Module
Template:Technology Modules are items used to enhance existing buildings' capabilities. They are expensive, require appropriate research and are produced slowly, but can eventually greatly improve the efficiency of a factory.
- If you want more products per second, use a speed module.
- If you want more products per input resource, use a productivity module.
- If you want more products per watt of energy, use an effectivity module.
In addition to improving the efficiency of the factory, modules are also used in many late- and endgame recipes such as modular armor and its equipment.
Recipes
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Speed Module
Used in many Modular armor recipes.
| Level | Speed bonus | Energy consumption |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +20% | +50% |
| 2 | +30% | +60% |
| 3 | +50% | +70% |
Productivity Module
Productivity modules add a second "production bar" at item producing buildings and labs. It fills at the speed of (production - 100%). When it reaches 100%, an extra item (or items, in recipes that result in more than one) is produced.
| Level | Productivity | Energy consumption | Speed | Pullution multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +4% | +40% | -15% | +30% |
| 2 | +6% | +60% | -15% | +40% |
| 3 | +10% | +80% | -15% | +50% |
Effectivity Module
Minimal energy usage is 20% of base energy usage.
| Level | Energy consumption |
|---|---|
| 1 | -30% |
| 2 | -40% |
| 3 | -50% |
Buildings that support modules
Buildings support different amounts of modules.
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2 |
Usage tips
More modules of the same type in one device will give diminishing returns. Because of that, it is generally more effective to add efficiency modules with speed and/or productivity modules to get more bonuses over the crafting cascade (assembly lines), especially when assembling machines are part of logistics network. This applies to situations where resources are plentiful but finite.
Filling the device with speed modules is useful when a resource is infinite but the amount of resource pools is low. The best example would be oil deposits. Another good place to use speed modules would be for assembly machines which make products that take a long time to make. Examples would be engine units.
Filling devices with productivity modules is recommended when resources are scarce. Example would be alien artifact processing.
Modules are also able to control Pollution, as pollution depends also on Energy usage. So reducing a machines energy usage by 40% with a efficiency module 2 will also reduce its pollution by 40%. Beware as this also works vica versa.
Examples of usage
Electric furnaces are huge power hogs at 180 kW per furnace. 1 basic effectivity module reduces it by 54 kW (-30%) - almost a Solar panel worth of power.
Electric mining drills create 9 units of Pollution with no effectivity modules and 1.8 with 2 basic ones.
Same Electric mining drill with 3 Productivity modules 3 would create 76.5 units of Pollution.
Productivity
There where many discussions about the productivity. This post brings the problems of calculating the productivity to a point, where it becomes understandable. This thread does also some calculation about the best usage, return on investment etc.
Efficiency and Effectivity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficiency
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effectiveness
http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/142360-Is-effectivity-a-relevant-word
And this (lol): http://de.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=effectivity
... So: Might be changed ...