Balancing Payload Logistics (1/?)

[SomeonesShade]

Part 1: Stat Balancing

I'm not sure if this needs a suggestion post, but I'll make one in 2 days' time if this hasn't been merged yet...
Discord Link: Shown but no one was against it or was okay with the changes,
There were only slight changes from the linked message, it will be marked with this "~"

Quick Problem Statement and Goal Setting

• P1: Overall, the payload system is a bit too expensive for what it does.
• P2: Constructor logistics needs to be improved and differentiated as Loader/Unloader setups seem okay now
• P3: The large variants need to be buffed as their usecase is fairly limited to downright unknown.

Main Changes

Payload Mass Driver
[P1 Buff] (Reduced Cost, make it more spammable/usable compared to earlygame util)
Tungsten: 120 -> 40
Silicon: 120 -> 50
Graphite 50 -> 20

Large PMD
[P3 Overall Buff] (Made more powerful/capable, but tech locked it a bit higher)
Thorium: 200 -> Phase Fabric: ~20 [Moved From Large Constructor]
Range: 1100 [137.5] -> 2100 [262.5, 3x pmd range]
Max Payload Size: 3.5 -> 5 4

Small Deconstructor
[P2 Buff] (focusing on a point and multiple spike design: multiple constructors into one deconstructor)
Deconstruct Speed: 1 -> 3

Deconstructor
[P3 Buff] (Focusing on more yield to be in contact with the core, pre phase massive vault yield)
Carbide: 250 -> 50
Deconstruct Speed: 2 -> 6

Constructor
[P2 Buff] (More Spam-able in Cost, contrast with loader setups)
Silicon: 100 -> ~50
Beryllium: 150 -> ~75
Tungsten: 80 -> 40
ConsumePower: 2 (120 pu/s) -> 2.5 (150 pu/s)

Large Constructor
[P3 Buff] (~Made more cheaper, could be potential for 3by3 turret/build tower on future parts, or having vault tech early but limited on pay conveyors, also quell isn't needed anymore for having vaults present)
Oxide: 150 -> 100
Phase Fabric: 40 -> Thorium: 80
ConsumePower: 2 (120 pu/s) -> 3 (180 pu/s)

Payload Loader
[(Counter Balance) Neutral: Only Tungsten Cost Buff] (Counternerfed, by having 100% of the cost reduction to 4xPMD setups (except for tungsten with 50%) toward loader and unloader as a whole. Loader taking less of the hit to incentivize the new behavior in Part 2.)
Graphite: 50 -> ~80
Silicon: 50 -> ~160
Tungsten: 80 -> ~90

Payload Unloader
[(Counter Balance) Neutral: Only Tungsten Cost Buff] (see above, this is going to take most of the cost reshuffling to incentivize Part 2 behavior)
Graphite: 50 -> ~140
Silicon: 50 -> ~220
Tungsten: 30 -> ~180

Counter Balance

Constructor Reduction getting counterbalanced for Assemblers (T4/T5)
With T4 usually having 1 Constructor and T5 having 2 (Thanks to mwm for the values needed for counterbalance, and I rounded the values up to make it look good overall
Edit: ~With the new updated information... the 150 raw item reduction actually works out... its effectively neutral for the cost reduction

All blocks involved: -30 pu/s
Tank Assembler: +150 Silicon
Ship Assembler: +50 Tungsten, +100 Silicon
Mech Assembler: +50 Tungsten, +100 Silicon
Assembler Module: +50 Oxide

Part 2: New Loader Behavior

Old Behavior

20250525-0747-46.9724460.mp4

New Behavior

20250525-0745-03.6382512.mp4

Rationale

Behavior: Only export if the item has reached max capacity, and that the item is present in the loader itself.
This was one of my desires when I've looked at loader and found a seamless and should be non-buggy way to do it.
This would allow players to chain loaders from multiple locations, snaking around, all to reach the final destination! This would be a nice gameplay addition to anyone playing around the payload system.

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• I have ensured that any new features in this PR function correctly in-game, if applicable.

[SomeonesShade]

Screen.Recording.2025-05-25.120643.mp4

[SomeonesShade]

Oh wait hold on, wrong values, doing a quick edit

Edit: Done

[SomeonesShade]

Okay doing some quick compute, I need to counterbalance completely for loader/unloader

[SomeonesShade]

Okay... that should be final

[SomeonesShade]

Set to draft for now since I'm now deciding if I should get this behavior in as well

Screen.Recording.2025-05-25.152903.mp4

[Anuken]

Max Payload Size: 3.5 -> 5

This is broken. PMDs are not designed to support blocks this large. 4x4 should be the maximum.

[SomeonesShade]

Quickly Reverted down to 4by4