title: Satisfactory Concept: Farming
date: 2023 Apr 16
updated: 2024 Mar 24

Here is my idea for automating the collection of healing materials(such as Beryl Nuts) in Satisfactory

## Plant Pods

Plant pods would be researchable in the Nutrients section of the MAM. It would cost:

* 5 modular frames 
* 10 steel pipes
* 20 biofuel

to research.

You'd be able to build it in a new *Farming* section in the production category of the build menu. It would cost the user:

* 4 steel pipes
* 2 quickwire
* 5 biofuel

to build. It would require 1 MW of power to function. Plants that are left without power while in there will not continue growing or providing harvest, however they will not die(that'd be annoying if they did).

The user would be able to interact with the planting pod to bring up a menu that tells them what stage of growing it's at(baby, growing, fully grown), how ripe for harvest the plant is(out of 3 states: none, starting, ripe). The UI will have a button to harvest at the bottom, and a box that will allow the plant to be exchanged for another--which would give you a few leaves, proportional to how long it's been growing(0 if baby, 4 if growing, 10 if fully grown), and the amount of fruit they would have gotten from the harvest + 1 extra(for the fruit they put in).

## Robot Farmers

Researchable under the *Crystal Oscillator*. The research cost is:

* 10 Crystal Oscillators
* 5 AI limiter
* 3 quickwire

These little farmers need power to survive, which is why the *ROBOT charger* is unlocked with them.
This building can be built in the power section. They cost:

* 15 quickwire
* 2 modular frames
* 5 crystal oscillators

to build.

Once built, this building acts like the truck station, but instead of coal, it loads power, and it can only unload items from the bot's inventory.

The Robo-Farmer is then buildable under the *Farming* section in the production category of the build menu. It costs:

* 1 Factory Cart
* 2 Crystal Oscillators
* 1 AI limiter
* 3 quickwire
* 5 steal pipes

to build.

These little robots have themselves a little UI that allows you to select items they should farm. Once given a task, these robots will always return to the nearest *ROBOT charger* when their inventory is full, or they are running low on power(robots will always attempt to keep themselves powered). If the robot cannot find a plant within range that is harvestable, then the they will wait until there is one. 

## Getting the most out of these resources
Robot Farmers are best at traversing on foundations(they spend less power). As such, it is recommended, that the player create a flat platform that has plant pods with some space between for the bots to traverse between them. In the center, the player should build a *ROBOT charger*, as it will allow the robots the run around equally in each direction. Players should also utilize the *Conveyor Lift* to bring materials to a layer above for sorting, or other purposes.