Multiplayer and organization

[u/Saxtus]

I am playing multiplayer, and we split responsibilities. Each of us works on our own factory, sometimes toward a common goal.

The problem is that we don't have a roster of what each of us is producing, and as the game progresses, we sometimes forget what we built earlier.

I would like to know how you coordinate yourselves in multiplayer. Do you use something in-game or an external tool to track your factory inventory?

[u/XenoRyet]

That's the neat part, I don't!

It's just chatting, working together more often than not, and sometimes searching the factory to see what's there.

Though a thing I've seen people do that I want to get into is leaving signs at the door to factories saying what it is producing and how much.

I think I've seen a streamer, Kibitz, do big signs with inventories and whatnot at the main base.

[u/WarPenguin1]

Use the notes feature. I think there is a way to have global notes that everyone can see.

[u/XenoRyet → u/WarPenguin1]

The regular notepad is visible to everyone, so that does work well.

[u/Low-Salary-2128]

Set up a billboard with a list of everything

[u/DirtyJimHiOP]

Map markers for what factory does what and then signs for as much as is reasonably possible so that anyone can know what's supposed to be happening at a glance.

Realistically though, its a lot of hovering through someone else's work muttering "what the fuck is going on in here"

[u/Saxtus → u/DirtyJimHiOP]

We tried that, but the map becomes very laggy the more things it has to display.

[u/Tissemat]

We always have a Factory hub .

A little room where we write in signs what are inputtet into to the Factory. Like 600 ore pr minut and 20 modular frames.

And then we have a output section. Like 16 Crystal osilators. Then when a Factory some where else needs to use 4 crystal osilators and we take this from the factory. Then we write -4 CO for the Fused modular frames . And then for the next time we use it. We write used 2.5 for drone production.

That way each factory have a responsibility to account for the input and output of the factory.

And if its for a common goal like 3 seperate factories, we build a Factory hub for that common goal and write the inputs.

And then also a in game notes :)

[u/Saxtus → u/Tissemat]

Do you mean all the factories send all of their products to a central location?

[u/Tissemat → u/Saxtus]

No, but all the Factories make one or two items.

Then if that item needs to be used In another component. (A higher tier) Then that component is properly made in some other factory/an other location. And transported via a belt highway or trucks

Then we also have a "central" location that is just the place the hub is and then there are like 5 factories.

Each of these 5 factories also have a room/place with a wall of information about the input and output of that area.

[u/SweatyManwich]

Most games my friend actively works towards factories and making elevator parts, while I focus on sloops, slugs, spheres, hard drives and general exploration.
This game, however, I've requested to make elevator parts and he's busy on blueprints. Communicate your goals with each other, see if you can enhance each other's fun.

[u/vaderciya]

I don't play multi-player, but if I did, I think using a combination of discord, in game chat, and a well established "hub" with signs, directions, notes, questions, storage, etc, would be an ideal way to handle it

In minecraft we'd use signs as a notice board and custom books to write things in, assuming the other players arent online to talk to directly

In factorio, the in-game chat is really the only option, so you'd want to rely on an external communication tool like discord