As this been a big topic in many discussions, I’ve decided to shed some light on operator speeds and efficiency in the game. Many games use the input vs output speeds as a reference for players to build optimized factories. Because Modulus is not recipe based, this doesn’t actually apply well here. After all, players are free to choose how to create a module. Of course efficiency and deterministic results are the bread and butter of factory games and it’s super important in Modulus as well. We just calculate things a bit differently.
In Modulus, we talk about operation speeds and it is expressed in a unit form as operations/minute. For example, if a Cutter has an operation speed of 30 operations/minute, it means that it can perform at a maximum of 30 times per minute. Pretty straightforward right? Well, what makes Modulus original is that the operation you choose might actually change the output of a specific machine. Confused? It’ll get clearer with some examples.
The furnace
Let’s take a look at the Furnace first. The Furnace has an operation speed of 30/m and requires 8 Polyrock to do one operation (smelting one basic cube). In other words, a Furnace is able to craft 30 cubes per minute if it receives 240 Polyrock per minute (8 Polyrock x 30). If we know that a standard conveyor belt moves 120 items per minute, that means a quarter (30 items) of the output conveyor belt will be filled with cubes. To get a full conveyor belt of cubes means you’ll need 4 maxed out furnaces feeding into one conveyor.
One Furnace running at max efficiency
4 Furnaces combined to create a full belt of cubes
Monotoner
In another straightforward example, the Monotoner has an operation speed of 30/m. That means one Monotoner can handle a quarter of the capacity of one conveyor belt. (A quarter of a conveyor belt’s capacity can be recognized by modules that are 4 grid spaces apart).
One Monotoner working in sync with a maxed out Furnace
When trying to feed in more than 30/m, you’ll see that the Monotoner can’t keep up and the input belt will start clogging.
Monotoner is too slow for 60 cubes/minute
Cutter
The Cutter is an interesting operator as it can behave very differently based on its settings. The base Cutter also has an operation speed of 30/m. Depending on your settings, a Cutter can transform a conveyor belt that feeds in 30 modules/minute into an output conveyor that is completely filled. In the following example, 30 modules/minute come in, but the Cutter produces 4 new modules, effectively multiplying the number of objects by 4, resulting in a full conveyor belt.
Cutter transforms 30 cubes/minute into 120 new pieces per minute, maxing out the output conveyor
If a player wants to lead a fully loaded conveyor through a Cutter, you’ll need parallel operators to ensure there’s no clogging. That’s because a Cutter will always produce more than what comes in, resulting in a larger load on the output conveyors. In the following example, 4 Cutters are used to transform a full line of cubes into 4 full lines of 4x4x1 slabs. Notice that everything is running at max efficiency, there is never a halt and all spaces on all conveyor belts are occupied. Neat right?
Cutting a full conveyor of cubes (120/m) into slabs (480/m)
Assembler
The opposite is also true. In the case of an Assembler, the output will have a smaller load than its combined input, because 2 modules are merged into 1 new module. The Assembler processes 2 modules in one operation at a speed of 30/m. This means that 2 conveyors feeding 2 separate modules at 30/m, will also result in an output of 30/m. Check below example.
Assembler running at full efficiency
Of course in some cases you just want a faster production of a specific module and you’ll probably have a larger input of the two base pieces. In that case we need to build parallel tracks again like below.
Cranes
Cranes are a bit the odd one in the bunch. But they have a specific speed though: 15 operations/minute. That means they will pick up a module from a conveyor belt every 8 spaces. (Because conveyor speed is 120/m, divided by 8 = 15). BUT, you can place as many as you want. So you decide for yourself how fast a module enters a building, depending on which modules are needed more than others. (Check my previous deep dive about module ratios).
Summary
So what it all comes down to is the operation speed of any given operator. If you know the maximum operations of an operator you can set up your production lines to try and achieve their maximum capacity. Of course in some cases it might be beneficial to have parts of your production line produce less, because it’s just not necessary to have a full belt of something.
We feel like just giving you the operation speeds of operators should give you enough information to figure out max efficiencies, because frankly, everything else is up to you and how you choose to tackle the objective :)
Thanks for reading, and have yourself a great day!
- David (Game Director)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2779120/Modulus/