Factorio Forums

TL;DR

Replace the vertical lines between train blocks with arrows indicating directions.

What ?

Current block visualisations look like this:


The only way to see what direction are allowed in a segment of track is to mouse over the rail signal at the start of that section. Instead, this might be better: Where the arrows show what direction trains are allowed to enter each block.

Why ?

While my simple example may appear more cluttered, it certainly makes it easier to understand what's going on. Just drawing those arrows was a mental exercise. Now I can immediately look at the diagram and know exactly where the trains are allowed to go.

+1

Though you'd need arrows on both ends and some funcky double headed one for two-directional or mixed directional segments.

This could be useful with very long rail segments, but arrows should be smaller

I do totally agree with you. I did even suggest replacing solid line with arrows (if I am not mistaken it is like that when placing signals)

I was about to post a suggestion for this, though I was going to suggest that the arrows are drawn just before the signal, this way two-way rail would look like the following:
and one-way rail would look like this:

I can definitely get behind making the rail direction visualization available all of the time.

Another possibility is to have it similar to the "train path" arrows you get while hovering over an automatic train in motion, but with additional colouring for block. Unidirectional tracks get single arrows, and dual-directional tracks get a set of two arrows.

+1 on that.

I believe this is already implemented (although the arrows are less pronounced than OP imagined).

Muche wrote: Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:05 pm I believe this is already implemented (although the arrows are less pronounced than OP imagined).
57237-RailSegmentArrows.jpg

They are so small they looks like dots to my eyes. Double size would give much better visual

erkki772 wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 3:10 pm They are so small they looks like dots to my eyes. Double size would give much better visual

Mods can change the sprites, its part of `rail-segment-visualisations-endings.png` file. My original set of arrows was significantly larger but graphics team decided to make them less visible.

This is current size: What i was considering to be a reasonable size:

boskid wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 3:19 pm

erkki772 wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 3:10 pm They are so small they looks like dots to my eyes. Double size would give much better visual

Mods can change the sprites, its part of `rail-segment-visualisations-endings.png` file. My original set of arrows was significantly larger but graphics team decided to make them less visible.

This is current size:
02-10-2025, 16-16-36.png

What i was considering to be a reasonable size:
02-10-2025, 16-19-14.png

You could try to make that bigger arrow in experimental version and reverse it back if it gets much bad feedback. I didn't even know there was any arrows before this thread and half my items moves by trains

erkki772 wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 10:03 pm You could try to make that bigger arrow in experimental version and reverse it back if it gets much bad feedback. I didn't even know there was any arrows before this thread and half my items moves by trains

Fair point! 100% true story.