Factorio Forums

This is a minor enhancement to fix an annoyance I encountered, which was classified as Not A Bug here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=55623

Burner inserters start with a bit of fuel when placed so that they can pick up some fuel for themselves. However, it is possible for them to waste all of that fuel trying to pick up items that are moving too quickly for them. They then end up dead until you manually replace them or fuel them. This is quite annoying when building arrays of 40 boilers, where a single yellow belt doesn't provide enough coal to fuel all of them.

I don't view that as a good gameplay feature. Burner inserters already have a small enough niche where they're useful, and I think removing this random additional maintenance they need when building them would be a positive change. They were already given some fuel when built so they could fuel themselves, I think taking this additional step to prevent this situation is acceptable.

hint: don't use a burner inserter to grab items from anything other than a yellow belt. Red MIGHT be acceptable, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I know that's the current recommendation. That's why I made this request.

I like them how they are. The belt speed wouldn't make my "top 3 annoyances" with them:

1. Always pre-fuel burner inserters that are moving non-fuel items, before connecting the belts behind them, or they will immediately break themselves moving an item instead of grabbing fuel.
2. Never let the fuel line develop gaps, or they'll break themselves the same way.
3. Never let 2 compete over the same belt segment, or one could spend its last energy to grab for a coal, only to have it snatched away.
4. Never on bends.
5. Only on yellow belts.

I would change #1 if I could, because it creates manual labor. But I would rather no changes than have them put on easy mode. The yellow inserter is easy mode. Burner inserter is a marvel that lets us work without electricity if we're very careful.

also keep in mind that originally, burner inserters didn't have ANY fuel in them to start with, you had to put the first peice in all of them.

Also, why would you even want to be using burner inserters off fast and express belts?

The only reason to use them beyond the early game is to fuel power plants, maybe furnaces, and that is specifically because coal, or other solid fuels will be going through them. if you're pulling stright off anything other than a yellow belt, you're doing it wrong. Transporting a main bus of blue past the furnace isn't a bad idea, but you should split off to a yellow belt for the actual feed. Even a yellow belt full of fuel should be able to power a lot of furnaces. I think someone calculated that in the case of one side of a belt transporting iron(or copper), and the other side of the same belt coal, the iron is the limit and can power 24 furnaces (not sure if it was stone or steel)

bobingabout wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:54 am also keep in mind that originally, burner inserters didn't have ANY fuel in them to start with, you had to put the first peice in all of them.

But we are need starting amount of energy by blueprinting. The best solution is to set up in blueprint which fuel must robots place into burner inserter when it will be placed.

On robot placed entity
If this entity was burner inserter, then add logistic request for some amount of specific fuel to it.

darkfrei wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 11:37 am

bobingabout wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:54 am also keep in mind that originally, burner inserters didn't have ANY fuel in them to start with, you had to put the first peice in all of them.

But we are need starting amount of energy by blueprinting. The best solution is to set up in blueprint which fuel must robots place into burner inserter when it will be placed.

On robot placed entity
If this entity was burner inserter, then add logistic request for some amount of specific fuel to it.

I'm not saying we should go back to how it used to be, just pointing out the past.