Simple Questions and Short Answers

[Kaiku]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

I guess my arguments came mostly from the few times where I notice I'm running low on something like coal and decide to quickly belt over some new coal patch, which I can do in like a minute, opposed to starting a rail line and having to future-plan for an entire station and network. It's just so much simpler and quicker.

But with better foresight, and later in the game, I can see it being much more efficient. Especially because you can just add branches to the main lines. I think I also overestimated the cost of trains and rails compared to belts.

[thetoolcrafter]

Would anyone know if I would be able to change the frequency of enemy base spawning on an existing map? I have a map that I am playing and set the frequency to low. I am realizing this is a mistake and would like to change it. I looked through the console commands and didnt see anything that stood out. I also tried to search, but it seems to forum doesnt like it when I search.

I dont think so, because everything is pre-generated once you have joined the world. You need to choose your settings right first time i think

[Ghoulish]

Is this junction signalled correctly?

[Mehve]

My eyes are going a little crosseyed because you drive on the opposite side that I do, but I can't see any issues with that setup.

[siggboy]

Is this junction signalled correctly?

No. This is the correct way to signal it (you will have to change your rail layout slightly so you can fit the signals):



(The picture is from this imgur album https://imgur.com/a/CxXxd which I still think is the best explanation for the basic rail junctions to be found anywhere.)

Among other things, what's wrong in your configuration is that a train entering the single-rail section can block trains that want to leave (a.k.a. dead-lock).

You also do not separate the two rails on the main line properly, so two trains that simply want to pass eachother will slow down (because the middle section combines both ways in a single block).

And more... it's really not signalled correctly at all, sorry.

My eyes are going a little crosseyed because you drive on the opposite side that I do, but I can't see any issues with that setup.

You should have un-crosseyed and you would have seen the various issues :-).

[Deadly-Bagel]

Not necessarily.

Get rid of the two signals on the two-way track at the top, and change the next lower signal to a chain signal (on the curved rail leading from the eastbound rail to the two-way). If there are any more signals higher up on the two-way rail you'll want to remove them too until the rail splits.

Alternatively instead of removing the signals on the two-way track you can change them to chain signals, will have slightly different behaviour but should still work.

[Mehve]

You should have un-crosseyed and you would have seen the various issues .

In my defense, every instance of a single branch off that I use involves a non-through route to a destination with only one assigned train

I plead guilty to the second point though. Completely forgot about isolating the two directions. All I can offer is that my stuff in-game DOES do that

[siggboy]

Get rid of the two signals on the two-way track at the top, and change the next lower signal to a chain signal (on the curved rail leading from the eastbound rail to the two-way). If there are any more signals higher up on the two-way rail you'll want to remove them too until the rail splits.

If you do that, then the two-way rail will be part of the same block as the inner section of the junction. Then no trains will be able to pass the junction on the main line as long as the two-way section is occupied.

It's really not a fix.

The junction needs to be signalled exactly as in the screenshot that I've posted above. Anything else is either wrong or sub-optimal.

[Carl]

when playing in sandbox with the cheats on is there any ways to spawn more than 5 items at once? Running some layout experiments and need to fill a bunch of chests with copper and iron plates and adding them to my inventory 5 at a time is annoying.

[Deadly-Bagel]

I believe shift+clicking the item gives you a whole stack. Still a pain to transfer to chests though.

[Carl]

DoH! Obvious in hindsight thanks.

Mind if i drop another one in, i'd like to setup a circuit network such that i can just flip a power switch, (or somthing else to the same effect), to turn a bunch of machines on and off without actually cutting the power. How do i do that, never touched circuit networks before and trying to read up on them is kind of confusing me. I think i've got the basics of making stuff turn on/off based on a signal down pat, but i'm not sure how to generate a specific signal on demand.

[Deadly-Bagel]

Bit trickier, the main bit is to link all the machines you want to a circuit network and give them an arbitrary condition, ([O] = 1) or something. Then you need a means of toggling that, simplest way is with a Constant Combinator outputting 1 on signal [O]. When you want to turn the machines off you just open the Constant Combinator and flick its switch.

There are alternative ways that don't require you to open a GUI, maybe leaving an item on a belt or in a chest that is sensed by a Decider which keeps the machines on while / until the condition is met, I'll leave that to you.

[QXTR]

How do I get items automatically out of a chest as early in the game as possible, or how do i best avoid the need for it?

[ChurchOrganist]

How do I get items automatically out of a chest as early in the game as possible, or how do i best avoid the need for it?

A burner inserter will automatically place items from a chest onto a belt, into an assembler or into another chest

[siggboy]

Bit trickier, the main bit is to link all the machines you want to a circuit network

The only machines that can be triggered "on" and "off" from the circuit network are pumps.

Anything else needs to be triggered by cutting the power, or indirectly by disabling the inserters that are feeding the machines.

[Carl]

Yeah discovered that after the fact, still workable, currently still messing in sandbox though trying to get things working just so there so i've got the layout sorted. Trying to create a green chip setup that will fully load a belt, simple in theory but with top end assemblers and belts the chip fabs keep running out of iron before the inserters can get more in. Ughhh.

[siggboy]

Trying to create a green chip setup that will fully load a belt, simple in theory but with top end assemblers and belts the chip fabs keep running out of iron before the inserters can get more in. Ughhh.

Do not use Stack Inserters, use Fast Inserters. The Stack Inserters wait too long, and then the iron input dries up. The Fast Inserters are fast enough and you then do not run into this problem.

It should only be an issue if your machines are speed boosted (i.e. the optimal setup with speed beacons and productivity modules).

Here's an optimal layout for producing Green Circuits: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=30332&p=209795#p192129

[Deadly-Bagel]

Bit trickier, the main bit is to link all the machines you want to a circuit network

The only machines that can be triggered "on" and "off" from the circuit network are pumps.

Anything else needs to be triggered by cutting the power, or indirectly by disabling the inserters that are feeding the machines.

Link the inserters / pumps instead. You can optionally link the output inserters too, the machine will still run on any resources it has in it but for all intents and purposes it may as well be off.

[Strident]

How do you rebind the text chat key? I cant seem to find it in the options

[daniel34]

How do you rebind the text chat key? I cant seem to find it in the options

In the controls settings it's on the bottom right of the Game tab and called Toggle Lua console.