Logistic Request by Line

[NAtreides]

TL;DR

Activate and deactivate personal logistic requests and auto-trash by line

What ?

As well as the master "on/off" switch for personal logistics and auto requests, tick-boxes for each line.
Permit the same item to appear more than once in the logistics menu. Where there is a conflict, the first instance takes priority, but if possible highlight the conflict. Or prevent conflicts by not allowing a line to be turned on if a conflict would occur (ie, the other line would have to be turned off)

Why ?

This will permit players to quickly and easily adjust their logistic requests to changing situations and contexts, without having to add and remove multiple individual items each time, or change their values.

[Koub]

There is an alternative solution to the issue you're trying to address : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=88751
I admit I prefer the save/load configurations wherever it makes sense (the link I provided), I feel it would make a more coherent experience throughout the game.

[NAtreides]

There is an alternative solution to the issue you're trying to address : viewtopic.php?f=6&t=88751
I admit I prefer the save/load configurations wherever it makes sense (the link I provided), I feel it would make a more coherent experience throughout the game.

Thanks, that looks like a really useful idea. I think, however, it doesn't adequately solve my issue. Importing a logistic request template string each time you want to change your logistic requests would only be marginally less cumbersome than changing some of the values/items. I think ticking/unticking individual lines would be far more efficient and convenient. But the linked idea would be really convenient for starting new games and/or saving your settings in case they are lost somehow.

[ssilk]

This will permit players to quickly and easily adjust their logistic requests to changing situations and contexts, without having to add and remove multiple individual items each time, or change their values.

I’m a bit surprised. First we fight years that we cannot put items into the request list twice. And then we re-allow that, while putting over-complex rules over this.

But objectively: this adds some gameplay, yes, but on the other hand it adds much more complexity. Which is a clear sight not to be implemented.

[mrvn]

What would be so difficult about implementing this?

In the GUI you store the lines separately in some new array. Then you merge all the lines that are activated and write that to the existing array of requests. Next you need a bit of code in the GUI on the feedback side. So if the original array turned a slot yellow you have to find the matching slots in the activated lines and turn them yellow. Still doesn't sound difficult.

One could probably make a mod with those request lines and have that write to the actual players requests slots. You wouldn't get the yellow boxes feedback in the mods gui but for that you could look at the players inventory.

[eradicator]

First we fight years that we cannot put items into the request list twice.

Erroneous grammar makes that ambigious. Are you saying "we" fought for or against being able to add the duplicates? I remember no such fight. But I know on which side I would've fought ;).

___
The general idea sounds nice, but I don't like having an extra row of checkboxes and "a line" is often not a useful group. I would prefer if it was simply possible to temporarily disable any individual request without deleting it. Probably via some hotkey like ctrl+mmb.

[mrvn]

First we fight years that we cannot put items into the request list twice.

Erroneous grammar makes that ambigious. Are you saying "we" fought for or against being able to add the duplicates? I remember no such fight. But I know on which side I would've fought .

On that note I recently wanted to add an item a second or third time. I have a permanent entry to get me 100 Iron Plates. But when I need to build a bunch of entities by hand that need more iron then I have to modify the existing entry. And then when I got those Iron Plates I have to remember to reset the original entry.

Would be nice if I could just add a second entry requesting 400 Iron Plates. But yeah, there is the question of how to handle that. Should it request the maximum of all entries? Or the Sum? I would probably want both. A general area where I set stuff I want permanently and an area where I add temporary stuff. The temporary stuff is for building things. So if one need 10 Steel Plates and the other 15 Steel Plates then I need 25 total. All the temporary stuff should be additive and then take the maximum with the permanent stuff.

But if I could only have one then additive all across it would be.

The general idea sounds nice, but I don't like having an extra row of checkboxes and "a line" is often not a useful group. I would prefer if it was simply possible to temporarily disable any individual request without deleting it. Probably via some hotkey like ctrl+mmb.

Too many things to enable/disable. The line part is indeed a poor group but in the GUI there is a grid of items. Easiest to group that is by rows or columns. But groups is what would be most useful I think. You would have a group for building a mining outpost, a group for building an artillery outpost, ...

Thinking of this makes me think of blueprints. As long as it is all entities you need stuff them into a fake (or real) blueprint and drop the blueprint into a request slot. That then adds the entities listed in the blueprint to the requested items. And for items ... well, can we extend blueprints to include items? One can already include fuel for trains, modules for assembler or ammo for turrets. Maybe already supported by blueprints, just needs something to create a blueprint for a list of items.

So no checkboxes or lines to enable/disable. The control mechanism would be to drop in blueprints into request slots or remove them from the slots. Want to build 4 artillery outpost, request 4 of the blueprint for one. Does that sound better?

