Negative values for requested items in a Logistic Network

[CMOisLing]

TL;DR

Items requested but not available are displayed with a negative value inside a logistics network.

What ?

Currently negative values for items only appear in a logistics network if your bots have a larger cargo size than items they can pick up. I cannot see any use for this interaction and I have seen many people pass it off as a bug. Instead I believe these negative values should appear for requested items that cannot be provided by the network. This would allow for you to see what items are not being provided, and allow for more circuit interactions with managing a logistics network.

Why ?

I was surprised this wasn't already a feature. It would make separate logistic networks much easier to set up without needing to use buffer chests to pre stock your outposts with every item they would ever need. Any items the network needs but doesnt have can be sent through a circuit network to a train station to be delivered. This can be used in conjunction with the buffer system but for more unique items that you dont want to keep laying around every outpost. I cant think of any way this would interfere with any current network setups, so I dont see any reason why this couldn't/shouldn't be implemented. It is a simple quality of life improvement that would allow for more interactions between logistics and circuits.
For example you have a heavily defended outpost on its own logistics network, it has bufferchest that keep it supplied with common items like ammo, walls, and repair kits. A major bitter attack happens and some break through and destroy some valuable buildings that you didnt plan on being destroyed. The outpost doesnt have them in storage so you would have to go out their yourself and replace the building. But if you had a circuit setup to send unavailable item requests to your outpost supply train station so that those items can be brought along for the next resupply you wont have to do a thing.

Steam isnt letting me download screenshots right now. idk why? ill post some examples when I figure it out.

[CMOisLing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk2GTU3 ... e=youtu.be Threw this together to give an idea how this could be used.

[ssilk]

Do you mean:
- requester chests count requested items negative.
- Provider (active, passive) chests count items inside as positive.
- what count do Storage chests have? First thought was counting items inside as positive.
- Buffer chests? Here it‘s not so clear anymore: it depends on how you use them. My thought was: items inside count positive, items requested negative.

That is the static picture about it. But everything is moving. Bots can hold astonishing amounts of items (as belts). And it is not clear how to count that. Currently items moving to a requester count positive (correctly: they are removed from the requests).

If you now watch that from outside of the network, it’s not so clear:
What does it mean, if you have a buffer chest, that is connected via inserter that puts the items into Provider chest ? In my eyes that means: if there are items inside the network available, then request it, until provider chest is full (plus buffer). The meaning is: store unused stuff at a central place. Otherwise ignore that request, cause this construction is only here to collect “free” items, think to wood, stone. Same is with other constructions: it depends so much on what you do with the items in the chest on how you use it how you want it to be counted.

Again: watching it from outside it’s not clear how you should count available items for any possible case to find out which items a logistic network currently provides and which are requested. The number of available items is the “internal” view of a logistic network. And that is in general not useable for an outside view of what a logistic network is currently lacking or producing. Which doesn’t mean that for many specific cases it’s not useable enough... but not good enough for a general use.

That’s for example one of the reasons why players for LTN-mod needs to create their own request/provide signal for each station.