Safe Rail Crossing

[Bytenex]

Hello,

I'm not quite sure if this has already been proposed but I think there should be a way to manage cars crossing rails. At the moment you have to be very careful near rails (especially if there are more than one) to not get hit by a train when crossing. It shouldn't be a problem to make gates that are adjacent to rails to react to train signals. E.g. when they are open (player crossing) they are green, when there is no train on this specific rail then they are yellow and if there is a train then they won't open and are red. So you don't get hit accidentaly by a train.

railcrossing.PNG (284.69 KiB) Viewed 11582 times

[jockeril]

If you forego the gate and just look at the signal you can determine if a train is coming - if the signal is yellow then there is a train about to cross that part of track...

[Bytenex]

I know but this implies that my train signal is always near my crossing (won't function atm in certain szenarios).

It would also be a bit smoother if you could do something like traffic control. Especially when playing with friends. Also I don't see a big problem in implementing this as all the functions should already be in the game. They aren't connected in this way yet.

[Takezu]

If the train is fast on the track section, just one block advance warning time, is to less.
You come near the track on green and if your unlucky, it goes yellow, dead.
If the gates wouldn't open if a train is two or three blocks away from the crossing heading i the direction of the crossing, it would be perfect.

[kiba]

What you need is a gantry structure. Simply walk overhead, rather than trying to make railroad crossing works.

[Takezu]

Why try fiddeling a 3d concept (every over/underpass would be in the 3 dimension) into a 2d game if you just could check 3 blocks ahead if a train heads down, and force the gates to stay closed. Makes to me not much sense.
An overhead would mean to fiddel with the collision, and i think thats way complexer than this idea.

[Linosaurus]

This is a great idea. And of course while the gates are open no train enters this section.

You'd slow the train network down if you often ran around near the gates uselessly, but it'd be worth it.

[Bytenex]

Maybe my picture is a little confusing. Because some people are discussing about 3 blocks away...

No! I mean you could do any length. Just make the gates react to trains on this part of the track.

railcrossing.PNG (569.06 KiB) Viewed 11477 times

This for example would work very well. Maybe the train signals even further away. The gates could clearly react to the state of the rail.

I'm not quite sure aboute the blocking problem. In my opinion the gates shouldn't stop trains from passing. So if the gates are open the train will still pass this rail section. It shouldn't be a completely secure crossing but it should warn a player in advance that there is a train coming. With the new "chain signals" you could even span the rail section further for high speed rails.

[ssilk]

Why should a player build all that?
After dying he knows, that he needs to watch the trains. And if he wants to safely cross the track without watching, he can build a more clever system: Sensors register the character walking into the range of the rails and can turn the signals to red. Or you can then built also gates, which open only, if the track is safe.

Latest with 0.13 this will be possible.

You don't need special entities, it is everything already there, it just needs to be connected!

[Linosaurus]

In my opinion the gates shouldn't stop trains from passing. So if the gates are open the train will still pass this rail section. It shouldn't be a completely secure crossing but it should warn a player in advance that there is a train coming.

I see. That could work too. I personally would not find it useful if it only checked the closest train section since a full speed train moves quite far in just half a second. But maybe if it locked the gate when the normal signals turn yellow as they do several sections ahead of a train, then it'd be awesome. And I can still get killed if I get distracted when halfway across.

Latest with 0.13 this will be possible.

Oh, that's pretty cool. These new systems will have more flexibility than I thought.

[Bytenex]

I don't know how 0.13 will fix this problem

Factorio 0.13 (2015)
-> Second part of the endgame (space platform building)
-> (maybe) Proper tech tree.
-> (maybe) Oil extension (boiler for oil, oil wagon).
-> Remake of turrets. Also new type of turrets.
-> Fight revisit (balancing, tanks more enemies variety, ...)
(Taken from the Factorio Roadmap)

Sensors register the character walking into the range of the rails and can turn the signals to red.

As already mentioned: The trains should not be intercepted by the player. In real life a train wouldn't stop for a car. There is a rail crossing that is closed when trains aproach.

Or you can then built also gates, which open only, if the track is safe.

You got it. That is exactly what I'm suggesting.

You don't need special entities, it is everything already there, it just needs to be connected!

Thanks for quoting me.

In my opinion the gates shouldn't stop trains from passing. So if the gates are open the train will still pass this rail section. It shouldn't be a completely secure crossing but it should warn a player in advance that there is a train coming.

I see. That could work too. I personally would not find it useful if it only checked the closest train section since a full speed train moves quite far in just half a second. But maybe if it locked the gate when the normal signals turn yellow as they do several sections ahead of a train, then it'd be awesome. And I can still get killed if I get distracted when halfway across.

This is what comes with 0.12. The chain signals. That is what I meant by

In my opinion the gates shouldn't stop trains from passing. So if the gates are open the train will still pass this rail section. It shouldn't be a completely secure crossing but it should warn a player in advance that there is a train coming. With the new "chain signals" you could even span the rail section further for high speed rails.

[ssilk]

0.13 adds more sensors and stuff to the circuit network. I'm sure, there will be a mod, which implements some of that already in 0.12.

[Bytenex]

For all the critics: http://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-87



Look at the picture for the concrete paths. He already built a setup worth a working crossing.

[bobucles]

So you're minding your business and walk through one of these gates. They suddenly lock because of an approaching train, with you inside. What now?

[Bytenex]

Gates already open shouldn't close when a train is approching. Only close gates will stay close. In this setup there would have to be two approching trains and a larger gap between the rails to really get you locked. Maybe give them a yellow state to tell the player that a train is on its way but not directly on this rail. Similar to the yellow state of the train signals.

[bobucles]

Gates already open shouldn't close when a train is approching.

That'll get you INTO the crossing. If the exit gate is closed you're still toast.

Me thinks you'd be looking for one way locks, which keep things out but not in.

[Bytenex]

Maybe thats an idea too. Normally the gate where you came from shouldn't close so you could always drive backwards in our case but a one-sided lock would be really neat.

[ssilk]

The discussion shows me, that this is not a good idea to implement it now.
But it would be a cool thing, built such gates with the coming version: how far is it working well?

So if no one cries I would move this to "not implemented" and wait till 0.13. But I'm quite sure, that can be built then with the vanilla and circuits.

[kiba]

Concrete pathways sure don't look like any concrete pathways I see.

They looks more like bricks.

[Bytenex]

I still think this Idea is worth beeing implemented.

Suggestion v2 after the discussion:

• => Gates react to rail signals
  => Green rail state:
  Gate will open normally (green lights)
  => Yellow rail state:
  Gates change light color to indicate an aproaching train (yellow lights)
  => Red rail state:
  Gate will stay close (red lights)
  Gates always open from inside / the direction adjacent to the rail (one-sided lock)

If nobody else thinks this idea is worth implementing the thread can be closed.