Science & Industry

Ok, so I am a total PI noob. It is out in the open now, so we can skip that part.

Anyway, I spent a couple of hours last night and this morning getting my 6 planets set up for the first time, and after making several production line mistakes, I finally got everything to work out. For further reference, I have Command Center Upgrades IV. Anyway, I got everything up, and then started wondering if it could actually be more efficient, because in my eyes, it didnt look that great.

So I start reading around, and people are talking about 6/10 ratios as being the "magic" point, even for 24 hour cycles. This struck me as odd, because all of my extraction planets had 8 P1 factories, and 6 heads. (3 on each extractor) When I first build the extraction planets last night, I had 4 heads on each (so 8 total) and 6 factories, but I found myself absolutely flooded with P0. Even with just 3 heads, most of my extractors are pulling down 14-15k, and with 4 factories on each, that still leaves 2-3k extra filling up my launch pad.

Have I missed something? Is there something I dont get? Is the advice that I read geared towards longer cycles (3+ days?) even though it was mentioned for 24h? Or maybe their planets are in high/low sec, so worse yields?

Thank you very much in advance.

Don't forget the falloff curve. I put a silo on each of my planets to accumulate at the top of a cycle and it gets consumed in the tail of the cycle. The thing is whatever you're producing the same ratios are required so your production is limited by your worst planet. Some things will accumulate over time, usually P0 or P1. P2 is easier to sell at Jita though, so it's no big deal.

Sounds like you have some very good planets. I expect in an out of the way system where nobody else is using them, or at least not extracting the same materials.

After a couple of weeks you will likely see your extraction rates drop a bit, it is very rare for a planet to regenerate at that high of a rate. Eventually you will reach an equilibrium where your extraction is equal to the regeneration rate.

Some players with dedicated extraction planets, do not realize that the reason they need so many heads out, is because they are extracting way more than the planet can regenerate. I am not 100% certain on how the regeneration mechanics work, but the one thing I do know, is that when ever I find a Planet with really good extraction rates like you describe, after a couple weeks it drops down to what I would consider normal.

It sounds like you are missing storage facilities off your planets.
Storage facilities can hold 12000 M3 which equates to about 1.2 million P0
Your extractors deliver into the storage facilities which act like an input buffer and from there into the processors.

The storage facilities will initially fill up quite quickly and then keep your processing plants running.
If you have enough P0 stored to keep a processor going for a few days you can then grab a bit of something "else"

I'm no expert but my PI setup looks like this:
5 Harvesting Planets
1 Factory Planet


Each harvesting planet :
runs two extractors 24/7 primarily gathering two main designated P0 resources aimed at a single P2
two storage hoppers - one for each resource - I try and keep these as full of the two P0 resources as possibe
three basic processors - two permanently running one each per resource - the third processing whatever I have the most P0 in stock of - this generates surplus P1
one advanced processor continually fed ( via storage buffers ) by two of the basic processors to produce P2 continually 24/7

occasionally the storage gets full enough that I know it can keep everything going for a day or two and I grab a bit of something else that I'm short of and then switch back before I run out of the original - this extra P0 can be processed to P1 by temporarily swapping over the third basic processor

Result I permanently manufacture P2 with some surplus related P1 and some additional occasional P1 not related to the P2

Factory planet just turns it all into P3

I make P1 on 4 planets, have one dedicated factory planet to go from P1 to P3 (robotics) and then use my last planet as a p0 to P2. (coolant, just as a side thing since I didnt have another barren or a plasma close to me)

The main issue was that I was overproducing P0 compared to my P1 facilities on several of the planets. I have now changed them up, and have varying setups. Most with a 6 head, 8 factory, but two with a 7 head, 8 factory due to output not being good enough for a particular resource. ("crappy" base metals on both of my barrens) Before I was using 18,000 P0 per hour, but in many places was producing 28-30k, so I had way too much.

Now my problem is a balancing one, which seems to be a major problem due to what might be a bug. Every time I fine tune my extractor heads, and dial it close to 24k an hour, I then install the program, and it drops after being installed, which I dont understand. It literally says 24k one second, then I confirm the program, and when I check it right after, the value (both the per hour, and total extracted) drop by about 20%, which I dont understand... It is making fine tuning very difficult.

Looks at OP's corp/alliance tags. Sees Spaceship Samurai, a member of HERO Coalition in Catch.

Bro, I'm assuming you're in nulsec. You don't need anywhere near the kind of extraction you're doing to build robotics. 2 Extractors with several heads each and 8 factories will not only keep you going constantly on 3-day cycles making P2s on a single planet, but it may even overload your extraction links. Route everything through the launch pad for buffer.

Use Storm planets for Coolant. Lava for most everything else if you are making robotics. Plasmas are somewhat over-rated imo. But they do have everything you need for robotics.

If you have the skills, you can use a Deep Space Transport ship for moving PI. It has a massive fleet hanger, BS-sized tank, and +2 warp core strength. Otherwise, the T1 PI industrial is a good choice. Nereus I think?