Kuxynator's Smart Linked Chests

[EXPERIMENTAL]

Provides expandable crash-site logistics using UPS-optimized linked chest technology with intelligent link ID management as an alternative to belts and bots and other logistics centers.

Basicaly is this a rework of "Unichest" to implement more features:

• supports multiple items per chest
• supports local/global chests, which are linked only on same surface or linked on each surface
• supports sections, to reduced the range. so the chests acting more like a local distribution center for the base.
• concept to support multiple linked chest mods simultaneously w/o conflicts.

How to use

• check Mod Settings -> Startup and set these to you needs
• Unlock the technology (requirements configurable)
• place a Smart Linked Chest
• Left-Click to open the chest UI
• on the righjt side, set the items you want -> the link-id is assigned automaticaly, as well as the filter slots.

Advanced usage

set the filter slots directly (middle click):
will not change the link-id but changes the content for all chests with the same id.

Nerfing linked-chest

The linked-chest is by default not available in a vanilla game.
But there are now many mods that make this available.
In my opinion, however, these chest are far too powerful and make other transport options obsolete, which can affect the fun of the game. Because why should you still build belts, railroads, or in Space Exploration rockets / delivery cannons, when it is much easier with linked-chest.
Because there are also other mods that allow alternative transport ways but may need a lot of computing power a limited linked chest could be a way to be more UPS friendly. With my mod I'am trying to address this.

You can decide for yourself which transport routes you want to simplify. The Smart Linked Chest is highly configurable.

• The base: use Settings: Sector mode: 'single', expandable
• The Planet: use Settings: Sector mode: 'grid' or 'none'
• everywhere: use Settings: force global

If you prefer to unlock all possibilities in the progress of the game, you can enable all 3 chests.

• The base: use Smart Linked Chest. Settings: Sector mode: single, expandable
• The Planet: use Smart Linked Surface Chest.
• everywhere: use Smart Linked Global Chest.

You can decide from which technology level which chest is available.

NOTE: At present it is very unbalanced.

Resolving the Space Exploration rockets / delivery cannons problem

To continue to care about transportation between planets use the Smart Linked Surface Chest.

Resolving the railroads problem

To continue to care about railroads between distant raw material occurrence use the Smart Linked Chest.

Smart Linked Chest

The Smart linked chest can be used (depending on the setting) as one or more decentralized Warehouses and (can) replaces thereby only the short trasnport ways like Belts.

Smart Linked Surface Chest

The Smart Linked Surface Chest allows the transport on the same surface without limits and replaces thereby the long transport ways like railreads.

Smart Linked Global Chest

The Smart Linked Global Chest allows the transport on all surfaces without limits and replaces thereby also transport routes such as rockets, delivery cannons.

License

As long as this mod is actively developed by me:

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0

As soon as I stop actively developing or supporting this mod I will change the license to MIT License

Credits

Thanks to zysnarch for their mod Unichest
Thanks to smack_plays for their mod BetterLinkedChests
Used for some of the base code and ideas.

Thanks to the Factorio team and their assets. Graphics used are from the included base mod.

Arrow Vectors in thumbnail by Vecteezy