[17.9] Major Editor Issues

[BlackRedDead]

Items Panel missing:
In earlyer versions it was possible to place Items on the map (like on belts) or into objects! (like ammunition in turrets)

Resource Paint&Spray doesn't show Resource Panel:
Only the "Hand" tool shows the resources, in earlyer versions all tools showed it while those wich span an area showed the total resources of that area!

"Outside Map Area" Tile can't be replaced anymore:
i often work with the Black Tiles to create distinct area's of a map, but now i can't replace it in case of a mistake - in earlyer versions it could be even replaced outside the map, increasing mapsize! (if it wasn't sufficient for the mission)

Safes empty itself?:
Yesterday i worked around 2h on a old "Sandbox" map i made in 16.10 to recreate it as the game just safed the tile's and strangely the positions of the Roboports on the minimap but not the actual roboports - after i was done i safed it as a new map - but as i opened it today it was exactly the same map, with all changes gone! (being tiles or objects) - wtf happend???
now i have 2 broken maps, while all other i created in 16.10 aren't even visible (but properbly because i used mods wich are now outdated - yes, i deactivated all of them befor!)

New Time "Feature":
while the idea is nice to test things out, it should be restricted to a specific map area and able to reset! (as now the biters eat my base while i just wanted to test a production chain!) - if i want to test a map i can safe&play it!

Biter Evolution:
Propably an oversight by me, but it was pretty strange to face colossus biters from the beginning - 1. should start at lowest evolution and 2. an option to decide evolution in editor! (as said, maybe oversight by me - wasn't that importand for me at that time as biters ruined my map anyway!)

Remaining Issues Related to overall Editor Design:
- Tiling Generator still missing - especially for Labtile Maps! scrap that, found it under "surfaces" panel
- what to do with "Surfaces", afaik only the mod "Factorissimo2" actually makes gameplay use out of it...
- missing Player Avatar, there is still no option to decide where the player avatar has to be! (i know there is a command to spawn it, but pretty much inconvenient!)
- Load Scenario option, in case of a mistake i need to exit the editor to load an earlyer version! (i do not remember how it was in earlyer versions, as with addition of mods there aren't remaining any uncorrectable mistakes! - while with the stock editor you just need to place something down wich can't be removed anymore! xP)

What i like and really appreciate:
- the new "None" panel with all the nice buttons, now add shortcut description to the new buttons and i'm happy^^
- the new "Time" Panel, tough look above for critics about it's usability, i would also vote to make it part of the "None" Tab, so some hasn't to change panels at testing the map!
- finaly a maptile generator - if we could just get a brush now...
- New Infinite Chest&Pipe - makes testing stuff much more easy!

[Rseding91]

Items Panel missing:
In earlyer versions it was possible to place Items on the map (like on belts) or into objects! (like ammunition in turrets)

That's what the "none" tab is. The standard crafting interface is replaced with an item-spawn interface.

Resource Paint&Spray doesn't show Resource Panel:
Only the "Hand" tool shows the resources, in earlyer versions all tools showed it while those wich span an area showed the total resources of that area!

That's intended - you don''t "select" anything when using spray/brush tools. You can clear the cursor (Q) and select anything you want. I have some ideas to improve this for resources since knowing how many resources are over the area you're spraying/brushing can be useful.

"Outside Map Area" Tile can't be replaced anymore:
i often work with the Black Tiles to create distinct area's of a map, but now i can't replace it in case of a mistake - in earlyer versions it could be even replaced outside the map, increasing mapsize! (if it wasn't sufficient for the mission)

Hold shift to paint over out-of-map tiles.

Safes empty itself?:
Yesterday i worked around 2h on a old "Sandbox" map i made in 16.10 to recreate it as the game just safed the tile's and strangely the positions of the Roboports on the minimap but not the actual roboports - after i was done i safed it as a new map - but as i opened it today it was exactly the same map, with all changes gone! (being tiles or objects) - wtf happend???
now i have 2 broken maps, while all other i created in 16.10 aren't even visible (but properbly because i used mods wich are now outdated - yes, i deactivated all of them befor!)

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.

New Time "Feature":
while the idea is nice to test things out, it should be restricted to a specific map area and able to reset! (as now the biters eat my base while i just wanted to test a production chain!) - if i want to test a map i can safe&play it!

If you don't want to use it, don't use it.

