An attempt to provide the convenience of the Logistic Train Network in a vanilla (unmodded) game, without requiring circuit networks that span the train network.
Beware: this is very preliminary and may still have bugs, but it mostly seems to work in 0.17.
The book includes five prints:
- Requester with Return: The LogDrop0 is a self-contained train stop which can unload from a logistic train (1 locomotive-1 cargo wagon). It has an isolated roboport, and a set of constant levels that it wants to keep in its local network. When any of those signals drops below the desired level, it activates its train stop. The items and levels are sufficient to construct an adjacent station further down the line (placing the next roboport within construction range, but 4 squares beyond logistic network linkup range. The included Large Electric Poles can be used to assist alignment). This means that you can build out a new rail line out to anywhere on the map, without ever walking there in person (and without waiting for a construction robot to fly all the way there from your base). The materials manifest includes Cliff Explosives in case your desired route traverses cliffs, but it does not include Landfill, so you'll have to route around any water.
- Straight Extension: making a long rail line by tiling only Requester with Return is a bit expensive. You can save on materials by interspersing some of these straight segments. Each one includes a roboport which bridges the logistic network range to allow further construction with no stops. But beware, this makes your robots fly much farther between trips. (Again, use the Large Electric Poles to help align them.)
- Auxiliary Outpost Combinators: By pasting one of these supplied additional combinators (also doable remotely), you can cause a station to request additional items, sufficient to build out a new mining outpost (Copper/Iron, Uranium, or Oil, indicated by the inserter filters), and bring it online without ever visiting personally.
- Supply Station: This is a loading station where the logistic train is meant to idle. Park a 1-1 logistic train here, where it can top off on all the relevant items (plus fuel), and program it to wait for a few seconds of idle time, then visit LogDrop0 and return. When one of the Requester stations activates, the logistic train will go to service that station, and return. The loading station also includes a "bleeder" which removes from the cargo wagon any extra items (including empty barrels from Sulfuric transport to a Uranium outpost). Without this, the loading station tends to get jammed up by an inserter with a partial stack and no room to drop it. Optionally, the logistic train can also pull an Artillery Wagon, and the loading station will keep it topped up on ammo. This does a pretty good job of keeping a wide biter-free radius around your outposts.
- Supply Mall: A small and rudimentary robot-powered mall is also provided, which can construct all the items that might be needed by the outposts. It needs some inputs on belts and assumes a few are already in your network.