Hotbar

[zer0t3ch]

When I press the "1" key, the game puts what's in slot 1 in my hand, now here's what I proprose:
If you press 1 again, it should put it back, or if you press 2, it should swap what's in my hand with slot 2.

Example 1:
My Hotbar Looks Like this: X Y
I press: 1 1
Hotbar now looks like this: X Y
Without this change it would look like this: _ Y (and x is in my hand still)

Example 2:
My Hotbar Looks Like this: X Y Z
And I press: 1 2 1
My hotbar now looks like this: Y X Z


I can add more examples if anyone doesn't get what I mean

[EDIT] I realise that part of this already exists, but not quite in the way that I'm saying, but the part I really care about is the one that doesn't exist yet.

[Phantasm]

It already works exactly as you suggested. Unless you have used the middle mouse button to reserve slots for certain items in which case nothing will me moved over them.

[zer0t3ch]

It already works exactly as you suggested. Unless you have used the middle mouse button to reserve slots for certain items in which case nothing will me moved over them.

First of all, I had no idea about the middle mouse thing, thank you. That'll be useful.

Second of all, the first thing I mentioned does not exist yet. Look at example 1.

[ssilk]

Hm. I think I understood. #1 is the thing, that at some point the hotbar is empty. And if you craft in this time, the place is filled with crafted stuff. And so on. And #2 is, that you cannot switch, without changing the items.

I have more such issues, but I won't explain them in detail. I think the hotbar can be optimized.

What I'm thinking, when I'm build is not "I need a fast belt, that is on 5", "I need an smart inserter, that's shift-4" "In need a basic splitter now". I think in "Ok, now I need a belt". And then I think "What kind of belt?". Or I think for the inserters: "Here an inserter is needed" and then "A blue inserter will do the job". Or when I'm building belts I think "Oh, now I need an underground belt".
Maybe some of you think a bit different: "First I need a factory, then I build the belts, then the inserters and then the poles".
But the general idea is, that we all think "In which order I do building?" and not "How can I select the item I need to build the best?"



Suggestion:
I won't make a real suggestion. What I think is, that the hotbar should have some behavior:

- when I configured my hotbar, it should not change anymore. Never. Perhaps I have sets of configurations but the game shouldn't try to be smart. Ok, in the beginning the auto-setup is ok, but not more than 1/2 hour of freeplay.

- The hand of the player is a stack. When I click on the hotbar, the stack is transfered from the hotbar into the hand. But I think a placeholder-stack must be left then to prevent occuping the place in the hotbar by another item. The same happens, when I have nothing left in my hand; then a placeholder stack keeps.
And I never used the feature, that I have an extra stack in my hand, when the inventory is full. When it is full, it is full and one stack more or less won't help much.

- Simple: The item of the stack in my hand can be crafted (that's what placeholder stacks for!) No belts? press "P" (for produce/craft) one, shift-P for 5 etc.

- Why so much stacks? I have problems to reach 5, while walking. And I'm not building belts, inserters, assemblies and power poles at the same time. Most times I begin with the belts. But when I built belts I per sure need to built also underground belts and splitters...
More concrete idea here: pressing "1" selectes the former item (belts). Now pressing "1" again selects the next item in the group. In this case he underground belt. The next press of "1" switches to splitter. etc.

- because it leads sometimes to confusion (i build for example one time over 20 steam engines, because I searched them in my inventory, but it was in the quickbar ): I would avoid to have different types of stacks, shared around the program on different places. Instead I see the stacks on the screen and the quickbar as a reference to select something which is in your inventory.
In other words: All stacks are in the inventory and on the screen is only a mirror of it. So the inventory is also the right place to configure the hotbar (I think for dragging stacks into 10 different groups and to fix a stack so that it can obtain only on kind of item).