Blueprint catalogue (instead of putting BPs in inventory)

[Takezu]

No you can only clear the space or else line it up if possible. Say if you have walls in bp and the space where you want to build, you can line them up, but other then that the space have to be clear to place them.

[kiba]

I never really taken full advantages of blueprint in large scale due to how finicky it is to use them. Anything that improves the usability is a big plus in my book.

[wwdragon]

Blueprints exist because the player already went through all the sweat and tears of building a previous base. Ultimately, blueprints should be something that the player carries with them BETWEEN games. The function of a blueprint catalogue should be the ability to save/load/use blueprints from disk, allowing access to every blueprint the player ever saved.

It would also let players share their blueprints online.

Edit: Is there a way to force a blueprint if something is blocking it?

That's a good idea! I second it.

Also, no there's no way to auto clear. You can't even fire your cun with C at something while the blueprint is in your hand.

[Linosaurus]

Edit: Is there a way to force a blueprint if something is blocking it?

Not sure if this is what you mean, but you can shift-click and it will place all the buildings in the blueprint that are not blocked. It was added in patch 0.11 I think, that was declared stable a few months ago.

[deepdriller]

Also, buildings marked for deconstruction don't count as blocking.

[Bytenex]

+1 .
I also wanted to suggest such a thing
One more functionality I think could be added into this "Blueprint catalog" is a "blueprint designer" - an option to open an existing or new blueprint to edit in a new ui, a bit like the map editor or sandbox mode, but with no terrain, and all (currently researched) items available.
This could help solve the "must have item to design blueprint" problem.

I agree. I don't think it's unreasonable for the design tools available to the player character to be at least as sophisticated as those available to the player, which is to say, Factorio itself.

Once you get advanced electronics, I don't see why blueprints shouldn't be as easily edited, saved, and duplicated as any CAD or CMC file is in real life. I mean, I'm pretty sure that production engineer's don't order a new motherboard every time they think of a new way to arrange the floor robots, right? It's odd to be playing a game on a computer built possibly centuries before Factorio takes place, yet which is far more advanced than any of the games computers in that it has the Save As command.

Related idea: instead of having to build a computer out of smart inserters, there should just be some kind of Programmable Logic Controller that can be programmed to whatever level of complexity is desired without taking up more than 1 tile, if even that. Opening it should reveal an infinite grid for circuits, w/ a bottomless toolbox of logic gates and various types of registers (input, output, et cetera), so it's not like it would simplify the implementation of programmable logic, just make it way less... silly, by not forcing you to use massive fields of belts and inserters to do what should be doable with the circuit board inside every individual inserter, in order to implement basic logic.

Editiable LUA-Scripts for example. Would be really nice to have that kind of control. APIs for the already "intelligent" parts and hopefully an intelligent long arm inserter.

Back to topic: I love the idea of the blueprint catalogue. +1 from my side.

[ssilk]

Hm.
We can begin tomorrow to create a blueprint catalogue. We (the community) has everything to do this now: The blueprint-manager and the wiki (and making screenshoots of course).

Every type of blueprint has an own page, including the pics, the blueprint (as string, which can be copied into clipboard) and a longer description, alternative blueprints and much more.

:)

[Bytenex]

Hm.
We can begin tomorrow to create a blueprint catalogue. We (the community) has everything to do this now: The blueprint-manager and the wiki (and making screenshoots of course).

Every type of blueprint has an own page, including the pics, the blueprint (as string, which can be copied into clipboard) and a longer description, alternative blueprints and much more.

I think you got it wrong. He suggests an ingame blueprint manager so the blueprints will not fly wildly in your inventory and take up space.

[bobucles]

I think you got it wrong. He suggests an ingame blueprint manager so the blueprints will not fly wildly in your inventory and take up space.

A "book" that lets you store many blueprints is good.

A "computer" that lets you save, load, and share any of your blueprints is WAY better.

Let's say you make a really bitching base and want to build it again in a new game. A catalogue would be awesome.