Yes, automating complex, multi-step recipes like the high-profit 8-ingredient best Sour Diesel mixing recipes is possible, but significantly more involved. It requires careful planning, more equipment, and potentially more employees. Guides suggest needing 2 Handlers and 2 Chemists for an efficient 8-step process.
The basic principle involves creating a chain of Mixing Stations:
- Mixer 1: Handler brings Base Product (Sour Diesel) + Ingredient 1. Chemist mixes.
- Set Destination: Mixer 1's destination is set to Mixer 2. The Chemist assigned to Mixer 1 moves the intermediate product to Mixer 2.
- Mixer 2: Handler brings Ingredient 2 to Mixer 2. Chemist assigned to Mixer 2 mixes.
- Repeat: Continue the chain, setting each mixer's destination to the next one in the sequence. Handlers need routes to bring the correct ingredient to each corresponding mixer.
- Final Mixer: The last Mixing Station in the chain has its destination set to a final storage shelf or Packaging Station.
This level of automation, while powerful, comes with challenges. Players report significant time spent just restocking the numerous ingredient shelves required. Employees can sometimes bug out, get stuck, or appear to "steal" items, potentially requiring manual intervention like clearing their inventory or restarting the game save. A crucial quirk is that if automation creates a mix the player hasn't personally "discovered" before, the process might halt until the player manually interacts with the mixer to acknowledge the new strain.
The complexity, cost (employee wages, equipment), potential for bugs, and sheer logistical effort of restocking for high-level automation create a significant trade-off. Fully automating the best Sour Diesel mixing recipes might be a late-game goal for dedicated players aiming for massive scale. It suggests that the Schedule 1 game intentionally balances the immense power of automation with substantial management challenges, making it a strategic decision rather than a simple "set and forget" solution.