I've been playing Factorio for some time now, but this is my first post with some suggestions about the user interface.
1. [esc] should close the map. I've lost count of how many times I was looking at the map, then had to hurry to take care of something, like a biter attack, hitting [esc] and getting the game menu instead of closing the map. Everything else closes with [esc], and I think the map also should.
2. The way to get items between chests and the inventory is clumsy. If you have 1k ammunition on a chest, you have to click on each different tile to get it to the inventory; the other way is easier, as by default it reorganizes the items and so you can click on the same slot to send thing to a chest. I think it would be much smoother if you could hold the click on a chest, and pass through the slots sending everything to the inventory.
3. I don't understand why some things can't be sent to the garbage slots just by [shift]+[left click], like transport belts.
4. If there is a pipe next to the place where you are going to put a building that has a pipe connection, it should rotate the building to connect to it automatically, specially if it has just one connection, like assembling machines using lubricant, for instance.
5.The transport belt laying only helps you if you are laying it forward, showing you how the tiles will appear together... it's a bit awkward to lay them in the opposite direction.
6. When you hover over an item, it would be useful to know how many of that item you do have, or at least have a way to do a query... as it is we can ask for something from the logistic network, not receive anything, and have quite an errand to do to know where it is, or is not. It's true that below the minimap we get a report if we hover over the chests, but if you have tons of stuff, I can only see the items I have the most... usually the ones I never worry about.
7. Related to that, it would help to be able to put the minimap on the left side of the screen, and perhaps some shortcut to hide or show it. The right side would be left to the item report, and one could still be able to see what's happening on the map.
8. There should be some warning when there isn't any space left in the logistic network. it took a while for my poor self to realise that was why the bots weren't moving, but hovering around idly with stuff. As we might have many unconnected networks, perhaps a simple warning like when a train doesn't have a path to use would suffice. Since every robot would have one... it might appear just once per so many pixels, to avoid clutter.
9. I'm currently playing version 0.12.10, and at least in this one if you are in a moving train set to go to a stop, and you delete the queue, the train stops at once, and not with disacceleration, which feels weird.
I hope there is anything new [and useful
] in this.