Biter Evolution:
Propably an oversight by me, but it was pretty strange to face colossus biters from the beginning - 1. should start at lowest evolution and 2. an option to decide evolution in editor! (as said, maybe oversight by me - wasn't that importand for me at that time as biters ruined my map anyway!)

More control over these things is planned but at the moment I'm busy with fixing crashes.

- what to do with "Surfaces", afaik only the mod "Factorissimo2" actually makes gameplay use out of it...

If you don't have a use for it, don't use it. Other people do so it's there for them to use.

- missing Player Avatar, there is still no option to decide where the player avatar has to be! (i know there is a command to spawn it, but pretty much inconvenient!)

You can set the spawn point in the forces tab.

- Load Scenario option, in case of a mistake i need to exit the editor to load an earlyer version! (i do not remember how it was in earlyer versions, as with addition of mods there aren't remaining any uncorrectable mistakes! - while with the stock editor you just need to place something down wich can't be removed anymore! xP)

You can load scenarios in the main menu -> map editor- > load scenario

- the new "Time" Panel, tough look above for critics about it's usability, i would also vote to make it part of the "None" Tab, so some hasn't to change panels at testing the map!

Look at the controls menu - there are hotkeys for some of the time actions (toggle pause, step 1 tick).

- finaly a maptile generator - if we could just get a brush now...

I don't know what you mean by this.

[BlackRedDead]

Hey Rseding91,
thanks for your time and fast reply.

That's what the "none" tab is. The standard crafting interface is replaced with an item-spawn interface.

ah okay, still not obvious!
i find the way it was much more usefull, as i just had a panel where i can chose items and place them down where i want them to have - done
now i need to open inventory and yet i still don't know how to place stuff as item instead as object - i mean there is no guidance at all!

the old system had issues i don't remember yet, but as i think you're (the devs) creating the scenarios for the campaign just with this editor idk why you changed it this way? - wasn't it already good enough?

That's intended - you don''t "select" anything when using spray/brush tools. You can clear the cursor (Q) and select anything you want. I have some ideas to improve this for resources since knowing how many resources are over the area you're spraying/brushing can be useful.

uhm... sure it was strange earlyer that a brush selected things, but it was okay and now the brush&spray tool are pretty inconvenient to use - as to know the resource amount needs switching to the "hand" tool - or clear the cursor, thx for the tip tough
i still don't understand why it got changed to the worse, "never change a running system!", especially not without a solution!

Hold shift to paint over out-of-map tiles.

ah thx, oversight by me - sorry, tryed LMB&RMB&MMB CTRL&ALT DEL and what not, but not shift xP

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.

i had made some maps in 16.10, only one showed in 17.9
i edited it and safed it as a new one - but i add it as attachment so you can see yourself - maybe modconflict issue, but even then it shouldn't just safe again as empty map!

If you don't want to use it, don't use it.

i would like to, but "as is" it's just not very convenient to, should be part of a "test scenario" function wich sadly doesn't exist in factorio (as like in other games where editor, test scenario and play scenario are different things! - factorio mixes them, wich would be nice if properly made, but yet it is not possible to control this feature! - think of it like a time simulation tool of a video editor - where you can specify a specific part to be played forward&backward and at different speeds or even frequency, even jump a specified duration for-/backward!)
it could be pretty usefull to test things out much more conveniently without mods and still thx for adding it!

More control over these things is planned but at the moment I'm busy with fixing crashes.

kay, yea fixing crashes is more importand

You can set the spawn point in the forces tab.

hmm, makes sense - sorry

You can load scenarios in the main menu -> map editor- > load scenario

i know! - but why that long way?
it should "ESC -> load scenario"

Look at the controls menu - there are hotkeys for some of the time actions (toggle pause, step 1 tick).

meh, even more controls to remember? xP - i hope there are plans to just add a simple time bar to the editor without the need to select a specific panel!
also any plans to add more ui element placeholder buttons to hide parts of it when they aren't needed?

I don't know what you mean by this.

there's a mod that adds a tile generator brush (i guess it was the "Creative Mode" mod with magic wands that allowed that)
you can select different shapes - chessboard as example
with the now added tile generator it would be great to "paint" a landscape based on mapseed and location - i remember such function in an ingame minecraft editor - was very convenient to fix destroyed landscape there, in factorio it could be usefull to fix tiling mistakes