Factorio Forums

This would be a machine that could connect to the Logistic, Circuit, Liquid and Electric Network to show us a notification with a custom message once when the conditions are meet.
These would be the sames condition type of smart inserter instead of Liquid Network with liquids instead of items and Electric Network with power consuption, power profuction and power storage instead of items.

The message could be customized and the icon choosen from a library of icons.

There is stuff like this planned in the roadmap.

alarm that appears on map/screen like when " XX turrets firing "
using current red/green circuit cable system,
player can type simple message for display on screen
like "idiot NO fuel at steam generators"

I'm sure that someone can make this into mod, but it'd be very interesting to see this in a stock game.
It might also tell you that mining drill has run out or that you have enough solar panels/ acumulators/ect. in your chest.

The binary nature of the alert signal, to tell the player that he's being attacked, somewhere, is really very unhelpful.

In a more realistic military situation, it'd be split into three audibly different signals:

1. One that basically translates to: "General, some bugs came visiting over in [map sector], but we swatted them quickly".
2. One that amounts to: "General, the bugs tried to get at us in [sector], but after a bunch of shooting they all laid still."
3. "General, we're being attacked in [sector] and it's serious."

I'd be very happy to build a Battle Computer machine, early in the game, and later upgrade it with expensive modules to give it more capabilities, to get more information. And combined with building a new type of Sensors along my defence perimeter, ones that can link to the Battle Computer via radio.

But dammit, give me more information than just a binary "aliens attack!" signal. Give me some indicator of how many there are and how much damage they're doing.

I know the game has those mouse-over icons down on the bottom right side of the screen, but they're really not that helpful. Also a Gun or Laser Turret "taking damage" can mean it's lost 1 HP or lost 99.5% of its HP, I don't know which one.

One more thing, I'd like to be able to build a new kind of Smartchest for ammo that notifies me when it's empty. Preferably via this Battle Computer.

Joined these three threads together, cause they are basically equal.
I'm sure, that with the planned changes for circuit network in 0.12 this will be somehow possible. I think, that that what Perer34 wants will not, but we need to wait till then and then look, what is missing.

beny166 wrote:I'm sure that someone can make this into mod, but it'd be very interesting to see this in a stock game.
It might also tell you that mining drill has run out or that you have enough solar panels/ acumulators/ect. in your chest.

For now, we can use chat, objectives and custom window to expose thing to the player but I don't know if there is a way to play a custom sound.