I’ve just had to redo 6 planets with each 24 advanced factories all producing the same commodity. I can’t use my mouse hand for a week now.
Please, PLEASE CCP, make factories upgradable the same way the Command Center is, instead of having to place dozens of the same factory.
EDIT: I propose to do this to a maximum level of 6 per factory, tied to Command Center Upgrades skill
You didn’t “have” to redo 6 planets - you “chose” to. My factory planets have been stable for years, churning out robotics and guidance systems for drone production.
That said, the concept of upgradable factories is interesting - but only if the upgrade consumes more cpu/power than another factory so there is a cost for the convenience.
I would prefer a higher ISK price, but I wouldn’t be against your suggestion
This makes sense since you are “saving” CPU/PG from links between factories AND you are limiting route hops, so not just merely a matter of convenience.
Anything to make administrating PP less of a massive ballache.
I don’t know why this hasn’t been revisited yet. It’s easily the most user hostile part of the game.
I would assume the link would upgrade along with the factory since it needs to handle more traffic
As long as there is a choice with meaningful trade-offs. Using upgradeable factories should result in reduced production in exchange for reduced player workload.
The trade off would be the one off upgrade cost. Players shouldn’t have to lose out on productivity because the game design is bad. There’s no rational reason why improving gameplay should be ‘balanced’ with some downside.
Tedium should be eliminated because it sucks. Tedium is not a balance issue.
Labor is really the only scarce resource in the game. The reward component of the risk/reward equation should always consider reward per unit of labor.
If you are changing a planetary colony, obviously you think the new setup will earn more than the old - this needs to be balanced against the time and effort required to make the change.
Does upgrading the Command Center have meaningful trade-offs, other than cost? Why should factories be different?
But we’re not talking about risk. Setting up planetary infrastructure is zero risk. You do most of it while docked up in complete safety. Specifically the part we’re actually discussing here.
Unless you count risk of boredom.
There is no risk/reward equation here. There is only improvement to an outdated and poorly designed interface.
There is risk when you export your product and there is opportunity cost - what else could you have been doing with the time you invest in your colonies? Also consider that if PI was easier - more people would do it and the prices would be even more depressed than they already are!
The interface is dated but much improved compared to a couple of years ago - clicks easily cut in half by the refresh included in the Abyss expansion! If PI does get a complete overhaul, I’d hope to see part of the process - maybe the advanced and hi-tech processors, moved to structure service modules. Fewer clicks but now you have a fuel cost and it’s out in space where people can shoot at it.
I’m going to give a rare +1 on this.
It is just make work to have to tear down a factory and the links just to upgrade it. It serves no ingame purpose.
I also am forced to balance my mouse hand between work, games and everyday life and so useless clicks are an issue.
I don’t think PI being hard/difficult is the reason why more people don’t do it.
But we’re not talking about exporting and that isn’t changed by this suggestion. That risk will still be exactly the same.
You can’t quantify an opportunity cost without specifying. Ship spinning generates little isk. It is poor game design to factor in tedium as dissuasion from participation.
Yes more people doing it would drive down the value of planetary products but that’s not an argument against it’s improvement either and it’s still just speculation. How many people avoid it now specifically because it’s onerous? Why should the tedium be justified in terms of profit? It is possible for the system to not suck and to be balanced in terms of wealth generation. Dissuasion of participation should not be one of them.
Not necessarily, esp. in low yield planets. You could very much upgrade a factory without upgrading the link, or upgrade a factory twice or three times while upgrading a link only once.
Dude your account has been hacked contact CCP ASAP
LOL SALT FOAMBREAKER ENGAGES IN PI WHAT A NEEEEEEEWB
(pretends he doesn’t have max PI skills)
All my chars have PI and I have my PI set to “Max Laziness” 
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ ■■■■ yeah made 50m this month and only invested 20 mins hauling
I set up some planets for PI several years ago. I realized that each time I set my extractors, my soul died a little bit.
I don’t know how anybody can do PI - especially for a few pennies.
IDK man, that ballache makes me profit. If its easier, more folks would do it, and mean less isk for me.