Better control of furnace recipes

[loganb]

So I reported this as a bug: viewtopic.php?f=47&t=33342, but then it seems like the verdict is that inserter deadlock on furnaces is an expected behavior.

The existing behavior makes it very, very difficult to control large furnace farms, so I'd suggest any of the following feature enhancements:
- Furnaces automatically select recipe based on their input buffer
- Allow the input slot to be unloaded by an inserter (to clear deadlocked buffers), allow the output slot to be loaded by an inserter (to force an inserter into a specific recipe)
- Allow furnaces to be connected to, and recipe selected by, the circuit network

Any one of these would make furnace control more interesting and allow for more complex smelter designs.

[ssilk]

I need to point to two other threads.
First is this one:
viewtopic.php?f=80&t=15338 Limit inserter stack size bonus if needed
which points to many other threads. I think in this viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27673 I mentioned, that if we would be aware to get the numbers out of furnace and inserter and change inserter bonus then we would be able to easily have automated furnaces.

And to the other, which is the first bug report about this:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=21993 Inserters get stuck feeding stone to furnace

Especially that posts:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=21993#p140914
- which explains the problem quite simple

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=21993#p140929

After reading over all the discussion here I don't believe there's anything worth changing.

At this point it's part of the logistic challenge to properly handle the ore being sent to your furnaces just like it's part of the challenge to properly handle the items sent to an assembling machine so no one belt backs up and doesn't allow other items to flow in.

There are multiple ways to solve this particular challenge already in the game and spending time to tweak how the furnaces/inserters work together doesn't seem like time well spent right now. Not to say it will never change in the future.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=21993&start=20#p141198

This is not a bug. The furnace has 'generic' inputs, where the item in the slot determines what's being created, so the inserter can't know it shouldn't insert the copper ore.

I would still argue that it is a bug as the inserter is able to determine if it can insert if the target is a chest or cargo wagon which have generic slots as well. To me the behavior with furnaces is inconsistent. But I would agree that it is questionable if it is worth fixing.

That is also my current opinion: It is an issue, near to a bug, but it is questionable to be worth fixing - I think cause there are a lot existing work-arounds and it is also some kind of challenge.

AND cause there are consequences of fixing something like that, which is so deep in inserter mechanics. I think that is the bigger problem with this.

I think this will be fixed is together with similar bugs like this: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=21993&start=20#p140983
- where the blueprints are involved, which is - as I wrote below - quite bad, much more an issue/bug than this, cause there is no workaround: You really need to check blueprints every time you build them, even if you have used it now several times. That involves also the electric network connections (must be rewired exactly the same), which are promised to be fixed (should be anywhere in Bugs).

So my conclusion is this:
- Yes, it would be useful to "fix" this
- One way is eventually yours - which prevents it from complete blocking. But to be honest: I need to play with that, if that is really that useful, cause I cannot overlook the full consequences yet.

Besides of that I think another (safer?) way would be to push circuit network to enable reading (and writing?) furnaces, assemblers etc.