[0.17.31] Underground belt placement causes existing belts to disappear

[production]

I'm running Factorio 0.17.31 (build 44471, win64, steam). Here's the setup:

2019-04-16-belt-disappear-bug.png (87.32 KiB) Viewed 3153 times

Mine the west underground belt, then put it down one tile to the right. The two belt tiles with fast inserters on them disappear, and so do the fast inserters!

I attached a replay as well, but it's probably unnecessary. This is a super easy bug to reproduce.

[Dune]

This is likely to be labeled not a bug, as that is the intended behavior.

Most cases you put down an underground on already existing belts is to underground it, and the belts in between are removed as a convenience. That it so happens that you have belts there for a purpose is a rarity rather than an oddity.

The items are placed back in your inventory, if you have room or thrown on the ground nearby if not.

[Shogal]

To me, it's not a bug, but very handy feature. Especially when you make part of a bus go underground to split non-side belt.

[5thHorseman]

Yeah any time there is a continuous line of belts between an already placed underground belt and an undergroudn belt you are placing, those belts will be removed if they are all facing the same way as the undergrounds are going.

That's no bug it's a feature. And I'm glad it's there.

[TruePikachu]

Perhaps the intermediate belts should only be removed if the underground belt being placed (either input or output) is fast-replacing a belt? The way things are implemented right now, the automatic belt removal can be a pain when designing compact systems. But if you're explicitly fast-replacing a belt with the underground piece, your intentions are pretty clear -- you're replacing that above-ground belt with underground.

[SkiCarver]

If it is taking the inserters as well as the belt, then you have an issue, but as others have noted, if it is taking the belt only, it is intended behaviour. I remember playing prior to that behaviour being implemented ... and it is a great QoL improvement.

[tehfreek]

If it is taking the inserters as well as the belt, then you have an issue, but as others have noted, if it is taking the belt only, it is intended behaviour. I remember playing prior to that behaviour being implemented ... and it is a great QoL improvement.

I think OP meant the inserters actually on the belt as opposed to the inserter outputting to the belt.

[SkiCarver]

If it is taking the inserters as well as the belt, then you have an issue, but as others have noted, if it is taking the belt only, it is intended behaviour. I remember playing prior to that behaviour being implemented ... and it is a great QoL improvement.

I think OP meant the inserters actually on the belt as opposed to the inserter outputting to the belt.

ok, thanks ... my misunderstanding.

[Rseding91]

Thanks for the report. As others have said: that's working as intended. The fast inserters aren't disappearing - they're going into your inventory.

[Selvek]

Thanks for the report. As others have said: that's working as intended. The fast inserters aren't disappearing - they're going into your inventory.

It would be super sweet if they teleported onto the new underground belt instead of going into your inventory

[TruePikachu]

Thanks for the report. As others have said: that's working as intended. The fast inserters aren't disappearing - they're going into your inventory.

It would be super sweet if they teleported onto the new underground belt instead of going into your inventory

Not likely to happen, underground belts have much less item capacity than aboveground belts.