Asteroid Collectors should have inventory filters or use item count to limit intake

[mrvn]

TL;DR

Use the inventory filter from cargo wagons for the asteroid collectors inventory or honor the item count with set filter to limit how much to collect of each type.

What?

Use the inventory filter from cargo wagons for the asteroid collectors inventory and only collect chunks that have space in the inventory. An unfiltered slot means collect any chunk:

asteroid-collector.png (633.03 KiB) Viewed 1361 times

Alternatively use the signal count on set filter to limit how many of each asteroid chunk is collected in the inventory.

Why?

Without filter the asteroid collector collects everything and fills up it's inventory with stuff you don't consume. It then can't collect the chunks you need. So there is basically no way to use an asteroid collector without filter.

But demand for chunks varies. For example while underway carbon is needed to fuel the trusters. But in orbit that drops to 0. Once a filter is set though the inventory fills up with just that type of chunks. Changing the filter at a later date then can't collect any of the new chunks. So in orbit the inventory fills up with metallic chunks and then when the platform want's to go back there is no space for carbon to generate fuel for trusters.

Note: the asteroid collectors even collect chunks when their inventory is full, potentionally stealing them from a neighbour that still has space. Is that a bug?

Thus now filters have to be set not just according to demand but also according to inventory (luckily one can both set filter and read contents at the same time). In effect one has to reimplement the inventory filter with circuit logic. This takes two arithmetic combinator per collector, one to isolate the incoming signal and the other to subtract the content, and the space to place them. Horrible waste of the limited build space.

So why not cut out that needless complexity an just use the inventory filter used in cargo wagons. That way there is an easy way to collect some of each type without it preventing other types from being collected. The user can then have inserters feeding crushers to take out chunks as needed or use circuit logic on the inserters to control the outtake. I imagine there is no need to set a dynamic filter unless that is your play style.

Other than the simplicity the other benefit would be that asteroid collectors would buffer chunks ahead of time. Given that chests are not possible and the hubs inventory is very limited and hard to reach from the edge such a buffer would be a huge benefit. Nothing worse than running out of ammo because there wasn't an metallic asteroid for a while.

PS: the asteroid collector should come with an inventory filter of 10 of each type per default. I don't think I would even bother changing that in most cases.

[mmmPI]

This can be done with less that 2 arithmetic per asteroid grabber, viewtopic.php?f=193&t=119001

You only need 1 arithmetic per asteroid grabber, and 1 constant for the whole ship if you're into combinators !

I think the default shouldn't be "10" of all types of asteroids, because that would not leave enough room for the asteroid collector of normal quality to collect the 4 different chunks since they have only 29 inventory slot.

Apart from that i agree with what was said in that it's quite useful mechanism to have, and i see how the suggestion aim at making things simpler, which i think would benefit many other players.

The only thing with setting filter as suggested is that it's not dynamic whereas using a constant combinator per asteroid collector allow to configure several asteroid collector at once using logistic groups.

[mrvn]

As you can see in the image the suggestion is for 40 slots (instead of the 39 i believe it has now). And you can still use "set filter" and not use the inventory filter. The two aren't exclusive.

[mmmPI]

ah you are correct 39 slot currently, 40 with the suggestion, when using normal quality, got it !