{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/automation-programming--t108","type":"mechanic","id":"automation-programming--t108","lang":"en","title":"Conveyors, pipes and flow distribution","summary":"Transport lines carry resources at a limited rate. Splits, merges and crossings distribute the flow among consumers.","updatedAt":"2026-10-21","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/automation-programming--t108/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/automation-programming--t108.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/automation-programming--t108.md","aliases":["Conveyors and flows"],"tags":["Automation and programming","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-96be186d8ada50a0","source-fee3301bed8a96da"],"sources":[{"id":"source-96be186d8ada50a0","title":"Factorio: Content","url":"https://www.factorio.com/game/content","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-fee3301bed8a96da","title":"Factorio","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Transport lines carry limited-rate flows while junctions distribute them among consumers."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t108-variants\"></a>\n\n- Splitters set output shares or priorities. <a id=\"t108-v1\"></a>\n- Mergers need rules for competing flows. <a id=\"t108-v2\"></a>\n- Filters separate a selected material type. <a id=\"t108-v3\"></a>\n- Bypasses preserve operation when a branch blocks. <a id=\"t108-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A priority branch first supplies repairs and sends surplus metal to sales.\n\nPrototype check: Test blocked outputs and restarting so material is neither lost nor permanently stuck at a junction."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Automation moves repeated work into a system; the player builds connections and identifies the limiting stage. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"automation-programming","id":"t108","title":"Automation and programming","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/automation-programming/#t108","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-21","title":"Conveyors and flows","description":"Transport lines carry resources at a limited rate. Splits, merges and crossings distribute the flow among consumers.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/factorio-copper-wire.webp","width":1224,"height":689,"game":"Factorio","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/427520/ss_37aa19e26e20e18a220fd8870dac6efb0e98b5f0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1787348817","credit":"Wube Software","rights":"© Wube Software. All rights reserved.","caption":"Belts connect machines to a shared flow","alt":"Factorio: belts supply copper plates to machines and combine their copper cable into several parallel flows.","markers":[{"x":30,"y":51,"label":"The input line delivers resources to consumers"},{"x":74,"y":50,"label":"Adjacent lines combine production outputs"}]},"tips":["Show a line’s direction and occupancy in the world.","Distinguish transport throughput from production speed."],"examples":[{"title":"Factorio","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/427520/Factorio/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/automation-programming"}}