Factorio Forums

I suggest that when trying to place a blueprint and there are structures blocking the way, the error message when you click (without holding the shift key) should prioritize the fact that machines are in the way over any tree/rocks/cliffs (which can be automatically deconstructed and the blueprint ghosts will be built).

Reasoning: With large blueprints it's not so easy to see if something is in the way or what. Clicking (without holding shift) is a safe way to check if anything is in the way. However, if there are trees in the way, you get only an error message about that and not about any machines that may also be blocking. You may be led to believe that you can shift+click to ignore the trees/rocks and that your blueprint will be built to exact specifications, but this is wrong.

The error message should call out machines over trees, or call out both.

Quick edit: I just realized that the game seems to check for obstructions starting from the top-left corner and just calls out the first thing detected and nothing else. So perhaps this could be adjusted to continue scanning for built structures and then pick the best error message at the end.

My two cents: there should be another way (a new mode) to place big blueprints than yet. Because the handling by mouse and the bad visibility of obstacles in the way kills me every time.

My vision for this new mode is this:
- you can change at any time between the old mode (current)and the new mode
- the new mode: control position by WASD-KEYS. the mose controls zoom and at which point of my map/blueprint I look. Which enable to look at specific point, when placing.
- I can also choose the mode of placing. There are several modes, like placing as yet or overwrite or delete all before placing. Etc.

ssilk wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 10, 2022 11:09 pm

- the new mode: control position by WASD-KEYS. the mose controls zoom and at which point of my map/blueprint I look. Which enable to look at specific point, when placing.

yes !

It seem to me that it would allow to avoid the situation described where you click the blueprint just to see if it would fit or why not. Instead you enter this mode, you place only a visual representation of the blueprint which you can adjust position using the WASD keys, while being free to use the mouse to click and drag the map and check if the corners of the visual representation are not overlapping on something, or zooming and inspecting what's under the area that shows as little red dot otherwise when theblueprint is giant and you not sure you erasing trees or copy pasting on left over pipes or poles or whatever thing you forgot somewhere.

Otherwise as mentionned on map view very unzoomed you have to be very cautious when aligning a blueprint, sometimes several times in a row.

I usually shift click then zoom on the map view to see how the ghost lookand use the "undo" short cut if i made a mistake that i see, or fix the thing later when it becomes apparent that something was not built properly.