Switch UI controls

[AceMcCloud]

I'm new player and playing the game on the Switch (because I don't have any good laptops).

Because of the complexity of the UI, I'm pretty sure that I'm missing out on some of the available button combinations. Is there any documentation anywhere that gives more detailed information about the available button combos in various modes?

For example: Somehow in playing with the "rail planner" I managed to switch the UI mode of the game - there's now a floating cursor that selects what I'm interacting with, rather than just interacting with something nearby. Truthfully - I think both modes are useful for different things so I would like to know HOW I managed to change the mode so that I can do that at will.

[Loewchen]

See https://wiki.factorio.com/Controls, the cursor is toggled with the right stick.

[AceMcCloud]

Ok, I missed that somehow.

However, for Switch players, that is really badly organized, since many of the commands are situational.

Do all of the screens/views/popups have official names? Judging by some of the entries on that controls page, it would seem that they do. Would it be ok to create wiki pages for them? I think more verbose explanation, and even some images, would be a big help to neophytes. The Switch version of the thing for laying out track (needed to add curves) is non-intuitive and there is no real explanation - took me several tries to get it to work, and even then there is a glitch, bug, or odd unexplained feature that creates weird effects.

[Bilka]

Ok, I missed that somehow.

However, for Switch players, that is really badly organized, since many of the commands are situational.

Do all of the screens/views/popups have official names? Judging by some of the entries on that controls page, it would seem that they do. Would it be ok to create wiki pages for them? I think more verbose explanation, and even some images, would be a big help to neophytes. The Switch version of the thing for laying out track (needed to add curves) is non-intuitive and there is no real explanation - took me several tries to get it to work, and even then there is a glitch, bug, or odd unexplained feature that creates weird effects.

Yes, the GUIs all have official names and wiki pages for them are welcome. However, the switch and the PC version GUIs are largely identical, only the Quick panel is switch exclusive.

Generally, I found the switch version quite intuitive due to the shortcut hints displayed in the bottom left corner. They are situational for what you are holding and what gui is open, like the rail planner or the crafting screen. So usually everything important for that particular thing is listed right there.

However, I also have a lot of experience with the PC version of the game, so my perspective is obviously different than yours. So hearing your perspective is great and it would be quite helpful if you could point what's confusing so that the documentation can be improved. E.g. I just added the switch keybindings to the track laying thing wiki page.


I saw your question about god mode/characterless mode on the wiki, I'll answer it here: You can enter god mode in the same way as the PC version: Via command, via the sandbox scenario, via the map editor.

[AceMcCloud]

Excellent - how would I find out what the official names are?

I'm not even remotely surprised that the GUIs are mostly identical - being a software developer myself, I can't imagine any reason to introduce any more complexity to the software maintenance situation than absolutely necessary. Since I'm still learning the game and have never played it on a computer, I wasn't sure how the wildly different input mechanism of the Switch would affect that.

I think the game is extremely well done. Except for the "ghost building", which I have not yet wrapped my head around, I haven't managed to get completely stumped yet.

One thing that really confused me at first was how, with any kind of builder device, if it has an automated input, then it wants an automated output as well - it isn't happy to just fill up and wait for the user to collect the result.

Another thing that is causing me trouble (helped somewhat by having access to the Wiki) is the technology tree. There are so many entries that it isn't always clear how to get to something further down in the tree, such as https://wiki.factorio.com/Rocket_contro ... (research), which is way down at the bottom and so even its prerequisites have complicated prerequisites.

[Bilka]

Excellent - how would I find out what the official names are?

They are listed in the tooltips when you hover the buttons in the quick panel, in the window titles and in the control settings.

The other things you mention seem to be general discoverability issues, not related to the switch version or GUIs specifically. The in-game tips and tricks should hopefully help you with some of those.

[AceMcCloud]

Followup question: in the main/default view (whatever it is actually called) I'm seeing a thing on the left, above the armor/weapon status widget, that says "New tips: 1". I've tried a number of things to try and find out what the new tip is, but it does not seem to react to any commands. I also don't see anything on the controls page that talks about "tips".

So what is that, what is it talking about?

[Twinsen]

Tips&tricks are opened from the Quick Panel. In the Panels tab there's a tips and tricks option.

[AceMcCloud]

On the Chemical plant, does it have official names/designations for the two fluid inputs? There's a Switch specific issue that I'm going to explain on the Wiki - I can just arbitrarily label the inputs A & B, otherwise.

[AceMcCloud]

And just for the sake of completeness, there IS an answer to my original question.

It's called "toggle free cursor" - a Switch only feature that is engaged by pressing the right joy stick (which, yes, is also a button).