Factorio Forums

Any dialogue screen should pause the game, especially the large ones that cover over 50% of the screen.

honestly, why? It's not hard to stop for two seconds and move so that you are within turret coverage (assuming you've placed some). And other than creeper waves...why would you need to pause the game every time a screen comes up? Just wondering what your actual reasoning is

It would also add more multiplayer incompatibility/inconsistency.

Hold the fire button instead - makes the creepers die even when u deal with the windows

nif u want to pause press esc there is no need for this.

2 reasons for this

a) Multiplayer (as mentioned elswhere), in multiplayer the game couldn't stop, so it is better it it behaves the same way in singleplayer
b) I would not like to be forced to close the charater window for my stuff to be crafted.

I'm surprised that so many commenters don't see the reasoning for the OP's request. This is not at all about vulnerability to attacks.

This is a fast-paced game and with your machines generating items at a rapid pace, player time is by far the most precious resource. Depending on the mission you have to get everything running as quickly as possible with no time to waste. It's stressful to know that the clock is ticking while you're in your inventory locating the items you need to place/build/move.

On the other hand, this is arguably part of the challenge and pausing is indeed incompatible with multiplayer.

I think pausing in menus should exist as an opt-in, and/or inventory management needs to be improved so less time has to be wasted.

Holy-Fire wrote:inventory management needs to be improved so less time has to be wasted.

This will happen, the same will occur in the technology/research menu. It is however, not a priority for the developers, they are currently trying to A) get the game working and B) add content (and replay value)

Holy-Fire wrote:It's stressful to know that the clock is ticking while you're in your inventory locating the items you need to place/build/move.

First, I personally play the sandbox new world 98% of the time, when a new level is released I will replay the campaign. Second, This is why there is a quickbar and you can use the middle mouse button (default, I believe) to set a filter on the quickbar so that you always have the most common items visible (and selectable).

I read this through. The current pop-up menus are a dead-end. Sorry for the hard words. Well - usage for a beta-game is ok, but for a release I think they should be replaced by another interface.

Some issues I had with them: It's definitely unfair, when you start as beginner and open the inventory, doing search and then the creepers come. I lost my life some times in the beginning with that.
Then I mixed up many times producing an item with having an item. Because the left an right side looks not very differently. Call me stupid.

Suggestion:
I think this: A menu on the left/right of the screen could work. The left menu-bar is for the inventory/build and the right for research and tech-tree.

By default, the left side (inventory) is shown with icons, as far, as there is space on screen. This means for example, that it shows only one stack per item, and/or it shows the most used items first. When hovering, the inventory pops out and shows the current inventory. I would add here all the "hidden" inventory stuff, like ammo, guns, fast-access-bar etc. because I searched some minutes for a steam-engine after production, until I saw, that it was added in the fast-access.

For production there is on the top an icon (or press E as currently). This opens a list of items, sortable/filterable by category and other searchable criteria and displays the current total number of items you have in the inventory in small letters besides the icon. Hovering like now: You see, what's missing to produce it.

The right side looks not much differently. It shows the current research in progress (much smaller, than currently), and it lists all currently researchable items, so with one click you can research it. Simple.
Opening the research shows the research-tree. This is a list of researchable stuff, sortable/filterable. You can set a "target", one item, you want to get to. All items, you need to achive that are for example blue now. So when you close the window you only have to look for the blue icons and click them to start research. When there are no blue icons left, you have researched your target.

In every case, when opening any window, it tries not to be placed above the player in the middle and is a little bit transparent, so you might see creepers but in every case, the view to the player should not be covered with anything.

PS: This is also true when opening chests and all other items: It's really not good to place a window over the player.

PPS: Is this a bug? Open chest and walk, walk, walk. The chest keeps open. Should be closed when reaching the limit.

I actually like the system as it is. You can remove all GUI with the press of a single key or have all info you need by pressing that same key.

Obviously, I do not want to stop crafting and producing as soon as I open my inventory. This is logical in an RPG, but I do not think it would make sense in Factorio.

Lots of things can of course be improved, but the UI as is,I find intuitive and efficient (for my nerdy brain?).

In my opinion UI should be changed if it must be good without pause game. Currently UI is good but covers to much of the screen so it couldn't be enough if it doesn't stop time.

Just chiming in to point out that there is a pause key (or key combo) that works at all times.
It doesn't allow you to close menus or queue production, but does allow you to change tabs, and show info on hover as normal.
If you're in need of some time to formulate a plan, this is perfect for it.

Personally, I think that the pause key is the extent needed for some time-stopping sort of function.