Overview
// add the 16/09/2020, with the confirmation of anuke itself, snek will disapear with the coming of 6.0, it’s with a certain sadness I anouce this guide will not be update anymore, until snek or a new way like snek appears in the game. You can still learn snek with this guide and use it without problem on 5.0, but it have no more use at long terms, thx everyone which have pass here and show their interest to the snake, and good bye//You may ask you, why using snake? why not using regular belt? Well because snake act like almost instant transfer, you realy increace the input of your base, or transport huge amount of resource (no matter is that not the same resources) in a realy short amount of time (it’s even fastier that phase, and cost only low resource (coper and lead))Well, if you’re now interest with snake let begin.(I really advise you to do your tiny experiment with snake on your side, it’s easy to heard but harder to understand and build snake)
introduction
Hello there and welcome to the guide, of “how build a snake”
I do this message for adress some tiny point before entering in this new science.
Firstly this tutorial will not make you snake master, I have try to cover the most I know but I’m not a master myself, you will have indeed at the end a pretty solid conception of snake, but still be open to other design which have don’t be mention in this tutorial. (I will try to update it as much as I can)
I also apologize for my bad level in English, I have try my best but that not my native language so please don’t judge me on all the gramatical mistake I have done.
(last edit of the guide 19/06/2020)
the basic – snake entry
Let’s begin by the begining, how to have input is snake?
We will need for that sorter and overflow.
Here we have a basic entry, it’s simply an alternance between overflow and sorter.
We can already see some interesting things, firstly, a snake entry can accept from every side, and he will send in every side, all not realy one don’t send resources.
For fix that we simply need to increase the size of the entry, like that:
And here that work more.
And again we can see some interesting stuff, we can increase our entry for see that:
here we can see that all the stuff go inside the entry, go out randomly on output part (which mean you can also use this design as most eficiency router)
you know now how to make a snake entry!
the basic – advance with a snake
you know now to make an entry with snake, but that useless if you can’t advance with this ressources.
Let see how you can advance with a snake.
You will need inverted sorter and overflow.
The most clasic design for advance with snake is this one (there are others but we will see that later):
[link]the way to build is simple, overflow 2 sorter, and then overflow again, 2 sorter, ect ect…
here an example of a long snake:
you know now how to have input with a snake and how to advance with a snake.
But you can already do some mistake, indeed this design will not work:
[link]the problem come of the fact you have place in a row 3 sorter, by replacing an inverted sorter by an overflow the snake will restart, like that:
[link]WARNING: for the next of this guide, I will call the chain of overflow + 2 inverted sorter as “body” or “snake body”
maybe you notice that if you place more than 6 entry for 1 body the snake still work, but some resources don’t flow at the maximum rate, simply because snake is Almost instant transfer, which mean if you place to much entry snake will take them alll but not a the maximal speed.
You can increase the max number of entry by 2 way,
you can adding a new body, like that:
[link]each time you add a body you increase by 6 the number of entry (1 body=6 entry, 2 body=12 entry, 3 body=18, ect …..)
or you can compress the resource but we will see that later.
the basic-Last step
We know how to collect and advance with this ressources, but now let see how to have an output.
The basic answer is simply a storage, yes only a storage, a vault or a core is enough. this storage will colect instantly all resources which go in.
But there some trick (that kinda the reason of this chapter)
with now all you know you can already build that:
[link]here we see we colect 8 resources which all go at the same time inside the storage.
And if you already master that you can begin building realy basic snake.
But sometime you can fall in this situation:
[link]here we definetly see a problem (maybe not that much with a picture, but still), any ressources go in, for copper it’s easy to guess why, we have reach the storage limit, but why the other don’t go inside?
simply because snake act like belt (a belt wich transfer almost intantly resources).
here the a traduction of the snake of we replace by belt:
[link]the coper don’t go in because the storage is full in cooper, but that also block the lead. It’s the same probleme with the snake we have build previously, coper can’t go in and block all the other resources.
For solve that we can simply finish the snake with an overflow and a burner for delete all the resources which have reach their limit.
So we arrive with this design:
[link]At this point you can build a basic snake (before building one I advise to you to check the “how to fix a snake” chapter if you mess up with snake it’s good to know how to fix it.
intermediate levels- Turn with a snake
we know now how to make a basic snake, but only in 1 direction, we will see here how to turn with a snake.
