Factorio Forums

TL;DR

Move the filtering function of splitters to its own filter splitter tech.

What ?

Add a new tech and new object to the game called filter splitter. It would function the same as previous splitters but the filter technology would be moved to a later technology more in line when when you get access to filter inserters and their cost more inline with the materials used in filter inserters. Also allow the new filter splitters to take inputs from the circuit network (because of course they should). All splitters would continue to be able to used as priority splitters.

Why ?

There are a couple major advantages I see:
- adding this tech calls to player attention that splitters can be configured (I suspect many players never discover that splitters have priority or filter functionality).
- some of the more complicated mod packs (like seablock) now have access to filtering much earlier then normal. In those mods filter inserters happen significantly later then normal splitters. I don't want to speak on behalf of those authors but this is probably not intended for what they created (not that they couldn't just mod in their own filter splitters). Breaking this up into two tech would probably be seen as a benefit.

The only real drawback that comes to mind is they likely won't be used often (much like how filter inserters are rarely used). The only place where I actually see large scale use of filter inserters if stack filter inserters in conjunction with circuit networks, but that is quite late into the game.

Filter inserters do actually unlock fairly early, on Electronics technology. I'm certain that Logistics 3 is after that.

Either way... I am all for Filtering being researchable, or optional from a modding perspective. I'd even in favor of the filtering being added to all splitters after a certain research.

bobingabout wrote:Filter inserters do actually unlock fairly early, on Electronics technology. I'm certain that Logistics 3 is after that.

Either way... I am all for Filtering being researchable, or optional from a modding perspective. I'd even in favor of the filtering being added to all inserters after a certain research.

Bob's Inserter Overhaul part 2?
Why not?

bobingabout wrote:I'd even [be] in favor of the filtering being added to all inserters after a certain research.

Yes, it is inconsistent that inserters have their own filtering entity ("filter inserter"), whereas splitters don't require a seperate "filter splitter" entity.

Hmmm, I don't see any major gameplay problem. Splitters do have limits as filters and early on they compete with the intrinsic ability of inserters to filter when inserting into assembler type things and lane splitting using underground belts.

I wouldn't call it a problem per se, but I agree that gating splitter filters behind a tech makes a lot of sense. That means the player has to do a little bit of work to unlock a fairly powerful feature, as well as introducing the concept to players instead of simply leaving it there to be discovered (I know I wouldn't have known about it if not for reading FFF). I don't know if it'd be better to have a separate entity (a la inserters) or to just enable the functionality on all splitters, but I like this idea in a general sense.