[Idea] Modular Locomotives

[Lubricus]

More interesting trains with modular locomotives with some sort of inventory slots where you have to place engines and brakes for the locomotive to work.
You could have brakes, storage box (for fuel) boiler and a steam engine or an combustion engine + storage tank or batteries + electric engines.

[Patashu]

For inspiration, a zombie post apocalyptic roguelike called Cataclysm DDA has a modular vehicle system where every tile can be configured and damaged/repaired separately' so they may have ideas worth reusing.

EDIT:

http://cddawiki.chezzo.com/cdda_wiki/in ... e=Vehicles
http://cddawiki.chezzo.com/cdda_wiki/in ... car:_Guide
http://cddawiki.chezzo.com/cdda_wiki/in ... ign_Primer

[Ranakastrasz]

This does seem interesting. As a note, for this to work a method of automatically building those trains and equiping modules is required, because doing that manually is a problem. Its OK for modular armor, because its one instance and directly connected to the player. Its a bit more annoying with vehicles. You mass produce trains, so it is a problem when you get that far.

+Support, but needs more discussion and clarification.

[Lubricus]

This does seem interesting. As a note, for this to work a method of automatically building those trains and equiping modules is required, because doing that manually is a problem. Its OK for modular armor, because its one instance and directly connected to the player. Its a bit more annoying with vehicles. You mass produce trains, so it is a problem when you get that far.

+Support, but needs more discussion and clarification.

I don't think my old computer can handle a factory of the size that need mass production of trains.
inserters can ad and remove modules from beacons so that could work for trains to. Then we need some way to automatically let the locomotives go from "item" state to a "entity" state as is possible with bots. I assume that in current state that an locomotive added on a rail track with an inserter just will stay as an item on the track and not transform to an entity. So I think the best solution would be an special station that make the item-> entity change for Locomotives and with several of this in a row why not be able to ad wagons to that connect to the locomotive and automatically build whole trains that roll out from the "foundry" station.

[bobingabout]

I would love this sort of thing. The closest thing we have right now though is the equipment grid system.