We will need invert sorter and underflow. (again other design will be seen later)
here is the basic way to turn, it’s simply:
[link]you know now how to turn with snake, here a tiny example of all we have seen from now:
[link]intermediate levels- cross betl/cross snake
Sometime, betl or snake need to be cross, due to other player, or problem with the natural wall.
But, you can cross snake and belt witout problem.
Here, you can see how you cross snake and belt:
[link]And here you can see how you cross snake:
[link]But, if you really need to cross snake and belt, you can pass belt/snake on inverted sorter only, crossing snake and belt like that:
[link]or like that:
[link]will only result at a clog of the snake(due to a backflow, this therm will be explain later).
intermediate levels-mass driver to snake
many people prefer use mass driver, other prefer use snake. But I consider the most effective way is to use both of them, here a way to extract at the maximum speed a mass driver, and lauch it into a snake:
[link]this design allow an almost instant extract of resouce from the mass driver, wich make viable to connect many input mass driver to only 1 output mass driver.
just for showing here a subversion of it, take less place and cost less resources:
[link]intermediate levels-Other kind of output
we have seen before than generaly the output of snake is storage, but that can also be belt.
you can have 3 belt output, like this:
[link]the input are limited by the output.
Aswell if you place an other entry as an output that will also result at a clog of snake, like that:
[link]But if you wish increase the output, I advise you to add body, wich finish with overflow, like that:
[link]But don’t loose hope, there exist a design for masif output, it’s this one:
[link]here we see that we have 5 output, again if you wish increase it you can add an other body which finish by this output design, like that:
[link]intermediate levels-split snake
Sometime you doesn’t want use router, or simply split a snake in 2 snake, you wimply need an underflow or an overflow.
I just recomend you to follow this design:
when you split a snake you must be sure than every resources will go in the same direction or the snake will be clog.(again due to a backflow)
advance strats- entry in the body
We have seen already a lot of thing with snake, but here begin the realy juicy stuff I think.
Firstly, I hightly recomend to know and master the basic and intermediate levels of snake. Because with all the stuff of advance strats have a direct impact on snake efficiency, and this technique, if badly execute, can clog the snake.
Let begin by one of the most “basic” advance technique, the entry in the body.
If you have follow everything from the start you will be tempted to do this design:
or this one:
[link]and for what we see, that don’t work really well, the reason is due to a “backflow”.
what I call “backflow”, is the when a ressource have go in th wrong way, again I will show you what happend if that was belt:
[link]here we see than one of the righ still accetp resource but the entry at the top is block by a belt wich is not in th good way, and that exactly the same with the snake, 1 resources have been send to the top, which create a belt which don’t go in the correct orientation.
So, it’s possible to make an entry in the body with snake?
yes, they exist a way, but at this point I can’t explain you why that work in detail, cause even for me that strange, but the design I will show work at 100% and that pretty much all we wanted.
the best design for an entry in the body is like that:
[link]here we see that work realy well, the entry must be on the overflow at the right, don’t put entry in the sorter or in the overflow on the main body.
you can related to this entry overflow bigger entry:
[link](the storage is here because with a belt the input will be to high)
but you can even relly this entry to an other snake:
[link]you can add as much entry in the body you want, but remember than snake is almost instant transfert, which mean it’s not teleportation (the “almost” is important to remember)
here an example of many entry in the body:
[link]the entry in the body is one of the most useful technique, I really advise you to master this one once you have finish master indermediate and basic lv.
with this technique master your game will be way easier.
advance strats-double entry in the body
we have seen than we can make a simple entry in the body but their exist some design for make double entry in the body. here you can aply this design, again just follow the rule on “alternative design” for avoid a clog and no problem should occur, both version work but the first one look more effective.
this one is certainly the most effective
[link]
this one work to, but look a litle less efective than the first one.
[link]
other design-body
I have present you the main and the most basic design but they exist many other, let’s begin with other body design
we have all of this one which work:
[link]nevertheless, I advise to stay with the clasic design, this part is just because some prefer the other, but both of them work.
But just follow this tiny rule for avoid clog
- never place in a row 2 overflow (except if that for the entry in the body design)
- never place in a row 3 sorter, even if that not the same type of sorter (inverted or regular)
- nerver place in a row 2 underflow
Other design-entry
Again, here some other entry which work well:
[link]you have also an other design for entry in the body:
[link]
I advise to do entry in the body, only of you have master the indermiate lv and basic.
