Factorio Forums

I guess you can build a convoluted system with the pressure plate mod and the smart belt mod that includes rail signals that are switchable by logic wire...
Then again, there should be a way to manage railways. I mean this guy can build rocket silos, laser turrets and oil refineries. What's the problem building a bridge over a railway?

All you need: train horns and whistleboards
Whistleboards are placed next to the track, like signals. When the train passes a whistleboard, it sounds its horn. Since trains travel very fast, the horn needs to be audible from a lot farther away than most other in-game sounds. Then it's up to the player to place whistleboards in the appropriate place so that they have warning of a train coming when crossing the tracks. Also if you really want the danger of being run over, you don't have to place them!
alternatively... the "train horn zone" is also a good idea. But it could be made an alert, so that even if you have the sound off you will still be aware. I prefer the whistleboards though, because a train horn zone begs the question: How does the train sense you?

While I too would like a clever game mechanic added to aid with knowing when a train is fast approaching, I would also appreciate a slight change to the debug option "show_train_braking_distance" to use in the interim.


Currently it places a red dot on the track indicating how far it would take the train to stop:


What I would like is an indicator drawn from the train to said stopping point, such as:


The reason behind my suggestion is that the red dot isn't quite eye catching enough, and worse is that depending on zoom and the trains speed, both it and the train could be off-screen on opposite sides of the viewable area. Depending on the graphic used, the 'line' drawn between the train and its braking point could serve as a clear indication that a train is coming, and crossing here would put you in immediate danger.

One thing about Factorio is player deaths are very melodramatic. (You get immediately brought to a "You have been defeated" message).

Why not make getting hit by a train look like getting hit by a train, giving the game a few seconds before the message pops up, and in
those few seconds have an animation play of the character getting crushed and sucked under the tracks.

Lukea153 wrote:One thing about Factorio is player deaths are very melodramatic. (You get immediately brought to a "You have been defeated" message).

Just FYI, this is the opposite of melodramatic.

As you see in the latest FFF there are some achiievements that will come with 0.13. One of that icons is looking like an achievement for nearly being killed by train. Ok, I'm not quite sure.
I mean 3rd row, 3rd column:

That's probly an achievement for being killed by a train.

Also I love how the 2nd poll option sounds innocently sarcastic. xD Same with the 3rd.
I love dying and losing 2 minutes of my life I'll easily spend without knowing in this game. It's sarcastic in one way or another, and it's brilliant IMO.

The train is a lot more serious in multiplayer because when you die you lose all of your items. Which can be rather significant. (I just got enough X to go craft power armor, let me go back to base.... splat)

And while I fully support the splatting aspect of single player, where at most I lose 2 min of effort, rebuilding from scratch all the items you're carrying is often >> 2 minutes. (power armor MK2 with full mods alone.)

The other main problem I have is that in real life, you don't ever have people walking where trains can go. You can build walls/fences and most importantly bridges to cross the train tracks at safe locations. Maybe if there was a way to make an underground train section (which would be cool enough anyway), and then make it easier to be careful. (it would take a *lot* of stone to line your railways with walls, maybe some sort of cheaper fence system so that you can keep your foolish fingers from putting you in harms way.)

I don't suggest getting rid of it, as it has lead to some memorable moments. (jumped off the train just before it reached the station, and got splattered). But IMO in multiplayer the cost of getting hit is a bit too high. I suppose if you could go back to your remains and get some of your items back.

jameinel wrote:The train is a lot more serious in multiplayer because when you die you lose all of your items. Which can be rather significant. (I just got enough X to go craft power armor, let me go back to base.... splat)

And while I fully support the splatting aspect of single player, where at most I lose 2 min of effort, rebuilding from scratch all the items you're carrying is often >> 2 minutes. (power armor MK2 with full mods alone.)

As already said some times in this thread - there are mods, like the gravestone mod (viewtopic.php?f=92&t=14107), that can help a lot with that.

And I think I can say it is consent in the community that something like this is a must have in the vanilla - and as you already mentioned - especially in multiplayer. So I'm sure it will sooner or later come into vanilla.

The other main problem I have is that in real life, you don't ever have people walking where trains can go. You can build walls/fences and most importantly bridges to cross the train tracks at safe locations. Maybe if there was a way to make an underground train section (which would be cool enough anyway), and then make it easier to be careful. (it would take a *lot* of stone to line your railways with walls, maybe some sort of cheaper fence system so that you can keep your foolish fingers from putting you in harms way.)

