More Flexible Inserters

[Ninetailed]

I have a feature request: I would like inserters to have more flexible behaviour. The desired extra behaviour is in two parts:

1. Right angles
At present, inserters take what's in front of them and put it behind them. I would like to be able to specify that they place the item to their left or right instead.

2. Reversible long-arms
Long-armed inserters reach two tiles in front of them, then place the item one tile behind. This is good, but I would also like to be able to have the inserters reach one tile in front and place the item two tiles behind.


The concepts are not complicated, but they pose an interface challenge. How do you specify what an inserter is to do when you only have R for rotate? I can see two options here:

1. Inserter GUI
Inserters already have a GUI window that pops up when you right-click them. Default behaviour should remain as is, but the GUI could include clickable boxes around the inserter graphic to specify output side, and/or a pair of toggles for long-armed inserters to specify how far they reach on in/output.

2. Separate Recipes
The other possibility is having inserters that move things left/right be separate items to the normal ones.


What do people think? Would this be a good thing to have?

[MF-]

1. I have many times wished for a right angle. But it would feel weird and add too much complexity for the gain.
Also: I don't think we would get them if we didn't get a "move all to side" belt.

2. What about making longarms reach 2 in both directions?
That might preserve the utility and keep it simple at the same time.

[rk84]

Its possible to edit pickup and dropoff points distances for inserters. So you can mod reversible/both direction long-arms.

[Beldegor]

I had the exact same idea as the OP about the inserters..
I don't know how it is with modding, as I have not tried it before. I would appreciate if it was in the default kit.

Also, I have an idea (not sure if already posted, did not checked the whole forum yet).. what about you could set where the inserter would put an item onto the belt.. now it puts it on the far side.... I know there are solutions how to achieve the effect (that you put it on the belt that connects to the main belt), but anyway.. the inserters could see some more love

[Staxxy]

You can do a right angle with two inserters pretty easily. It just takes up more room to do so.

[Ninetailed]

You can do a right angle with two inserters pretty easily. It just takes up more room to do so.

I can and frequently do. But Factorio's the sort of game that attracts the kind of person that optimises and tries to make as efficient as possible. Single units that do this are inherently more efficient than using two separate ones, and given that the inserters have full freedom of rotation, it looks like they should be able to do this.

[Staxxy]

You could imagine that the arm of the inserter could only go down on certain limited axis, and not in a 360° row. I think it may be overpowered otherwise.

[Dylems]

2. Reversible long-arms
Long-armed inserters reach two tiles in front of them, then place the item one tile behind. This is good, but I would also like to be able to have the inserters reach one tile in front and place the item two tiles behind.

So much neede