Byproduct Recirculation
Leftover outputs that aren't dealt with will eventually choke the main line.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Optimization · Planning · Risk
No.010Factorio01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Make the main product
- 02Byproducts pile up
- 03Design a sink or loop
- 04Line runs stable again
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
Plastic refining also yields 30 heavy residue/min, and the tank fills in 10 minutes.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
The player refines residue into fuel and pipes it to the power plant.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
The refinery stops stalling and the grid gains about 20% more power.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
If plastic demand drops, residue and power drop too, so a backup source is needed.
How it plays
Some recipes yield a main product plus byproducts, and if any output fills the machine stops. Players must route byproducts somewhere: convert them, loop them upstream, sell or destroy them. Handled well, they become bonus value.
What the player weighs
- Destroy for simplicity vs convert for value: dumping is easy but wasteful.
- Closed loop vs fragile ratios: an imbalanced loop can deadlock entirely.
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
Factorio
Oil processing yields heavy oil, light oil and petroleum gas, and players crack heavy into light and light into gas so no product backs up.
Satisfactory
Plastic and rubber recipes produce heavy oil residue that can become fuel, and awkward solid items can go into the AWESOME Sink for points.
The difference worth noticing
Factorio digests byproducts mainly through chemical conversion; Satisfactory also offers the Sink as a universal outlet.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
Byproducts can be sold on a market whose price drops as you flood it, so players choose between internal use and selling before the price collapses.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Power Budget Balancing
Every machine draws power; if generation lags, the whole factory sags.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Add powered machines
- 02Check supply vs demand
- 03Build generators or storage
- 04Handle peaks and failures
Drone Logistics Network
No belts needed: flying units deliver where needed, but you have to keep them supplied.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Build ports and storage
- 02Set requests and supplies
- 03Drones deliver automatically
- 04Expand or refuel the network
Conveyor Routing
Moving items from A to B is easy; keeping every line from tangling is the game.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Plan source and destination
- 02Lay belts around obstacles
- 03Watch flow and jams
- 04Reroute or add layers