Friday Facts #377 - New new rails

[Blacky007]

Old rails are fine

Please, add the bridge!

what this game needs are bridge and Tunnel or underground railsystem with a different layer without mods.
that would help a lot.
Greetings

[Xorimuth]

For this image, and perhaps a point I missed, will we be able to also signal in-between these gaps now? As much as the image is a dream come true, without signaling, this specific example won't add too much value to the new system unfortunately.

This brings to mind that modders can already place inserters inbetween 2 belts that have no empty space between:
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Kux-SlimInserters
So perhaps they can add signals to rails too. It's unless there is some real restriction in place.

thin_inserter.jpg

Sure: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Space-Eff ... il-Signals

[FritzHugo3]

So many times i wished me that rails can be closer split - thx this we relly need.

[Xyletic]

For this image, and perhaps a point I missed, will we be able to also signal in-between these gaps now? As much as the image is a dream come true, without signaling, this specific example won't add too much value to the new system unfortunately.

This brings to mind that modders can already place inserters inbetween 2 belts that have no empty space between:
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Kux-SlimInserters
So perhaps they can add signals to rails too. It's unless there is some real restriction in place.

thin_inserter.jpg

Sure: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Space-Eff ... il-Signals

No doubt it's functional, but boy does it look a bit silly having the signal on top of the rail. I personally wouldn't opt in to using this specific mod because I know that would bother me. However, I expect this mod and the interest in having such mods will grow substantially with this coming update if signals aren't already adjusted for this new feature.

[Jon8RFC]

What about add 2nd level of the map, underground. So we get tunnels ?
And of course, sneaky bugs could dig in to our base.

Fun idea! And the only way to keep them out is with concrete on the ground, a la Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun.

[Roxor128]

Did you ever consider removing the restriction that rails needed to be aligned to the 2x2 grid, so blueprints with rails could be moved by a single tile?

Alternate solution: add a checkbox to blueprints to make them snap to the rail grid and set their alignment relative to it.

[Zaflis]

No doubt it's functional, but boy does it look a bit silly having the signal on top of the rail. I personally wouldn't opt in to using this specific mod because I know that would bother me. However, I expect this mod and the interest in having such mods will grow substantially with this coming update if signals aren't already adjusted for this new feature.

Nothing a good artist couldn't fix It could become really sleek and functional with a few changes.

[FuryoftheStars]

You briefly mentioned the problem of manual control when going through complex junctions. How would manual train control be implemented in the final graphic in your post, where one rail splits into five parallel tracks? I think it would be pretty difficult to manually select the correct line from the five options.

You'd have to be driving the train through there slowly, but otherwise it can be done with the current controls. Having the more than 3 split from the same end point, however, you really wouldn't be able to.

[BattleFluffy]

choo chooo!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zaflis]

You briefly mentioned the problem of manual control when going through complex junctions. How would manual train control be implemented in the final graphic in your post, where one rail splits into five parallel tracks? I think it would be pretty difficult to manually select the correct line from the five options.

You'd have to be driving the train through there slowly, but otherwise it can be done with the current controls. Having the more than 3 split from the same end point, however, you really wouldn't be able to.

Not with controls but you can open train UI and Ctrl-click to tell it to drive there in automatic.

[Faark]

I like the changed visual, didn't know i want that!

I'm kinda indifferent about the rest. Was okay with the old system, both with the restriction it had the way they interacted, including with the rest of the game. Especially the latter part i'll just have to try in the new system, though its probably just something we get used to eventually.

As for the turn radius being increased, i think i like it. Always found it silly how huge & fully loaded trains zap around tight corners at crazy speed. Even just switching tracks. Would have loved different turn radii with different speed limits, but understand more options / a procedural system would be lots of work. And am aware of speed limit mods / played with Junk Train. Just found Mini Trains, looks great as well.

[picklock]

what this game needs are bridge and Tunnel or underground railsystem with a different layer without mods.
that would help a lot.
Greetings

I agree to this. I would love to have bridges to build rails over water and not have to use landfill.

[Mathematician]

Amazing news!
I've suffered from those rail annoyances many times. It's nice to see them being addressed. New smooth curves look cool.
I, too, would like to see conditional station skipping and concrete pavement visible over railbed, please.
I can hear the hype train coming for me...

[FuzzyOne]

This update is most certainly on the right track!!

[PaszaVonPomiot]

I would say that it's significant improvement and I'm especially happy about the power pole thing.

[Synchrose]

Did you resolve the track selection issue? I have an idea regarding track selection if you are still stuck. The problem I see is that directional controls via A D are quite limited. A solution I saw in a Minecraft mod called Chisel & Bits is a selection wheel around the cursor. Basically a segmented ring around it like a pineapple ring. The user would hold the appropriate command key for selection and then drag their cursor across the preferred selection. I've mocked up a rough example in Illustrator:

[coppercoil]

May I ask for very large radius rail curves, for aesthetic purposes? They look more natural.

Also, current curves might require significant train slowdown, so large radii would be useful.

And I'd like to have very small radius curves (excl. half diagonals for simplicity), and trains would pass them super slowly.

[BrainlessTeddy]

Did you resolve the track selection issue? I have an idea regarding track selection if you are still stuck. The problem I see is that directional controls via A D are quite limited. A solution I saw in a Minecraft mod called Chisel & Bits is a selection wheel around the cursor. Basically a segmented ring around it like a pineapple ring. The user would hold the appropriate command key for selection and then drag their cursor across the preferred selection. I've mocked up a rough example in Illustrator:

They don't have the selection problem. A rail can still only go in three directions. They only halfed the current curve in length.

[BrainlessTeddy]

May I ask for very large radius rail curves, for aesthetic purposes? They look more natural.

Also, current curves might require significant train slowdown, so large radii would be useful.

And I'd like to have very small radius curves (excl. half diagonals for simplicity), and trains would pass them super slowly.

Both of that is not really possible the way I understand it. They can have a rail segment only go in three directions maximum. Having different radius rails would increase the amount of directions to 5 or 7.

[mmmPI]

Did you resolve the track selection issue? I have an idea regarding track selection if you are still stuck. The problem I see is that directional controls via A D are quite limited. A solution I saw in a Minecraft mod called Chisel & Bits is a selection wheel around the cursor. Basically a segmented ring around it like a pineapple ring. The user would hold the appropriate command key for selection and then drag their cursor across the preferred selection. I've mocked up a rough example in Illustrator:

That's nice, i said earlier that it would make it impossible to tell the game which direction to send the train in such situation but i was wrong the precise wording of the FFF is :

At the moment, every rail can connect to at most 3 directions - left, straight and right. Adding a special rail piece would either make curves incompatible with s-bends - you could only build one, not both on the same spot - which would be a technical limitation, unobvious to the player why.

Or require two more connections (s-bend left, s-bend right) - which would mean that rail performance would suffer because of more options, and also that when you manually drive a train, arrow keys would not be enough to clearly decide where you want to go.

So maybe the devs thought about such system but it is the rail performance that decided against the 1=>5 split at a single point.