Well, in the real world it is surely useful to build fences, dig tunnels etc. There are also players that do protect their train with walls completely (but more to protect the track from the natives, than himself ).
In my eyes protecting the player from his own creations is a bit ridiculous. He is the only person on the planet. Who other than himself could be hurt? (besides the biters of course ) Who other than the player knows better, where a train is eventually running through?
And ok, if someone runs the 10th time into a train give the players tools/items in the hand, let them build fences, let them build tunnels, build bridges, but not as the only sense of such tools.

This changes of course if we speak from multiplayer. But also here: Why should I protect the others from my creations?

The "real stuff" begins in my eyes, where there would be colonists on the planet. I think to Rollercoaster Tycoon, where people could get lost in the park if you didn't build fences (or was it in the predecessor?).

But a colonization would change of course everything!

ssilk wrote: In my eyes protecting the player from his own creations is a bit ridiculous. He is the only person on the planet. Who other than himself could be hurt? (besides the biters of course ) Who other than the player knows better, where a train is eventually running through?
And ok, if someone runs the 10th time into a train give the players tools/items in the hand, let them build fences, let them build tunnels, build bridges, but not as the only sense of such tools.

If I have 5 trains all running autonomously, while I know where they go, I have no idea where they are. Yes, I can look on the map, but if I'm building (especially while expanding the railroad), I'm pretty focused on that, not on keeping track of lots of moving pieces.

I suppose an alternative would be if the player would trigger the rail signals, thus giving you a cross walk. So if you stand on the rails, the trains will slow down for you.

I think something like Gravestone is a very decent compromise.

Well, I think for such cases you should be able to build "slowdown signals". They could be the same signals in viewtopic.php?f=80&t=21899 - the signals that add points to the pathfinder. Because if you want to slow down a train it makes sense, that the train avoids that area. And vice versa: If you want a train to avoid an area, it makes sense, that he slows down there, because normally there is no train here.

But that must be done of course before you begin to build your stuff near rails. And believe me (or not): After dying the 10th time you really get used, not to walk on the rails in whatever situation.

I was killed countless times by trains while expanding my Network. As for now i do it like in real live. I reroute my trains before i expand or i just delete pieces of railroad so I have a save piece of Track where train cannot enter. So im protected.

I recently was also killed by train and thought the same: How stupid to build tracks on a route, where really (!) every tenth second a train goes trough (a map with over 250 trains and 3 tracks in parallel).

In combination with the above idea that would be a sign with speed-limit of 0 (or very, very slow) and trains would totally avoid that.

In combination with new circuit network it would be possible to change the signal: A sensor measures, that the character is entering an area and the signal will be switched to "0".

With the recent work on adding equipment grids to trains there is a new solution: an optional module that acts as the discussed horn. Neglect to install it and things remain dangerous. But it's also a small challenge to remember to install it. It also becomes a trade off, safety vs material and time consumption.

As for the idea of automatically stopping trains, how about a personal transponder that will mark the block as taken. Again, not free. And by making it an armor module it's not too easy to get.

Fun dying, when you just had built something from a grand idea.

Hi,

I would like to have the screen flash when the player is in danger of being hit by an incoming train.

The flash would be similar to when the player takes damage, but instead of red, it could be yellow, orange, or even blue.

The technology already exists

- the engine knows its path which can be seen by hovering over the engine
- the screen flash exists

all that is needed is a check to see if the player is within the known path of the train.

thanks,
jon

hyspeed wrote:I would like to have the screen flash when the player is in danger of being hit by an incoming train.

The screen flash isn't needed because trains are pretty smart and if you don't stand on tracks they will NEVER hit you. And factorio allows you to build and wire up safe railroad crossings.

im sorry for grabbing out this old vote

TRAINS SHOULD KILL YOU.

!!! its a game !! everything should kill you!!!

what about those/these :

- what about OXYGEN? why on earth is oxygen on everymap ? ...
- theres no !quicksand! walking throug the desert and you are not get killed by Heat?
- you cannot walk thoug water!? different deeps layers? you cannot die swimming!?
- Smog, breathing should not be a problem with correct armory/technik . you cannot die standing close to your refinery?

in this game your ways to die is so reduced
- Biters/mobs
- trains
- missing skills driving/handgranades/fire
- PvP

help to figure out more ways to get died more

May I interrupt you?
That are new ideas. This is just about the trains, cause being killed by them is (still) "special".

You can of course create a new thread about more ideas to be killed.

Dont forget the soundbox in 0.15 that can easily be connected to rail signal and act as the horn that some people wants.