[0.12.10] Bad split on compressed belts

[Zeblote]

With the same stuff on both lanes:


With different stuff on the lanes:


Looks like both lanes are split together if they contain the same stuff, and seperately if they don't.

It should be changed so the two lanes are always split seperately

[Racusthor]

I remember this issue from a long time ago.
If i remember correctly, splitters split incoming items by item. so if only 1 sort of item comes in, the first one is placed on the left and the second one the right. With a compressed belt, the 2 lanes of a belt come at the splitter at the same time, they are split like you see in your picture.
However, when both lanes of a belt contain different items, the first boiler is placed on the left, and the first furnace on the right.
the second boiler however, even though it's the third item, is placed on the right, becuase the previous boiler went to the left.

If you take this explanation it also holds for the furnaces.
The first furnace, of the left lane, is moved to the left.
The second furnace, of the right lane, is moved to the right.
The third furnace, left lane again, is moved to the left.
since items can't swap lanes on a belt, two straight lines are produced and this will only defer when one lane backs-up for a second or the input changes.

This always holds, also for uncompressed belts, as long as the incomming items are switched on lane:

splitter.jpg (61.99 KiB) Viewed 14653 times

Greetings,

Racusthor

[joon]

It's normal behavior, just as Racusthor describes.
Also it's known and not a bug and mentioned before:
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... ter#p87403

[daniel34]

Normal and known behaviour, moved to Not a bug.

[Zeblote]

Normal and known behaviour, moved to Not a bug.

Do you like this pattern on your belts?


If that's normal, then it's a design bug.

Splitting per item is unnecessary as you shouldn't have more than one thing per lane anyways. Per lane split would have the same effect for two lanes with different things, prevent the bad split with a compressed belt, and (probably) be more efficient.

[kovarex]

Normal and known behaviour, moved to Not a bug.

Do you like this pattern on your belts?


If that's normal, then it's a design bug.

Splitting per item is unnecessary as you shouldn't have more than one thing per lane anyways. Per lane split would have the same effect for two lanes with different things, prevent the bad split with a compressed belt, and (probably) be more efficient.

It is design. Splitting by item is designed to work like that. You can have more things per lane, why couldn't you?

[Zeblote]

It is design. Splitting by item is designed to work like that. You can have more things per lane, why couldn't you?

If it's like this by design, how do you get the output belts to not have only one side?

[kovarex]

It is design. Splitting by item is designed to work like that. You can have more things per lane, why couldn't you?

If it's like this by design, how do you get the output belts to not have only one side?

https://www.google.cz/search?q=factorio ... s&tbm=isch

[ssilk]

Hm. Not a bug. But it looks somehow "odd". My eyes keep hanging on those splitters in the factory, cause I think, something goes wrong here.

I mean it would fix the problem, if after 5 equal items coming into the splitter the splitting switches to another algorithm, which tries to split by lane and not by belt in total.

Code: Select all

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 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX ###  X X X X X X
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX ### X X X X X X XXXX   
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                ### X X X X X X X XXXXX
                ###  X X X X X X X
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After the first items the splitter switches to a mode, where he keeps one item in a buffer, which he tries to output on the other side. As soon, as other items come in, the splitter changes to the normal mode back. Maybe this is also uiseful to optimize the splitter for the case that there is only one item-type....