Factorio Forums

Is it possible we could have write access to the render layers of machine-like entities? I'm having difficulties in designing sprites that connect, because loaders seem to be on a different layer to furnaces and no amount of jiggerypokery lets them overlap nicely. Loaders are always drawn underneath other non-belt entities. My only recourse was to have gaps between everything and because of the way perspective works in Factorio, it just looks wrong (but better than overlapping badly):

Different entities have multiple layers they use internally so you're not likely to ever get a perfectly connecting set of layers between different entity types working even if they did have modable layers.

Changing layers also messes with sprite batching which reduces game performance.

Is it possible then that underground belts and loaders could be put on the same layer as other "machines" with a vertical aspect like assemblers, furnaces, etc? They seem to be on the same layer as belts, which makes sense as they are clearly belt-like, but belts are flat on the ground. Underneathies and loaders are boxy, solid things, not flat. It looks bad when shadows from other objects, or even the objects themselves, draw on top of them. I get that this is "just cosmetic" but personally, having factories look pleasing to the eye is about 25% of the considerable pleasure I get from playing.

Deadlock989 wrote:Is it possible then that underground belts and loaders could be put on the same layer as other "machines" with a vertical aspect like assemblers, furnaces, etc? They seem to be on the same layer as belts, which makes sense as they are clearly belt-like, but belts are flat on the ground. Underneathies and loaders are boxy, solid things, not flat. It looks bad when shadows from other objects, or even the objects themselves, draw on top of them. I get that this is "just cosmetic" but personally, having factories look pleasing to the eye is about 25% of the considerable pleasure I get from playing.

A workaround I am using in Bulk Rail Loaders is to have my functional entities have no sprites, and to create "simple-entity" or "simple-entity-with-force" entities with custom render_layer in the same location using scripting. It's not ideal for entity count and hence performance, but it's something to consider.

Therax wrote:A workaround I am using in Bulk Rail Loaders is to have my functional entities have no sprites, and to create "simple-entity" or "simple-entity-with-force" entities with custom render_layer in the same location using scripting. It's not ideal for entity count and hence performance, but it's something to consider.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that.

Though the fact that people are going to those performance-affecting lengths to do it seems to reinforce that it's a wanted thing.