Friday Facts #180 - Map interaction

[jeraggie]

I have a mild red/green colorblind issue and have always found the pollution to be really hard to see. If the pollution color could be adjust a bit for those of us with that issue it would be nice.

Thanks

[RobertTerwilliger]

Nice : )
But please, don't go too far, otherwise we'll end sitting in bunker, operating whole map from distance. Considering MOST strategy games have this control type, implementing it in our beloved Factorio will kill important feature: it is not YOU who serve the factory - it is factory, who serves you. In Factorio I really-really love the fact of "personal presence".

[Airat9000]

statistics liqiud will?

[alingis]

When mousing over a train on the map:
* Show the path to its next destination.
* Highlight all of the train stops that train services.

Add a placeable marker entity that can be conditionally enabled/disabled by the logistic/circuit network. (Even better, allow escape characters to be inserted into the marker's text field that will be replaced with logistic/circuit input values when displayed on the map.)

[DjTeo]

Can we please get an ability to draw rail lines on the map, which puts down ghost rail? Pretty please?
This could make vanilla have almost-FARL levels of long-distance rail building!

And how the ghost rails will be built?
Player running/driving with personal roboport?
Or ghost Roboport placement?

[gilgatex]

The only map upgrade I really really would ask for is the ability to see tree patches easier.

[wlfbck]

Since you asked, in order of importance (most important first):
1. Be able to zoom from the map view directly to the world. Things not covered by radars would just be covered by some kind of blackness.
2. Better map colors, more different colors for entities, so you would see whether it is an assembling machine, electric pole or turret. (See supreme commander for a way this implemented nicely)
2.5 Option of Higher resolution of map. If we have 4 pixels per tile in the map it could be nicer and also provide more information when zoomed in (This kinda goes hand in hand with the above)
3. Extend the custom tags, so they can refer to rectangular area.

[Artman40]

Suggestion: Do not implement the planned changes to the next version. Just get the existing features done.

Currently, the scale of the update is at the level that whatever you do, it will still probably be riddled with bugs.

[Chaia]

All these additions are very nice but I want to see all my stuff in logistic network, when this is gonna be fixed?

+1

This is very bothering if you just throw everything into your logistic network while playing on a low resolution device. Maybe add a scrolling bar to the logistic network storing overview on the right side?


Edit: Did you actually mean the same thing?

[Klonan]

All these additions are very nice but I want to see all my stuff in logistic network, when this is gonna be fixed?

Theres already a logistic network overview GUI in 0.15:

Image

[madpav3l]

All these additions are very nice but I want to see all my stuff in logistic network, when this is gonna be fixed?

+1
This is very bothering if you just throw everything into your logistic network while playing on a low resolution device. Maybe add a scrolling bar to the logistic network storing overview on the right side?

Edit: Did you actually mean the same thing?

Yes, I mean exactly that

All these additions are very nice but I want to see all my stuff in logistic network, when this is gonna be fixed?

Theres already a logistic network overview GUI in 0.15:

Image

Perfect, thanks!

[admo]

When mousing over a train on the map:
* Show the path to its next destination.
* Highlight all of the train stops that train services.

Add a placeable marker entity that can be conditionally enabled/disabled by the logistic/circuit network. (Even better, allow escape characters to be inserted into the marker's text field that will be replaced with logistic/circuit input values when displayed on the map.)

Wanted to add to this as a chance to get better tools for train debugging. When mousing over the train as alingis says it could display the same debugging colored triangles you get in non-map view which turn red at the section the train cannot enter. Currently that information only works as far as you can see outside of train view. Also to help players a train track view mode that displays the directionality of rails which would help people find areas where they've setup signals wrong and made stuff like a single direction section in their bidirectional network.

Imagine the world where that user comes to Reddit and says their trains won't go and they just post a map view with train overlay and the mouse hovering the train. An expert could just circle the map and say, "your problem is there".

[chakrit]

No, I dont want anything else.

If anything, I'd like all dev resource be put into getting 0.15 out the door already.

Everytime I see a "I'm workin on this new shiny thing" now I read that as "we dont think 0.15 is perfect enough, its still missing this shiny new thing, what's wrong with waiting one more week?"

Arghhhhh

I mean if this is a "low-hanging fruit" then that just means you guys can actually ship 0.15 *without* it is it not?!?

EDIT: Sorry, I'm getting frustrated. I think I should stop reading FFs for a month or two.

[AcolyteOfRocket]

Wrt your security fun and games, I'd like to take the opportunity to ask you NOT to ask for my steam account information to access non-steam based content as I do not like the potential for security breach this represents in "theory", or in "law" (note that "fact" is irrelevant here).

Either let us access mods and other information without steam info, or make the content available in the steam workshop.

I do not want to type my steam logon into a non-steam system.

Thx.

[HammerPiano]

Suggestion: add an option to hide the players and train stations names

[robyoublind]

Theres already a logistic network overview GUI in 0.15:

Image

Would it be possible to change the list item ordering from horizontal to vertical before this feature has been shipped?

I think the way it is now makes it hard to scan the list in order of item count and contradicts the list order in other GUI elements (such as Electric network info or Production tab). As stated in one discussion on SO, with such wide gaps between columns "the instinct to group things is stronger than the learned behavior of reading left-to-right." Also, there's this helpful summary of arguments for different sortings that comes to a strong conclusion that vertical sorting should be used in this case.

[Ghoulish]

When is now the release of 0.15?
i mean we are waiting and waiting....

In the past they said optimistically in March, I believe. In before the April 1st 'release'.

0.15 is looking better all the time

[Groxx]

Be able to zoom from the map view directly to the world.

That got me thinking. What if there was no special "map view"? The map view could just be a regular, minimap-oriented view of the world that you could switch to, and shrinks into the corner when not primary.

If multiple views were allowed, you could conceivably have a bunch of minimaps with e.g. nearby power, enemies, and a global view all visible at all times, all configurable independently instead of having to tweak a single one each time. It could also allow you to see what's happening to your character in a minimap when you switch to the overview map. Or maintain a zoomed-in view of a heavily attacked area, so you can always see it as it happens.

Just a brainstorm I had to write out I'd certainly enjoy setting up a half dozen specialized views, but dunno if that's feasible or fun for others. And do let me know if this is all confusing - I can mock something up, I just can't do it right now.

[Selvek]

Nice! Work!

If i had to pick one of the features from the "what's next" list i'd pick being able to select train stations from the map. The current station selection window when setting up schedules is so tiny and shows only 5 stations at a time. With dozens of stations that quickly becomes exhausting and i usually have to look at the map anyway to double-check the station names.

Seconded! Click and drag between stations on the main map to draw a train route? Awesome

[HanziQ]

Wrt your security fun and games, I'd like to take the opportunity to ask you NOT to ask for my steam account information to access non-steam based content as I do not like the potential for security breach this represents in "theory", or in "law" (note that "fact" is irrelevant here).

Either let us access mods and other information without steam info, or make the content available in the steam workshop.

I do not want to type my steam logon into a non-steam system.

Thx.

No one is asking you to do that, you use a separate account to log into the mod portal.