[0.12.33] click and drag power pole end connection problem

[sparr]

I have a power pole in my hand. I click and drag from another one already placed, and it places a new one every wire-reach distance. All is well so far. Now, I keep dragging until I encounter some more poles. Because I'm in range of *a* pole, a new one is not placed when I leave range of my previously placed one. This behavior seems counter-intuitive and undesirable. I almost always want a pole to get placed in this situation, because the poles I've been laying down need to connect to the power grid.

Three different suggested fixes:

Instead of checking for coverage by any pole, check for coverage by just the previously place pole. This would make the most possible connections, but also many that are not desired in some cases like dragging back and forth in a tight zig zag pattern.

Check for coverage by poles placed in the current click-and-drag operation.

Check for coverage by poles in the same network as the previously placed pole (which, for ease of reference, might also be defined as the network the original dragged-from pole was in).

[Loewchen]

I would like that to be changed as well, but it sounds more like a missing feature than a bug.

[Rseding91]

The way the "click and drag" mechanics work for the electric pole is: each tick try to build the pole at the current cursor position. If the player has been dragging it and the pole has no connections then use the last build attempt position and build there.

Because that's the way the system works there's no good way to tell "the player wants the pole at this place to connect these 2 electric networks" vs "the player is still dragging and will want it built off to the side somewhere that isn't going to connect to a bunch of other electric poles".

There's no bug here.

[DaveMcW]

"the player wants the pole at this place to connect these 2 electric networks" vs "the player is still dragging and will want it built off to the side somewhere that isn't going to connect to a bunch of other electric poles".

In the vast majority of cases, the player will want the first option while the game chooses the second.

[Rseding91]

"the player wants the pole at this place to connect these 2 electric networks" vs "the player is still dragging and will want it built off to the side somewhere that isn't going to connect to a bunch of other electric poles".

In the vast majority of cases, the player will want the first option while the game chooses the second.

You don't understand. If it was the first option it would build poles every single tile and you wouldn't have the click and drag functionality.

[DaveMcW]

Current method:
Remember last build attempt position
If new position has no connections, use the last attempt position

Better method:
Remember last built position
Remember last build attempt position
If new position has no connections to the last built position, use the last attempt position.

[DaveMcW]

And it's not just end connections, currently any power pole you pass while dragging can mess it up.

[tobsimon]

I wholeheartely second that.
Specifically that a click-drag built power pole can connect to more than one pole.
The use would be to connect different networks but also when building whole arrays of power poles.
Also I can't think of any situation, where I would brefer the current method over the better one.

Also, the current method is one of the few instances, where multiplayer lag is extreamly noticable for me (since the poles are always built "one step to late"). The better method could be employed with a different algorithm, which would prevent that to a degree:

• Remember the current/last touched pole position and it's cable length.
• Remember the current/last position, where building was possible.
• If the current position is the farthest possible, build a power pole on the current/last position, where building was possible.

[sparr]

Would love to revisit this suggestion for 0.15