@Rseding91 I've never understood why you need pipes to not automatically connect to every adjacent pipe. If all layouts that could be built under the old system, can be built with the new system, then surely you can just connect a new pipe segment to all adjacent "merged pipes" (automatically merging multiple "merged pipes" when needed), and calculate the properties of the new "merged pipe" once it is placed? Shouldn't this be the same as a player building an identical layout using pipes that don't automatically connect? Or are you only planning to merge sets of pipes that have exactly one input, and one output, and hence want to discourage players from building networks with lots of cross/tee connections?Rseding91 wrote:The system I want to implement requires first that pipes be buildable without automatically connecting to every adjacent pipe. Once we think of some nice way to make that work it's quite simple to do the rest:
Even if the latter can't you simply implement it, explain how it works in a FFF (and add a link to the FFF to the changelog)? That way players who build suitable layouts which can benefit will automatically gain more performance, and players looking for more performance can try to optimise their layouts based on information in the FFF. Even if you only optimise one input/one output stretches of pipe which don't include boilers/engines/turbines then this will probably help mega-factories with large nuclear plants. (Though I'm not sure how you would design a refinery to minimise T connections to/from refineries/chem plants, and even in a nuke factory you will still have a need a lot of them).
