Friday Facts #191 - Gui improvements

[floodo1]

Excellent changes!

[huhn]

I'm all for moving it into a tab, but, we still need a quick way of seeing which weapon we have equipped.

I didn't make it very clear in FFF, you you can still see your active weapon and ammo, something like this, possibly attached to the quickbar:

i would personally love to see all my weapons. i even changed weapon changing to tab because i change them >alot< but with this change it is hard to see to what weapon i'm changing to. this is the change i really dislike. i don't know about the rest until i tried them but looking fine to me.
i know that constant UI elements are unpopular for game developer these days but i'm not annoyed by the weapon bar at the bottom right what so ever.

while fighting isn't the major part of this game. it is not rare that a fight is starting in an instant and checking my weapon in the equip menu while running to the enemy (or away) is awkward at least.

[Xalos]

I'm also curious what you guys think about bout our UI/UX and general game interaction. [...] Did you have problems when first playing the game?

The big gotcha for me was that Assembling Machine 2s and 3s can take liquids as input. This isn't at all obvious unless you actually select a recipe for an Assembling Machine that requires liquid, which you won't think to do if you don't realize that's where it's supposed to be made. I wound up having to look it up on the Factorio Wiki because I couldn't figure out where concrete was supposed to be manufactured.

[ftbreizhbugs]

o/
When you use the crafting UI, it highlight the item in your inventory if you have it. I would love to see this feature extended to character inventory <-> chest inventory transfert so when i resupply i know if i already have the item i want to take(or if the chest have the item i want to put in!). I think it will become even more useful if our inventory is extended to compensate quickbar inventory loss.

Edit: I think that we NEED to see which weapon we have equiped at all the time, just to avoid that one rare moment when you mistakenly hit the fire button in the middle of the base, and then notice that you had the nuke equipped!
Maybe integrate the active weapon icon in the quickbar?
ps: also properly enable remaping F1 F2 F3 for people that dont play in that area (wasd/zqsd) of the keyboard?

pps: what i would love to see in the logistic tab is the ability to enable/disable it (when i want to put concrete, i empty my inventory, but i must also clear logictic settings otherwise bots are delivering to me! very annoying!)

[R3vo]

Those are fantastic ideas. Just yesterday I thought: "Damn, why can't we auto sort our inventory, I am constantly searching this one item I just picked up".

I also love the idea with the character screen.


However, I also hope the screen for the content of the items in the logistic network will get some improvements, they are needed really bad.

For example, I would be nice if we could open our inventory by pressing "E" and then open a tab to the right which shows all the contents of the logistic network and also allows us to search for specific items, apply filters or simply sort by amount or name.
That way one wouldn't need to walk to a logistic chest to see the contents in the network.

[obstinate]

100% in favor. Launch it.

[ThorsDragon]

Twinsen!! This is a brilliant change!! Thank you, I love it!!! I have the same annoyances as you, so we good. XD lol I love you devs for making this amazing game!!!!!!

[Yttrium]

Twinsen, I dont know if you're still reading this section but, why can you move UI elements? You can't build with UI open or have multiple instances of UI open. So, why can you move them?

Has anyone ever used this functionality?

[TripleOmega]

I never understood why all my weapons and ammo need to be shown on my screen all the time, when 95% of my time is spent building factories.

Because when you need to see them, you generally need to see them now without messing around with opening another window. The minimal amount of screen real estate it takes up is well worth it in combat. It's also well worth it when I get a bunch of alerts and realize that I needed to be at the other end of your base five minutes ago, because apparently I didn't build my defenses well enough. Do I need to detour to grab ammo? Is my Heavy Armor running low on durability? I want answers at a glance, and I want all of the answers. I don't want to look at my shotgun's ammo (that being the weapon that I usually keep as active), note that it looks good, and then realize when I get there that I'm out of flamethrower ammo and my armor is on its last legs!

The 95% of the time I'm spending on other things, I honestly don't even process that information visually. It's tucked off in a corner where I'm not going to see it unless I'm actively looking for it.

A compromise that I would support is implementing the changes you're suggesting but bringing back the character bar when in combat and when those yellow and red notifications pop up.

