Factorio Forums

So during much playing I wound up writing a little list of things I kinda wished existed. Just idle thoughts. Looked back through the last 10 or so pages to try and not double up but no guarantees. Guess it's not really an optimal time with the announcement of a slowing of regular development for multiplayer but I might lose the list one day

Higher Tier solar panels:
Pro. Less time setting up massive grids, even with blue prints it takes a bit if you're making a larger factory.
Con. More entities in the craft screen.

Multi-Assembler:
Sometimes I have several things that are made from the same set of resources. Granted part of the game is to set up assembly lines but as a later tech it might be nice to have a larger machine that could assemble several different products.

Liquid Tank towers:
Mostly you pump the liquids up into it and then gravity provides natural pressure to fill the output pipes. Could have multiple outputs as a means of splitting outputs of liquids instead of... no split. Could be big towers or 1x1 towers that connect for expandability.

One way pipes:
Sometimes, I have many things to pipe and its quite troublesome even using underground pipes to separate them. Especially when the chemical plants and refineries had such limited output and input directions.

2 to 1 belt/funnel belt:
I know you can use several belts and run one into the side of another belt to turn it to one side but that seems more like an "make do" method than actual intended function.

3-Way distributor:
Currently there's only 50/50 splitting, be nice if one could do a 33/33/33 split for some differences in distribution methods.

Minimap updates, filters, Large map:
Some new functions with the minimap might be nice

Ability to disable construction bot icon on minimap/at bottom:
Much like you can disable the pollution overlay, being able to disable this at times would be nice.

Template ability for inventory:
You said to mention if you wanted it:)

Template/Filter ability for chests:
Specifically storage chests would be great. I mostly avoid storage chests because it seems like no matter what eventually I end up finding many robots hovering near storage chests/nearest recharge with resources they couldn't put in when the last chest was filled. So I avoid these. It would be nice if you could set up what a chest can and can't store.

Combo Provider/Requester chest:
A combo chest that only supplies requester chests (Not other Provider/Requester chests) but when there are no requester chests demands robots will fill up it's cargo. This would be useful for doing distribution systems of say... repair tools! or walls or bullets or circuits where you want stock piles around your factory to meet infrequent demands faster.

Priorities for requester chests:
Some things I want supplied before others

Smart belts!:
Similar to smart inserters, Start, stop, maybe even reverse? That could be interesting.

Smart Power Poles:
Maybe I want to completely shut the power off to a portion of the factory if I have all the copper I want. Or if the accumulators fall too low.

Double Inserter:
Take two items out of a chest and place them side by side on a chest. Would be great for emptying chests

Mining bots:
They can clear forests, if you have the power why not let them mine ore on demand?

Indicator for max stack size:
I've memorized many of them by now, but a way to know at a glance the max stack size of items might be nice. Maybe you have to hold shift while looking at it or something to avoid cluttering the regular info.

Rearrange que'd crafting:
Probablyyyyy been suggested before but I didn't see it. I often que things up only to realize I need one tank... or pipe... or something and have to cancel everything I just put into the que.

Direct Request Assembly Machines:
Possibly a new end tech similar to the one that gives the player request slots, only directly to the machines. Though it kinda cuts out request chests/inserters though....

Tesla Turrets:
For those times, when you have a wall even you don't want to approach. May cause blackouts.

Edit: Guess the greyed out ones exist, in a mod or game

These ideas are great, and I would to see them added. Smart transport belts sound interesting and I've been wanting machines that could clear forests.

bird2750 wrote:These ideas are great, and I would to see them added. Smart transport belts sound interesting and I've been wanting machines that could clear forests.

Actually, if you use the deconstructor item and drag select trees, the robots will cut them down. I use request chests set to max wood to collect what they harvest.

Love these ideas.

Huuu, quite, mucha good stuff... well, let's see...

Caseycc wrote:Higher Tier solar panels:
Pro. Less time setting up massive grids, even with blue prints it takes a bit if you're making a larger factory.
Con. More entities in the craft screen.

The same is with accus then. More entities is not really the problem. The current sorting is quite good (nobody mentioned it, so it must be very good ).

But construction time is a good point: How, if we have something, which brings the needed items in a provider chest to a place near the blueprint? This would spare the cbots to move like seesaw.

Multi-Assembler:
Sometimes I have several things that are made from the same set of resources. Granted part of the game is to set up assembly lines but as a later tech it might be nice to have a larger machine that could assemble several different products.

Yes. And no. I think it is currently not needed, because from gameplay sight we have plenty of space to set up an assembly for every type. I did that, it hurts, but it's playable. Let's have save-able blueprints. Now one of the first thing I would to is to create factory streets for some items, which need similar ingredients.
Also a good thing would be to say to a requester chest: Order X-times what's needs for this assembly.
And having different products from an assembly has a big disadvantage: It wont work as easy with the logistic network. Currently setting up one smart inserter as input (insert if item X is less than Y) doesn't work then anymore: You need one smart inserter for every possible item (filtered). Now the problem is also, when the list of items change between the items: The stack is full from the previous item and now we need another stack. Problems, problems...

