Strive to not scream, cry, or vomit, however the upcoming growth to Factorio will add elevated rail traces able to crossing over not simply different rails, however manufacturing unit parts as nicely. This previous week’s Factorio Friday Info weblog went by way of the design course of for the way Wube Software program arrived at this large change to how Factorio works and why they determined to implement it this fashion.
In and of itself it is a large shift. Factorio takes place on a single, ostensibly 2D, aircraft and nothing breaks that rule except for underground belt tunnels that you could’t enter or exit. The thought of underground rail tunnels simply did not work for the designers at Wube, in order that they went for elevated rail.
“You simply wish to boldly see your whole trains of their full glory as an alternative of hiding them someplace in a cellar!,” they mentioned.
So the House Age growth revealed in late August will add two new issues to construct: One, a 16-tile lengthy, 4-tile extensive ramp will take trains from floor stage to the brand new elevated aircraft. The opposite new constructing is a rail help, which will probably be required each every so often to help the tall rails, and which may face in eight instructions. They’re each actually traditional Factorio visible designs: heavy concrete bases with metallic scaffolding perched on high. The sort of brutally stunning and sensible factor an engineer would possibly design with restricted time and functionally limitless assets.
The elevated traces will be capable to cross over water along with land, so you may get to do the factor you’ve got at all times wished and do lengthy, stunning rail bridges with good concrete pilings fairly than should infill these lakes of yours.
“Permitting trains to cross paths on totally different ranges has been some of the requested options for a really very long time. We had at all times felt it makes good sense, however trains in Factorio would not often ever get into severe sufficient throughput points to justify including elevated rails,” mentioned Wube within the submit.
“The growth modified this panorama fairly a bit although. If we anticipate gamers to typically construct bigger factories than within the base sport, prepare throughput may change into a difficulty, and since you’re anticipated to journey away from the house planet, having a prepare system that does not impasse can be extra necessary than ever earlier than,” they continued.
This new function will probably be along with the free for all gamers new system of rail curves in Factorio 2.0, which let you construct a lot tighter and extra logical rail junctions than earlier than. The elevations will even work within the rail planner, letting you spaghetti up your prepare bridges with out a care on the planet.
You may learn in regards to the new elevated prepare programs on the Factorio weblog, and bounce again to final week to study in regards to the new rail curves as nicely.