Science & Industry

I started on PI a few days ago, and am trying to make a setup that requires minimal input. Currently I want to try to set up all the factories at once and always producing the same thing, and then shifting Extrators around. That means many of the factories will often have no material to process, but it seems to me to be the lazy man's method.

However, my current method involves having a central Storage Facility that everything is routed to and from, and then delaying the building of a Launchpad until I've trained Command Centers from 4 to 5 (trying to volume-reduce my goods as much as possible by turning them into P3). Or if my Storage Facility is filled up before then, then I'll temporarily shut down all Extractor Heads and build the Launchpad, and then just not do any more extraction until I can upgrade my Command Center to 5.

A few minute ago, though, it occured to me that it might be possible to ditch the Storage Facility entire, and instead have a central Launchpad that everything is routed to and from. It requires the same Powergrip as a Storage, so I essentially save 700 PG on not needing a Launchpad. CPU isn't a problem, I have plenty of that. I do miss out on 17% storage space, since the Launchpad can take 10k m3 while the Storage can take 12k m3.

But it seems like it might be worth it. Is it? Or is there some catch, some deficinecy in a Launchpad, relative to a Storage, that I'm not aware of?

So there is no catch to using a Launchpad instead of a Storage?

And no good reason to build a Storage, except if you intend to build and take down a Launchad periodically, e.g. have a permanent Storage, and then maybe 2-3 times a month you shut down your Extractor Heads and build a temporary Launchpad, and launch your **** into space, and then you remove the Launchpad again and resume extracting?

Thanks for the help, guys!

this.

CPU is the only catch, but rarely is it an issue. Powergrid tends to get maxed out well before CPU on most setups.

With PI I don't bother with extraction. I buy all the raw materials through buy orders on the market and process them myself. You only set up your PI once and then all you need to do is fill them up with raw materials and take away the processed stuff. And yes have it all running through a launch pad.

When I do pi, I never use a silo. Launchpads are just way too convenient. Don't have to worry about transfer times either. Also, I can drop mats at any stage of manufacturing if you use multiple launchpads. Usually, my planets consist of 1 CC, 2LP, 2 Extractors with each extractor going to its own launchpad.

I loved when it was first released and you could see everyone elses PI setup on the planet.

Then people started making names with the PI stuff.

You would look at a planet and see a big giant... F. U.

I only use the storage silo's when I need additional storage beyond what the launch pad provides. Launching from the command center does not make any isk, as it can only launch 500m3 at a time with a long cool down between.

Most of my set ups look like a star with the LP in the middle, surrounded by factories ac close as possible to reduce links. I have a couple heavy extraction planets that do use storage silos. For them I route all P0 to the silo, then from there to the factories, with output P1 going to the launch pad. I only do this because the launch pad can not hold two days worth of P1 without losing space for the P0 from the extractors. If you are making PI for POS fuel this would be your gas planet making O2.