Refinery tower machines in the Oil Refinery building.
Welcome to the twelfth development blog for Project Hegemon. In this post, we will explore some more aspects of TownyBuildings factories.
Machines
Let us begin by reminding ourselves what factories are. Factories are special buildings in TownyBuildings that act like Slimefun machines. Initially, factories held multiple fake "machines" that only existed inside the building's menu. However, this felt boring and deprived factories of a much-needed industrial aesthetic. We therefore pivoted to making machines physical - like in Slimefun - and went an extra step further by converting some into multiblock structures, such as the refinery towers in the first image.
The power generator machine for the Power Plant.
Machine Slots and Production Methods
The number of machines you can have in a factory is determined by the building's level. Currently, each level unlocks another machine slot and, as you may remember, each level also has its own block and worker requirements. This links industrial progression with the construction of houses and enlargement of factory buildings.
The factory's production method, on the other hand, determines the speed of its machines. Think of it like upgrading a machine in Slimefun. While the more advanced production methods increase speed, they also require more expensive upkeep and higher-wealth workers, which have their own needs.
Note: 'production time' here only refers to how often the input is taken from the building. It isn't related to how long it takes for the machines to produce items.
List of Factories
Here is a list of factories we have implemented so far:
- The Power Plant generates power (measured in "power units", or PU for short) for use by machines in other factories.
- The Pulverising Plant grinds ores into dusts. Dusts can be converted into ingots for 2x yield or used to craft alloys.
- The Smeltery creates alloys, such as steel, from dusts.
- The Chemical Plant is an important factory that creates chemical products from sulfur, oil and saltpeter, which are used by military factories.
- The Firearms Factory, Ammunition Plant and Explosives Factory create guns, gun ammunition and shells/torpedoes, respectively.
- The Concrete Factory converts concrete dust into concrete. It also adds a 2x recipe for concrete using clay and cement.
- The Pharmaceutical Factory creates healing items, such as bandages.
- The Sawmill converts logs into planks with a 2x yield, but can also produce intermediate products such as biomass for biofuels and sawdust.
- The Refinery refines oil into gasoline, diesel and industrial lubricant. The first two are used for both power generation and as Movecraft fuel. The Refinery can also produce biogasoline and biodiesel from crops, as well as coolant from lubricant and ice.
There may also be factories for creating furniture and custom foods if they are later implemented.
The diagram below shows a simplified version of the supply chain. You might need to right-click it and open it in a new tab.
Next Steps
We're still in the process of designing town progression. For example, assuming town levels depend on buildings rather than residents, should higher town levels be required for some factories? Let me know what you think in the replies.
Last edited: 1 day ago x 3
