Logistics Distributor

The Logistics distributor is a storage-adjacent logistics building used to move items between Icarus and nearby Storage buildings, or between multiple Logistics distributors. It must be built on top of Storage and can be filled with up to 10 Logistics bot units. Each Logistics distributor handles only a single item type.

When configured to interact with Icarus, the building checks the Logistics Capacity slots in Icarus’s inventory. Both a minimum and maximum amount can be set on the selected slot: if the item count falls below the minimum, nearby Logistics distributors will send items to Icarus, and if it rises above the maximum, they will retrieve excess items back into storage. To use this function, the item must be selected in the logistics slot, the Icarus interaction option must be enabled, and Logistics bots must be assigned to the distributor.

It can also transfer items between Storage buildings through other Logistics distributors. In that case, both distributors must be configured for the same item and set to interact with other Logistics distributors. Bots only need to be placed in one distributor to begin transport, although installing bots in both increases transport capacity. The input-side Storage must have items available, and the receiving side must have enough free capacity for the transfer to start.

• Logistics distributors operate only within the same Planet, and only within the current Distribution Range level; this starts at a radius of 40° and can eventually cover an entire Planet.
• They cannot communicate directly with Planetary Logistics Station. To move items through a station, the station must be arranged to output to a conveyor and then into Storage plus Logistics distributor, so the exchange happens distributor to distributor.
• The building’s throughput is much lower than a Planetary Logistics Station, and unless Logistics bot speed has been heavily improved through repeated research, it is also slower than conveyor transport. For that reason, it is not suited to high-volume bulk logistics.
• It is best used for small-volume automation, such as buildings, ammunition, and Space Warper, or for short-range transfers between closely placed Storage buildings.
• If a receiving Storage building has limited free space, or if too many bots are involved in a transfer, throughput can drop because the number of bots that can operate at once is reduced. Increasing available space, raising auto-use capacity, or stacking multiple Storage buildings vertically can improve performance.

The Logistics distributor is therefore a compact local logistics tool: weaker than planetary logistics, but very useful for automated handling of limited-item production and short-distance transfers where belt routing would be awkward.