[Mod] (WIP) SIN Advanced Belts

I have been pondering more advanced belt controls, based on my experiences with traintracks in (Open) Transport Tycoon Deluxe, and knowledge of advanced belt controls in systems such as mail-sorting and factories I have had the experience of working in.
Finding this thread truly sparked my interest in seeing if I could realize my ideas.

Mod status: Plausibility Research

I personally am hoping to add the following items to a new belt-menu to be created, which would work similar to the other existing building menus, once I figure out how to add them:

  • Belt
    Standard belt.

size: x:1 z:1 cost: 100 processCost: processTime:

  • Signaled Belt Crossing
    An “unblockable” level crossing.

[code]Research group: “Basic Auxilliary”.
duration: 25
projectSize: 1

size: x:1 z:1
cost: 150
processCost:
processTime:[/code]
Using the following existing codebit, this should prevent ingredients halting in the center of a level crossing, stopping them from blocking off the entire transport system when a queue forms: "needsAllOutputsOpen":true,

Possibility of adding: Plausible

  • Belt Bridge
    Flyover belt crossing.

[code]Research group: “Advanced Auxilliary”.
duration: 250
projectSize: 6

size: x:1 z:3
cost: 200
processCost:
processTime:[/code]

Possibility of adding: Plausible

  • Belt Switcher
    A concentration-level related belt switcher so a single belt can be used to transport ingredients to various outputs.

[code]Research group: “Experimental Processing”.
duration: 300
projectSize: 15

size: x:2 z:2
cost: 200
processCost: 40
processTime: 4[/code]

Possibility of adding: Highly Unlikely

This is a work in progress and will be updated as I go along.
If anyone would be interested helping me out with the sprites on this, that would be wonderful.

This may be semantics but I wouldn’t term the existing belt as directional, but rather bi-directional.
Tim/Dev uses the term “deterministic” - my interpretations is that they change direction based on what is connected
to them. In the equipment.data e.g. you can see 3 IOStates, which I’d call:
“no connection”= don’t care,
“fed by another machine”=D0 to D2,
“feeds a machine”= D2 to D0

Maybe. Did you try a MOD w/ that added to belts? (e.g. “processTime”:2) You could make us a “slow” belt.
Not as hilarious as it sounds. For certain configurations, changing the timing may actually be a benefit.

I haven’t figured out how to access sprites.

Several of us have wanted some logic-based equipment capability (the closest I’ve gotten is really timing-based, not logic-based).
Maybe, maybe Tim/Dev could modify the iotile:[… “drugType”:“all”/“all_finished_box”/etc. } to have some drugType:concentration > X
(of course then we’ll want “drugType”: catalyst > levelY, etc.) :slight_smile: We’d also have more than one output so that it either
goes out the output or continues further in the machine to a second output.

Thanks for your input, SCHMID6SIG. I have edited the first post of this thread, so some elements which you quoted have changed.

I’m not an artist, so I have not looked into this yet myself.

Logic-based processing would be interesting, but I would hope that Tim/Dev would see how opening the game up to more extensive modding (in a year’s time or such) will help the longevity of it.
Maybe he could adapt the base code for future DLC and release a list of what code hooks do what for future modders so we don’t have to dive into the base code ourself? That way he can ensure the base code is structurally sound, but the JSON files’ ability to affect the game increase with each released DLC?

Welp, I’m stumped for now.

Directional Belts are coming!!!
Tim’s latest Vlog (VLOG #25) discusses the next patch having a new “machine” under auxiliary that will allow us to modify a placed belt so that they are “directional” (as opposed to the default “deterministic”.)

at the 4:20 mark, 'fixed belts" under Auxiliary. modifies an existing belt - allows toggle belt direction.
will work on straight or corner belts.

I did post a mod/hack that sort of accomplished the same thing (less elegantly, I’m sure), can I claim partial contribution to the idea?
viewtopic.php?f=51&t=14446


also coming
at 12:45 mark, will add 2 columns in Co tab on Product Tree
avg saturation of cure(s)
avg saturation of ingredient(s) used in Product

Cure Tab - starting conc. of ingredient(s) for that Cure (at level 1)

Thanks for posting. I hate video logs for just this reason - it takes only a minute or two to read your post whereas for a vblog I’d have to spend an hour watching to get all the same content and know I hadn’t missed anything.
Also it’s possible to search blog posts, not videos.