Rail Signals immune to fire

[jdround]

Can the Rail Signals please be immune to fire? The same as rails.

I enjoy using the flame turrets however it is frustrating that rail signals cannot be built within the flame turrets range due to them constantly getting burnt by the flame turrets. This means that construction bots constantly repair the rail signals and then usually get destroyed by the biters/spitters and/or then forces the player to then build the railway, complete with signals, out of the flame turrets range which then hampers ideal railway design.

[ssilk]

I know a simpler solution: Don't place anything in range of flame turret. Or vice versa: Don't place flame turrets so that anything is in range.

[ShinyAfro]

I saw your suggestion and wrote you a simple mod. I am probably going to also upload this to the portal. Feel free to modify and or redistribute or whatever.

[jdround]

Thanks very much ShinyAfro, much appreciated. I have just started a new map also so great timing.

[ribsngibs]

I know this post is 4 years old... but hey at least I searched before posting.

Currently my mining outposts are completely walled in and defended with laser and flame turrets, with the only exterior bits being rail, large power poles, rail signals, and chain signals. Rail and power poles seem to be immune to fire damage, so when flame turrets blanket the ground, they don't accidentally break the outpost or other outposts off by killing the power grid or rail network. However, the rail signals and chain signals often burn down.

It's not hard to work around this issue - one can easily place roboports so that they outrange the flame turret, so all rail signals that could possibly be damaged by fire are replaceable/repairable by bots (and you'd also have to set up your supply train to resupply rail signals), or one could also make sure not to place rail signals too close to the base wall, so this isn't that big of a deal.

Regardless, it is... annoying. It seems like many decisions have been made to make outposts easier to maintain (biters mostly ignoring rails and signals and power poles so your entire rail network does not need to be defended, and rail and power poles being immune to flame damage already), and it seems odd that signals and chain signals, both of which to me conceptually fit into the same category of "essential rail network bits", are not immune from flame damage.

[JimBarracus]

and it seems odd that signals and chain signals, both of which to me conceptually fit into the same category of "essential rail network bits", are not immune from flame damage.

But why would you want to have signals in that area?
Even if the signals become fireproof, what if a train has to stop there?

I usually leave two chunks of space from the wall to any rail constructions in the wilderness.
Just straight out of the base.

[mrvn]

Actually what happens to a train that drives through there? Will it drag a swarm of repair bots behind it? Or do bots ignore trains above a certain speed?

[ssilk]

... it is obviously fully intended to burn the signals, so the train doesn’t stop there - otherwise the train would be burned

[ribsngibs]

But why would you want to have signals in that area?
Even if the signals become fireproof, what if a train has to stop there?

I usually leave two chunks of space from the wall to any rail constructions in the wilderness.
Just straight out of the base.

It's not so much of a conscious decision so much as like most people my rail network is made out of blueprints, and based on just where the grid happens to lie and where the ore deposit is, some random section of rail might fall within turret range.

Again, it's not that hard to work around this - you can just not place signals close to the base, or as I mentioned before the range of flame turrets is pretty small so you can just put roboports such that they outrange the signals as well. It's just... mildly annoying.

[robot256]

It's not so much of a conscious decision so much as like most people my rail network is made out of blueprints, and based on just where the grid happens to lie and where the ore deposit is, some random section of rail might fall within turret range.

Again, it's not that hard to work around this - you can just not place signals close to the base, or as I mentioned before the range of flame turrets is pretty small so you can just put roboports such that they outrange the signals as well. It's just... mildly annoying.

I have had the same thing happen to me, without even using blueprints. I didn't think before about a train stopping at said signal, but yeah I'd say it's a feature not a bug. Any design that doesn't ensure trains speed through the flame zone as fast as possible is already broken--just tweak your blueprints as you place them near defensive lines.

[Impatient]

... it is obviously fully intended to burn the signals, so the train doesn’t stop there - otherwise the train would be burned

flame turrets sorting out bad foresight.

[jodokus31]

flame turrets are very strong. It doesn't hurt the game balance, that they have some disadvantages.