For all this time, I have dreamt of making 2-level 8-way intersections which are not ruined by having to bend all entrances and exits into only 4 directions
Furthermore, the need to deviate from a certain rail orientation in general due to having to accommodate ramp alignment (stations already do this enough :'( (and in their case I understand the alignment need far better)) creates a lot of situations where (1) a train loses speed for only this reason (the only set of bends in an otherwise straight run), (2) signalling arrangements are afflicted with... discomfort I suppose (not sure how better to describe it, it makes me uncomfortable: why do I have to suddenly have too much space in a segment and/or not enough segments?), or (3) things just become... aesthetically harmed (kinks in otherwise perfect lines AAAAAAAAAAAA): diagonal ramps would DOUBLE the amount of situations in which these problems do not happen... or even more than double, given how this much greater flexibility would permit slight design tweaks leaning into it that would further prevent later discomfort
Further-furthermore, another frequent reason to need diagonal ramps is that so often when working with limited space or just certain orientations, a diagonal ramp is *just* what is needed... but is not available to fulfil that need (Fulgora immediately jumps to mind, but there are many other cases, such as trying to fit something amid spaghetti, or just trying to optimise space or direction (sometimes everything else is diagonal)); putting a diagonal ramp in the middle of a 90º turn, for instance, would make a lot of things a lot easier (this does mean they need to be able to branch almost directly off a horizontal or vertical line without colliding with the continuation of that line, but that is hardly the greatest problem here)
Further-further-furthermore, just think of the possibilities!
Existing intersection designs could become more compact, and there would be more versatility to come up with new ones!
Modular base designs would suddenly have so many more possible shapes!
Diagonal versions of most existing intersection designs!
I gather that making diagonal ramps happen would require a LOT of work to make the trains look right when traversing said ramps, and I understand that as much as a humble end-user can (this game's devs are absolute #DevGoals and the effort they put into optimisation and polish is a huge part of that, so I also conjecture, with fear gripping my heart, that there must be some fairly strong reasons for the current absence of diagonal ramps), but that work would only have to be done once*, and Factorio would forever be rendered perfect by it (I may be a bit of a train autist)
*Maybe that could be made less troublesome by making diagonal ramps as long in both directions as the long side of the current ramps, because Pythawho?
It occurs to me now that the empty triangles on the non-entrance/exit corners of the square making up the diagonal ramp would need to be free for other things to occupy... which I am likely wrong in considering now a problem to begin with, given how the space under elevated rails can just be used freely; and if that is another situation, then the ramp can just be composed of diagonally overlapping squares
(I am also a bit surprised not to see more people request this essential game feature, but I don't come here often and may just be bad at searching, so please forgive me if this has been debated to exhaustion, it is just a very important issue to me and this appears to be the last time to request it with any hope of seeing it fulfilled)
This is why, for the greater good not only of Factorio but of Humanity, Civilisation, and indeed the Universe, it is my visceral and inalienable belief that diagonal ramps are fundamentally needed
Please please please pretty please I need this so bad it hurts
