[X3TC] Unsure if my complex is closed loop

[amoe]

Hi,

Following roguey's guide to the Hub plot, I made a large complex in Savage Spur that produces microchips.

This is the design of the complex:

14x Boron Chip Plant
5x Boron Crystal Fab L
2x Boron Solar Power Plant XL
8x Bofu Chemical Lab L
8x BoGas Factory L
1x Teladi Silicon Mine L (Yield 40)
1x Teladi Silicon Mine L (Yield 31)
1x Teladi Silicon Mine L (Yield 28)
1x Teladi Silicon Mine L (Yield 23)
2x Teladi Silicon Mine L (Yield 21)
2x Teladi Silicon Mine L (Yield 18)

I specced out the stations from the complex calculator at grangegame.co.uk. But that site didn't have the Crystal Fab L in the list, only the Crystal Fab M. So I calculated that 5 Crystal Fab L should be enough for this, based on the total number of products of each.

I never tried to build a closed loop complex before -- when I manually put ecells into it, it seems to go for a bit, and then the crystal fabs stall waiting for ecell resources.

Is it missing a station, or do I just need to keep pumping cells into it before it starts looping? :?

[RainerPrem]

Hi,

I've only played the games in German so some of my labels might be off. Nevertheless:

There is an item in the complex's command menu (extended options? -> commands) showing you the exact situation in game (trade maintenance? -> complex stats?)

cu
Rainer

[amoe]

Don't think I have that, in the command menu for stations I only have friend/foe configuration, a blank Configuration section, plus some options under the command slots which seems to be related to Commercial Agent. Maybe I'm missing something. I realized I forgot to specify that this is X3TC.

[jlehtone]

X3TC:

Code: Select all

Station menu
 Command console
  Orders
   Station Commands
    Administration (Commercial Agent)
     Complex Settings

Does list production and consumption for Products, Intermediates and Resources of the Complex. It is a station command added by the CAG script; automatically there, if you have installed Bonuspack.

[Alan Phipps]

It is often more efficient to prime a (fully or partially) self-sufficient complex with delivered crystals rather than with e-cells.

According to Xadrian'c calculator, you should get surplus production for all resources and intermediates except BoGas of which you are at the critical balance. So all your complex needs is sufficient priming. Since your complex is so large, that priming will need to be quite extensive to get stable flow and should include at least some BoGas initially.

[amoe]

OK, the CAG Admin command worked well! It says that the complex is indeed a loop. I'll get to supplying it with Crystals, then! Thanks all.

[Honved]

I find it helpful to shut off all but one of everything. Prime it, get that minimal system up and running, and then start turning on another couple of pieces, until it's all going full-bore. I don't like the initial cost of feeding all of those stations with E-cells or Crystals, which can add up to be a rather sizable fraction of the cost of the factories themselves.