Factorio Forums

data:extend({ { type = "rail-category",
name = "road" } } )
Would also be useful for name="hyperloop" or "maglev"

This was specifically removed recently due to possible issues.
It might be back but more dev time is needed to make it work.

Any chance rail categories could be re-added?

d3x0r wrote:Any chance rail categories could be re-added?

Not likely. If they did, it wouldn't be in any meaningful way. The entire rail system was built under the concept that there exists one rail category and that any rails in the world always interact with each other. Changing that isn't likely unless it had some amazing benefit.

Rseding91 wrote:

d3x0r wrote:Any chance rail categories could be re-added?

Not likely. If they did, it wouldn't be in any meaningful way. The entire rail system was built under the concept that there exists one rail category and that any rails in the world always interact with each other. Changing that isn't likely unless it had some amazing benefit.

"...unless it had some amazing benefit."

There might be an electric-locomotive that can be only placed on rail-with-cables (or electrified-rail), essentialy, have locomotives that consume electricity to accelerate, that electricity would be consumed out of source of electricity for this rail-with-cable network.

Rseding91 wrote:

d3x0r wrote:Any chance rail categories could be re-added?

Not likely. If they did, it wouldn't be in any meaningful way. The entire rail system was built under the concept that there exists one rail category and that any rails in the world always interact with each other. Changing that isn't likely unless it had some amazing benefit.

That would be very unfortunate. The reason I dug up this thread, is because I was looking into if it was possible to create a new rail-type transport network, that uses smaller rails (only 1x1) with slower / lower capacity transport entities, inspired by monorail crane transport system IRL. I think such a system is needed as a medium throughput network in-between belts and rails. Because proper rails provide heavy throughput and cost a lot of space, while belts are pretty short ranged (and cumbersome for Bob's/Angel's games). It would be very beneficial if one could declare a new rail category to access all the rail functionality (pathfinding, stations, signalling), which would then only allow rails and carriages of that type.

P.S.: I don't like logistic bots (except for bringing me stuff), they are pretty anti-fun

Monorail.

bobingabout wrote:Monorail.

I am not sure what exactly you mean. I tried searching, but could only find mod ideas and a request for monorail assets (reskin of regular train / rails), nothing concrete yet. But the way I see it, all these proposals would operate the same way trains do already, i.e. 2x2 base rail, same cars. But I would like to build a system with less throughput, which also requires less space, but provides all the logistic advantages of rail (stations, different products on the same transportation lane).

Spent a bit of time experimenting if I could mod in a single tile wide railway, but doesn't appear possible when using the standard rail type (even without the rail builder).
As the game insists that rail entities are centred in the middle of a 2x2 tile area.

Would be nice to have options for a variety of rail types so we can mod item movement types in between belts and full railways. ie: small railways, shuttle systems, etc.

Muppet9010 wrote:Spent a bit of time experimenting if I could mod in a single tile wide railway, but doesn't appear possible when using the standard rail type (even without the rail builder).
As the game insists that rail entities are centred in the middle of a 2x2 tile area.

Would be nice to have options for a variety of rail types so we can mod item movement types in between belts and full railways. ie: small railways, shuttle systems, etc.

Thank you for your work. To be honest, I feared as much. I looked over the documentation and into all the files, and it seems that the meat of the rail functionality is not available from a modder's side. On this note, the fact that it is not possible to define new rail categories is the smaller one of the problems.

Nel wrote:

bobingabout wrote:Monorail.

I am not sure what exactly you mean. I tried searching, but could only find mod ideas and a request for monorail assets (reskin of regular train / rails), nothing concrete yet. But the way I see it, all these proposals would operate the same way trains do already, i.e. 2x2 base rail, same cars. But I would like to build a system with less throughput, which also requires less space, but provides all the logistic advantages of rail (stations, different products on the same transportation lane).

it was an off the top of my head reason of why you might want to create another type of rail.

Hyperloop and maglev were already suggested.

Nel have you seen some of the palleting/boxing mods that have come out recently?

https://mods.factorio.com/mods/paradigmsort/boxes
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/twanvl/pallets
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/mckilljo ... lPalleting

not as flashy as other transport mediums I know, but I'm thinking may offer a nice in-between.
I too don't like bots for mass workloads, massive belt busses are a pain and train buses are very large (wide) and feel clumsy when I've tried them. Feels like the game is forcing into modular silos separated on a greater train grid.

Thank you, but I am aware of these mods. The thing is, that they do not solve the problem at hand. Abstracted away, paletting / boxing is the same as increasing belt speed, all other restrictions of belt (always going, potential contamination) remain.

Rseding91 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2017 11:37 pm

d3x0r wrote:Any chance rail categories could be re-added?

Not likely. If they did, it wouldn't be in any meaningful way. The entire rail system was built under the concept that there exists one rail category and that any rails in the world always interact with each other. Changing that isn't likely unless it had some amazing benefit.

Would low-UPS-impact rail bridges be such an amazing benefit?

Rail categories where removed from the game completely.