In Factorio, mining uranium is essential for producing nuclear fuel, making it a vital part of your energy and military production chain. When playing with mods like AAI Programmable Vehicles and Krastorio 2, there are a few nuances and strategies that make mining uranium even more engaging. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to mine uranium effectively using programmable vehicles and the enhancements from the Krastorio 2 mod.
1. Understanding Uranium in Factorio
Uranium is one of the most critical resources in Factorio due to its role in nuclear power plants and atomic bombs. Unlike other ores, uranium requires specialized mining equipment. The Krastorio 2 mod further expands on the complexity of uranium, offering additional technologies and items that make it easier and more efficient to mine.
Key Points About Uranium:
- Uranium mining requires Sulfuric Acid to extract.
- The Centrifuge is needed to process Uranium-235 and Uranium-238.
- Uranium has a low yield without proper mining and processing techniques, which Krastorio 2 addresses through tech upgrades.
2. Setting Up Uranium Mining with Krastorio 2
Krastorio 2 adds new recipes, items, and technologies that improve the mining and processing of uranium. Before you can mine uranium, ensure you have researched the following in Krastorio 2:
- Advanced Ore Refining
- Nuclear Power
- Advanced Fluid Handling (for efficiently transporting sulfuric acid to your mining sites)
Once researched, follow these steps:
- Place Electric Mining Drills on Uranium ore patches. Unlike regular ores, you’ll need to ensure that sulfuric acid is fed to the miners. Build a fluid pipeline to deliver sulfuric acid from production plants to the mining area.
- Centrifuge Setup: Once mined, Uranium must be refined in centrifuges. This step separates Uranium-235 (used for nuclear fuel and atomic bombs) and Uranium-238 (used for uranium fuel cells).
- Powering Your Base: After refining uranium, use the uranium fuel cells in nuclear reactors to provide a significant energy boost to your base.
3. Using AAI Programmable Vehicles for Uranium Mining
AAI Programmable Vehicles allows you to automate vehicle tasks, including mining, transportation, and even combat. When paired with uranium mining, these programmable vehicles can automate the tedious task of moving uranium from the mining fields to your base.
Steps to Automate Uranium Mining with AAI:
- Create Mining Routes: Program your mining vehicles (like haulers or miners) to travel between the uranium ore field and your base. Set up paths that ensure the vehicles can load the mined uranium into the base’s storage or processing areas.
- Vehicle Customization: Use programmable logic in AAI to fine-tune when the vehicles should head to the mines, how much uranium they should carry, and when to return to the base. The mod allows for complex automation, making it possible to manage multiple uranium mining sites simultaneously.
- Efficient Transport: Use AAI’s programmable vehicles to also transport sulfuric acid to mining sites if the pipelines are too cumbersome. These vehicles can be programmed to refill at the acid production site and deliver to the uranium mines autonomously.
4. Advanced Tips with Krastorio 2 and AAI
1. Upgrade to Faster Mining
Krastorio 2 adds tech upgrades that increase the speed and efficiency of mining drills. Make sure to invest in those to optimize uranium extraction.
2. Use Logistics Networks
Combine the logistics system of Factorio with AAI vehicles to automate uranium delivery even further. You can set up requester chests and make the vehicles deliver refined uranium directly to nuclear power plants or weapon assembly lines.
3. Avoid Uranium Shortages
Uranium-235 has a low probability of being refined from uranium ore (only 0.7%), so it is vital to continuously mine and process large quantities of uranium to avoid shortages.
Conclusion
Mining uranium in Factorio becomes more interesting when playing with the AAI Programmable Vehicles and Krastorio 2 mods. By using advanced vehicles to automate mining and transportation, as well as leveraging Krastorio 2’s upgrades and tech tree, you can ensure a steady flow of uranium for all your nuclear needs. Whether you are powering your base or building devastating atomic weapons, understanding the best practices for mining uranium will give you a significant edge in the game.
By automating processes and refining your mining strategies, you’ll not only save time but also maximize your base’s efficiency. Happy mining!
