Removing is no option.
Which reduces this to miniaturizing. I think needed space is not an issue, cause we really have enough space to create big circuits.
I think the circuits lack some points, which brings obviously players to think about this suggestions (which doesn't solve the problems btw in my eyes).
The things are:
- Needed time for wiring
- Needed time for configuration
- Size/Clarity in overview
- Debugging
- Predefined circuits.
I explain the points.
Needed time for wiring
- you need to have the right wires. Don't have them: Craft them. Or order them. In every case the wires took up inventory space and time to craft/configure request.
- The wiring itself is much better with 0.13, but still not perfect enough. I cannot say exactly, what to improve, but I think for example to highlighting of connection points. Or intelligent autowiring.
Needed time for configuration
- The configuration feels still a bit clumsy. A normal configuration needs 6 clicks minimum. 10 is quite normal.
- I need to run and run and run if the setup is spread over a bigger area (cause it makes sense). BTW this is also a big point against the miniaturization, because it doesn't solve this problem.
Size/Clarity of overview
- One point is that it is still difficult to see what is connected with what. Much better with 0.13. But I think I don't like the game, when fully zoomed in, but when working on circuits that is useful/needed.
- I think I would like to concentrate to the devices connected to a circuit only. The things around confuse me.
Debugging
- You search for a bug in your circuits and it is sometimes quite nasty to find it.
Predefined circuits
- some set of blueprints that displays always repeating tasks.
Some ideas as consequence of above:
1. No wires/cables needed. Wires/cables can be zipped out of the devices with some kind of tool/mode. Works also for electric.
2. Easy cut and rearrange wires. The behave more like real wires. For example: I drag on one end, until the connection is loosed and I can plug it then into another device.
3. Much longer (endless?) reach for combinator/wire-setup.
4. Some kind of shadow that blends out unconnected devices (more or less dark, depending of level of connection). See the circuits and the connected devices only. See point 1.
5. The view changes when zooming into combinators: You can see then the internal configuration. This depends on some kind of view-mode perhaps. See
viewtopic.php?f=80&t=18153 Information-Layers (for map and/or normal view)
6. More than one way to configure the combinators/inserters etc. For example some kind of command-line. Much more fine-tuning of that surface.
7. Intelligent wiring. Hm. This belongs to point 4. I have a set of devices, that belongs to this circuit. Now I add a device and this needs of course to be connected to that circuit.
8. I can make graphical boxes around circuits and name/describe that. A useful feature for much more cases than only this.
9. Predefined Blueprints is based on 8: When printing them, the description is also printed.
10. A debugger: Copy all the devices in a circuit and depending of that into an own view. The network is automatically uncluttered in that view, the devices are rearranged in a nice grid. And then I can look at each device/wire, down to a step-by-step mode, what happens.
Just ideas. Nothing seriously needed or could be achieved in a different way (see this suggestion).