Difference between factory loop & complex

General discussions about the games by Egosoft including X-BTF, XT, X², X³: Reunion, X³: Terran Conflict and X³: Albion Prelude.

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fujix
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Difference between factory loop & complex

Post by fujix » Wed, 27. Nov 13, 16:50

Hello.
This forum is awesome for finding answers to my many questions about this game, but here is one that Im having problems finding an answer for :)

Basically, what is the difference between a complex and a factory loop?
Is the loop stand alone factories that are "connected" using CLS haulers?

Vim Razz
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Post by Vim Razz » Wed, 27. Nov 13, 17:47

Basically you're right, though there are some nuances.

The "loop" terminology itself comes from X2, which doesn't have the ability to connect stations into complexes (but which does have slightly more advanced ship control options than X:BTF or X-T), so everything is moved around by ships.

They got called loops because your supply chain between stations forms a loop from your SPPs to your farms and mines to your factories supplying components or crystal adn then sending crystal back to the SPPs for more energy cells...


"Closed loops" haul or sell wares directly from one station to the next and lock out NPC involvement anywhere in the process (except as a customer for unused products). They're often preferred over open loops in large empires because they require less micromanagement and maintenance to keep running smoothly.


"Open loops" are generally set up to look for opportunities to buy wares from NPCs more cheaply than sell your own product for if at all possible. The classic example of an Open Loop is with Crystals in X2: You can generally sell Crystals at max price, then buy them at average price (because of a particular cheat in X2's economy that's required to keep it from collapsing).

Open loops can also refer to production loops that include reliance on NPC stations for certain elements. For example: keeping all the Cahoona Bakeries around the Argo Prime area supplied with energy and beef, then buying up most or all of their production.


A complex can be organized as a loop -- and these are sometimes called "self sustaining complexes" -- but it doesn't need to be. In fact, early in the game it's generally a lot more profitable to buy resources and sell tech goods until you over-strain NPC production, because the support stations you need to fill out the loop (SPPs, food fabs, mines) just aren't very profitable relative to their initial investment.

An "open loop complex" generally refers to one which allows trading of intermediate wares with NPC stations (usually handled by CAGs from the Bonus Pack), while "closed loop complexes" shut of trade of intermediate products in order to minimize potential hassle.


There's also a distinction to be made between "open/closed loop complexes" and "open/closed complex loops". The former are singular complexes, while the later are loops of multiple complexes connected by ships.

fujix
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Post by fujix » Wed, 27. Nov 13, 19:16

Awesome reply. Damn I love this community.

Nanook
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Post by Nanook » Thu, 28. Nov 13, 01:29

Vim Razz wrote:....
Open loops can also refer to production loops that include reliance on NPC stations for certain elements. For example: keeping all the Cahoona Bakeries around the Argo Prime area supplied with energy and beef, then buying up most or all of their production...
I've never heard of these being called 'loops' of any type. 'Loop' means 'circle' and that's the configuration of open and closed loops of factories. Everything needed for production of an end product is supplied by one of the factories in the loop. As you've noted, closed loops exclude NPC's from everything except possibly the end product. Open loops simply allow the NPC's to buy any or all wares at high prices and sell them to the player's loop at a generally much lower price (although this part is generally done by the player's ships since NPC's won't sell below average cost). This means added profits for the player at every point in the loop, but it can also lead to more ship losses as player ships head off to buy and sell at NPC stations.
Have a great idea for the current or a future game? You can post it in the [L3+] Ideas forum.

X4 is a journey, not a destination. Have fun on your travels.

Vim Razz
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Post by Vim Razz » Thu, 28. Nov 13, 02:50

lol -- maybe that's just me, then... I tend to consider NPC fab to be part of my "loop" on occasion....

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