Semaphores Copy-Paste bug

[Cyklonus]

I haven't found a similar topic.
Semaphores do not connect to the tracks every time if we build them using robots using the copy-paste method. This applies to both types of semaphores.
I am attaching a video that shows exactly what I mean.

Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bqrb0_AGMw

[boskid]

Thanks for the report however that is Not a bug. Signals are directional entities, they only connect to rails at specific side based on the signal direction. Since you are pasting signal with the West direction, it only binds to the rails above it (or when rotating a blueprint, on other sides).

What you may want is to build signals not using blueprint: if you take a chain signal (or rail signal) to the cursor you can place them directly where they will rotate to the correct direction. Copying them with blueprints is useful when you are also copying other entities for example rails nearby, then the signal would be pasted in a way to always connect to the rail it was pasted with assuming when it was created it was connected to that rail.

[Cyklonus]

Yes, I understand that the semaphores do not connect to the tracks in the other direction, but they also do not connect in the middle of the intersection, as I showed in the video. I spent a lot of time wondering why the crossings weren't working, and it turned out that the semaphores didn't connect to the tracks. When I built them manually, the problem disappeared because the semaphores connected to the tracks.

[Loewchen]

You get what you copied, a horizontal signal with the rail connection on top.
I don't understand why you would copy a single entity instead of just using the item in the first place.

[mmmPI]

Maybe the single signal is an example for demonstration purpose.

It works better when copy pasting signal AND the rails attached to them, this way the connection is never broken. Otherwise signals need to be pasted in the same position relative to the track but if you try to copy many signals, it's difficult to see for all of them.

If you copy only signals, there is the risk that there is no rails nearby to attach, or too many rails and the signal can not choose the proper rail to attach. It doesn't try.

[FuryoftheStars]

Yes, I understand that the semaphores do not connect to the tracks in the other direction, but they also do not connect in the middle of the intersection, as I showed in the video. I spent a lot of time wondering why the crossings weren't working, and it turned out that the semaphores didn't connect to the tracks. When I built them manually, the problem disappeared because the semaphores connected to the tracks.

Yeah, as boskid said, it's because they are directional and copy/pasting as a blueprint preserves the copied direction and does not allow it to automatically rotate. They have North/South, East/West, and all 4 diagonal directions.

Instead of using [CTRL]+[C] to copy, you can hover your mouse over the signal and press [Q] (pipette). This will place the item to your cursor/hand. If you are all out, there's actually a setting that allows the pipette to put a ghost version to your hand. Both the ghost and the actual item will automatically rotate (but not copy/blueprint; you will need to manually press [R] ("rotate") for those) the signal to match the direction of the rails. Finally, if you have the actual item in hand but don't want to use it (you want the bots to place them), you can [SHIFT]+[Left mouse button] to place a ghost instead.

[Cyklonus]

OK, now I understand. I simply forgot that copying in factorio doesn't work like that. I was lazy and only used a mouse without a keyboard. Now I will remember that it is better to use ghost to build I need to assign a mouse button to a new function
Thanks for the help.

[FuryoftheStars]

There's... a lot of things you won't be able to do without a keyboard. Unless you have one of those fancy, quintillion button mouses.

[Cyklonus]

No, I normally play with the keyboard It was only for some time, because my other hand was occupied with something else Just then I was adding new tracks and the trains started to get blocked. And only after some time I discovered that it was because of the semaphores. It's just strange, because the trains stopped at these unconnected semaphores, but at some point they didn't want to go any further because they blocked other trains.