Idea: fluid buffer/equalizer#5246

Idea: fluid buffers (“equalizers” if you want to be fancy): a small (1x1?) device with a single pipe attachment that acts like a smaller (180L?) version of a fluid tank that’s attached to the same pipe on both ends.

This would be useful for cases where the same pipe feeds into machines or launchers that work at different rates; the buffer would allow the pipe to put excess fluid into the buffer when demand is low and temporarily feed more from the buffer when demand is high, evening out the flow.

As indicated, the functionality already exists in the form of fluid tanks, but their footprint is quite big (2x2 plus a pipe connection between the two ends at which point it’s closer to 3x3) and 3,600L is much larger than needed for a buffer when fluid pellets are 60L and machines have internal buffers that are like 180L.

yes fluids really act strange for me … one painter is at 100% and another on the same string of 6 is at 30% i sort of solved it wiht using a tank or a “wires valve” with at 1 as input … to me it makes no sense that the tank that is full doesnt provide more fluid volume if there are 1200 L in the tank shouldn’t it make up for the missing volume by lowereint so how can a full tank on the end of a string not provide enough fuid to keep the 300L needed

This is intended though: A fluid tank (no matter how full) will only provide up to one fluid catcher worth of fluid to a pipe (so 1,200/1,500/1,800 L/min), and 6 painters need 1.5 fluid launchers worth of input (1,800/2,250/2,700 L/min). Of course this could be done differently but I’m quite sure that it’s a deliberate game design decision.

The fluid buffer wouldn’t change that either. The only case where a buffer on a pipe helps is when there’s enough throughput on the input side to feed the output side on average but the input and/or output operate at uneven rates. https://discord.com/channels/1000343719314198548/1506389399716233377 is an example of that.