Factorio Forums

TLDR

Give different tier electronics reasonable names and graphics.

WHAT

Make it be something like the following:

• tier 1: basic circuit, a green PCB with a number of passive components and relays
• tier 2: vacuum tube circuit, a red PCB with vacuum tube electronics on it
• tier 3: integrated circuit, a blue PCB with modern looking integrated circuit electronics on it

It would make sense that a lot of items need circuit boards and basic switches but not complex electronics, that many tasks can be accomplished with simple electronic devices such as vacuum tubes and some applications require sophisticated computational devices like integrated circuit chips. It also fits with the idea of technology progression. Why would vacuum tubes require plastic to make and how do you make integrated circuits out of vacuum tubes? The same way as electric motors are made out of internal combustion motors!

WHY

Current graphics is pretty much a fancier looking placeholder and so are the names and both can be made a lot more sensible, intuitive and pretty.

I don't think there would be enough room in the size of the icons, to show this type of distinction. The current colors work, and fit.

Well yea but I did suggest keeping the color, just make it look decent, and not "generic recipe item 1" "generic recipe item 2" "generic recipe item 3".

There is no way I can remember their names. For me, they are green circuit, red circuit, and blue circuit

AileTheAlien wrote:I don't think there would be enough room in the size of the icons, to show this type of distinction. The current colors work, and fit.

There is if component production is separated out (I know from experience), which IMHO is way too much complexity for vanilla. Also, when discussing "realistic" electronics, especially around Youtube LPs, the realistic terms distinguish Bob's Electronics from vanilla "green circuits", "red circuits", and "blue circuits". I'd actually prefer a locale that changes the in-game names to those, as opposed to "electronic circuit", "advanced circuit", and "processing..." is it "circuit"? I can't remember