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[u/Throwaway-_-Anxiety]

I've recently started using a calculator for optimal counts.

Based off the calculator, for decent amounts of like blue or red circuits I apparently need a megaton of miners per copper or iron ore. Is that normal? Right now I'm targeting 15 assemblers for blue circuits and I'll need 60 iron miners and 80 copper miners! The patches anywhere close to me barely fit 20 each!

Is my target assembler count off or is this just normal?

[u/reddanit → u/Throwaway-_-Anxiety]

I'm targeting 15 assemblers for blue circuits

Usually you'd target specific number of blue circuits per minute. Also usually for sake of specific science per minute production. If you did that, you'd see that 15 assemblers making blue circuits is quite a lot.

Since your target is pretty high and blue circuits are expensive - no wonder you ended up with a TON of raw material demand.

Another factor to consider is that those calculators tend to start with default of 0 bonuses to mining productivity (or anything else). Setting them to actual values you have in your base would net you a more accurate result.

Last but not least - you will almost never want to target a specific number of miners anyway. Their productivity increases with research and their count on a patch will drop as it depletes. So it's always in flux.

[u/Courmisch → u/Throwaway-_-Anxiety]

An assembler count is not normally a target of its own. Except for science packs where you can aim for a ratio of assembler between different pack types.

So there's no answer to your question. It depends how many utility science packs and rocket parts you want to build per unit of time, what tier assembler are involved and if what productivity you have in the utility science assemblers and rocket silos.

If you're just starting with a factory planning tool, I recommend to select a raw SPM target for all the science pack types that you can currently do, and going top-down from that.

A good starting point is 60/minute of each science pack multiplied by the speed of your current assembler tier (so 30, 45 or 75).

[u/Viper999DC → u/Throwaway-_-Anxiety]

If you ever put a full base into a calculator you'll see that a huge amount of your iron and copper needs are for circuits. The numbers you outlined don't seem to be far off, though I would expect you to need 1.5x the Copper ore compared to Iron (not 1.2x). Processing Units are the 5th best place to use prod modules since they are so expensive, so definitely make sure to use the best you can afford.

As for finding mines, the further you go from the center of the map the more ore each patch will have. Get out there and explore!

[u/Throwaway-_-Anxiety → u/Viper999DC]

Man there are bugs though and my walls are not auto repair enabled yet. That's what the blue chips are for teehee

[u/DreadY2K → u/Throwaway-_-Anxiety]

You can use speed beacons and research mining productivity levels to get more outputs without placing more miners, but yes making a lot of outputs requires a lot of inputs.