Garage loader/unloader, parking lot

[ssilk]

Comming from https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... f=71&t=560 [SUGGEST] Garage: repair car
Repairing is fixed with logistic bots, but the loading&unload is not.

With the new circuit network this will be much easier, but I think the problem is still to park the vehicle.
I want some big area, where I can place the vehicle (or some vehicles) and it is moved/carried automatically to it's parking space, where it is filled/emptied.

[ratchetfreak]

Or keep the inserters to insert/extract

But make a entity that connects parked inventories (train, car, tank) next to it to its wire circuit; reading the contents of the fuel+ammo+general inventory.

[ssilk]

That will be able with 0.11. The problem with the car is just to park it exact enough and in the right direction. I think even with much better control it is difficult to drive so exactly.


Dreaming

I really would like to have some kind of "carwash" mechanism: Drive car/tank in range of the entry space. Vehicle is automatically taken, rotated, moved to the input. This "entry space" can be a very big/long area, basically some new kind of ground? It might be outside of the factory walls and is then moved far away to the inside (over gates).

It is, as if it enters some kind of slow belt, is moved to the loading station. When inserters begin to work, the belt stops. After job is done, the belts work again, car is moved to the output, which might be also far away (or is distributed). I can then just enter and drive away.

More ideas: Install a car/tank-assembly within this area. In the moment, when an inserter places a vehicle in this area, the car will be spawn as entity (not longer an item on ground) is moved to the entry, filled up etc.

If I now also know the number of vehicles in this area and in the game in total I can build up new cars only, if needed.

Think, how cool this would be in multiplayer: Build car factory, fill with items and drive together to the next nest.

[Cordylus]

I don't have any problems with the parking on refueling stations, because it's my every refueling station:

[ssilk]

Exactly. But more professional looking (perhaps the underground looks like small rolls, that can move in all directions) and much better integrated into the game (autorotating, stopping...).

[Cordylus]

I don't think it would be very useful.
The problems with the exact parking can be easily resolved by the transport belts like in my station. Making special structures only for good look and maybe rotating cars it's a good idea for a mod, but not for the vanilla game.

[ssilk]

Think to ships. Think to aircrafts. Helicopters.
And now?

[tobsimon]

On the problem to park exactly, I'd like to point to my proposition to use "roads/streets as steering guide. Cars will try to stay on it" https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... =6&t=10315

For that to work well, the stearing guide should probably extend to a brake assistant as well. So that you just have to aim more or less in the right direction with moderate speed and the car will stop at the end of the parking lot. You could even get out while still driving. The steering guide may have an effect on cars which are moved by belts.

In what way would a washed car be any different gameplay-wise than a dirty one?

But I plan to suggest automatic fire extinguishers on the basis of inserters (e.g. a liquid inserter connected to water) sometimes. Then you may build a fully functional carwash.

[ssilk]

For that to work well, the stearing guide should probably extend to a brake assistant as well. So that you just have to aim more or less in the right direction with moderate speed and the car will stop at the end of the parking lot. You could even get out while still driving. The steering guide may have an effect on cars which are moved by belts.

I like this idea.

In what way would a washed car be any different gameplay-wise than a dirty one?

That it is clean then. Or do you like to drive with a dirty car? (ok, this is not serious )

[SHiRKiT]

I still agree with Cordylus that this should be handled by a mod and not the vanilla game. It's like part of the challenge to figure out these types of station. They are not pretty, but they work, and that's 90% Factorio.