Liquid Tank towers:
Mostly you pump the liquids up into it and then gravity provides natural pressure to fill the output pipes. Could have multiple outputs as a means of splitting outputs of liquids instead of... no split. Could be big towers or 1x1 towers that connect for expandability.

I think this is a good idea for the problem, to bring equal quantity of fluids to every destination. The pipe-implementation of a splitter.

One way pipes:
Sometimes, I have many things to pipe and its quite troublesome even using underground pipes to separate them. Especially when the chemical plants and refineries had such limited output and input directions.

This is currently under discussion and I think this should be discussed very deep.

2 to 1 belt/funnel belt:
I know you can use several belts and run one into the side of another belt to turn it to one side but that seems more like an "make do" method than actual intended function.

Hm. Form follows function (FFF ). This is one of the greatest things in factorio, that you can have very different functions, depending on the form, how you built something, how it is positioned to others; and not because it is defined so by the programmers, but because it is how it works.
I recommend to read this https://forums.factorio.com/wiki/inde ... ort_system

3-Way distributor:
Currently there's only 50/50 splitting, be nice if one could do a 33/33/33 split for some differences in distribution methods.

Hm. First I thought no. But you're right: A splitting by dual system (1/2, 1/4, 3/4, 5/4 etc.) is easy with the current splitter, but not easy by terziary (1/3, 4/6, 2/12) system
Is it needed? Again here the thinking in bigger dimensions, some structures need just more space. Taking this in account I think: not yet.

A good question: How to built such a thing which splits by 1/3, only belt-items are allowed! I really dunno if this is possible yet.

Minimap updates, filters, Large map:
Ability to disable construction bot icon on minimap/at bottom:
Much like you can disable the pollution overlay, being able to disable this at times would be nice.

The first has been made in every version now. Large map? You can set the zoom-factor in the console, you know?

Disable construction bot icon: Well. Perhaps something like an "acknowledged" button? That prevents the current open constructions to come into account.

Template ability for inventory:
You said to mention if you wanted it:)

? not understood...

Template/Filter ability for chests:
Specifically storage chests would be great. I mostly avoid storage chests because it seems like no matter what eventually I end up finding many robots hovering near storage chests/nearest recharge with resources they couldn't put in when the last chest was filled. So I avoid these. It would be nice if you could set up what a chest can and can't store.

Yes. I see that as fifth logistic chest. A requester-like chest, which can deliver to a requester chest, and so is counted as available in the LogNet.

Combo Provider/Requester chest:
A combo chest that only supplies requester chests (Not other Provider/Requester chests) but when there are no requester chests demands robots will fill up it's cargo. This would be useful for doing distribution systems of say... repair tools! or walls or bullets or circuits where you want stock piles around your factory to meet infrequent demands faster.

This has been said to be implemented... https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... =10#p19771

Priorities for requester chests:
Some things I want supplied before others

Dunno. I never needed that. You can change priority if you add more requester chests.

b]Smart belts!:[/b]
Similar to smart inserters, Start, stop, maybe even reverse? That could be interesting.

Yes!
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... 285#p15285
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... 9098#p9098
https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... 285#p15285

Smart Power Poles:
Maybe I want to completely shut the power off to a portion of the factory if I have all the copper I want. Or if the accumulators fall too low.

The transformer stations are thought for that. Makes sense.

Double Inserter:
Take two items out of a chest and place them side by side on a chest. Would be great for emptying chests

You mean side by side on a belt? Hm. Well. Also different thinking needed here. Inserters are working not well in this combination. Making it double as fast doesn't half the problems. That the same problem as with all the inserter-mods: the matters of principle keep the same. And I think changing this principles is wrong, because then we are at other transports; Logistic bots or trains. I think live with the limitations and see them as challenge.

Mining bots:
They can clear forests, if you have the power why not let them mine ore on demand?

Mining... hmmmm... Well. I think this is a special type of bot. Spares building much mining drills. But then I can also just place mining drills with provider chests and use the logistic bots to transport it home... I don't see the need.

Indicator for max stack size:
I've memorized many of them by now, but a way to know at a glance the max stack size of items might be nice. Maybe you have to hold shift while looking at it or something to avoid cluttering the regular info.

Yeah, the whole system is a bit ... broken. I think it is currently playable, but I'm sure the devs know that and will change it, when it is time.

Rearrange que'd crafting:
Probablyyyyy been suggested before but I didn't see it. I often que things up only to realize I need one tank... or pipe... or something and have to cancel everything I just put into the que.

Yes. Also discussed 2-3 times. But good to repeat.

Direct Request Assembly Machines:
Possibly a new end tech similar to the one that gives the player request slots, only directly to the machines. Though it kinda cuts out request chests/inserters though....

Hm. I think also in this direction, but perhaps not the players request. I think, that the rail system should be able to tell a LogNet what to request. In one sentence. I made some suggestion about it, but this thing is really complicated!

Tesla Turrets:
For those times, when you have a wall even you don't want to approach. May cause blackouts.

I would like that... blackouts prove the stability of your factory and that goes into the tower defense direction, which I think this is also quite well working with factorio.