Components shortage

[stefanstr]

My experience with A13 so far is that the main impediment to expanding my colony is the lack of components. I seem to run out of them sooner or later and have to rely on traders to get more. I think it's a good thing because I can't spam turrets and such anymore and that scarcity makes me feel more like I'm managing a colony and not a construction site.

Two questions: is there a way to manufacture components that I have missed? And how do you guys manage components?

[sadpickle]

You can manufacture them. Its gated behind a massive amount of research and when you get there, you need 30 components to build the assembly bench. Recovery on investment takes some time, to say the least.

[christhekiller]

You can manufacture them. Its gated behind a massive amount of research and when you get there, you need 30 components to build the assembly bench. Recovery on investment takes some time, to say the least.

It also costs 30 steel to build 1 component.

I've taken to purchasing most of mine, once you start coming in the money they're not terribly expensive.

[Astasia]

It's not worth the time investment to craft them. The 30 steel each is nothing, the issue is they take like 10 times longer to craft than they should, to the point where your colonists will pass out while crafting them, regularly.

Trade ships can carry like 50+ at a time, buy them all every time you see them for sale. You can also get a bunch from mech raids. As long as you don't waste your turrets as disposable decoys, you quickly have more than you need without crafting any.

[RemingtonRyder]

I've managed to get myself into a Catch-22 situation - I need components, but I need components to build the trade beacon and comms console. Guess I'll be waiting on some ground traders then!

Also, it does add a bit of tension, where if I don't find components, I'm not able to repair anything, and I suddenly find myself back in the medieval age.

[Mathenaut]

Crafting components is definitely a bad deal. When you reach that point in the game, you should have a steady stockpile.

Component expenditure follows a sort of gaussian pattern. There is a certain point at mid game where you are hard pressed to manage them, but after you sink in the initial costs to build structures, the upkeep isn't intense.

Unless you really really crap out on traders/mechanoids/etc. It happens.

[stefanstr]

As long as you don't waste your turrets as disposable decoys, you quickly have more than you need without crafting any.

I think this is the issue. I am used to turrets doubling as landmines. In A13, I guess I will have to be much more judicial with their placement.

Speaking of: how has A13 changed your defensive/killbox strategies?

For me, I am using the colonists much more than I used to. The ability to craft decent weapons and armor plus the components shortage make it so that I don't have a battery of turrets most of the time. I finally feel like the game encourages me to positional warfare with my colonists instead of hunkering in a bunker somewhere while my turrets decimate the enemies.

[Rahjital]

If you put turrets far enough from each other, you'll only lose one component per turret destroyed, the other two drop (damaged, but you can "repair" them by putting them into a stack of undamaged ones).

But yes, don't craft components, it's not worth it at all. Put your time into making silver instead and buying the components off every trader your get, you'll get far better value that way.

[JimmyAgnt007]

I only craft components if i drop under 10, but i always buy them whenever I can so I never get that low.  You should at least build the crafting table so you arnt stuck without any and dependent on traders.

As for repairing broken down items.  I think some should just need repairs and others need components.  They seem too happen too often.

[mrphukker]

fucking get it off the game, its really ruining it...

[RazorHed]

Ive played a few games so far . I don't seem to be having the problem with components I thought I would have. I keep upping the difficulty .  Right now i'm on Cassandra challenging .

It's WAY easier than it was in A12. I'm almost a year in and still only getting raids of like 6 guys. Maybe its because I can't get my colony wealth up , because of the lack of turrets I don't build anymore because I don't need to, or the lack of traders I could have sold tons of stuff to early on .  Going to start a new run on extreme and see if it helps.

[mrphukker]

its a joke, i can mine components... wtf is this shit

[Negocromn]

I wonder if making the component assembly table is worth at all, as it costs 30 components and idk how much steel. Granted my current game is on a flat map, I'm almost out of steel and I'll soon depend on traders and scraping weapons and mechanoids to do anything anyway, might as well just keep the materials for the workbench and never waste steel producing them.

I'm a step away from late game (16 colonists now), will probably have a better feel on component shortage in my next sessions.

[Listen1]

fucking get it off the game, its really ruining it...

I've asked around, and a 2 out of 67 dislike components at all. Many of the 67 want it to be rebalanced.

Well, i've been testing many maps, right now i'm at boreal forest with small hills. I've found tons of steel and compacted machinery (even more than at my mountain base.)

Right now i'm 168 days in the colony and am finishing the components research. I have 18 components right now because i've just built a 4th geothermal and another hydroponics room, and Plenty of steel to mine. 1/3 of the map. Also, slag chungs gives a ton of steels and every cargo pods or purchase, gives you slag.

[Astasia]

As long as you don't waste your turrets as disposable decoys, you quickly have more than you need without crafting any.

I think this is the issue. I am used to turrets doubling as landmines. In A13, I guess I will have to be much more judicial with their placement.

Speaking of: how has A13 changed your defensive/killbox strategies?

For me, I am using the colonists much more than I used to. The ability to craft decent weapons and armor plus the components shortage make it so that I don't have a battery of turrets most of the time. I finally feel like the game encourages me to positional warfare with my colonists instead of hunkering in a bunker somewhere while my turrets decimate the enemies.

Hasn't really changed much for me. I've never really used turrets early game, a colonist in cover is better than a lone turret IMO, and I don't like the idea of letting them blow up on purpose, even when it was just a bit of steel being lost. It's not until I get to the point that I can line up like 6-8 that I bother with them.

I wonder if making the component assembly table is worth at all, as it costs 30 components and idk how much steel. Granted my current game is on a flat map, I'm almost out of steel and I'll soon depend on traders and scraping weapons and mechanoids to do anything anyway, might as well just keep the materials for the workbench and never waste steel producing them.

I'm a step away from late game (16 colonists now), will probably have a better feel on component shortage in my next sessions.

I'd say it's worth building yes, even if you never recoup the 30 components you put into it through crafting. Just having the ability to craft one or two when you run out gives you some peace of mind. It's just a fail safe machine.