Satisfactory Beginners Guide To Smart Plating - Get Phase 1 Done Fast!

Struggling to figure out an efficient Satisfactory build for your first smart plating factory? This video will take you step by step through the full build from iron ore node to 2 smart plating per minute.
Then it is up to you to send your first package up the space elevator and move on to Phase 2 and coal power generation!
You can apply this style of Satisfactory design to all your builds, working backwards from your target output to the necessary inputs.
Get Update 6 started off right and get some great beginner Satisfactory tips along the way!
Come hang out on Twitch:
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#satisfactory

[@DrLootCrate]

This design as shown in the video DOES NOT give you 100% efficiency. A viewer (Absolute Human) pointed out an issue that I never noticed that doesn't allow the mergers to back up as I expected. The problem is the splitter/merger design after the 2 pairs of constructors in the middle. Instead of splitting one machine into a merger, you need to gather the full output of both machines onto one belt and then split off to the next steps. You can do it with a mk1 belt for the iron rods, but you need a very short run of a mk2 belt (which you should have access to at this stage of the game) for the screws because there are more than 60 per min. Let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them.

[@moonchild8642]

Another Solution to the issue you are describing, which is imperfect in a different way is to underclock the rod, screw and plate constructors to 95% , 92.5% and 60%, respectively, set the smellters to 77.5%, and then use a smart splitter to prioritize ingots going to the plate constructor, and you avoid the issue a different way, sidestepping the need for the mk2 belt, at the expense of rushing caterium research. I was having some fun blueprinting your build earlier... First really functionally complete and self-contained blueprint idea I've seen and/or worked on besides a box-o-smelters :)

[@DrLootCrate]

@@moonchild8642 Decent idea, but if you have smart splitters, you definitely have mk 2 belts. reinforced iron plates is one of the ingredients. Glad you are getting some good uses out of the blueprints!

[@moonchild8642]

@@DrLootCrate I think *technically* you could unlock smart splitters before Mk2 logistics, but like I'm not that much of a masochist. In any event, if you'd like the blueprint I've made for it to iterate on and improve, let me know how to share it.

[@DrLootCrate]

@@moonchild8642 I am thinking about starting a discord so it will be easier to share things like this. Sometime soon.

[@moonchild8642]

@@DrLootCrate That would be great! For now, I'm kinda building up a bunch of designs to drop on satisfactory-calculator as kinda the only place to share this stuff atm.

[@nitramba9726]

W video, Im trying to play this game using my own set ups but this alone helped explain what resources I would need to feed into where!

[@ninjaduck3k]

The "bring it back 2"/90-degree trick was worth the Thumbs Up alone.

[@DrLootCrate]

Hell yeah. That is the move for sure

[@richieutz]

Thanks for the vid! what i like about this is it shows beginner ways to efficiently use mergers and splitters as well as future ways to automate similarly crafted materials!

[@N1trodude]

Thank you I really needed help on this

[@Apfelabrunder]

Great Video u showed me the basics of a factory and helped me completing the Quest thx

[@DrLootCrate]

Thanks dude! Glad it helped.

[@dientner2088]

A perfect beginners guide! Thank you :)

[@DrLootCrate]

Thanks Di. I will have a few more beginner oriented videos coming out pretty soon, so consider subbing to catch them when they come out

[@Harr2010]

Perfect timing mate…just hit this tier!…gotta go build this right now…cheers…🍺🍺🍺

[@DrLootCrate]

🍻 to you, my friend. Hurry up and unlock coal power!

[@AbsoluteHuman]

7:48 There is in fact a problem with this setup... It really won't backup from the merger. When a splitter have one of it's outputs blocked it sends the input to the other output. But when it is a merger it still feeds from both inputs equally even if one of them is full. So as the constructor produces more it will stall first never saturating the other input lane. Trust me, I've had this problem with my solid steel ingots build with 4 smelters feeding into 3 foundries in similar fashion. You really need a smart splitter for this setup to work properly. Or use a different balancer to send more items to the right side in the first place.

[@AbsoluteHuman]

8:18 you made it even worse by limiting the right constructor... Left one would be the better choice. Now the right assembler won't ever get more than 17 screws per minute.

[@AbsoluteHuman]

10:23 No it won't...

