Vehicle Steering Suggestion

cashford · Post by **cashford** » Fri Jul 07, 2017 7:48 pm

TL;DR

I would like to be able to steer the car and tank vehicles by using the mouse instead of WASD

What ?

It takes a large amount of adjusting using the keys to maintain a straight line while steering vehicles.
Ideally, I would love to be able to hold down a key (configurable, perhaps defaulted to right click?) and have the vehicle turn to change its heading to the mouse location (not an immediate pivot, but at a speed equivalent to existing turn speed).

Why ?

This would make steering easier for new users to master. I have played 1,000+ hours of Factorio and still have enough of an issue to drive me to create this post

.
This would make it much more convenient to use vehicles for factory driving prior to having power armor with multiple exoskeleton modules. Driving lanes through factories is a dream of mine, but I don't feel like I have the control necessary to drive in a lane without having a 12+ width lane when 4-5 is all that should be needed.

Jap2.0 · Post by **Jap2.0** » Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:16 am

But then how would anyone get the "run forrest, run" achievement?

Anyway, more seriously now: I'd be fine either way. Crashing into things is annoying and fun at the same time. I find it to be almost a mini-game of sorts

.

Omarflyjoemacky · Post by **Omarflyjoemacky** » Sun Oct 08, 2017 2:00 pm

Hello Dev's!

Driving north is fun. Driving any other direction feels backwards (as it is...south anyway)

Why not steer the vehicle with your mouse? Hold down the left button and drag your mouse around the screen. Wherever the cursor is, that's where you'll go. "W" would still control the speed.

Simple idea I suppose.

JohnyDL · Post by **JohnyDL** » Sun Oct 08, 2017 5:23 pm

How do you aim and shoot at bitters and run away from them at the same time if your mouse steers your car back into the bitters?

Post by **Koub** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:32 am

[Koub] Merged topic into older same suggestion.

DanGio · Post by **DanGio** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 8:58 am

JohnyDL wrote:How do you aim and shoot at bitters and run away from them at the same time if your mouse steers your car back into the bitters?

Auto-turret !

Zavian · Post by **Zavian** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:27 am

Point at the biters and drive in reverse ?

darkfrei · Post by **darkfrei** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:10 am

Double click on the map and automatically going to this point? Something like in strategy unit sending to point.

Omarflyjoemacky · Post by **Omarflyjoemacky** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 3:43 pm

Hotkey! Press both mouse buttons to drive?

Always options.

eradicator · Post by **eradicator** » Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:19 pm

As cursor_position was removed from the api in one of the .15.x updates this can't be modded in anymore even if someone wanted to. And as above mentioned steering and aiming simultaneously with one mouse would be difficult.... A twin-stick style approach might work but alas most ppl don't play factorio with a gamepad

.

For your personal enjoyment you might want to try a mod that limits the angles a car can rotate to, making "driving straight" with the keyboard a lot easier. Two mods i can find right off the bat:

VehicleSnap
Pavement Drive Assist

Omarflyjoemacky · Post by **Omarflyjoemacky** » Tue Oct 10, 2017 12:52 am

Yeah, vehicle snap is awesome. Use that bad boy already.

A lot of flight simulators offer an "invert Y axis" option. Why not program in an option when driving South on the X asix? Don't quite know how that would affect steering going East and West though...

I mean, smashing into trees cause I can't control the car going South is fun and all... but just can't get my mind to make that "click". Would certainly help new players.

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