Question - Is Inserter item drop position intuitive?

[5thHorseman]

Sure, but what's not in the title or the text is anything about how this should work. Always place on the right? Always place on the left? What even is right or left? Is that left/right when facing the inserter, or left/right the way the inserter itself is facing?

I'm not the OP (of either of these threads) but for my 2 cents... who cares? It just has to be consistent in relation to the inserter instead of what it is now.

And again, what happens if the side the inserter would place on is full? Does it then place on the other side, or does it just get stuck (like now)?

If that side is full the inserter should do what it does now when that side is full: Not place an item.

And would the inserter text indicate which side items go on, or would people just have to remember that it's always [right/left]?

The inserter should probably have text on it that says that, but if it doesn't, it isn't a big deal. I mean right now there's no hover/popup text in the game that says "Inserters place the item on the furthest lane. If a belt is in the same orientation as the inserter, the item will be placed on the right-hand lane, from the belt's perspective. In curves the inserter always places on the far side." (taken from the wiki because frankly I can't remember all the rules and just build little test areas whenever it matters)

Wouldn't that text be nice? And wouldn't it be nicer if it said "Inserters always place on the far-right quadrant of a belt, from the inserter's perspective." or something similar instead?

Details aren't important, common sense and simplicity are.

[5thHorseman]

[*] Question to the native English speakers: Is there a better term for these things over an underground's entry/exit?

Probably the best word here would be "hood"

Thanks! Never thought of that because "Hood" has multiple meanings (hood of a car, a hood you put on your head). But given its origin ("Middle English hode, Old English hōd; cognate with Old Frisian hōde, Dutch hoed, German Hut hat", according to dictionary.com), this really makes sense -- if the context is clear. So, would you go with "belt hood" or "underground belt hood" (seems a bit too long)?

I don't know. I'd probably have said "the underground belt's hood" myself but I'd understand any of "the belt's hood", "the underground's hood", "the underground belt hood", "the belt hood", or even just "the hood" so long as it was in the sentence you wrote.

I feel that "Inserters? Of course, they can reach over the hood and dump items on the belt -- but mining drills? Always thought the hood would block them." is perfectly understandable.

[Pi-C]

I feel that "Inserters? Of course, they can reach over the hood and dump items on the belt -- but mining drills? Always thought the hood would block them." is perfectly understandable.

Yes, I agree in that case. It's easy to understand because this whole thread is all about belts, so the context is set. Also, there's a picture that shows exactly what I referred to. Without that detail cropped from Generico's image, it may not have been as easy. But using just "hood" if the reference is obvious, and "belt hood" etc. otherwise seems a good idea. Thanks for the off-topic language lesson!

[mrvn]

Incidentally, to me, personally, debating how this should work is like talking about the precedence of + and * and % and ^ in programming. Yeah, you can memorize the rules in various situations, but if it matters, then use parentheses; don't leave it to chance.

Similarly, if it matters which side the inserter drops on (and it usually does), then don't do weird things like dropping on a curve or dropping on a belt parallel to the inserter. Anything you have to "just remember", you're probably going to forget.

Except inserters have no (). Except Bobs adjustable inserters mod.

[Kyralessa]

Incidentally, to me, personally, debating how this should work is like talking about the precedence of + and * and % and ^ in programming. Yeah, you can memorize the rules in various situations, but if it matters, then use parentheses; don't leave it to chance.

Similarly, if it matters which side the inserter drops on (and it usually does), then don't do weird things like dropping on a curve or dropping on a belt parallel to the inserter. Anything you have to "just remember", you're probably going to forget.

Except inserters have no (). Except Bobs adjustable inserters mod.

Right, hence the second paragraph.