Track Building Machine's Process... Real Life

[TheEgoMustGetBigger]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinter ... mbly_line/

Please consider my two cents...

Make track building a strategic process instead of instant stamps.

Here is the most gorgeous template, it's even in our colors.

If the game had a fleet of lifelike automated track laying machines, and maintenance machines after the millions of tons use...

This would give us a rail yard full of more train toys...OMG if you could see in my brain.

The Stone, Ties and Rails... all feed the moving rail laying factory... more delayed gratification... more planning... more tie ups in traffic...

Another suggested crane cars and flatbeds to manufacture facilities beside rails too. but that's their toys...

[Koub]

You mean like https://mods.factorio.com/mod/FARL ?
Also as a personal opinion : clickbait title gives cancer.

[TheEgoMustGetBigger]

tyvm I'll check that out.
(sorry, most likely was amped up on coffee & smoke I cringed at it today when I checked it again...)

Edit
Checked out FARL... Nope

Was looking for more of a visually automated and solely for the rails, ties and stone (i forgot the spikes and plates). (omit the signals, poles etc as in FARL)
Am not looking for a mod but an overhaul idea for long term idea.
Involving user considering supply logistics onsite by robot-supplyed, to the exact new-track construction location.
Tracks would be built in line in order, not just randomly dropped by robots. avoiding ugly random robot building. and also avoiding the instant mod Farl approach. I play vanilla so i will consider some mods but leave this here cause I hear the great upgrade ideas.

I just see videos like this and dream.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwiNaHmOscU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MKcTbYDP7w
https://youtu.be/CP8Gn6m9re8?t=46

[FuryoftheStars]

I believe this may be a bit more detailed than what the vanilla game is actually about.

The FARL mod I think is the closest you might be able to get. If the mod author is still active (and it's not already included in the mod), you might be able to request some changes, like options to not lay signals/poles as it goes, use raw ingredients, forced reduced max speed while laying track, etc. But it will have to pop the tracks into existence ahead of the train as that's just how the game works. Tracks are, at smallest, 2x2 entities, and the train cannot drive where there are no tracks. And you wouldn't be able to use a vehicle as vehicles don't need to drive on the restricted grid that track placement requires. You might be able to fudge this with a larger sprite than hit box (or whatever the game uses to determine placement), but this will cause other issues.

[mrvn]

Shouldn't be too hard to make a train with AI control that drives to the end of a track that has a ghost rail attached to it and revives the ghost rail while removing stuff from it's inventory or cargo wagon. Then rince and repeat.

Main problem I have is where to get the graphics for this. It would need to be a vehicle with a crane that picks up the rail from the cargo area and places it in front of the locomotive. The AI I can program, laying down the track FARL has already solved. But making it look good? Impossible for me.