Combine train viewer map and actual map

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ribsngibs
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Combine train viewer map and actual map

Post by ribsngibs »

TL;DR
Would be nice and decrease confusion, frustration, and extra clicks if the train viewer map was just... the map.

What ?
In the spirit of the FFF 404 Frustration Not Found post, I thought I'd mention the one last UI-related pain point that I have in Factorio, which is that currently, the map (M) and the train viewer (click on train) look quite similar but have different but somewhat overlapping functionalities.

It seems to me that it would be simpler (as a player) to include all of the train viewer's functionality into the regular map and then remove the train viewer's map altogether, leaving it as a train-schedule-editor-box only that exists in the existing map. In this scenario, clicking on a train would just bring up the map, focus it on the train (which is already supported), bring up the train schedule box, and activate the 'ctrl click/shift click to interactively set train stops' functionality.

i.e. why not make this:
01Current.jpg
01Current.jpg (553.26 KiB) Viewed 519 times
simply this instead:
02Proposed.jpg
02Proposed.jpg (359.93 KiB) Viewed 519 times
Why ?
Currently I fairly frequently experience a (tiny) bit of annoyance where I want to do something that would be possible in the map but it doesn't work because I'm in the train viewer. So I have to click the button which sets the map to the current location of the train viewer, which basically gives me the same view of the same map minus the train schedule editor. e.g. sometimes I will want to diagnose a slow train, so I'll click on a station, find the train, click on the slow/missing train which brings up what looks like the map centred on the train, and then I'll want to zoom in to see what it's doing (which I should be able to do because I have radar coverage, or space exploration satellite view) and potentially adjust some settings (again, space exploration / remote configuration), but I can't because I'm actually in the train viewer.

As far as I can tell, the only loss of functionality would be the fact that currently you can click on a train, which brings up the train viewer map, and then continue to walk/drive/play in the map game area behind the train viewer. The train viewer window doesn't seem resizable and it's large, so somehow I doubt anybody actually plays that way.

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Klonan
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Re: Combine train viewer map and actual map

Post by Klonan »

We did this for 2.0, its mentioned at the bottom of the 'Remote view context' part:
https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-380
P.S. We used the same strategy for trains, so it is just a "glued" piece of GUI to the remote view, so you can interact with the world around the selected train the usual way, instead of seeing just the map which is otherwise non-interactable.

ribsngibs
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Re: Combine train viewer map and actual map

Post by ribsngibs »

Ha, awesome - 1) you guys already implemented it because you're awesome and 2) I feel validated that my suggestion was actually a good one, just a little late :)

Thanks, you guys still rock after over a decade...

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