Factorio uses different tiers of science to gauge how far you have progressed through the game, and Science Pack 3 is the third science tier in the game. It introduces the aspect of laboratories in the game which is used to research advanced technologies. In Factorio do more biters spawn in multiplayer versus singleplayer? I've been running a server and it seems like there are a ton more bugs to the point where it is dangerous to play on the server alone. Did we just get spawned into a rough neighborhood or do MP servers generally have more biters?

The spidertron is a versatile lategame vehicle capable of traversing rough terrain. It, along with the car and tank, is one of three non-rail vehicles in Factorio. It's equipped with four fast-firing rocket launchers capable of manual or automatic targeting. It can be driven manually or remotely controlled using the spidertron remote. Furthermore, it has an equipment grid which accepts all equipment modules. Spidertron's legs can be moved by belts which can be prevented by inserting belt immunity equipment into its equipment grid.

The vehicle can be renamed, and its color can be changed independently of the color of the player that is riding inside it. This color and name are shown in the tooltip of all connected spidertron remotes. Additionally, the spidertron's inventory can have logistics requests and auto-trash filters set up, similar to the player inventory, so the vehicle is automatically supplied by logistic robots.

Picking up the vehicle keeps the modules inside its equipment grid, its name, its color and the logistics requests saved in the item, however any content from the spidertron's inventory is placed into the player's inventory and not saved in the item.

Combat

The four spidertron rocket launchers operate in 'chain mode' which allows rapid firing of rockets at enemies. The spidertron can be set to automatically target enemies, both with or without any passengers inside the spidertron. The spidertron's combat capabilities are enhanced by its equipment grid, e.g. energy shields can be equipped to increase its protection or personal laser defenses can be used for higher killing power. The spidertron's equipment modules are used additionally to any modules that the riding player may have equipped in their own power armor.

Speed

Unlike the car and tank, which are affected by the surfaces they travel on, the spidertron's speed does not change on different surfaces. Due to the way the spidertron travels, its speed slightly fluctuates and does not consistently stay at its top speed. The spidertron's speed can be increased by equipping exoskeletons into its grid. Up to 5 exoskeletons can fit in the vehicle's grid. The top speeds (in km/h) are as follows:

Trivia

• The spidertron was first mentioned in the Friday Facts #120, however it was not introduced into the game and did not appear on the roadmap. After FFF #120 the spidertron was sometimes hidden in other Friday Facts such as FFF #200, FFF #315 and FFF #330. However, the spidertron was not developed further after its first mention: 'Than maybe he felt FFF was too short that week, so he made the gif, and it was not touched ever since'.^[1] It was then introduced in version 1.0.0 as a surprise feature, more than 4 years after it was first teased.^[2]

Gallery

• The spidertron's GUI with a partially filled equipment grid and multiple equipped rockets.

• The spidertron's corpse.

• Spidertron effortlessly walking through trees.

• Controlling spidertron's movement via minimap.
  (Click to see .GIF animation.)

History

• 1.1.0:
  • Added logistic requests to spidertron.

• 1.0.0:
  • Introduced

Factorio Wiki

Oil processing is one of the most important things you will have to learn in Factorio. It is a research on the game's tech tree and a recipe that is used in the oil refinery -- but it also produces an item that is widely used in all kinds of processes in the game.

Being able to process oil is a major part aspect of Factorio, so this guide is going to give you all the information you need to start oil processing -- including what it is used for and where it's featured in the game.

Oil refinery in the real world

Where Does Oil Processing Sit on the Factorio Tech Tree?

Oil processing is researched relatively early on in the game, as you are going to need it for a lot of things. It only requires you to research steel processing beforehand, but leads on to many other technologies.

You need oil processing to use: Basic Oil Processing, Chemical Plant, Lubricant, Oil Refinery, Pumpjack, and Solid Fuel from Heavy Oil, Light Oil, and Petroleum Gas.

Oil Processing research is needed to research: Advanced Oil Processing, Flammables, Plastics and Sulfuric Processing.

However, Oil processing is also needed to make Science Pack 3. Factorio uses different tiers of science to gauge how far you have progressed through the game, and Science Pack 3 is the third science tier in the game. It introduces the aspect of laboratories in the game which is used to research advanced technologies.

In order to gain access to Science Pack 3, in addition to oil processing, you also need to have completed research in Sulfur Processing, Plastics, Fluid Handling, Advanced Oil Processing, Coal Liquefaction, Flammables and Flame Thrower.

How to Set Up Oil Processing in Factorio

Factorio Reddit

The first thing you need to look at doing is making some Pumpjacks. These are what is used to extract crude oil from the oil fields. You are able to make them after you have researched the initial oil processing technology. Below is the recipe you need to make them.

There are two ways to then move the crude oil to where it is going to be stored/used. You can either make sure that you have a good layout of pipes to transport it or make sure that you have an operational railway/transport network to move the barrels of crude oil. Barrels are useable thanks to the Fluid Handling technology.

Factorial

The crude oil then makes its way to an Oil Refinery which will require you to have already set up an Electric Network to make it work. An oil refinery produces three outputs -- Heavy Oil, Light Oil, and Petroleum Gas. You will need to set which recipe the refinery is going to use so that you know how much crude oil and other raw materials you will be needing.

Make sure you have somewhere for your products to go, as the oil refinery can stop working if there is a backlog. Storage Tanks are also available through Fluid Handling.

Heavy oil and light oil can then be taken to a chemical plant to be broken down to other materials and used in manufacturing substances such as sulfuric acid.

On a side note, crude oil itself can also be used as ammo for one of the game's initial defense systems -- Flamethrower Turrets. Factorio has a unique combat system which isn't generally seen in games of this genre, but this will be covered in future guides.

An example of how combat looks in-game

We hope that this look at oil processing and how oil is used in Factorio has given you some idea of how it works how to progress to the next level. Make sure you check out our other Factorio guides for more help with the game.