Version 0.18.3

[mrvn]

I think it would be cool if one could click at an entity with an annoying sound and get a volume control pop-up. There should be sliders for the various sound effects an entity has (e.g. a chest would have a slider for opening and one for closing) and a mute button below the slider. A master slider could also be useful to control all sounds equally.

I do realize that most of the game you don't want to change the sounds. So maybe this would have to be activated by going to the sound settings and clicking an "Edit entities" button. This would then minimize the sound settings and allow clicking at entities to change their individual volumes. For the annoying belts sound the procedure would then be: open sound settings -> edit entities -> click at a belt -> turn down volume / mute.

I like that idea, but it will require a fundamental change in how entity sounds are handled. Currently Factorio only supports setting volumes in data stage.
The next best idea of automatically generating settings for every sound file also won't work as setting stage finishes before data stage.
This leaves us with manually generating each setting, constantly update default settings to match changes in base and just live with users having to reset to defaults whenever the values change.

Nah. this is something the game should do in vanilla. Not something modders need to add. I think the sound settings should be part of the game/player config and only save changed values. Something like: wooden-chest/open-sound = 0.5 (for 50% volume). I wouldn't even bother with migrations. If an entity is renamed then the sound resets to 100%. That's probably rare enough not to matter.

If you make it a (mod) setting then every user in a multiplayer game would share the sound levels. It also wouldnt be changeable during the game as settings, right? Restarting to make belts less noisy would be bad.

[eradicator]

The next best idea of automatically generating settings for every sound file also won't work as setting stage finishes before data stage.

That can be solved by an external script. In my dev environment i start factorio with a looping batch file that copies a bunch of files generated during control stage (write_file!) back into my mod. With that approach you could generate settings.lua in data stage and all it would take to update your mod would be a single start -> close -> start cycle.

If you really wanted to do that.

[Optera]

If you make it a (mod) setting then every user in a multiplayer game would share the sound levels. It also wouldnt be changeable during the game as settings, right? Restarting to make belts less noisy would be bad.

Those are the points why I like your idea. But until we get that a mod, limited as it is, is still a better option than to go insane from belt while or pump humming.

That can be solved by an external script. In my dev environment i start factorio with a looping batch file that copies a bunch of files generated during control stage (write_file!) back into my mod. With that approach you could generate settings.lua in data stage and all it would take to update your mod would be a single start -> close -> start cycle.

If you really wanted to do that.

Interesting out of the box thinking, but would you really recommend that as end user friendly solution?

[eradicator]

Interesting out of the box thinking, but would you really recommend that as end user friendly solution? ;)

I thought you were talking about how to make a mod. The end user can just download the finished thing from the portal?

[mrvn]

Interesting out of the box thinking, but would you really recommend that as end user friendly solution?

I thought you were talking about how to make a mod. The end user can just download the finished thing from the portal?

That still only works for vanilla sounds. Unless you install every mod (combination), run it once, and update your mod with thousands of conditionals you simply won't catch all the possible sounds.

[eradicator]

Interesting out of the box thinking, but would you really recommend that as end user friendly solution? ;)

I thought you were talking about how to make a mod. The end user can just download the finished thing from the portal?

That still only works for vanilla sounds. Unless you install every mod (combination), run it once, and update your mod with thousands of conditionals you simply won't catch all the possible sounds.

I would expect it to work on a prototype class basis (i.e. all transport belts, all assemblers) because it's neither technically realistic (as you noticed) nor userfriendly to have a setting for each of several hundred prototypes.

[mrvn]

Interesting out of the box thinking, but would you really recommend that as end user friendly solution?

I thought you were talking about how to make a mod. The end user can just download the finished thing from the portal?

That still only works for vanilla sounds. Unless you install every mod (combination), run it once, and update your mod with thousands of conditionals you simply won't catch all the possible sounds.

I would expect it to work on a prototype class basis (i.e. all transport belts, all assemblers) because it's neither technically realistic (as you noticed) nor userfriendly to have a setting for each of several hundred prototypes.

I didn't notice. I actually quite specifically proposed the opposite. Every single entity should have sound control for every single sound action it has. And for the use case stated "the belts I'm standing next to have an annoying sound, lets mute them" this would be very user friendly. You could even configure it so the volume changes from yellow to red to blue belts. Faster belts make more noise after all in RL.

[eradicator]

I didn't notice. I actually quite specifically proposed the opposite.

I think you're arguing with the wrong person. I just posted an example of a possible hackaround that might work right now. I certainly didn't say it's a solution to your per-user per-sound utopia.

[mrvn]

I didn't notice. I actually quite specifically proposed the opposite.

I think you're arguing with the wrong person. I just posted an example of a possible hackaround that might work right now. I certainly didn't say it's a solution to your per-user per-sound utopia.

Sorry, I think I misread your reply. You mend it's unrealistic to have a mod setting per sound for your workaround and I read volume control per sound for the earlier proposal.