Friday Facts #392 - Parametrised blueprints

[FactorioBot]

Here it is! (beep boop)

https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-392

[Splitframe]

Release when?
(edit: Good feature, wanted this for ages)

[Hares]

THAT. WAS. I. WAS. LOOKING. FOR.
I lived only to see that moment. Now I would live to see it being released.

[SnowZyDe]

Omg

[lonjil]

Very cool.

I already have a feature request: instantiating a parameterized blueprint into a regular blueprint so you can select options once and then place it a hundred times. This should create a new blueprint that you could use and then discard, or you could place in your blueprint collection next to the still remaining parameterized blueprint. This could be extended further to allow the same for a whole blueprint book. If all the blueprints in the book have the same parameters, you could generate a new book with all the options pre-set.

Oh, crap, I already have a second feature request: being able to select between tiers, e.g. whether the blueprint should be built with yellow, red, or blue belts, and so on.

[Hares]

A small detail I have noticed: train stops changed colors depending on the item type.

[Hares]

Very cool.

I already have a feature request: instantiating a parameterized blueprint into a regular blueprint so you can select options once and then place it a hundred times. This should create a new blueprint that you could use and then discard, or you could place in your blueprint collection next to the still remaining parameterized blueprint. This could be extended further to allow the same for a whole blueprint book. If all the blueprints in the book have the same parameters, you could generate a new book with all the options pre-set.

+1 on that!

Oh, crap, I already have a second feature request: being able to select between tiers, e.g. whether the blueprint should be built with yellow, red, or blue belts, and so on.

You can already do this by applying an upgrade planner (configured specifally to work only on belts) to an existing blueprint or even the entire book. I usually do so to a book of balancers.

[Free_Ham_]

Not sure I understood most of what was said, but it looks cool and helpful.

[Ghoulish]

Voodoo magic, I found it hard to follow!

[IForgotMyName]

Look like something with great potential, even if it's still a little raw
It is not entirely clear how you can conveniently configure Parametrised blueprints; Let's say in my blueprint there are a bunch of identical assemblers, but with different types of Parameterization identifiers. How can I change the ID of specific assemblers without redoing the blueprint setup from scratch?

[BlacKcuD]

As always, I read the FFF during my lunch break and immediately wet my pants.

[gGeorg]

"The question is, how to implement it without adding unnecessary GUI clutter in the way unless we care about this specific feature? "

I like reading yours FFF because of analytic approach and continuous searching for a holy grail. However, The question I copied in red, is the most valuable sentence o the article. Thank you.

I hope ministry of education send you a query for mass license of Factorio for education purpose of young programmers&technicians.

[Shingen]

for some usecases it's really cool, but i do have my doubts about some parts of it.


1. what would happen if you selected a recipe with 2 ingredients? what about 4?


2. the formulas allowing for certain ratios of ingredients make the blueprints 'generalized'... but only for recipes with the exact same ratios of ingredients (and posiibly also the count of ingredients [1]), which is only 1 step away from just having a blueprint for a specific recipe. doesn't seem that hugely useful.
3. while parameters 1-3 may easily exist as filters in blueprinted train stop inserters, in what manner does the parameter 0 exist in the blueprinted factory? will i need, for example, a constant combinator with that signal placed somewhere while blueprinting?

[MatHack]

Lovely feature, great, I would like to request the possibility to set value to a (formula based on) stack size of the selected item.

[momift]

beautiful feature. I've been playing Factorio for years and I have to tell the truth, even today I struggle to understand how to configure the logistics network except to do simple things. This feature will help me a lot.

For example, one thing I just can't do is have a line that collects liquids and based on the liquid fill one container or another.

Anyway, you did a great job!

[Hares]

I have a rather technical question (probably was biten by FFF #390). Will the Blueprint Exchange String Format change because of this?

[badams]

Omg omg omg WANT!

This morning my kid comes to me, saying “Hey, you know how you grumble each time you expand “Delivery Cannon Row” in our K2SE game? _They fixed that_”

To which I reply with a pause, then realization that it’s Friday, and blurt out “parameterized blueprints?!?!” (No, I hadn’t read the Friday Facts yet)

Kiddo grins and nods. “Yyyep!”

Passing traffic grinds to a halt as I break out in a happy dance.

(No traffic was harmed in the making of this anecdote. Based on a true story, with minor embellishments. All rights reserved. Do not pass Go without collecting $200 plus tax. Void where prohibited.)

[FuzzyOne]

Absolutely Fantastic!!

Just one feature request: Could we please have default values that can be set by "Parameter Planners", that work just like Upgrade planners, but set a default for the numbered parameters please? Well, perhaps that's two feature requests in one .

[Xcone]

This looks really cool with a lot of potential. I can imagine this will be particularly handy for stations. I recognize myself like a 100% in the use-case you sketched.

I will admit I find it a bit fuzzy how those purple parameter values find their way in the blueprint if they're not available elsewhere?
There's the parameterization window, which is actually a reconfiguration window? As somethings can become parameters, but might not be (unticking it), but only be reconfigured?

Also, if parameter 1 is the same as parameter 0 (the dependency bit), why not use parameter 0 multiple times in the blueprint? I'm sure it has it's uses this way, but I don't immediately see it. This might be a bit over engineered.

I also don't really understand what the "Ingredient of:" things means/does. Is that only for dependency? Or can I put something else in there? Why is it called "ingredient of" instead of "same as", or "change to".

So, my thoughts: Awesome feature! Much wanted! Definitely going to use it!
Buuut ... might need a little bit more attention/care to the UI and the wording. I am a software developer by trade, and I struggle with it. It might also help to have 1 slightly longer clip that just shows the feature A-Z, instead of the "tried this, changed that, imagine such, now it's as follows".

Great work though! Looking at all these new FFFs makes me quite exited for V2.0!

[Stringweasel]

Can't wait to use this in bot-malls and train stations! I do have two questions though:

What happens when you specify 3 parameterized ingredients, but the recipe only has two? My hope would be that the third is silently ignored.

Can you please turn the tiny checkmark button into a big "Confirm" button? If this is to simplify repetitive tasks a bigger button would be easier to click on muscle-memory