100% Agree with this. When combat does arrive we need enough information to be able to deal with it appropriately.

As a side note once you get to the stage of having logistics robots but not yet automated production of everything your time is often shared between the crafting and logistics section of the inventory. I feel like putting those two sections in two different sub-menus could cause players to have to switch back and forth a lot during that part of the game. Even during the late-game I often find myself looking up components and ratios in the crafting menu while using the logistics section to get what I need for a build. At the same time it seems like the only thing that is gained is the ability to shift-click with clarity. Something that could also be achieved through having a separate keybinding for moving to logistics trash(hotbar can't be moved to in the new system anyway).

[urza99814]

Well, I guess I'm *that guy*...I don't like the toolbar stuff at all...sounds like maybe nobody uses the toolbar the way I do?

First, it sounds like you're going to make the toolbar rely on the filter item mechanism...which isn't intuitive or discoverable and frankly doesn't make any sense at all. I played Factorio for several months without knowing that feature existed, I only found out about it by reading the forums, and I still don't use it -- honestly I consider it cheating. Normally I just don't even bind that key...I play on a laptop or with a Steam controller so I don't have a middle mouse button. I don't like it anyway so that's not a problem...but now it it sounds like it's turning into something you HAVE TO use? And can someone explain how exactly a plain steel box or a train cargo wagon, built without any electronics or any circuit components, is magically able to filter items being put into it into specific locations? (yeah, I know...same way belts move without power xD) Isn't that what the circuit network and filter inserters are for? I know it's a bit different with the toolbar and it's more that you just happen to be using the same mechanism for a different process...but it's a bad mechanism to begin with IMO so I'm kinda disappointed to see it being expanded.

Secondly...I find it extremely useful to have handcrafted parts go directly into the toolbar. Instead of hunting through my inventory every time, I just make sure there's one spot free, and I queue up my builds. As each item completes I place it making room for the next one, so I can build a ton of stuff without ever opening the main inventory. Now instead of just 'click to build and it's in the toolbar' it becomes 'click to build, and rearrange the toolbar, and create new shortcuts'...adding two or three extra steps to complete the same process. And if I want to build, say, a few assemblers, some inserters, some belts, and a couple power poles I now have to clear four spots on my toolbar instead of one. I guess it *does* encourage more automation by making crafting super annoying...?

Third, the toolbar lets you split stacks, while the main inventory doesn't. If I've got 200 stone in my inventory, and I want to prepare a few stacks of 25, I can split each 50 and drop each stack of 25 into a separate toolbar slot to get them ready. If I try to create separate stacks in my main inventory it just merges them all again. Or if you want a stack of 10...split 25 to the toolbar, then split that to 12 and drop two. Otherwise you have to split to 25 and sit there clicking fifteen times to get it down to ten...and if one of those fifteen times you accidentally hit the wrong mouse button you have to start all over. So if you drop the toolbelt can you please add the ability to split stacks within the main inventory?

I do like the idea with using shortcuts for ghost building though. Right now that's impossible to do once you get construction robots because they'll rip the item right out of your hand to go build it. And I certainly understand that you have to cater to new players, and it's early release so of course things will change...I just hope you guys also consider some of the features that are being lost in the process. Because I like those, and it kinda sounds like maybe the things I like most about the existing toolbelt are accidentaly features that you don't even know exist...

[nascat]

First time poster here, but I just wanted to let you guys know, I recently started playing the game myself in the past month, and I completely agree with the changes proposed. I often run into very similar problems where either items do not go where I expect them to or I get confused that the hot bar is this seperate invintory. My only concern is the tabs for character/logistics/crafting I am not a fan of having multiple tabs in 1 window and would maybe suggest having seperate windows completely but it would be confusing with your inventory in multiple windows. Just want to say I love the game and I cant wait for the changes to the hotbar!

[Engimage]

Yay for the changes! Awesome news!
I did initiate and support many discussions about toolbar and I am so happy its gonna happen!

I do really like the extra idea about having multiple sets of a toolbar for different tasks. I would even suggest thinking about saving such sets locally to use across different saves that you play!

