Factorio Forums

TL;DR

Avoid rail signal colors for the block colors.

What ?

Suggestion to change the colors used for rail blocks between signals to something else than what is used in the signals.



[PIC 1.] Picture of the issue.


[PIC 2.] Example of a fix.

Why ?

Yellow and red colors in signals and in blocks are conflated.

I don't really understand how this would improve the game. I think it's pretty obvious that the rail block colours don't represent the colour of the signal at the beginning of the block. There are also hardly any colours with high contrast left: green, yellow, red and blue are all taken by the signals.

And how did you get a continuous yellow block at the top there? For me it doesn't look like it's the way it's supposed to be.

ickputzdirwech wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:55 am I think it's pretty obvious that the rail block colours don't represent the colour of the signal at the beginning of the block.

I'm not entirely sure if you're joking or not.
The whole issue is that they are not obvious because they are in the exact same color, making them conflated.
For you and me it might be obvious but any player who hasn't used trains yet it's not that obvious, because of the same colors.

Never even occurred to me for a millisecond that they might represent signals. Because they represent blocks. Not signals.

There are only six primary and secondary colours to choose from. Seven if you add white. Less if you have colour vision deficiency, which is common.

So you're left with white, magenta and cyan, which isn't enough colours. Non-starter. Your example uses blue, which is a signal colour.

Deadlock989 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:54 pm Never even occurred to me for a millisecond that they might represent signals. Because they represent blocks. Not signals.

People are different.
I did have plenty of trouble with the train system, signals and blocks, even in the tutorial. My two nephews and my one friend also had troubles learning it all. The rest of my friends didn't bother to learn it and just waited for the others to do all the train-stuff in the server.

Train blocks using same colors are train signals are conflated due to fact that they are using same colors, next to each other, even though the colors are not related to each other in any way.

Deadlock989 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:54 pm There are only six primary and secondary colours to choose from. Seven if you add white. Less if you have colour vision deficiency, which is common.

Current state is that they are using the same colors as the signals. They could be any color that's not in signals. Colour vision deficiency is outside of the point because signal colors are still the same. And even then it would be a simple thing to fix. The block colors are supposed to be helpful tools after all.

There. Literally. Aren't. Enough. Colours. Left.

Deadlock989 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:14 pm There. Literally. Aren't. Enough. Colours. Left.

I can give you more colors, believe me.
I just never had any problems with yellow and red.

Sure, let's switch it all out for puce, coral and mushroom.

Problem solved.

... Oh wait, there was no problem.

Why not just color each block in the color of the attached signal.
After all each signal marks the beginning of a new block!


Hi there poster! You found my secret message.
I recommend to check the calibration on your sarcasm detector before you quote this post.

Why not have them cycle through the rainbow, like a Mario power-up.

Better still - invent new colours that no-one has ever seen, then get everyone to buy new monitors and have new eyes.

Hmm, is that block teal, cyan, turquoise or aquamarine? I can't tell. But it clearly means the rail is underwater, because it's the same colour as water.

Even men are capable to see color differences despite they don't know how to name them


OK, not all colors look different

I have literally never seen the word "gillyflower" before in my life.

Clearly that is why I am always being run over by trains.

Emerald mint pool. Sounds delicious. We should use those three.

And i think when i order my next suit i'll get the petroleum-chlorophyll one!

Your life will never be the same.

Signals have to use the colors they have, red yellow green (and blue) but rail blocks doesnt even have to be color coded to be exact. They could be somehow else recognized. Symbols perhaps? Or some kind of highlighting effect?

Changing the color isnt the only solution. Perhaps its not even the wisest solution. Little do i know.

All i know is that using the exact same colors next to each other (blocks vs signals) is conflated.

Since two unrelated things being red at the same time is obviously a no-go, I have a suggestion. Let's move it to another sense entirely: smell-o-vision. You only need four different smells to distinguish blocks from each other: I suggest freshly mown grass, baked bread, aniseed, and disappointment.

Or - and I appreciate this might seem like madness at first, but bear with me - you could just think different thoughts in your head about what the different colours mean in different contexts.

If you have had problems setting up rail network you should read how it works.
For example
https://wiki.factorio.com/Rail_signal
“ Signals dividing rails into blocks. Each block is highlighted with a different color.”

Plus countless video tutorials...

Putting the mockery everyone is giving you aside, an actual answer to this would most likely be:

this will never implemented HOWEVER a mod can most likely make this change and have it configurable to your own liking.

I am not adept at modding but there are two forums here for it:

Ideas and Requests For Mods

viewforum.php?f=33

and if it's not possible to mod there is:

Modding interface requests

viewforum.php?f=28

Best of luck on your color journey mate, I hope someone from the community can actually step and give you a bit of assistance!

MakeItGraphic wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2020 5:32 ama mod can most likely make this change and have it configurable to your own liking.

I am not adept at modding

There is a "utility constant" which defines an array of colours for rail block visualisations. Changing them to literally anything else makes them worse, but people have been using mods to punish themselves for years, I suppose this is no different.

Here we see an example that uses four colours from the 1/6th of the colour wheel that isn't already contaminated by rail signal colours. I call these shades "bordeaux", "royalty", "embolism" and "shame".