Q: Is Space Age required?
A: Yes. This mod is designed exclusively for Space Age and has no purpose without it.
Q: How many platforms can be monitored simultaneously?
A: Unlimited. Place one monitor on each platform. Updates use round-robin scheduling so UPS impact stays flat regardless of fleet size.
Q: Why is the speed signal always 0?
A: Speed is derived from the platform's route progress between update ticks. While a platform is orbiting at a location, speed is 0 — this is correct behaviour. The signal becomes non-zero only while the platform is travelling between locations.
Q: Delivery request signals are not appearing.
A: Make sure the "Signals: Delivery Requests" group is enabled in mod settings and that the platform actually has active requests pending from a planet.
Q: Can I place multiple monitors on the same platform?
A: Yes, but signals will be duplicated. There is no benefit — one monitor already outputs all available signals.
Q: Does the mod affect UPS with a large fleet?
A: The mod uses round-robin updates — at most one platform is polled per tick. With an interval of 60 ticks and 15 platforms, each platform updates once every 15 seconds. Increase the interval to reduce load further.
Q: How do I open the monitoring panel?
A: Click the toolbar button (satellite icon) in the top-left button row. On a planet it toggles the fleet overview. On a platform it cycles through panels depending on your "Toolbar button on platform" setting.
Q: Can I see the fleet overview while on a platform?
A: Yes. Set "Toolbar button on platform" to "Both" (default) or "Fleet overview only" in per-player mod settings. In "Both" mode, press the toolbar button twice — first press shows the platform HUD, second press switches to the fleet overview, third press closes everything.
Q: What does "Platform name display" setting do?
A: Controls how platform names appear in the GUI panel. "By player-given name" shows the name you assigned to the platform. "By order number" shows Platform #1, Platform #2, etc.
Q: What is the alert level signal?
A: 0 = normal, 1 = warning (low HP, low fuel, or blocked collector), 2 = critical (very low HP, critically low fuel, or hub taking damage). Use it to trigger alarms or automated responses via the circuit network.
Q: Can I navigate to a platform from the fleet overview?
A: Yes. Click any platform name in the fleet overview — this opens remote view (map camera) on that platform. Your character stays where it is, only the camera moves. Close remote view with Esc or Tab.
Q: Why are fuel thresholds in litres and not percent?
A: The Factorio API does not expose thruster tank capacity, so percentage cannot be calculated. Thresholds are set in absolute litres (combined thruster fuel + oxidizer). Adjust them in mod settings to match your platform designs.
Q: My panels keep resetting position after reopening.
A: Panel positions are saved per player. If you move a panel by dragging it, the new position is remembered when you close and reopen. Positions reset only on mod update or first install.
Q: What do the row colors mean in the fleet overview?
A: Red-tinted rows indicate a platform with critical alert (level 2). Yellow-tinted rows indicate a warning alert (level 1). No tint means the platform is operating normally.
Q: How do I sort the fleet overview table?
A: Click any column header (Name, Cargo%, HP%, Fuel, Status). Click the same header again to reverse the sort direction. An arrow (▲/▼) shows the active sort column. Your sort preference is saved per player.
Q: Can I arrange platforms in a custom order?
A: Yes. Use the ▲/▼ buttons on the right side of each row to move platforms up or down. This switches to manual mode. Click any column header to return to automatic sorting.
Q: What information does the platform tooltip show?
A: Hover over a platform name to see: cargo slots used/total with percentage, hub HP, thruster fuel and oxidizer (separately in litres), collector status (active/total, blocked count), flight info (ETA, speed) when in transit, and repair pack count if any.
Q: Does the mod play sounds?
A: Yes. When a critical (level 2) alert fires on any platform, a warning sound plays for all connected players. This happens once per alert — the sound does not repeat while the alert remains active.
Q: What is the minimap in the HUD?
A: When standing on a platform, a live minimap is shown at the top of the HUD. It displays a small overhead view of the platform centered on the hub. You can disable it with the "Show Minimap in HUD" per-player setting.
Q: What is the Master Platform Monitor?
A: It's a special combinator with red-tinted icons that aggregates signals from all platforms that have a basic Platform Monitor installed. Each platform's data appears in a separate section labeled "SPFM [Platform Name]". A configuration panel appears to the right of the combinator window letting you select which platforms to track.
Q: How is the master monitor different from the basic monitor?
A: The basic monitor reads one specific platform. The master monitor reads all platforms that have a basic monitor, outputting each one's data in a separate combinator section. It has red-tinted icons and a configuration panel anchored to its combinator GUI where you can select specific platforms.
Q: Why doesn't the Master Monitor show all my platforms?
A: The Master Monitor only includes platforms where a basic Platform Monitor combinator is placed. Install a basic monitor on any platform you want the master to track.
Q: How do I configure the Master Monitor?
A: Click the master combinator to open it. A configuration panel appears to the right showing checkboxes for each monitored platform. Check the ones you want to track, uncheck the rest, and click "Confirm". By default all monitored platforms are selected.
Q: How do I view alert history?
A: In the fleet overview panel, click the "History" tab. It shows the last 50 alert events with platform name, alert type, event status, and game time (HH:MM:SS). Click a platform name to navigate to it. Click column headers (Platform, Alert, Time) to sort.
Q: Can I sort the alert history?
A: Yes. Click the Platform, Alert, or Time column header to sort. Click again to reverse the direction. An arrow (▲/▼) indicates the active sort column.
Q: How do I create platform groups?
A: Click "Create Group" on the Fleet tab. In the dialog, enter a group name, check the platforms to include, then click "Create". Use the dropdown to filter by group. Click the pencil icon to edit a group, or the trash icon to delete it.
Q: Can different players have different groups?
A: Yes. Groups are stored per player, so each player can organize platforms however they like without affecting others.
Q: What does "SPFM" in the combinator section name mean?
A: All signal sections created by this mod are prefixed with "SPFM" (Space Platform Flow Monitor) followed by the platform name, e.g. "SPFM My Racer". This makes it easy to identify which sections belong to this mod when multiple mods share a combinator.
Q: Can I hide platforms without SPFM monitors from the fleet overview?
A: Yes. Change the "Fleet panel: platforms to show" setting (per-player) to "Only monitored (with SPFM)". Only platforms with a basic monitor installed will appear in the fleet table.