Belts, inserters, splitters mechanic... Again.

kitters · Post by **kitters** » Fri Dec 06, 2024 7:04 pm

One more recent change in how this behaviour triggered discussion, Boskid responded to it, said he did this.
viewtopic.php?p=634472#p634472

Now behaviour is inconsistent and unpredictable. I don't think player should tweak and blueprint those parametrs if they just want to send as much items on a belt as a belt is supposed to carry.

: 10.png (8.86 MiB) Viewed 323 times

(As you can see, if you don't tweak inserter on the bottom, you lose 18% of througput.)

Inserting into splitters is inconsistent - whole topic and video from some blogger about this in said topic. Different tiers work differently depending on (I guess) how much ticks an item travels that 0.2 tiles Boskid mentioned.
viewtopic.php?p=645130#p645130

Items just teleport sometimes. I guess, to a nearest discrete spaces on a belt.
There:

Factorio_ Space Age 2.0.23.mp4: (12.37 MiB) Downloaded 29 times

For some reason time a green inserter need to put 6 items on yellow belt is less than it needs to put 12 on red one. But 7 items it places in exactly this time. Why? Because first two items are dropped almost simultaneously. Others - as expected, in defined periods, two times faster on a red belt. As you can see, the second and third lamps light up at the same time.

It hurts me how there is such low priority for this problem, if devs (BOSKID!!) even consider this to be a problem. This is key mechanic of all game after all.

I have some thoughts about this.
About splitters - it should be equal to either inserting in a tile before a splitter or inserting to both tiles after a splitter (halfed stack size S)

: 11.png (9.09 MiB) Viewed 323 times

Now it is one of continuum situations in between, their own for each tier of belts, splitters, inserters and their combinations. Which I think is just unacceptable.

Solving problem with having to develop a way to get so little as a full f****g belt whole evening:
When an inserter inserts on a belt, add a buffer. Like putting a 'pile' of items on a belt, which doesn't move, but is drained by belt movement and blocks items behind until drained. Or DOESN'T block items behind, but isn't drained.
Simulation of how it would solve all problems:

Factorio_ Space Age 2.0.23 2.mp4: (18.41 MiB) Downloaded 43 times

The size of a buffer? Figure it out. You may even make it dynamic, like you did a buffer in assemblers:
viewtopic.php?p=309796#p309796

The ingredients for 1 craft in addition to the ingredients for the number of crafts that can be completed during one full inserter swing; but at least the ingredients for 2 crafts and at most the ingredients for 100 crafts.

Something like: thrice the amount of items that belt can carry in a time of a full swing of that inserter.

Of course I don't foresee difficulties in implementing or crucial consequences where it breaks everything. But i beg of you to do something, to make a core mechanic of the game consistent and predictable.