I found also some situations, which are not so fun.The tracks/signals
- I think the pathfinding algorithms can be tuned: as long, as trains can only turn at stations, it should look, if a block forces one way (because of signal) in a number of blocks and assumes that for the others, too. (*)
- the signals are really so cute and especially the lamps look really as with my old model train. But I think they should look more "this way", more like an arrow. For red signal the direction is clear, but not for green.
- when making switches, the lines of the tracks are so fine, that it is difficult to see, that you made a dead end. On a track I had at the end a switch in two different directions, but for the straight way was one track left, which could be seen only in biggest zoom. The automatic train didn't bother, but I destroyed half of a train, when I bumped it into that dead end, cause I forgot to tell the direction. I think dead ends should look very different and when overlapped with other tracks, they should blink or so.
- train stations should make some highlighting at the tiles in front of them, to see, where inserters can be placed. Because especially for up/down or diagonal stations this is not so clear.
- tracks can be placed only on every second tile. This is important! Because this "grid" influences the layout of some parts!
The following situation: you make an early miner field, and instead of making belts you put all into chests. Because you want to transport it with trains, but they are not researched yet. But you placed the chests "one tile left". This us ugly, because then when you have train, you need long hand inserters to fill the wagons or doing other tricks. I need either something which shows the "grid of tracks", or the tracks could be shifted one tile left/right, or we need fast long hand inserters. - sometimes it's needed to shift one track to the left/right. Think for switching to the neighbor track for some reasons, or you built the stations first and then you want to connect it but at the end you see, that the tracks are one left. Currently not possible; complicated curves needed. I think for an special s-curve track (rotating for right/left or left/right) which is especially for that.
- the building of tracks, especially curves, is ... I hate that. I need to mention this, to be complete.
- some kind of debug mode, to find problems with routing?? In the end I think that you highlight all tracks, which the train finds and the track, where the search ends is red. But I think this is complicated and very low prio.
- visible indicator, if train is in automatic mode or not. Yellow rotating warning-lights on the roof for example.
- easier switching the automatic on/off, because when you produced a huge jam, you need this often.
For example, when in automatic you need to press up/down twice to loose the automatic. At the first key it displays a message "press twice to switch off automatic.". When pressing twice it displays "auto off. Auto turned on, when you leave train". And when you leave the train automatic is restarted after 3 seconds. Only useful with the first point. - when entering train auto-open the train-menu (Also useful for car). Currently it opens in the the center of the screen, which is not useful, because it's over the train.
- possibility to change the wagon/loco during ride for fun or eventually useful for fight.
- for double-loco-trains (one loco at the start, one at the end) it's not clear, where the front is. Feels like in a car, when the reverse gear is at the place of the first. Make a visible indicator for the trains direction (back loco is red?)
- the menu is already mentioned in other threads. For me it is not clear, where the train is heading next, "no path" should be also displayed here, because the menu is over the train, I can't change the order of stations, need the map to search station-name.
- would like to have my "personal train". I found it really difficult to drive with a car through my factory without damage. And train give you more time. So the idea was to give a train orders, no matter how far away it is. I can bring it to my place and let it drive to another. That train could be auto-filled up with the stuff I need: plates, ammo, belts, miners.. Another type of this idea is to have something, which enables you to change the orders of every train instantly. A device gives trains new orders, when they pass, or they are just a list, like in DTTD.
(*) I had an bug in my tracks, which was really hard to understand.
I had a long track and both stations had turns (a switch, then the turn, then the station, and back to the switch, tree one way signals in the turns) to avoid the turning of the train and spare the second loco. The rest was a single track.
My mistake was, after one hour of searching, that I forgot to remove a signal in both directions at the beginning of the turn, short before the train comes into the station and directly after the switch. I'm not so sure why, I assume, because the algorithm thinks, that another train could come that way - but it can't, because the rest of the blocks are one way...
I mean the algorithms gives up too early: if he finds a signal in two ways, he will not look further?
perhaps a more smart inserter, which inserts only, if the destination/target is a defined entity?
