Modular Splitters [Exact details and example included.]
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:28 am
The actual request will be below the dotted line. However I have found that Miniloaders are more versatile than I gave them credit for, and capable of most of what I had in mind for the mod, so I just wanted to spread the information I learned, for those who wanted something similar;
To those not so familiar, it is possible to insert and extract resources from the sides of a miniloader, as well as pass resources through both ends via conveyor belt. Placing the back of another miniloader against the side of one will pull resources from it! If the resources are entering through the closed side of the miniloader being pulled from, both lanes will be taken. However, if they are entering through the open side, it will only pull the closest lane. Furthermore, it is possible to insert resources in this same way via conveyor belt, using the same logic in reverse. If the output is the closed side, inserted resources will be distributed to both lanes, if the output is the open side, they will stay on the lane closest to the conveyor belt.
There is no lane preservation, or output balancing for more than one output belt, but you can still chain loaders together and use filters to direct them in a general manner, allowing you to be much more compact in how you interact with them from different directions.
Additionally, loaders can be pulled from and inserted into directly by inserters, as if it were a normal belt.
So what's missing from my originally posted idea?
- Lane preservation.
- Internal lane rearrangement/filtering.
- Not needing to rotate the block for any reason.
- Not needing multiple blocks to have multiple belt-compatible outputs.
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I have not edited the below post to reflect what I've discovered above, so bear that in mind.
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I've been looking for a mod that takes the effect of a Splitter to a much more flexible level. Having single, modular objects that can optionally accept inputs and outputs on any side, while also retaining the lane preservation and filtering effects of splitters as options.
-- Best Match --
So far, Belt Balancer is very close to what I'm looking for, save for a few qualms.
- The higher research is useless. It has no throughput limit from the start, meaning there's no progression. The research only gives you bulk recipes with ingredient scaling that doesn't make any sense.
- They don't interface with inserters, miniloaders or anything similar, only belts - input or output - and only output to belts that are facing directly away.
- They only balance belts, they have no method of lane preservation or filters.
- The visual design is very simple, to the point of being out of place, though that's fairly irrelevant
-- Others I've Tried --
Belt Sorter - The interface is unintuitive, and requires manual adjusting just to output at all. And the blocks can't be chained with one another.
Smart Splitter - The functional usage is good, and it can be chained, but only side by side in the same direction.
Compound Splitters - I couldn't even get it to do anything whatsoever, and the yellow block in the preview image has a ludicrous crafting recipe.
-- What exactly am I looking for? --
- Single block. The idea is to reduce footprint, while retaining versatility.
- Upgrade research that is in line with the Miniloader mod. Faster throughput, higher recipe costs.
- Modular. From two blocks being side by side, to making branching paths out of them.
- Inclusive. Functions like a splitter in that it accepts input from inserters, loaders, belts and eachother, and outputs to the same.
- Automatic. It needs to work upon being placed. See Configuration UI example for default settings.
- Configurable via a simple UI. Something that looks like this. Refuse/accept input, enable/disable output, enable/disable output to lanes not facing directly away, and preserve/balance input layout, with and a filter for left/right output lanes of each side. Perhaps include input/output priority tick boxes for those that use that splitter function.
Here's an example of how I use Belt Balancer.
Here's an example of what the mod I'm proposing would be capable of, including direct modular connection allowing multiple inputs and varied outputs with lane preservation, lane re-organizing, single lane outputs, output onto parallel lanes, and single resource belt saturation.
To those not so familiar, it is possible to insert and extract resources from the sides of a miniloader, as well as pass resources through both ends via conveyor belt. Placing the back of another miniloader against the side of one will pull resources from it! If the resources are entering through the closed side of the miniloader being pulled from, both lanes will be taken. However, if they are entering through the open side, it will only pull the closest lane. Furthermore, it is possible to insert resources in this same way via conveyor belt, using the same logic in reverse. If the output is the closed side, inserted resources will be distributed to both lanes, if the output is the open side, they will stay on the lane closest to the conveyor belt.
There is no lane preservation, or output balancing for more than one output belt, but you can still chain loaders together and use filters to direct them in a general manner, allowing you to be much more compact in how you interact with them from different directions.
Additionally, loaders can be pulled from and inserted into directly by inserters, as if it were a normal belt.
So what's missing from my originally posted idea?
- Lane preservation.
- Internal lane rearrangement/filtering.
- Not needing to rotate the block for any reason.
- Not needing multiple blocks to have multiple belt-compatible outputs.
------------------------------------------------
I have not edited the below post to reflect what I've discovered above, so bear that in mind.
------------------------------------------------
I've been looking for a mod that takes the effect of a Splitter to a much more flexible level. Having single, modular objects that can optionally accept inputs and outputs on any side, while also retaining the lane preservation and filtering effects of splitters as options.
-- Best Match --
So far, Belt Balancer is very close to what I'm looking for, save for a few qualms.
- The higher research is useless. It has no throughput limit from the start, meaning there's no progression. The research only gives you bulk recipes with ingredient scaling that doesn't make any sense.
- They don't interface with inserters, miniloaders or anything similar, only belts - input or output - and only output to belts that are facing directly away.
- They only balance belts, they have no method of lane preservation or filters.
- The visual design is very simple, to the point of being out of place, though that's fairly irrelevant
-- Others I've Tried --
Belt Sorter - The interface is unintuitive, and requires manual adjusting just to output at all. And the blocks can't be chained with one another.
Smart Splitter - The functional usage is good, and it can be chained, but only side by side in the same direction.
Compound Splitters - I couldn't even get it to do anything whatsoever, and the yellow block in the preview image has a ludicrous crafting recipe.
-- What exactly am I looking for? --
- Single block. The idea is to reduce footprint, while retaining versatility.
- Upgrade research that is in line with the Miniloader mod. Faster throughput, higher recipe costs.
- Modular. From two blocks being side by side, to making branching paths out of them.
- Inclusive. Functions like a splitter in that it accepts input from inserters, loaders, belts and eachother, and outputs to the same.
- Automatic. It needs to work upon being placed. See Configuration UI example for default settings.
- Configurable via a simple UI. Something that looks like this. Refuse/accept input, enable/disable output, enable/disable output to lanes not facing directly away, and preserve/balance input layout, with and a filter for left/right output lanes of each side. Perhaps include input/output priority tick boxes for those that use that splitter function.
Here's an example of how I use Belt Balancer.
Here's an example of what the mod I'm proposing would be capable of, including direct modular connection allowing multiple inputs and varied outputs with lane preservation, lane re-organizing, single lane outputs, output onto parallel lanes, and single resource belt saturation.