Add "Read fuel" to burner inserters

[Hares]

TL;DR

Burner inserters should support "Read fuel" circuitry option similar to reactors & assemblers.

Why?

Out of all burner entities, only two can't read fuel: one being furnaces (ref: [1]), and second being inserter. I don't see actual game need for that except for alerting when critical burner inserter ran out of fuel, but I see other purposes for implementing this:

• Consistency: All (currently-in-game) entities with burner energy source will be able to report such information, instead of just some of them
• Research-ability: (ref: [2], at 1:29) Will simplify circuitry to determine the power usage of inserter and explicitly tell when it ran out of fuel

See Also:

1. 118645: Allow connecting wires to furnaces -- FR for adding other mentioned feature
2. YouTube: Inserter Power Draw is WEIRD (and Burner Inserters SUCK) -Factorio: Space Age | Infer A Good Time -- research about inserters power usage
3. 125651: Enable burner inserter fuel leech -- Related #balancing topic

[Panzerknacker]

They are a simple mechanic machine, it doesn't make sense.

Instead I vote for removing the filtering capability instead since it does not make sense either.

[Hares]

Instead I vote for removing the filtering capability instead since it does not make sense either.

I disagree. Or, technically, not me, but a YT commenter.

01-09-2025, 00-06-55.png (46.26 KiB) Viewed 247 times

[waterBear]

There is definitely some missing sub-text here. A yellow inserter requires 1 green circuit to make and a combinator takes 5. Just build a yellow inserter.

You seem to have something in mind having to do with power consumption, but inserters use very little power to being with. You'd have to be doing a challenge run or have mods, unusual map settings, etc. I don't understand the reference to spoilage, either. This is all very obscure.

[Hares]

There is definitely some missing sub-text here. A yellow inserter requires 1 green circuit to make and a combinator takes 5. Just build a yellow inserter.

You seem to have something in mind having to do with power consumption, but inserters use very little power to being with. You'd have to be doing a challenge run or have mods, unusual map settings, etc. I don't understand the reference to spoilage, either. This is all very obscure.

Check my original post (see underline part):

Why?
Out of all burner entities, only two can't read fuel: one being furnaces (ref: [1]), and second being inserter. I don't see actual game need for that except for alerting when critical burner inserter ran out of fuel, but I see other purposes for implementing this:

• Consistency: All (currently-in-game) entities with burner energy source will be able to report such information, instead of just some of them
• Research-ability: (ref: [2], at 1:29) Will simplify circuitry to determine the power usage of inserter and explicitly tell when it ran out of fuel

I don't have something in mind. I just want consistency.