Optimization

Optimization is the ability to maximize production of any building or Pod. Most often a Pod is associated with Energy production, but you really could have a Pod for any resource production.

Optimization is also the ability to maximize movement of resource which is covered in a variety of ways here: Managing Your Colony.

You could use the Sandbox to test configurations. Also visiting, searching and asking on The Colonists Discord can really help.

Heuristics

• Resource production should be located near its consumption.
• Place building that gather resources (Lumberjacks, Surface Mines, Veggie Farms, etc.) as close to the resources as possible.
• It is best to isolate the resources production/consumption from main road (Pod).
• Try to evenly space out bot printers to avoid overloading them.
• Try to plan your road carrier bots so that when moving a resource in one direction, then pick up a resource to move the opposite direction.
• Look at the building prioritization (e.g. does it make sense to have the Cider Press at a higher priority than the Orchard?)

Road/Paths: Lengths and Diagonals

It's a good idea, generally, to make the roads as short as possible. Short roads mean more CarrierBots for the same length over longer distance. In the example below, the top road would have 50% more throughput / bandwidth on top, or 33% less on the bottom)

Diagonal Roads and Paths can also improve throughput because the CarrierBots will "cut corners".

Road: Braids

"Braids" is an optimized approach for road placement that increases throughput and reduces road blocks.

Having more than one Carrybot working a Road Post increases the throughput of resources on any given Road network. That is essentially what double Roads with parallels, "Braids", and similar set-ups accomplish.

If you consider Road Posts to be miniature Storage Yards, each allowing up to 4 Resources and with up to 4 entrances (i.e. connections); having "Braids" connected to each Road Post is effectively the same as having 2 Roads connected to the Roadpost, each Road having 2 Carrybots.

A "Braid" road system often requires cross-overs/switches using a Storage Yard. They should be placed in such that they a) have the lowest distance possible between road posts and b) if possible the resources being used will be used immediately nearby.

Below is an example of a layout using "Braids". Below that is an example of your a Small Storage Yard to cross-over/switch to a different "Braid" system.

Terrain & Building Blocks

Terrain and building blocks force Bots to go a long distance out of the way to get around terrain or other buildings. The two examples below, that are not optimized at all, show building blocks. The same can occur with terrain like resources, water, mountains, etc. These blocks can impact any building that gathers and/or plants resources. Understanding the building outlines can help you find some buildings that have additional entry/exit tiles. For example, the Vegetable Farm can enter/exit from the front or the back of the building.

Example: (left) the Lumberbot must travel all the way around buildings before it can get to any trees to chop. It is totally blocked in one direction. The same is true for the Treebot that has to go around the houses to plant trees. (right) the Orchard's Farmbot has to a long distance to be able to gather apples.

L1 Energy Residence Pod

Here's an example of testing in the Sandbox. While configuration (1) and (7) will get you the fastest 1st E1 production, configuration (2) produces the most in the long haul. Also, note while (7) might get the 1st E1 quickly, not having the Residences' entrance on a Road Post is not an optimal practice.

Why? Delivering Meat and Water to each Residence is accomplished by the Sheep Farm's and Well's Stackbots to the Road Post where the Residence Stackbots can quickly move to the resource to the local storage buffer of the Residence. This movement time is within the demand time of the Residence while the Sheep Farm and Well production is happening.

Lumberjack / Forestry Optimization

The Lumberjack and Forestry optimization ensures that trees are fully grown and ready to be harvested by the Lumberbot and that the Treebot is not sitting idle.
Terrain and placement may impact this, however, in general it has been determined that the Forestry needs to plant on 19 tiles in a specific area around the Lumberjack. If you study the placement, the Lumberbot never needs to move more than 4 tiles from it's entrance point to reach a tree and the Treebot never needs to plant more than 6 tiles from it's entrance point. Also note that once the Treebot arrives at the Forestry, the path/road connection can be broken and it will happily plant trees!