2.1 Platform-to-Platform Logistic Group Struggles
I've been experimenting with the new platform-to-platform logistics in 2.1, and while I was super excited about it, I've run into issues that make building a true logistics hub much more cumbersome than I expected and to be honest I'm kind of burning out trying to manage all of it.
My setup
Before 2.1, every planet had dedicated ships running to Nauvis (or later Gleba), which acted as my central logistics hub.
With 2.1, I wanted to replace that with a space platform hub that all planetary import/export ships dock with. The idea is Vulcanus, Fulgora, Gleba, etc. all deliver their supplies to the Hub, which also supplies the planets with what they need from other planets.
Problem #1: Platform requests can't target a specific platform
When requesting from platforms, you can only select the planet's "area" where other platforms may be, not an individual platform.
For example:
My Vulcanus export ship brings green belts to the Hub. My Fulgora ship requests green belts from the Hub.
The problem is that if the Hub ever runs low, it can end up requesting the green belts back from the Fulgora ship instead of the Vulcanus exporter, since both are simply "platforms at Nauvis."
To avoid this I've had to create separate import and export platforms for every planet. For example:
Fulgora Import (can receive from Hub and unload to the planet) Fulgora Export (can send items back toward the Hub)
It works, but it doubles the number of platforms and feels like a workaround rather than intended design.
Being able to target a specific platform instead of just a planet's platforms would solve this cleanly.
Problem #2: I have to duplicate logistics groups because the request source changes depending on where the platform is. I then have to meticulously keep the duplicate groups in sync.
For example:
My Vulcanus export ship requests items from the Vulcanus surface. My Hub platform requests those same items from platforms at Nauvis.
Those can't share the same logistics group because if I set the source to "All," the Vulcanus export ship immediately starts requesting the items back from the Hub that it just delivered.
So I end up with two nearly identical logistics groups whose only difference is the request source.
Problem 3: Hub requests need to be higher quantity than planetary ship requests
If Hub requests 1k green belts, and Fulgora ship requests 1k green belts, they never get delivered to Fulgora ship. I've gotten around this by using a timer and only using "Set Requests" on the Hub like 70% of the time so it flickers off and can offload.
Problem 4: When using Set Requests from Circuitry, the source disappears and the Hub can import from "Any"
It would be nice if logistics groups were reusable regardless of request source, or if the request source could be configured separately from the group contents.
Has anyone found a cleaner architecture for a centralized space logistics hub? I'd also be interested if I'm overlooking a feature that makes this easier.
What I Want
- One logistic group for each Planet Export and Planet Import.
- Planet Exports get loaded onto a ship and delivered to the Hub.
- The Hub provides those items to other planetary ships - it does not send them back to the delivery ship
- Ideally but not required, I could then just have one "logistic" ship per Planet.
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Am I way overcomplicating this? To be honest, just dropping everything down to Nauvis and having them ship in rockets to other platforms was well worth the cost vs. the setup I have going on right now.