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Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but they can definitely add quite a few. I'd like to trigger behaviour when a locomotive was present in a position, for any value of locomotive. Right now that involves seven different signals (Train & Fuel overhaul, Realistic Electric Trains) for different types of locomotive.

Now, I can (and do) blueprint seven combinator paths each checking for and emitting a unified signal for one type of locomotive, then work on that. As long as I pre-filter for the position I want in each, it works reliably, because you can't have two locos in the same spot. It is an invitation to error, though, especially if you add a new type of locomotive to an existing system. Gotta update all those stations with more combinators, and make sure they have the correct position values.

Also, detecting LCCCCL vs LLCCCC vs CCCCLL trains.... fun times. If I introduce a new "long distance transshipping" model, as I'm thinking of doing, that'd also mean separate blueprints for the LCCCCL-LCCCCL-LCCCCL-LCCCCL combination that'll ensure we run right on through anything standing on the tracks instead of getting eaten. If the circuit network uncouple/couple mod works, and I build those from local trains on demand, instead of a dedicated network, that'd mean the wagon location variants become more of a thing....

I believe it would be reasonable, and useful, for the LTN output to also emit a "generic" signal for:

• locomotive (any type) encoded position
• cargo wagon (any type) encoded position
• fluid wagon (any type) encoded position

...but I'm not sure if the second two are possible at all. Locos definitely are genetically possible.

Instead of reducing the number of rolling stock added by other mods you want to add more signals!?

Joking aside, this is a reasonable request. I'l add it when i get to it.
Will be 4 any signals total, one per carriage type, "locomotive", "cargo-wagon", "fluid-wagon" and "artillery-wagon".

Optera wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:40 am

Instead of reducing the number of rolling stock added by other mods you want to add more signals!?

Joking aside, this is a reasonable request. I'l add it when i get to it.
Will be 4 any signals total, one per carriage type, "locomotive", "cargo-wagon", "fluid-wagon" and "artillery-wagon".

Of course I want more! There is no problem that another layer of abstraction can't paper over and make worse! Plus, if we did the simple thing there wouldn't be enough software jobs to go around any more.

Seriously, though, I ended up implementing exactly those signals ... well, OK, not artillery yet, but the other three, using a whole pile of +0 combinators to remap them, so I could do my flexible trash unloading at my depot. It worked great.

Then, of course, I realised that an inserter will just do nothing when a fluid wagon parks there, and the whole thing was a big waste of time, but we won't talk about that.


...and in seriousness, I'm pondering what strategy would be best to approach getting the number of duplicates of "electric locomotive" down to something more sensible, yes, or whatever else it takes to make me not have so many of the darn things.

slippycheeze wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 12, 2019 12:14 am

Seriously, though, I ended up implementing exactly those signals ... well, OK, not artillery yet, but the other three, using a whole pile of +0 combinators to remap them, so I could do my flexible trash unloading at my depot. It worked great.

Then, of course, I realised that an inserter will just do nothing when a fluid wagon parks there, and the whole thing was a big waste of time, but we won't talk about that.

When I added position signals they where a necessity, inserters could grab from fuel inventory and rail tanker worked with cargo wagons carrying fluid items which inserters also could remove and break that mod.

Since 0.16 inserter can only remove items from cargo-wagon.
The remaining practical application for position signals is prevent loading fuel where they shouldn't be. For example depots for varying sizes of trains putting fuel in cargo wagons, or mining outposts starting coal fuel stacks in a locomotive that should run on nuclear fuel.

slippycheeze wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 12, 2019 12:14 am

...and in seriousness, I'm pondering what strategy would be best to approach getting the number of duplicates of "electric locomotive" down to something more sensible, yes, or whatever else it takes to make me not have so many of the darn things.

Stop using multiple mods adding the same thing?

That reminds me I wanted to add an option to hide/remove bob logistics rolling stock when my train overhaul is present.