[MOD 0.16] Bulk Rail Loaders

[mrvn]

I'm still have major problems with circuit wires when blueprinting bulk rail loaders and unloaders. They nearly always loose their wires.

[Therax]

I'm still have major problems with circuit wires when blueprinting bulk rail loaders and unloaders. They nearly always loose their wires.

Work has gotten busy lately so I haven't had a lot of time to work on Factorio modding. I've been working through the edge cases mentioned around fast-replacing rails and BRLs, and I'm getting close, but I can't promise when the next version will be available.

[Lyfe]

It seems since latest version of factorio we get instant crashes when mining through hand/bot.

From the mod page:
Cartok user wrote:

Great mod! Unfortunately experiencing crashes when removing/deconstructing unloader after recent factorio update:

Error while running event railloader::on_player_mined_entity (ID 65)
LuaItemStack API call when LuaItemStack was invalid.
stack traceback:
[C]: in function 'insert'
railloader/control.lua:250: in function <railloader/control.lua:243>
(...tail calls...)

I do use a bunch of mods, but this was the removal/deconstruction of an unused unloader. Happy to help if further info is useful!

--

And I experienced the same.

148.820 Error MainLoop.cpp:1031: Exception at tick 14046292: Error while running event railloader::on_robot_mined_entity (ID 64)
LuaItemStack API call when LuaItemStack was invalid.
stack traceback:
[C]: in function 'insert'
railloader/control.lua:250: in function <railloader/control.lua:243>
(...tail calls...)
148.820 Error ServerMultiplayerManager.cpp:96: MultiplayerManager failed: "Error while running event railloader::on_robot_mined_entity (ID 64)
LuaItemStack API call when LuaItemStack was invalid.
stack traceback:
[C]: in function 'insert'
railloader/control.lua:250: in function <railloader/control.lua:243>
(...tail calls...)"
148.820 Info ServerMultiplayerManager.cpp:698: mapTick(14046292) changing state from(InGame) to(Failed)

Continue the great work

[Hitarko]

Best fix for now, shoot it with c to destroy it and the rails. Uninstalling the mod will cause an issue with the rails that were below the bulk loader and unloader to be unremovable. If you haven't saved over, then reverting to a previous version should allow you to delete the ones you had placed and continue playing.

I know this isn't a fix to the actual bug but I hope this small "work around" helps.

[Therax]

In versions of Factorio before 0.16.29, inserting an empty stack into an inventory did nothing. Now it crashes. it should be an easy fix.

[hitzu]

I updated the game from around version 0.16.20 to the 0.16.30 with all my mods. And newly placed loaders don't work. They just don't want to load trains, either horizontal or vertical. Old loaders work fine.

The savefile (34.7MB):

[Therax]

I updated the game from around version 0.16.20 to the 0.16.30 with all my mods. And newly placed loaders don't work. They just don't want to load trains, either horizontal or vertical. Old loaders work fine.

The savefile (34.7MB):

The railloaders next to your character are trying to load iron & copper plate, but your config setting is set to "ore". When I changed the setting to "ore, plates", they started loading in a few seconds.

[Therax]

Best fix for now, shoot it with c to destroy it and the rails. Uninstalling the mod will cause an issue with the rails that were below the bulk loader and unloader to be unremovable. If you haven't saved over, then reverting to a previous version should allow you to delete the ones you had placed and continue playing.

I know this isn't a fix to the actual bug but I hope this small "work around" helps.

Version 0.3.6 has been released with a fix for this crash issue. I'm still working on a solution for circuit connections being lost when constructing BRLs from blueprints.

[ArchieGoodwin]

This is a great mod, and I appreciate you creating something that is much closer to how real bulk cargo is handled.

I ran into the inability to delete problem myself, and independently settled on the "Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out" approach, so it's nice to see quick turnaround on the fix. Very well done all around.

[hitzu]

I updated the game from around version 0.16.20 to the 0.16.30 with all my mods. And newly placed loaders don't work. They just don't want to load trains, either horizontal or vertical. Old loaders work fine.

The savefile (34.7MB):

The railloaders next to your character are trying to load iron & copper plate, but your config setting is set to "ore". When I changed the setting to "ore, plates", they started loading in a few seconds.

