Help: migrating from megacomplex to small factories

[grapedog]

I designed stations to have full workforce. Despite it's true that they'll together will produce a much wares, isn't workforce worth it? I mean: if I produce enough food & med, shouldn't Isn't it worth it to full workforce? Or maybe is better to only full workforce in stations which produce the most expensive goods and a waste in tier 1-2 factories?

I dunno its just a hassle and require more buildings and storage and turrets that lowers FPS when my factory already make more components than I need to build my own ships faster than they get destroyed. The only place I have workforce is at my shipyard factory so I can make crew. Everywhere else just empty.

This is one of my concerns right now. Should I use workforce in all stations or maybe some of them (like the wharf, of course)? I still haven't decided anything. I'll wait for all factories to be fully populated and then see if it's really worth in all of them. At a first glance, if you can produce your own food/meds it seems worth it. But, what if I sell those food/meds instead using in the workforce? (reflection)

Everyone is different, but I usually DO NOT build a workforce if a station has less 1k workers. If a station has more than 1k workers needed, it will most likely get a workforce as well.

[GReaper]

Once again, thank you very much everyone for your feedback!

I would like to give you an update about how the migration is going and also a small summary for someone who reads this thread:

- I have some mining stations in "outer" and yield rich sectors (Getsu Fune, The Void, etc.) with L miners.

- I have build my factories cluster in Black Hole Sun IV (I know, strange decision, but I was accostumed to it after terraforming )

- I have built small factories which only produce 1 ware and some of them 2 wares depending on needed resources (food & med, field coils & shield components, etc.) and grouped them by tiers (tier 2, tier 3 very close together, etc.).

- I also built a wharf (XL, L, M) close to the tier 5 wares factories.

- I have one mining storage station in BHS IV to locally distribute raw resources. It has manually set orders to buy all raw resources. Then some Alligator freighters (gas and mineral miners) setup with repeat orders transport resources from mining stations to this storage one. Then I assigned some miners as traders to this storage station so they can distribute the wares. This model makes my life easier.

- I have trade rules in all stations to only buy and sell wares from/to my own properties.

- I have assigned very basic managers to all stations (I'll level up later with seminars) so they are like 0-1 stars.

- I haven't modified factories prices, storage rules, etc.

- I have assigned every factory about 5 M traders with "Trade for commander" task.

- I have assigned about 10 S traders to "Food and medical supplies" factories (which work really well to distribute them)

- All stations have full workforce. Almost all of them need about 1K workforce and the bigger ones about 4-5K. Wharf also has habitats for crew. I found that, If I produce food and meds, workforce is worth (mainly in high tier goods).


With this setup everything is running fine by now. Resources are being distributed correctly and it seems there are no shortages. Also, it's easier for me to manage and control every station (needed traders, resources, storage, etc.).

Maybe this model isn't the best option for new games (in that case maybe I start with a megacomplex again) but maybe better for later or endgame.

[SirConnery]

For new games you kind of have to start with a medium sized complex to save credits. After that though I prefer small factories since it's less micromanagement and you can ramp up production way faster if needed since you can build new buildings simultaneously in each different factory.

I think being able to quickly ramp up production is the biggest benefit to small factories. With a large complex you're waiting an hour for a single Claytronics building while you could be building 10 buildings simultaneously.