Factorio Forums

Visual signals are already in-game, yet apparently ignored enough that this is a topic worth bothering the devs with.
Why would an auditory signal be any different?

What visual signals are there?
The rail signals are not that easy to see, and a train sometimes reserves a signal from very _very_ far away, so it's not really useful in determining whether a train is close or not.

So, you're the kind that goes around the crossing gates when a train signal activates, if you can't see the train?
I'm interested in trying to avert Darwin Award winners.
The only people that have a legitimate claim about the signals being difficult to see would be the colorblind, since the colors are relatively close in contrast.
The rest either are too lazy too look a bit harder, or have neglected to place enough signals to ensure a smooth trainflow in the first place. (~1/screen while zoomed out halfway)

No, I don't. But if a signal would go red an hour before a train crosses I might just look and decide for myself!

Gates. They are the best canary.

The problem with just placing a signal, is that you don't want too many signals inside a train station

LordFedora wrote:TBH, it's like that living by just one rail line, if there where multiple trains going past my house...

The ton of horns would be fine, if it wasn't a "near player" but a different signal that i could place, that made a noise (really, the TRAIN made the noise, but who's gunna tell )

sillyfly wrote:How about having a simple whistle post (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistle_post), like a signal, only cheaper, and whenever a train rolls by it (and the player is close enough) it will sound a horn. That way every player can use it however they wish.
I for one may like to put some around places I usually cross

(T_T)

sillyfly wrote:No, I don't. But if a signal would go red an hour before a train crosses I might just look and decide for myself!

Signals only go red with the train in the block, yellow if the train has claimed the block but not entered and green if no train is in or will be in the block. Red is only of the train is in the block.

Yeah, I meant yellow Sorry.

sillyfly wrote:How about having a simple whistle post (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistle_post), like a signal, only cheaper, and whenever a train rolls by it (and the player is close enough) it will sound a horn. That way every player can use it however they wish.
I for one may like to put some around places I usually cross

Would be easy to implement.

I was killed by train once. Kinda frustrating. After that I already had 6 power shields type 2. And it was "whatever". With it I can stop train whenever I want.

I'd just like to be able to build Bridges to let me walk above the Rails to cross them. Quick and simple low-tech solution, doesn't involve signals or anything electronic, just a bunch of Stone or Brick, and a little Iron or at worst Steel.

edit: Oh, and I'd want to be able to drive over the Bridge to, at least using a Car. Maybe not a Tank. I think at that point it becomes somewhat unrealistic to build a cheap Bridge that can support the mass of a Tank. But perhaps two Bridges, one cheap Bridge for walkers only, and another more expensive Bridge that can support the mass (and width) of a Car.

Bridges OVER something are not as easy as that, because the aspect view angle of Factorio will then hide more ore less important things behind the bridge.

make it so the tone of the whistle post can be modified and we could make musical railways

I'm maybe wrong but is it not the point of orange signal? I never get killed by a train so far personnally, quite easy to zoom out or check the map

I think it could be achieved by adding that when player is on the track he occupied block and signals become red. Horns are not the solution because some players can play with music in the background and don't hear game sounds.

__________Signal__________Player__________Signal__________<- TRAIN__________

Neotix wrote:some players can play with music in the background and don't hear game sounds.

I can understand that argument, if someone is deaf or so, but I really have problems, if someone switches of warning sounds in a game.

I know, bad comparison follows, but I belong to those people, which turn off the warning sounds of the parking-sensors... but I know what I do. If I know a car, I can park in with it to 1/2 cm (1/4 inch). And I never came to the idea to play radio so loud, that I could not hear signal horns or ambulance, or even biker, crying out loud, cause I drove them off. As said, bad comparison.

But if you turn of that sounds in a game, well, bad luck. Cause I'm relatively sure, that we will become some device, that can create some kind of warning-sound.

__________Signal__________Player__________Signal__________<- TRAIN__________

Sorry, but I think this will look really ugly. But perhaps in the ALT-view?

Moved, cause very good implementation detail example.

When I was playing the Half Life 2 I noticed that Combine's "razor trains" are very similar to the Factorio trains. They are black, fast, also automated and squash everything on their way. There is only one big difference: in HL2 they have very loud horn. It's impossible to miss them.

Let's see this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDc0OTM8AQg
It's natural on the railways that train has warning sounds. Not in the Factorio.

There was the topic about the possibilities of the train approaching signals. Why not locomotive horn?

They should work like in the attached scheme. Around the rail track before approaching train should be generated invisible "horn use areas". When the player enter it - the train honks. That's all. Of course before the fast trains areas should be longer.

It would be very simple, elegant and climatic solution for the trains killing people.

I moved it here, cause it's a good description. See concerns against this in every situation some pages before!

What if player mute sounds in game because he want to listen to music while playing? He should be forced to enable sounds or he lose game functionality?
Of course train horn could be nice addition but not solution. The solution should be based on game mechanics.
We can stop trains by using signals, why not use them to stop train when player is on track? Then safe passage will depend on where player put that signals and where he want to cross the tracks.

Basically if signal is between player and train, the train will stop, if not, the player will be smashed. So the player will be able to improve setups, add signals there, where he cross tracks the most often.