[NAtreides]

This will permit players to quickly and easily adjust their logistic requests to changing situations and contexts, without having to add and remove multiple individual items each time, or change their values.

I’m a bit surprised. First we fight years that we cannot put items into the request list twice. And then we re-allow that, while putting over-complex rules over this.

But objectively: this adds some gameplay, yes, but on the other hand it adds much more complexity. Which is a clear sight not to be implemented.

Haha apologies; didn't realised this was a flip-flop issue! But I think in the context of my idea it would make sense to allow it. Still, if, as you say, it's too complex, that's fair enough - can't argue with the guys making the game!

What would be so difficult about implementing this?

In the GUI you store the lines separately in some new array. Then you merge all the lines that are activated and write that to the existing array of requests. Next you need a bit of code in the GUI on the feedback side. So if the original array turned a slot yellow you have to find the matching slots in the activated lines and turn them yellow. Still doesn't sound difficult.

One could probably make a mod with those request lines and have that write to the actual players requests slots. You wouldn't get the yellow boxes feedback in the mods gui but for that you could look at the players inventory.

I know nothing about programming or modding, but if you or anyone you know could put this together that'd be top class!

[mrvn]

I know I've seen some mod that would add the content of a blueprint to a requester chest. Maybe the change to make it add to the players request slots as a separate line wouldn't be to hard. If it rains again this weekend I will take a look. I'm missing this feature now that it was discussed.

[NAtreides]

The general idea sounds nice, but I don't like having an extra row of checkboxes and "a line" is often not a useful group. I would prefer if it was simply possible to temporarily disable any individual request without deleting it. Probably via some hotkey like ctrl+mmb.

Yes, I see what you mean. Perhaps being able to set a number of lines as a group that could be turned on and off? I don't know if this is asking too much of the devs or modding community, though.. However, if it were line by line, you'd at least be able to, say, tick 3 or 4 lines here, untick 1 or 2 there, etc. I think it would be an improvement over the current choice of "everything off versus everything on".

I know I've seen some mod that would add the content of a blueprint to a requester chest. Maybe the change to make it add to the players request slots as a separate line wouldn't be to hard. If it rains again this weekend I will take a look. I'm missing this feature now that it was discussed.

Thank you I'll look for that mod, but I'll be keeping an eye out for anything you make, too!

[Impatient]

... If it rains again this weekend I will take a look. I'm missing this feature now that it was discussed.

Having a custom GUI where you can put together as many request setups as you want and also switch between them would be awesome.

[Koub]

I know I've seen some mod that would add the content of a blueprint to a requester chest. Maybe the change to make it add to the players request slots as a separate line wouldn't be to hard. If it rains again this weekend I will take a look. I'm missing this feature now that it was discussed.

Probably this one : https://mods.factorio.com/mod/RequestFromBlueprint

[ssilk]

@mrvn: “what would be complicated about implementation?”

That’s not what I said. I mean with complexity the game-complexity. For any feature you implement you want to increase the game-play, but you do increase also it’s complexity. A good feature is one with high game-play-value and low complexity. It’s very seldom the case that you have no added complexity or even reduce complexity by implementation of a feature.

This isn’t such a feature, because it introduces, that we can have double requests (again), need to remember which “line” of requests to turn on in which situation (cannot name the line, too less space there). Or see the unusual UX, maybe it’s a good idea, but maybe not; the chance for a success, that this idea is accepted by the players is lower than 80% IMHO.

@Impatient
And I really don’t understand it. We have here a mod, which works perfectly:

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/AutoTrash

It has less disadvantages than this suggestion and a higher game-play-value. Well, for implementation into vanilla it needs to be streamlined a bit, but hey, it’s a mod, it’s free. And you can use it NOW!

First we fight years that we cannot put items into the request list twice.

Erroneous grammar makes that ambigious. Are you saying "we" fought for or against being able to add the duplicates? I remember no such fight. But I know on which side I would've fought .

With “we” I always mean the Factorio-forum-community. So the sentence should be “First the community fought years about being able to request items twice, which is stupid.” Or so. And you need to read it with a very heroic voice, because I really didn’t mean it too serious

[mrvn]

@Impatient
And I really don’t understand it. We have here a mod, which works perfectly:

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/AutoTrash

It has less disadvantages than this suggestion and a higher game-play-value. Well, for implementation into vanilla it needs to be streamlined a bit, but hey, it’s a mod, it’s free. And you can use it NOW!

Wow. That's pretty much a better designed implementation of the request.

I think this Idea can be moved to implemented-by-mod.

[Impatient]

I did not know this mod. That is exactly what I meant. I am out of here.

[mrvn]

I love it when Ideas and Suggestion can be solved with "Here is a mod that does that even better."