This entry in the body acepth entry from the overflow at the top, don’t send resource in the other overflow or sorter, if you realy wish increase the input or put a snake as an entry, you will have this design:
(bigger entry):
[link]
(snake as an input):
[link]
Other design-turn with a snake
here some other way to turn with a snake:
[link]Advance strats-output of the body
We have already see a lot of output, this one is certainly the stronger, but also the most dangerous one. It’s easy to understand, BUT, can mess up the snake realy badly if you miss this one.
we have seen a lot of diferent design with body, the one which interest us here is the one with 2 inverted sorter+underflow.
This design have something interesting to propose, the underflow prefer send to the side instead to the front, wich mean if we place belt near they will firstly send resources to the belt and then make it advance in the body, here a tiny ilustration:
[link]here we see some interesting stuff, firstly that even if underflow (and overflow) send to the side, they still send resources to the storage.
And other think intesrting we see is than overflow send less resources to the side than the underflow. (that justificate the use of underflow for this technique)
But we have a problem here, the underflow don’t check what resource he send, and if we want this output we need precise stuff (generaly titan, for redirect to a plastanium factory, but that can be anything, phase, surge, meta-glass, silicon…..)
for that we simply need a sorter near the underflow, like that:
[link]here we see than only titan go out of the underflow+sorter, and with that we can use this resources for build new resources.
As an exemple, I will show you the most complicated material to build (mod non-iinclude) the surge:
here we see 4 body output + 1 entry in the body, so if you suceed that your become really good with snake.
advance strat-snake regrouper
this part is kinda an subversion of an entry in the body. This design have some time a use, but I advise you to stay with a regular entry in the body if you want merge 2 snake in 1.
this design look like that:
[link]this design can receive snake also like that:
[link]the only thing wich will result in a clog of the snake is if you use this design like that, (if you place 2 snake in 1 overflow, we arrive on the same rule at crossing snake)
here an example of what not to do:
[link]
here we see that, only 1 of the 2 snake work.
advance strats – snake compresion
we have seen before than normaly snake are limit by the number of body, it’s not realy true, most of the problem come of then entry and not the body, but we can solve that by doing snake compresion. This technique will allow you to outpass the rule of 6 entry, you simply need to do that:
[link]but what happen here? we simply have make a second body wich will extract most of the resource of the entry, but then we imediatly do a snake regrouper (or an entry in the body).
This way add 6 entry for extract resource for the entry, adn then we stack it inside a 1 body, we can reach a realy crazy ammount of input on 1 snake with this strat, here an example:
but even if this start allow a more powerful transfer snake is limit by the tps of the server, (there are some rule which can’t be pass)
and 1 body even by adding compresion cannot handle 20 entry with source, so still consider than snake is almost instant transfer.
how to fix a snake
Sometime even by following all the step, something go wrong, a block have take to much time to be place, you have miss click a placement, or simply an other player which don’t know how work snake have mess with it.
In all of the case the snake don’t work anymore, all entry (or a part of them, this is realy true when some of the entry in the body work and other don’t)
We can divide problem with snake in 3 part:
1) a problem of placement,
you have simply place a bad chain, 2 underflow in a row, ect ect…(check “other design” to see which design work and which don’t) or simply a sorter have not the type none.
for this one simply replace the bab chain by a good chain and the snake should restart on his own
2) a backflow inside the body,
1 resource have gone in the wrong direction and block the snake due to a backflow,
you have to find a way for purge it,
place near the body some belt, this way resources will go on the belt, if you see that a lot of resources go out that mean the resource which is not in the good orientation is not here, place belt until you find this resources, then the snake should restart on his own
3) a backflow inside the entry,
1 resource have gone in the wrong direction and block the snake due to a backflow,
you have to find a way for purge it,
place near the entry some belt, maybe more resource will go out, but if the snake still don’t work maybe check the body, or continue to purge the resource inside.
It’s realy hard to know where the probleme come, because almost every problem result at a complete or partial stop of the snake. But with time you will more understand how snake work and where the problem should come.
A last and final way to fix a snake ( even with all your try to do the previous methode), is simply to deconstrut it entirely or the part which don’t work and rebuild it.
The end
Congratulations, if you arrive here you have master snake (at least everything I know about snake)
Hope you enjoy and learn something.
If I miss some design, don’t hesitate come in this discord server
[link]
for post the design and this way we can increase this tutorial together.
(all people which have add their design, will be add here)
a huge thanks to DNS/pitoree and Rey for all the design they have share,
most wil come, we need to focus more on the snake use for build factory.