Oh gosh, I really forgot this limitation! Sorry for bothering you

[Therax]

Version 0.3.7 is now available:

• BRLs should do a much better job of maintaining circuit network connections when constructed from blueprint ghosts.
• Graphics for the unloader blend more smoothly with the surrounding rail segments.
• You can now use any size chests as interface chests to boost buffer size and available bot network and belt connection points. Warehouse away!

[LION42]

Hi,
thanks for this great mod.
I just wanted to suggest that plastic would also be accepted by the loaders since its transported in granul or slab form.

[mrvn]

Thanks, wire connections work much better in blueprints now.

Still have some problems with trees in the way. This just cost me 98 rails because you still overwrite the hand content with the loader/unloader.

Please do add a check that the player is actually holding loaders/unloaders so you don't destroy items.

[Therax]

Thanks, wire connections work much better in blueprints now.

I'm glad its working for you. This is a prerequisite for changing BRLs to place their own rails, and it helps the current place-over-existing-rails version as well.

Still have some problems with trees in the way. This just cost me 98 rails because you still overwrite the hand content with the loader/unloader.

Please do add a check that the player is actually holding loaders/unloaders so you don't destroy items.

Can you describe reproduction steps? BRL has logic for Bluebuild and Nanobots that should prevent this (cursor stack overwriting) from happening.

[mrvn]

Thanks, wire connections work much better in blueprints now.

I'm glad its working for you. This is a prerequisite for changing BRLs to place their own rails, and it helps the current place-over-existing-rails version as well.

Still have some problems with trees in the way. This just cost me 98 rails because you still overwrite the hand content with the loader/unloader.

Please do add a check that the player is actually holding loaders/unloaders so you don't destroy items.

Can you describe reproduction steps? BRL has logic for Bluebuild and Nanobots that should prevent this (cursor stack overwriting) from happening.

Blueprint a bulk station with rails, loader, signals and all. Pick up rails and start placing them because otherwise the bulk loaders can't be placed. Enable bluebuilt rewritten. Run along the track as you build so the bulk loaders can be placed by bluebuild. If you do this in a wooded area you will get cases where a tree is in the way of the loader but not in the collision box for placement. So the tree doesn't get flagged for deconstruction and placing the loader fails with the items in the way error. I updated all my mods recently so whatever logic you have in there for Bluebuild isn't working. You shouldn't rely on other mods playing nice there anyway. Better check what is in the players hand before replacing it. If the hnd content isn't the item you try to put back then put it back in the players inventory instead. If that fails drop it on the ground.

But hey, if BRLs will place their own rails then could the collision mask grow so placement never fails after the fact?

As a side node. I think I also spotted a problem with deconstructing BRLs with bots. I selected only the loader and not the rails but the rails went away too. At least I only wanted the loader gone but ended up with holes in my track.

[Therax]

Blueprint a bulk station with rails, loader, signals and all. Pick up rails and start placing them because otherwise the bulk loaders can't be placed. Enable bluebuilt rewritten.

Are you running Bluebuild or Bluebuild rewritten? Bluebuild rewritten doesn't seem to have a version available for 0.16.x. If you're running a locally updated version of Bluebuild rewritten, that would explain the problem.

I updated all my mods recently so whatever logic you have in there for Bluebuild isn't working.

Assuming you're running Mylon's original Bluebuild from the mod portal, I tested it again and still can't reproduce your issue. I see the error message pop up and the ghost for the BRL disappears. The cursor stack continues to hold rail, and I don't lose any items. The ghost disappearing is something that I would prefer didn't happen, and should be fixable.

You shouldn't rely on other mods playing nice there anyway. Better check what is in the players hand before replacing it. If the hnd content isn't the item you try to put back then put it back in the players inventory instead. If that fails drop it on the ground.

I entirely agree, but I'd still like to understand how the bug is occurring.

But hey, if BRLs will place their own rails then could the collision mask grow so placement never fails after the fact?

Yes, that is the idea.

As a side node. I think I also spotted a problem with deconstructing BRLs with bots. I selected only the loader and not the rails but the rails went away too. At least I only wanted the loader gone but ended up with holes in my track.

