Inserters ignores belt end items if saturated

[bluewilson]

Though it could be an optimization feature of the inserter more than a bug, I report it as it in this case makes my OCD go a bit nuts.

Sorry about only providing one image, instead of a video clip. Can supply it on request.

11-01-2024, 08-40-10.png (762.3 KiB) Viewed 202 times

Inserters are only disable/enable limited by amount of ore/carbon/ice in the hub. No filters are set. (alt mode is on)

On the space platform, regular crushing occurs, and a belt is saturated with ore, carbon and ice, and a 20% amount of asteroid biproducts. As illustrated on the image, exactly 3 small asteroid pieces are lingering under the inserters' arms, waiting for pickup. As long as the ore, the ice, or the carbon is available for pickup, behind the three first items, those are the ones getting picked, leaving the tip of the belt untouched.

This is not a problem for most belts, containing one and only one item, and is mostly an annoyance for this case. But what about spoiled items? A belt of a 2:10 ratio of two items, where the 20% is spoilables. It could end in disaster!

[boskid]

Thanks for the report however i am not considering this to be a bug. Inserters look for valid item pickup starting from the incoming end of the transport line which in case of item chasing gives the inserter the largest amount of time to chase the item before it leaves given transport belt piece. This logic is not guarded by any end belt piece checks.