Factorio tool: rocket compression
Simon Sapin,
Factorio is an automation and logistics game where the player builds factories to collect resources, transform them into intermediate items, assemble them into more complex items, etc. The Space Age extension adds multiple planets, with interplanetary logistics based on launching rockets carrying up to 1000 kg of cargo. Each item has a fixed weight which determines how many can fit in one rocket: the item’s rocket capacity.
Weights are chosen for game balance rather than for realism. Each rocket launch has a cost; in some cases it’s cheaper to launch ingredients and craft an item at the destination than to launch the finished product. This equation can change if some ingredients are easily available at the destination.
Internally, some weights are computed with a non-trivial formula. After implementing it outside of the game we define the weight compression of every recipe as the weight of its ingredients divided by the weight of its products. Compression greater than 1 means it’s cheaper to launch finished products.