Rename "Beacon" (because it isn't) and add real nav beacons

[Jürgen Erhard]

"Beacon" is one of those sore spots for me. It "transmits signals", yes. But that's not what a beacon is:

From Merriam-Webster: a radio transmitter emitting signals to guide aircraft. A beacon is a navigation device.

I wish for a real beacon: put up beacons that bots can then use for simplified pathfinding. They'd just (it's just a SMOP ) path along the beacons closest to origin and destination. It could and probably even should be a static routing, redone only when roboports or beacons get added/removed.

Yup, this is bug (THEY ARE NOT BEACONS!) and suggestion. Move it whereever you like. But renamed them, please. "Effect transmitter" would mean it's exactly what it says on the tin.

[Rseding91]

That's not a bug. That's a suggestion and goes in the ideas and suggestions forum (moved).

Additionally it's a game. "Beacon" is the name we choose for the entity because it's a game and they aren't real things so you can't say they're named incorrectly if there is literally no such thing that exists in the real world.

[Mooncat]

I'm sure that Factorio's "beacon" was inspired by the one in Minecraft with the same name and very similar functionalities - gives nearby objects bonus effects.

http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Beacon

So I don't think there is a problem to call it "beacon". It is a game, don't treat the terms too seriously.

[Yoyobuae]

I propose renaming "Beacon" to "Bacon". Because:


Which would be somewhat true in Factorio.

[Ragnaman]

+1 for bacon. There must be a mod for this.

[MeduSalem]

Probably it should be called "Booster" or "Amplifier"... because that's basically what it does... just wireless.

[ssilk]

Hm.
I'm also not really lucky with beacon. The German translations (I looked into several vocabluaries, including my old school-dictionary) explain it as a "light", a "fire", as "signal"...

Booster or amplifier hits much more what it really does. I found also "Intensifier".

Should be simple to make a mod that renames them. And then we'll see.

[Koub]

OTA broadcaster ?