And the extra feedback. I do not like the idea of F1-F3 switching. It is so weird and uncomfortable. As an alternative I would suggest using the following example:
E - opens up handcrafting always
L - opens up logistics always
I - opens up character equipment (inventory)

Pressing the same button again closes the window. Pressing different button will switch to respective page. And the final nail in the coffin - Pressing Esc closes the window no matter the page!
Man I almost felt the orgasm while imagining all of it!
And finally - you can add respective buttons for clicking with a mouse! I think many newcomers would thank you for that.

[Venatos]

yes, change it! have been playing for 3 years? no... 5?.... idk anymore.
while the old (current) UI does a good job getting all the information into the players hands, it can definately use some streamlining.
i do vaguely remember that the UI needed some getting used to in the beginning.
anyway, looking forward to the improvements, alone to see how many items i realy have in my inventory will be a revelation.

about the new shortcut-quickbar: it would be realy neat, if we could give pocketcraft orders directly on that quickbar!

[dusan22]

It's an improvement to the game - no reason to be discouraged by people that don't like a change... After all, like you mentioned, game is still in development. Anyone playing at this point has to count with adjustments and adapt. Me personally, I'm looking forward to the updated UI.

[bobingabout]

Third, the toolbar lets you split stacks, while the main inventory doesn't. If I've got 200 stone in my inventory, and I want to prepare a few stacks of 25, I can split each 50 and drop each stack of 25 into a separate toolbar slot to get them ready. If I try to create separate stacks in my main inventory it just merges them all again. Or if you want a stack of 10...split 25 to the toolbar, then split that to 12 and drop two. Otherwise you have to split to 25 and sit there clicking fifteen times to get it down to ten...and if one of those fifteen times you accidentally hit the wrong mouse button you have to start all over. So if you drop the toolbelt can you please add the ability to split stacks within the main inventory?

Just to counter my own argument before I make it. you can turn off inventory auto-sort to be able to split stacks in there.

But... I do exactly the same thing, I use my toolbar as a second inventory to split stacks, since, with default settings (auto sort, which is so damn useful 95% of the time, too useful to want to turn off) you need to use a second inventory to split stacks.

Now, if you implemented an easier method to split stacks, then it wouldn't be so bad.

[ignatio]

I like the change of making the quickbar a "view" into the inventory. However, not getting it automatically filled with "random items" would be a loss. It works really well when you're doing one task and then switch to another:

If I'm e.g. setting up a smelter I need furnaces, belts, inserters, poles, etc. I've got inserters and poles in permanent slots, but the other things show up in the quickbar too and I can easily switch between them. Then I e.g. go and fix an oil field, and I need pumpjacks and pipes. I just clear all non-permanent slots and the new items take their place where I can access them easily.

It would be a lot clumsier to have to either go into the inventory to select an Item I used just a moment ago, or have to assign it permanently to a quickbar slot.

Iow, what I'm arguing for is a number of "recently used" slots. If they're presented in a separate section of the quickbar is just fine, but they should also have hotkeys.

[krux02]

This is me suggesting this change in 2014:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3545

All I can say is: FINALLY

[Alfredeus55]

I really like the above changes. One thing to add perhaps is to still have the ability to shift+click all the items into a chest but kept perhaps the filtered or however you do it such as the Favorited items that do not get moved when you use the shift+click on any empty spot to move the entire inventory to a chest.

Cheers! Keep up the great work!

[Stratagerm]

Long time Factorio player here (June, 2014).

The GUI changes look great!

If the key bindings for the Character, Logistics, and Crafting tabs can be changed, then I don't care that they default to F1-F3. I'll just remap them (I remap extensively for most games).

Twinsen wrote:

Factorio must be the best game no matter what!

Love this attitude. The care and dedication to making Factorio as good as it can be has been quite clear to me since I bought it. Go ahead and improve the GUI! Wube Software rocks!

[AutomationIsFun]

I am personally all for this new change, I often blueprint one building to be able to place it using the 0.15 map ghost placement so it is build by robots without me walking anywhere, this will make it even simpler. Overall I think it makes inventory more organised and easier to use.