Automatic input and output of multiblock machine

One of the biggest advantages of large machines is that they have more input and output surfaces. Compared with a singleblock machine with only six surfaces, it is more convenient for the input and output of a variety of materials, especially for machines with a variety of fluid products such as mixer, which is not easy to lead to too complex wiring and possible materials entering the wrong place.
However, the singleblock machine will actively extract the material on the corresponding surface and output the product directly to the corresponding surface regardless of the speed. However, although most multblock machines (such as large mixer) have “Input and Output at any Blocks" written in the tooltip, in fact, if you put a chest on the surface it can input, it will not actively extract the raw materials in the chest for processing, even if you put the same raw materials in the GUI and are processing them, It will not extract the materials in the chest for supplement. Only by using the hopper can it actively input the raw materials. When the drum is set to “automatically output to adjacent containers”, it will automatically output if gravity allows, which is good. As for the output problem, it is more serious. In fact, in almost all multiblock machines, only the bottom of the mainblock can really ignore the speed output like a singleblock machine. Items can be output from the bottom through the hopper, but if the fluid is in line with gravity, it will not be actively output to the pipe/drum (I have tried that placing the storage tank in the working large electrolyzer can not receive the product anywhere except the main block). The only way to output is through the tap/nozzle, Or the pipe with pump cover can be output.
Although the tooltip says “Use Monkey Wrench to toggle automatic Output”, in fact, it can only adjust the enable / disable of the output port on the bottom of the main block, and cannot adjust other components that can input / output.
This may be to prevent the product from being input into the machine after output, but it will really bring a lot of trouble to the use of large machines. At present, if you want to really automate like a singleblock machine, you must use hopper, conveyors and pumps, but this leads to limited input and output speed, while large machines usually have to process a large number of materials in batches, which can easily lead to intermittent production.

As a comparison:

  1. There is a row of output ports on the back of the distillation tower, which can automatically output the products to the rear chest / drum, and can be enabled / disabled with an monkey wrench.
  2. The five “holes” of large boiler can not adjust whether to output, but can output the steam to the pipeline by itself.
  3. The two walls with “holes” in the large sluice It is strange that their bottom will not automatically output sluice juice, but only the bottom of the main block, which is very different from the holes in large boilers.
  4. For large electrolyzer, any block on the upper layer indicates that it can output, but if you connect the pipe to it, it will not output fluid, unless the pipe is equipped with a pump, which has nothing to do with gravity, and even hydrogen will not output.

I know Greg is addicted to factorio now, but this problem really bothers me. I hope this problem will be solved sooner or later.

2 Likes

Do not blame this upcoming response on me being lazy or playing too much Factorio, but I have to say this whole Inputs and Outputs only being in one specific Spot thing is related to the immense Lag it would cause if I went the Railcraft Route and just scanned every single Block around the Machine.

You can use Extenders to redirect Item Output one way, and then use a Pump Cover to have the Fluids go the other way though. Multiblock Machines are programmed to do parallel Processing at a somewhat uniform Rate so every Recipe takes roughly the same Time if possible. This also means you should have more than enough time to manually get rid of the Output by attaching a Hopper below the Machine or similar.

So yeah, this particular Issue is probably not going to be changed, as it would also mess up existing Setups.

4 Likes

Oh, then why not paste the conveyor / pump cover directly on the multiblock parts? In this way, only the surface pasted with the cover can be detected, which should not lead to the lag problem you said. This also allows players to make better use of these surfaces.

1 Like