Factorio Forums

Simple but effective suggestion, if we can use Shift+Click to ghost build an item, why could we not have Shift+RightClick to mark an item for deconstruction? Would make many jobs a lot less fiddly.

EDIT: Alternatively, simply clicking on something with the Deconstruction Blueprint should mark it for deconstruction without needing to make a selection. Actually, even better, if holding a Deconstruction Blueprint and you Shift+Click it marks anything under the cursor. You could then drag it over other entities you want removed but again without making a "selection".

+1, it seems obvious that it should work that way. And there's more than a few situations where this would prove useful.

Shift+LMB and Shift+RMB are reserved for copypasting the entity settings.

Hmm, that is true, still some sort of deconstruct shortcut would be ideal.

I hit "1" (quickbar) and then deconstruct. I don't know how to make that simpler.

1 is reserved for belts, 2 underground belts, 3 splitters, 4 inserters, 5 power poles, 6 pipes, 7 underground pipes, 8 assemblers, 9 long handle inserters, 10 is a bit variable but tends to be blueprint book.

Even if we did make room for Deconstruction Planner it's more that you might just want to deconstruct one thing. And you might want to do that in various areas, for example deleting Power Poles in an Electronic Circuit setup so they can be replaced with Medium Power Poles to be blueprinted and expanded. For the sort of circumstance having to drag over the entity - ensuring that you don't include anything else in the selection - makes the process somewhat tedious.

Granted it's not a huge issue, especially now we can filter items in or out for bigger jobs, but would be a great QOL improvement. Even if something like Shift+RMB while holding an item deconstructs everything under it so as to be a true opposite of ghosting.

Now that the blueprints aren't real "items" (don't get crafted, don't cost resources, etc) why not make a hotkey for "new blueprint" and "new deconstruction planner". Then we could set our own preferred method for selecting them.
This may mean that we end up with an endless supply of deconstruction planners, but that is a separate issue - one that also has to be dealt with for blank blueprints (deleting blank blueprints is currently a big pain in the neck).
Maybe you could "delete" blank blueprints and deconstruction planners when you clear them from your hand with "Q" as opposed to clicking them into your inventory?

I was just thinking that as I read your post, blank blueprints and deconstruction planners get deleted automatically, but there's a problem. Deconstruction Planners start blank, you then have to right click it to open its interface. So you'd need to work out a way around that. Sure you could add another hotkey but the keyboard's pretty hot already. Maybe pressing the hotkey while holding a deconstruction planner already?

But as I said I don't want to be making a selection, I want to deconstruct the Small Power Pole I'm hovering over. For example, last night I was adding a junction to a rail, which involves removing a light and a signal. Grabbed the Deconstruction Planner, hovered over the signal and dragged it across the light. Nothing. Tried again, missed again. Allowed for a wider selection, ended up getting the Large Power Pole next to them. Gave up and mined them.

So maybe if holding a Deconstruction Blueprint and you just click on something, it deconstructs it? Does that sound reasonable?

Actually, even better, if holding a Deconstruction Blueprint and you Shift+Click it marks anything under the cursor. You could then drag it over other entities you want removed but again without making a "selection".

That sounds more an issue with the selection box of the small powerpole. I have had that issue many times, so much so that I now just mine single instances of them if it's in a crowded area.

What could be done for a hotkey (bound through keybindings, not the hotbar) is that a "new" deconstruction planner or blueprint is put into your hand. When they are cleared they get destroyed instead of going into your inventory. If you want a permanent one, go into your blueprint manager and click the button as you do now. A fair chunk of the blueprints I make are temporary anyway - extending a line, moving some build to another location, so an "only while you hold it" option would be great.

I think a keybinding to deconstruct whatever is under your cursor is a great idea, just like the new pipette tool.

hitzu wrote:Shift+LMB and Shift+RMB are reserved for copypasting the entity settings.

Ok, so make it alt+right click. There's a huge number of unused combinations still available

BenSeidel wrote:That sounds more an issue with the selection box of the small powerpole. I have had that issue many times, so much so that I now just mine single instances of them if it's in a crowded area.

What could be done for a hotkey (bound through keybindings, not the hotbar) is that a "new" deconstruction planner or blueprint is put into your hand. When they are cleared they get destroyed instead of going into your inventory.

Read literally the first paragraph of the post before yours.

Zeblote wrote:Ok, so make it alt+right click. There's a huge number of unused combinations still available

You want deconstruct to be the natural opposite of ghosting. If this means changing the default binding of ghosting to Alt+Click then I'm fine with that but it's senseless having them different - it would be like Copy being Shift+RMB and Paste being Ctrl+Click, you'd be forever fumbling to find the right button.

Deadly-Bagel wrote: You want deconstruct to be the natural opposite of ghosting. If this means changing the default binding of ghosting to Alt+Click then I'm fine with that but it's senseless having them different - it would be like Copy being Shift+RMB and Paste being Ctrl+Click, you'd be forever fumbling to find the right button.

Then change copying settings to use alt+right click / alt+click, and have deconstruct be shift+right click. It's far less important what the default keybind is than having a keybind in the first place - you can customize it in settings.

Deadly-Bagel wrote:Read literally the first paragraph of the post before yours.

Lol, I was agreeing and expanding on your first paragraph, adding the idea that blueprints and deconstruction planners from the blueprint menu don't get auto-deleted, while ones from the hotkey will be.

Guys, pressing Alt you toggle info view.