Rename mod "startup settings" to clarify that they can be changed for existing games

[Wiwiweb]

TL;DR

The name "startup setting" and the message "cannot be changed while a game is running" imply that you cannot change them in existing games, when in fact you can, you just need to exit to the main menu first.

What ?

Change the name "Startup settings" to something clearer.

My suggestion: "Game settings". Because they apply to the entire game, not just the current map.
Also change the message "X settings cannot be changed while a game is running" to "X settings must be changed in the main menu".

(Out-of-topic Bonus: When changing map and player settings from the main menu, show a message "This will only affect new games. To change settings of an existing game, load it first.")

Why ?

Pretty much every week, I see this exchange:
- Hi can I do this?
- Yes it's a mod setting.
- I saw that, but it's a startup setting and I already started my game.
- You can still change startup settings for an existing game, you just need to quit to the main menu to change them.
- Oh thanks!

Here's a selection of 15+ people who got confused by this:

https://imgur.com/a/FtF7CJ1

[FuryoftheStars]

The grammar seems spot on to me ("cannot be changed while a game is running"), so I'm skeptical of any change doing away with the confusion.

That said, if anything, I'd start with changing the description line to something like "can only be changed from the main menu and require a restart of Factorio".

For the setting category name itself, to me, of the listed suggestions, the first two are not clear to me, and the last two make it seem like they have nothing to do with a game at all, so I could not support any of those. I have no suggestions of my own to offer here, though.

[robot256]

I agree the only change that would make sense is to add, "Changes to these settings will be applied after restarting Factorio".

I suppose it also doesn't help that the in-game menu includes an option for "restart map" which has nothing to do with restarting/reloading the game engine.

The root cause may actually be a colloquial language issue.

American English speakers, at least, are accustomed to the terms "savegame", "save the game" or "start a new game" referring to a particular saved state of play. Likewise, "Map" is commonly used to refer to the topography of a world before the player interacts with it, not a saved play state. "Running" is less ambiguous, but could be interpreted as "not ended", i.e. "not dead", and include an unloaded saved play state where the character is still alive.

So when "game" is used to refer to the game engine, "map" is used to refer to a saved play state, and "running" means the map is actively being simulated, it is easily misinterpreted by someone with a less technical idea of what it means to play a game.

[FuryoftheStars]

I suppose it also doesn't help that the in-game menu includes an option for "restart map" which has nothing to do with restarting/reloading the game engine.

And incidentally doesn't even actually restart the map, as it'll generate a new seed, too. It may or may not keep all the other settings, I haven't tested that.

[Wiwiweb]

For the setting category name itself, to me, of the listed suggestions, the first two are not clear to me, and the last two make it seem like they have nothing to do with a game at all, so I could not support any of those. I have no suggestions of my own to offer here, though.

Yeah I'm not happy with them either. I can't think of the perfect word, but I just know that "startup" is evidently confusing.

That said, if anything, I'd start with changing the description line to something like "can only be changed from the main menu and require a restart of Factorio".

If I can get just that description change, I'll consider this a win.

I agree the only change that would make sense is to add, "Changes to these settings will be applied after restarting Factorio".

That's a bigger scope: Leaving those options modifiable in-game, while having a warning that it will require a restart to apply. Sounds great, but just changing a couple strings is probably easier for the devs.

[robot256]

I agree the only change that would make sense is to add, "Changes to these settings will be applied after restarting Factorio".

That's a bigger scope: Leaving those options modifiable in-game, while having a warning that it will require a restart to apply. Sounds great, but just changing a couple strings is probably easier for the devs.

Sorry, I was thinking about what it would say in the main menu. In the grayed out in-game dialog, this definitely makes more sense:

That said, if anything, I'd start with changing the description line to something like "can only be changed from the main menu and require a restart of Factorio".

The distinction of "startup" versus "runtime" settings does not need new names, only better explanation so players learn what they mean.