Allow Inserters to take fuel from trains again

[ikarikeiji]

Suggestion: allow all inserters, not just filter ones, to remove fuel from locomotives, if and only if there is at least one full fuel slot (other than the one being removed from).

This would allow daisy chaining, and automatic fuel type changes, while never leaving a loco with less than one full stack of one kind of fuel.

[Zavian]

Suggestion: allow all inserters, not just filter ones, to remove fuel from locomotives, if and only if there is at least one full fuel slot (other than the one being removed from).

This would allow daisy chaining, and automatic fuel type changes, while never leaving a loco with less than one full stack of one kind of fuel.

That is getting complicated. How do you teach that mechanic to new players?

Isn't simpler to just add a proper fuel source (eg another station) to your setup.

[Darinth]

So... while I agree that it'd be nice to be able to pull fuel from engines, I feel like this is a '6 of 1, half-dozen of another' situation. The game still has systems in place that effectively allow you to do what you want to using multiple different methods. A single fuel train would have no problem providing fuel for dozens of outposts. It can be setup to use existing stations using smart inserters and filtering splitters to pull fuel and route it to a chest until said chest is full. You could set it up using a separate station and normal inserters. There are a number of different ways to make this function. Yeah... it's arguably not ideal... but I could also make the argument: that's the point. Sometimes there are intentional limitations put in there. Or there are safeties put in place to prevent bigger issues that you have to work around. Take the challenge, work around it.

[ikarikeiji]

Suggestion: allow all inserters, not just filter ones, to remove fuel from locomotives, if and only if there is at least one full fuel slot (other than the one being removed from).

This would allow daisy chaining, and automatic fuel type changes, while never leaving a loco with less than one full stack of one kind of fuel.

That is getting complicated. How do you teach that mechanic to new players?

Isn't simpler to just add a proper fuel source (eg another station) to your setup.

How do you teach it? You don't. New players don't try to pull fuel out of locomotives, so it won't be a problem for them. And if it happens by accident, then that train is not left unable to move, and maybe the user will become curious. While for advanced users, who know what they are doing, the rule works for all use cases and is consistent, solving the problem without adding any new gui or entities etc.

Saying add a proper fuel source is missing the point. That's what we all have to do already. I have never used this kind of daisy chaining myself but I can see the appeal to those who want to use it. This solution adds another possible strategy for players, without interfering with existing setups.

[bobucles]

It still seems pretty arbitrary that inserters always do the work that they're supposed to do, except for this one scenario. Wouldn't it be better to put in some QOL tweaks that make sure trains never get into this situation in the first place? For example if you right click a 2-4-2 train and left click a stop it goes "Cool. I only work for 2-4-2 trains. Let's filter my option out for any other train size."

Anyway thanks to the power of splitters and filter inserters it's not a big deal to clean out a belt. If there were an option to make bots pull arbitrary item types off a belt, then players could automatically clean up any level of disgusting contamination in their factory.

[Darinth]

Regardless of the results of this conversation, +1 to the idea of bots being able to be told to fetch specific items off the ground (even off belts) with decon planners.

[darkfrei]

Can inserter take fuel from locomotives when you rotate it?

[steinio]

Can inserter take fuel from locomotives when you rotate it?

You mean like when it insert fuel instead?

[Achmed]

I think having the ability to specify if the inserter can remove items from fuel slots if the insertver is connected to the circuit network, as this is the scenario where it would be needed and helps new players from fouling there train stations with fuel in there ore belts. i just spent 3 hours working on the same idea OP had to finish it and discover that i cany remove the fuel from the train!

[FuryoftheStars]

+1 to allowing this in limited situations, like via circuit signal or filter inserters only, etc.

[sepharim]

-1. I'm completely with the devs and mod opinion. It's only a QoL Laziness option for a good routing of items. I know it could help in exchanging the fuel to the new fuel type, but it has to many side problems you need to define and make it a complicated thing.

[luc]

-1. I'm completely with the devs and mod opinion. It's only a QoL Laziness option for a good routing of items. I know it could help in exchanging the fuel to the new fuel type, but it has to many side problems you need to define and make it a complicated thing.

Isn't playing Factorio QoL laziness?

With some of the suggestions, like enabling it with circuitry, wouldn't be harmful to anyone who doesn't totally intend to do this. So there isn't really a reason not to do it, aside from dev time, which I'm not sure how much it would be, but it seems relatively simple (restoring old behaviour, just conditionally), and there seem to be quite a few people who want it.

[WhatheWorld]

does anyone know if there is a mod that will allow inserters to pull from trains or know if it is even possible to a mod to allow it?

[ssilk]

No, there isn’t and I think for the reasons and unclear side-effects mentioned in this thread.

[darkfrei]

does anyone know if there is a mod that will allow inserters to pull from trains or know if it is even possible to a mod to allow it?

I've made the extractor-inserter, that can take items from any inventory of any entity in the game. But it works somehow unstable with the locomotives.

[PyroFire]

-1, i see no reason to change this for the niche use-case of upgrading a trains fuel.
Eventually that fuel will be replaced with the newer/better fuel over time so what's the issue?

Secondly,

in older builds we could daisy chain boilers.

You can still do this.

[WhatheWorld]

does anyone know if there is a mod that will allow inserters to pull from trains or know if it is even possible to a mod to allow it?

I've made the extractor-inserter, that can take items from any inventory of any entity in the game. But it works somehow unstable with the locomotives.

can you share how you did it?

[darkfrei]

can you share how you did it?

It was based on this mod: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/BurntExtractor
But there was iterator by all inventories, not just a burnt_result inventory.

[ickputzdirwech]

does anyone know if there is a mod that will allow inserters to pull from trains or know if it is even possible to a mod to allow it?

Have a look at mods.factorio.com/mod/InserterFuelLeech.The only limitation is that the targeted entity can't be a chest but must have a fuel slot as well.

[ickputzdirwech]

[ick] Merged three topics about enabling inserters to remove fuel from locomotives.