Satisfactory Early Access – Episode 9.5(Bonus Episode): Oil Automation and Truck Routes

Now that we’ve found our oil well, it is time to do what we do best… automate it!

I have decided to deem this video a “bonus episode” because most of the activities in the video are basically re-skins of things we’ve already done. Automating coal is basically like automating oil, setting up truck routes is virtually the same as setting up tractor routes, etc etc.

That all being said, there was enough fresh material to make it worth recording, hence the BE designation.

[G^G] Satisfactory Early Access – Episode 9.5: Oil Automation and Truck Routes

Episode Index

Oiled Up And Ready To Go

Between episodes I was able to build up the path between the HUB base and the oil fields. This involved laying a lot more concerete, and standing up walls where the trucking route was at risk. I opted to make the walls conveyor belt walls as well, because the scenery on the way to the oil well was too pretty to hide away! Once I made it back to the oil fields, I went ahead and tore everything down and started fresh.

While setting up an oil operation is very similar to coal, there is one key difference you should prepare for. It turns out that unlike coal, oil can not be used directly as a fuel source in generators. So unless you plan on shipping in fuel from somewhere else, you’ll need to plan on setting up at least one oil refinery on site to feed fuel to the fuel generator.

Once the generator was set up, the next step was to set up the trucking route. In this case “trucking route” is actually the correct term, because I opted to use the new “truck” vehicle as opposed to the tractors I’ve been using to freight my coal around.

I have to say this was a pretty great decision, because trucks outclass tractors in every single metric other than size and maneuverability. That all being said, for shorter routes tractors may still be the way to go since you are less likely to be run over if you are moving along the path, but for longer expeditions trucks are your best option. I definitely plan on replacing my old utility tractor with a truck in the near future to serve as my mobile workstation.

Lessons Learned

1. Trucks Are Kind Of Large – When building trucking paths, err on the side of making them larger. They are a fair bit larger and less nimble than tractors so giving yourself some breathing room is a big help in the long term.
2. You Can’t Burn Oil – You will need to bring enough materials to oil fields to construct at least one oil refinery. This is because you can only burn fuel in fuel generators(imagine that), which is a refined oil product.
3. Open Up A Window – It turns out that in many cases, you get way more style points for using conveyor belt walls instead of regular walls. This is especially true when creating pathways in the wilderness which often feature spectacular views that normal walls block off. So next time you are building a trucking path remember to let the breeze in!
4. Don’t Submerge Your Vehicles – Between session I learned that if you crash your truck in the water it is really hard to get out. As far as I can tell the only way to “pull it out” is to disassemble it and rebuild it. This can be a pain if your truck is loaded up with resources, especially because the overflow box is placed under water.

If you have ideas around how I can improve my videos, please reach out to me on twitter via @GrowUpAndGame.

I hope you enjoyed my content, and until next time… stay efficient everyone!

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