[@AbsoluteHuman]

18:40 Aaaand you ended the video without showing the system actually working at 100% despite claiming to show it backing up 😆 smart move 👌

[@DrLootCrate]

You are 100% correct. I just rebuilt this to test it out. I had drawn it out on paper and just chalked the 92% when I built it up to the slow belts taking forever to back up. (Big change from mk5 back to mk1) Having rebuilt it to test your hypothesis, you don’t need smart splitters to make it work. For the rods, you just need to gather the output from both constructors on one belt and then split off with a normal splitter. It will balance itself. For the screws, you can do the same with a mk2 belt, which you can build from your 92% reinforced iron plate assembler 😉 Thanks for watching the whole video and letting me know. I will do better in the future and in hindsight rushed this vid a bit. I am going to leave a pinned comment explaining the issues.

[@DrLootCrate]

I think it ends up taking you 33 minutes instead of 25 to get your 50 smart playing with this setup. Use your extra free time wisely.

[@trevordow8013]

Great videos …very helpful…would love to see one on setting up a big storage facility …hard to find one on this topic

[@DrLootCrate]

Thanks Trev! That is a good idea to put on the list. I actually don’t have much of a central storage facility on this save, but I certainly know how to do one

[@thijsgames3546]

i’m gonna use this. Thanks!

[@DrLootCrate]

I’m glad it was helpful for you

[@SliceOfLife93]

I usually do this manually. Except making the actual playing, you can’t hand craft these. Way faster than waiting for it to be done (:

[@Salubrious388]

I also wish there was an on-site radio within the game to drown out the sound of metal on metal. I mean, what tradesman works without a radio? 😂

[@DrLootCrate]

Ha! For sure! I actually listen to music often when I am playing. I think you might get your wish…it looks like the developers have snuck in some hidden cassette tapes and boom boxes into the latest update. Some people have found them, but they don’t do anything…yet

[@Salubrious388]

@@DrLootCrate that sounds great!bone of the things I love about the Fallout games is the music really adds a lot to the game. Gives it a lot of charisma imho. :)

[@NotepadHandle]

Funny and informative! -A yelp styled youtube review

[@DrLootCrate]

Thanks Adam!

[@thebulletkin8393]

Just spent 4 hours getting my smart plating sorted and you’ve shown me just how big I made mine in comparison :/

[@DrLootCrate]

That’s ok. It will might come in handy for later stages of the space elevator. Thanks for watching!

[@Delphinus-Keya]

Don't listen to this man, he says he won't use anything from the awesome shop, yet continues to drink coffee 😉.

[@DrLootCrate]

Haha. Good catch! I didn’t notice probably because I was drinking 3 cups of coffee in real life while making the video

[@Delphinus-Keya]

Yeah just gotta poke some fun. You have some really nice content and inspiration building designs.

[@DrLootCrate]

@@Delphinus-Keya all good! I enjoy it. Glad you are liking the vids

[@Salubrious388]

I’ve only played for 2 days. How did you learn the pattern for smart plates, as I have the quest and I’ve gone down a few legs of the MAM and still nothing, and how did you under clock?

[@Salubrious388]

Never mind. Found out I needed to build the assembler building….. /sigh

[@DrLootCrate]

All good man! There is a lot to figure out in those first few days for sure. I actually did the same thing the other day. I put down an assembler and was searching the steel ingot for a bit before I remembered I needed a foundry. Hadn’t done it for a while! Let me know if you need anymore help and thanks for watching

[@Salubrious388]

@@DrLootCrate thanks. Will do. I do wish there was a 3rd person view. Something about the movement makes me feel a little sick tbh.

[@DrLootCrate]

@@Salubrious388 I have heard a few people say that about the movement. Maybe it will be a bit better when you get the jet pack or hover pack later. I think are a few tweaks you can make in the settings. Turn headbob off for sure and maybe play around with some others

[@Salubrious388]

@@DrLootCrate aye, I’ll try that thanks. It’s one reason I can’t play Borderlands game. 5 mins and I’m physically sick! I can play Destiny 2, The Division etc perfectly fine. So there’s something different between the games

[@shortrat4462]

how do you make your character have parkinson's

[@macawave]

13:25

[@lcardenas81]

🤔

[@notbydesign3316]

Using minors to gather your raw materials for you... real questionable behavior...

[@DrLootCrate]

In preparation for the child labor DLC…

[@georgewashingmachine8264]

:O

[@DrLootCrate]

Is this a yawn? haha. I can't quite tell

[@georgewashingmachine8264]

@@DrLootCrate no, it was meant to be a surprised face

[@DrLootCrate]

@@georgewashingmachine8264 all good! I wasn’t quite ready for my next big build, so I thought I would throw in a quickie guide this weekend.