would be useful to allow programming request / buffer chests, or character logistics requests, from the contents of a blueprint.

That is, plop a request chest in your main next to the train station. Drag a blueprint onto it, which instead of moving the blueprint into the chest (kinda useless), marks whatever is in the blueprint as a chest request.

This can help in getting outposts built quickly: make a blueprint of a location that already works well and use it to program robots to deliver the necessary materials to a staging area in the main base, or to the player. This is in principle simpler than building train setups, though it may not scale for very large outposts that need more than a chest's worth of equipment. (For that, splitting a blueprint to layers might be an idea to explore in the future; but until then we can just split off the modules to a separate chest, since they tend to be the items one needs the most of.)

[MoleOnDope]

While I get the idea, I think it's a pretty niche request and would't mean a lot of profit for most players...

Creative thinking and problem solving are core elements of Factorio. With all the tools the player can already choose from to do just that, there's a huge array of possible solutions to a specific issue.
Coming up with my own is what makes this game so damn interesting for me

To me, the question "How do I request a specific amount of certain items easily" calls for some combinator magic and sonds like it could yield some fascinating, player found answers

Also: How would you let a player know about this very tight mechanic? It already took me weeks to find out about the pipette tool on Q, and that's really basic

Also, there's a suggestion template for this subforum you can find here.
It helps communicate an idea easily but effectively. I would recommend checking that out.

Cheers!

[Darinth]

While I get the idea, I think it's a pretty niche request and would't mean a lot of profit for most players...

Creative thinking and problem solving are core elements of Factorio. With all the tools the player can already choose from to do just that, there's a huge array of possible solutions to a specific issue.
Coming up with my own is what makes this game so damn interesting for me

To me, the question "How do I request a specific amount of certain items easily" calls for some combinator magic and sonds like it could yield some fascinating, player found answers

Also: How would you let a player know about this very tight mechanic? It already took me weeks to find out about the pipette tool on Q, and that's really basic

Also, there's a suggestion template for this subforum you can find here.
It helps communicate an idea easily but effectively. I would recommend checking that out.

Cheers!

What's 'easy' about setting up a combinator system to request items?

The rest of your post after that makes some good points. Discovery in factorio is sometimes a problem, because it's so feature rich. Learning that you can click a logistics slot in your own logistics or a chest in order to program them with the contents of a blueprint is something that a lot of people might not ever think to do. Maybe have your logistics slots flash or change color when you have a blueprint in hand? Another option would probably be to grey out inventory slots when a blueprint is in hand (since you can't put the blueprint in them) but leave your logistics slots active. This shows the player that they can in fact interact with those slots using a blueprint.

[SyncViews]

While I get the idea, I think it's a pretty niche request and would't mean a lot of profit for most players...
...
To me, the question "How do I request a specific amount of certain items easily" calls for some combinator magic and sonds like it could yield some fascinating, player found answers

What's 'easy' about setting up a combinator system to request items?

The problem I had for something similar (bring required materials by bots or train from the main base automatically) is you can't find out what items are missing for the blueprints in a given logistics network. I looked at trying to do such a thing before with a series of adjacent networks, and I think there is even a suggestion somewhere for such a circuit output.

The best I ever came up with was to make each of my networks store a certain amount of "construction materials" (using request+passive-provider with circuits to transfer belts, inserters, miners, etc.) so I literally have 10,000's of belts sat in provider chests, 1,000's of other things like miners, turrets, power poles, etc.

Setting the actual required stuff manually on constant combinators on a per-network basis would work, but is a lot of effort to manage. I am not sure adding a particular blueprint is that useful either though, as if your placing many things you have to add each one, and what about items you placed as ghosts directly?

[saors]

I agree with OP, this would be a nice feature.
Although I think it should be done via the shift-right-click/shift-left-click functionality that we all use to copy/paste filters and recipes in inserters, splitters, and assembly machines.
shift-right-click would highlight the blueprint just as it does any other copy-able entity, shift-left-click would paste the items required into the chest.

The only problem with OP's idea that I think needs to be addressed is: "what if the blueprint has more items or a higher count of items than the chest can hold?"
Does the chest only request what it can hold?
If you have a blueprint that requires 3-chests worth of things?
This would work great with the warehousing mod, since you can have massive logistics containers, but I'm not sure how to address this issue in vanilla.

[SyncViews]

The only problem with OP's idea that I think needs to be addressed is: "what if the blueprint has more items or a higher count of items than the chest can hold?"
Does the chest only request what it can hold?

That is actually another reason a circuit output would be better. Circuits can have all items for any quantity and it would update as the blueprint gets completed. The player can then be like "fine, let the requester do the first 12 at a time", or can do something clever with multiple chests.


Its only the "player logistic requests" that doesn't work there, and for the player you still have problems like how to remove/reduce the requests as the blueprint is completed (else the player will get delivered enough for an entire second copy).

[BlueTemplar]

I agree with OP, this would be a nice feature.
Although I think it should be done via the shift-right-click/shift-left-click functionality that we all use to copy/paste filters and recipes in inserters, splitters, and assembly machines.

And from assemblers to requester chests !

shift-right-click would highlight the blueprint just as it does any other copy-able entity, shift-left-click would paste the items required into the chest.

Yeah, OP's suggestion sounds like an extension of this feature...

[spide]

TLDR:

Request blueprint materials from logistic network.

What:

I want to drop a blueprint into the request slots of the locistic network. It would request all items that are needed to build it. The slider can still be used to modifiy the count * bluprint items.

Another thing would be to somehow mark slots (green?) if all requestet items are in the inventory.

Why:

QOL

[Koub]

[Koub] Merged with several older topics with this suggestion.
Also very related :
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=55502
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=20232
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3868

[spide]

Sorry, I searched 10 minutes but didn't found something like my request.

[mrvn]

Here is an idea that shouldn't be too hard to mod: A request/blueprint combinator.

As entity a constant combinator (or multiple if more signals are needed) is used. The mod overrides the GUI for the combinator and allows putting blueprints in it. LUA script then outputs signals matching the contents of the blueprint.

This can then be connected directly to a requester chest to request the items. Or to an LTN stop (or other train mod) to request items by trains.You could also read out the logistic network from a roboport and use a arithmetic combinator to subtract available items from needed items and only request what's is missing.

[irbork]

TL;DR

Some way to place a blueprint in requester chest that will cause for bots to bring all the content required to create the blueprint.

What ?

If blueprint is placed in requester slot (chests and maybe even personal request slots) bots will make sure there is enough items in the inventory to create a blueprint. For requester chests it is easy but for personal request it would be great if it would not change minimum amounts set to configured items but just use the highest value. Ie. personal request is for 50 splitters min and 100 max, blueprint requires 125 splitters, the result would be that the bots bring 125 splitters without changing min and max values permanently.

Why ?

Just tedious to go over various blueprints numerous times ensuring all items are in the inventory.

[ssilk]

Merged with topic -- ssilk


See also mods:
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Logistic-Request-Manager
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/RequestFromBlueprint