Rare signals filter

[nk27sss]

Signals as quality filters. Allow item quality (rarity) to be selected using signals.

[rbtcollins]

I wanted exactly this today :< It seems like an obvious extension to the 'set filters' feature.

[worph]

There's an obvious issue with this. It can be solved, but you have to pick a path.

Assume an inserter receives a quality signal, let's say "rare," and an item signal, let's say "iron plates." The problem is that nothing about how signals work tells you how these two are supposed to combine, and there are a few genuinely different ways to read it:

• Both conditions must hold — only pick up iron plates that are also rare. Probably what most people picture, but it's not the only sane reading.
• They're independent filters — pick up all iron plates (quality signal ignored/not applicable here), or pick up anything rare regardless of type, depending on which one "wins."

And it gets messier once you allow multiple item signals and multiple quality signals at once. Say the inserter gets "iron plates + copper plates" and "rare + legendary." Do you get every combination (any rare or legendary iron or copper plate)? To the user, none of this is obvious — and worse, whichever behavior gets picked will look "wrong" to players who assumed one of the other readings.

It gets even worse when you remember that only the first five signals are evaluated by "set filters".


I never had any problem using the signals for specific items with specific qualities. What are you doing that you would need an inserter that should pick up different qualities by signal, but cannot be controlled by specific item+quality combinations (such as "rare iron ore" or "uncommon sulfur", etc.)?

[sben]

There's an obvious issue with this. It can be solved, but you have to pick a path.

Assume an inserter receives a quality signal, let's say "rare," and an item signal, let's say "iron plates." The problem is that nothing about how signals work tells you how these two are supposed to combine, and there are a few genuinely different ways to read it:

• Both conditions must hold — only pick up iron plates that are also rare. Probably what most people picture, but it's not the only sane reading.
• They're independent filters — pick up all iron plates (quality signal ignored/not applicable here), or pick up anything rare regardless of type, depending on which one "wins."

And it gets messier once you allow multiple item signals and multiple quality signals at once. Say the inserter gets "iron plates + copper plates" and "rare + legendary." Do you get every combination (any rare or legendary iron or copper plate)? To the user, none of this is obvious — and worse, whichever behavior gets picked will look "wrong" to players who assumed one of the other readings.

It gets even worse when you remember that only the first five signals are evaluated by "set filters".


I never had any problem using the signals for specific items with specific qualities. What are you doing that you would need an inserter that should pick up different qualities by signal, but cannot be controlled by specific item+quality combinations (such as "rare iron ore" or "uncommon sulfur", etc.)?

I don't see this issue - the answer for the combination logic is clear : keep it the same way as it already works and don't change it.

"Set filters" currently applies the received signals as filters. You basically propose that "Set filters" should also alter the received signals.

Currently, if you set filters for "Rare" and "Iron plate", all items that are either rare quality or are common iron plates are matched. It should behave in the same manner if receiving these as signals over the circuit network.

[macdjord]

+1
Splitter filters already support this, so why shouldn't inserter filters do the same?

[Terrulin]

• Both conditions must hold — only pick up iron plates that are also rare. Probably what most people picture, but it's not the only sane reading.
• They're independent filters — pick up all iron plates (quality signal ignored/not applicable here), or pick up anything rare regardless of type, depending on which one "wins."

They would be independent filters. If I manually set those signals on an inserter's filters, then the same thing should happen if a circuit with those signals is attached to an inserter with set filters turned on. The problem is there doesnt appear to be a way to get a pure quality signal on the circuit network. (The unsorted signals dont count because you could make the epic signal be legendary).