When a BRL is placed, it makes the rails underneath it indestructible and unminable, since there's no way to place a new rail down if one is destroyed by biters or explosions, or the player accidentally mines the wrong rail segment. This was reported earlier as a problem with grenades, in particular. Since the rails are unminable, they can't be selected for deconstruction either. Given that the usual case is that the player wants to deconstruct an entire station rather than just the BRL, when a player marks the BRL for deconstruction I mark the rails for deconstruction too.

I could hook the event for using a deconstruction planner, rather than what I'm currently doing, which is just listening for when a BRL is marked for deconstruction. Then I could look at the selected area to determine whether the player likely intended to select the rails as well. That would probably work, but it's a bit more complex.

[mrvn]

Blueprint a bulk station with rails, loader, signals and all. Pick up rails and start placing them because otherwise the bulk loaders can't be placed. Enable bluebuilt rewritten.

Are you running Bluebuild or Bluebuild rewritten? Bluebuild rewritten doesn't seem to have a version available for 0.16.x. If you're running a locally updated version of Bluebuild rewritten, that would explain the problem.

I updated all my mods recently so whatever logic you have in there for Bluebuild isn't working.

Assuming you're running Mylon's original Bluebuild from the mod portal, I tested it again and still can't reproduce your issue. I see the error message pop up and the ghost for the BRL disappears. The cursor stack continues to hold rail, and I don't lose any items. The ghost disappearing is something that I would prefer didn't happen, and should be fixable.

You shouldn't rely on other mods playing nice there anyway. Better check what is in the players hand before replacing it. If the hnd content isn't the item you try to put back then put it back in the players inventory instead. If that fails drop it on the ground.

I entirely agree, but I'd still like to understand how the bug is occurring.

But hey, if BRLs will place their own rails then could the collision mask grow so placement never fails after the fact?

Yes, that is the idea.

As a side node. I think I also spotted a problem with deconstructing BRLs with bots. I selected only the loader and not the rails but the rails went away too. At least I only wanted the loader gone but ended up with holes in my track.

When a BRL is placed, it makes the rails underneath it indestructible and unminable, since there's no way to place a new rail down if one is destroyed by biters or explosions, or the player accidentally mines the wrong rail segment. This was reported earlier as a problem with grenades, in particular. Since the rails are unminable, they can't be selected for deconstruction either. Given that the usual case is that the player wants to deconstruct an entire station rather than just the BRL, when a player marks the BRL for deconstruction I mark the rails for deconstruction too.

I could hook the event for using a deconstruction planner, rather than what I'm currently doing, which is just listening for when a BRL is marked for deconstruction. Then I could look at the selected area to determine whether the player likely intended to select the rails as well. That would probably work, but it's a bit more complex.

I'm using bluebuild rewritten (ght-bluebuild) patched for 0.16 so that explains it. When I started using it I had factorio 0.15 and bluebuild didn't support 0.15. I guess it's time for me to switch back to the original bluebuild. Or update it to use the new script built event in 0.16 (and that flag nanobots sets in the entity).

[Therax]

v0.4.0 is now available. BRLs are now built as independent entities, rather than as overlays to rails. This is a major change, and is likely to expose some weird cases especially with existing blueprints. I've done my best to search for and update blueprints in your worlds, but I expect there to be hidden bugs. Enjoy!

[mrvn]

v0.4.0 is now available. BRLs are now built as independent entities, rather than as overlays to rails. This is a major change, and is likely to expose some weird cases especially with existing blueprints. I've done my best to search for and update blueprints in your worlds, but I expect there to be hidden bugs. Enjoy!

Does that mean I have to build them instead of rails? Or still place them over rails but they are more like train stops that simply function when attached to a rail?

[Jürgen Erhard]

v0.4.0 is now available. BRLs are now built as independent entities, rather than as overlays to rails. This is a major change, and is likely to expose some weird cases especially with existing blueprints. I've done my best to search for and update blueprints in your worlds, but I expect there to be hidden bugs. Enjoy!

Does that mean I have to build them instead of rails? Or still place them over rails but they are more like train stops that simply function when attached to a rail?

You have to build them instead of rails, placing them over existing rails doesn't work anymore (spent a few minutes trying the old way on this new map before I found this change).