Factorio Forums

Wireless Signals

A mod about using radios for fun and profit.

Name: Wireless Signals
Latest release: 0.1.2
Factorio version: 0.15.0+
Download: https://mods.factorio.com/mods/ItsTheKa ... ss-signals
License: GNU LGPL (see "License" section below)
Dependencies: base game only
Tags: circuit network
Author: Kais
Site: https://github.com/ItsTheKais/wireless-signals

Thanks.

Can you just make a workaround by forcing antennas to transmit signals via invisible wires?

Okay, 0.0.2 is uploaded and the devices work correctly on load now. For the three people who downloaded 0.0.1 before I caught that bug, please pick up any placed transmitters and receivers in your saves before you update to 0.0.2. Crashes may happen if you don't. Sorry for the inconvenience!

I love you.

Can you pls make a MOD Support for the Alphabet MOD?

CookieGamerTV wrote:Can you pls make a MOD Support for the Alphabet MOD?

Might do. You'll have to link me to it, though. Search can't seem to find anything about it.

ItsTheKais wrote:

CookieGamerTV wrote:Can you pls make a MOD Support for the Alphabet MOD?

Might do. You'll have to link me to it, though. Search can't seem to find anything about it.

https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... 33&t=15417

If this would work with 0.12.10, could you release a version for it? I have over 50 mods installed so I am trying not to update until I know they will all work (or are easy to fix)

Great mod!
It would be nice to have some way to show range but it may be too much to ask.

I got an error:
Error while running the event handler: __wireless-signals__/control.lua:145: Invalid entity name: ws-radio-transmitter

When placing transmitter without power pole first or when mining pole that provide power to transmitter.
I have lots of mods, but do not have any vanilla save to test it without, but don't think that it's important.

Syriusz wrote:I got an error:
Error while running the event handler: __wireless-signals__/control.lua:145: Invalid entity name: ws-radio-transmitter

Thanks for the report. This should be fixed now.

If anyone is concerned about the lack of activity, don't be. I'm still waiting on real circuit network mod support before I go any further with this, and the devs appear to be in pure bugfixing mode lately, so that probably won't happen anytime soon.

I was directed here after posting this in the suggestions area:

How hard would it be to create something like a directional radio (name only, you wouldn't actually need to point it anywhere)? I'm thinking paired objects that you set to one of a few dozen channels to link them up, one sits in the base and the other in an outpost. Set the pair to the same channel and the one in the outpost sends it's red + green network info to the one in the base. Electric cost shouldn't be high, radio carries well - a few kw per 500 chunks or something? But they'd probably attract attacks like the radar does (they hear the beeping in their heads). I know you can run wires out via poles but that shit gets old real fast with far off outposts. If we can build rockets, why not packet radios?
As a 2nd stage, extra research could let the base set send stuff back and change the outpost networks. The first version would be one way, read only.

What you've written is close but if I understand it correctly all transmitters would connect to all receivers in range? Not quite as selective as I was thinking but it'd work. The range however is too low for scarce resource RSO games - I have ore patch outposts over 2500 chunks away in one save and that's not uncommon with RSO. The power requirement is pretty hefty too, 850kW draw with a gain of 5 to 10 would give you the ERP of a world class station no? Sure they need to use power to 'pay' for the convenience but that sort of power with the right frequency would be pretty much unlimited range (assuming the planet has an ionosphere yadda yadda).

I hope 0.13 brings the support you're looking for, this is an idea I like and wish you success in making it work.

Ratzap wrote:-snip-

(Sorry for the very late reply!)

Re: paired radios: that would not be particularly harder than what I've already done, and it was something I had considered doing when I first began work on this mod, but I decided against it as a design choice. The main challenge of Factorio is in setting up complex systems, and I used the propagation of signals as a mechanism to prevent the "setting up" from becoming mindless.

Re: power: while unrealistic, the energy requirements are there to make the decision to use a higher-tier transmitter more meaningful... unlike the unfortunate situation of the fast inserter, which is a perfect upgrade from the regular inserter. There's no thinking regarding fast inserters. I don't want for there to be no thinking about using a transmitter 2. This is sort of the same answer I gave regarding paired radios, now that I think about it.

You do raise a good point about the long distances of RSO worlds, especially considering that vanilla resource generation has absorbed some of RSO's principles in the latest patch. I'd been considering adding a repeater of some kind, though I haven't thought about how it would be implemented.

Hey! Speaking of the latest patch... Wireless Signals has been updated! And oh boy, does this update feel good or what? Performance issues? What performance issues? I got rid of the refresh rate config entirely, and it's silky-smooth at 60 updates per second. That's what's up.

Any updates on this mod lately? It doesn't seem to work with 0.14.0, even if I go in and tweak the version number. My friend and I are running a new shared world where the resources increase the further you go from the main area, meaning we're going to be going VERY far out to get resources, and a way to send signals wirelessly would be fantastic.

On a side note it would be helpful if there were channels for the radio, it would be great to request 1000 copper, 1000 iron and 50 coal from outpost 1 while requesting a different amount from 2 other outposts. Maybe just the ability to name antenna's and it will only send signals to matching names, like WIFI SSIDs.

Hi! Sorry for the delayed reply. (I maybe should check this forum more often!)

I was actually waiting for 0.15 to update the mod - now that it's out, I'm hoping to make something happen this week. I'd like to squeeze in some new features (like the repeater), but I can't make any promises on that front.

Ah, that makes sense, I've been waiting for 15.0 pretty anxiously myself. If you need any help testing/debugging drop me a message. I'm new to Lua, but I've been doing software all my life, so maybe I can help out.

Well, fixing the mod up for 0.15 turned out to be easier than expected. The new features are going to take a bit longer than expected, though, so I've released the 0.15 update by itself now while I continue hammering away at them.

Hi, i made a simple setup with inserter and two chests. It iserts stuff from chest to another if the second chest has less that 5 of the stuff. I works fine, it is inserting untill the stuff is 5.
Next I introduce your transmitter and receiver in between the inserter and the chest. I expect it to work exactly the same way. The problem is that the receiver outputs nothing. My version is 15.10

Well, to rule out all possible "step 0" hiccups, make sure that:

• The devices are both connected to circuit networks,
• The receiver is within range of the transmitter (600 tiles for T1, 1500 for T2),
• The transmitter is getting signals that it is able to broadcast (T1 can use color and number signals, T2 can also use letter signals), and
• The transmitter is powered.

If you've checked off all of those and they still aren't working, and it's happening when you use only this mod with the base game, upload a save file experiencing the issue. If it only happens with mods, I'll need your list of mods.

Version 0.1.2 is now released. It's got a repeater, for when you say you need long range, and you really mean it! Plus, quality-of-life changes and a bugfix.