6 ms·

For anyone wondering what this does, it looks like it produces optimal configurations for belt balancers given a specified number of input and output belts. Bel

For anyone wondering what this does, it looks like it produces optimal configurations for belt balancers given a specified number of input and output belts. Belt balancers evenly distribute items between belts: https://wiki.factorio.com/Balancer_mechanics https://wiki.factorio.com/Balancer_mechanics

perihelions 3y ago
Fun to see that that math (linked in that wiki) coincides with early 20th-century analog telephony problems—the problem of how to arrange electromechanical switches to support large numbers of simultaneous circuits, avoiding bottlenecks. There's people reading Bell Labs technical papers from the 1950's as part of the process of playing an addictive video game.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  > There's people reading Bell Labs technical papers from the 1950's as part of the process of playing an addictive video game. It's a nice break from reading orbital mechanics textbooks as part of the process of playing another addictive video game.
  - perihelions 3y ago
    Origin of my HN name! :)
  - beacon294 3y ago
    What games?
    - jconnop 3y ago
      The latter is surely Kerbal Space Program.
    - kroltan 3y ago
      Bell labs => Factorio Orbital mechanics => Kerbal Space Program
    - Izikiel43 3y ago
      Sounds like kerbal space program?
  - skirmish 3y ago
    I personally bought this real world fighter plane tactics book for playing military flight sims: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0870210599 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0870210599 .