Blueprint tip for "off ground" belts

[FakeCrusader]

Not sure if this tip has been posted but I found it really handy. It turns out Blueprints are your friend for simple but tricky layouts.

I decided to start a new game, since my first game has almost completed the sphere and it seems to be mostly automated now.

I'd forgotten what a pain it is to run belts that are more than a couple of levels off the ground, especially if there is no fixed end point. If you raise the start point of a belt the end point usually tries to snap to the ground, no matter how many times you alter the level setting (this is a stupid behaviour, the default should always to run at the current height if no target is touched). Or it tries to snap on to the side of a lower belt or structure. In general, very annoying and time-consuming,
The solution is simple. Once you get a section of belt at the desired height, blueprint it. Length doesn't matter; you stamp a copy near your start point, another near your end point and then the placement logic will connect them in normal belt laying mode.

Similarly, it is possible to have belts crossing at "half height", i.e. half as high as the standard laying procedure sets them. Doing this requires you to do a crossing section then selectively delete and reconnect. If you make one, it can be blueprinted and replicated in much shorter time.

So if you have a tricky little sequence that takes a lot of clicking and fiddling, try blueprinting it. Blueprints aren't just for mega-layouts.

[Los]

you can hold shift while building belts and it will disable snapping just like while building miners as that makes it easier if you dont want to connect your belt to anything else

[Nailfoot]

Originally posted by Los:

you can hold shift while building belts and it will disable snapping just like while building miners as that makes it easier if you dont want to connect your belt to anything else

And TAB can cycle through diagonal belts.

I have been using the OP's idea quite a bit. I have BPs of belts at various heights. I have them centered on one belt, so the belt they are crossing can be right in the middle of the bridge.

I haven't BPd random length belts, so it might be helpful to simply BP the "rise" and "fall" end of belts at every reasonable height. Then I can connect them at whatever length.

[josmith7]

Originally posted by Nailfoot:

Originally posted by Los:

you can hold shift while building belts and it will disable snapping just like while building miners as that makes it easier if you dont want to connect your belt to anything else

And TAB can cycle through diagonal belts.

Diagonal (free placement) belts are now a 3rd snapping option for the 'R' key. They removed that functionality from TAB.

[Nailfoot]

Originally posted by josmith7:

Originally posted by Nailfoot:

And TAB can cycle through diagonal belts.

Diagonal (free placement) belts are now a 3rd snapping option for the 'R' key. They removed that functionality from TAB.

Duh. I even use R to do it. Just typed the old hotkey.

[jamiechi]

For those that use mods, I use the one that lets you hover over a belt and press the key that is bound to reset to ground. This will then set the belt height to the level of that belt. This should be a base game thing.

[FakeCrusader]

I know all the snapping and free mode keys, snapping to buildings isn't the problem. It's very difficult if not impossible to do the following.
1/ Place an unattached belt start point on the ground.
2/ Raise it to say level 5.
3/ Drag it out for a distance to an unoccupied space and have it stay at level 5.

What happens is that the belt starts at the ground, then you have to ramp it up to level 5. Then you can start dragging it out as a flat belt. In my case (a) I have to then delete the ramp since it's not something I wanted, and b) if I'm not building in a clear area I won't have room for a ramp anyway, I just want to start in empty space at level 5.
It can usually be done if over another belt, but it seems if there are other structures nearby it starts to mess up the initial placement point.
Basically, if it's going to work, it will. If it starts getting confused, break out or design a blueprint to reduce the fiddle factor.

[TLHeart]

Originally posted by FakeCrusader:

I know all the snapping and free mode keys, snapping to buildings isn't the problem. It's very difficult if not impossible to do the following.
1/ Place an unattached belt start point on the ground.
2/ Raise it to say level 5.
3/ Drag it out for a distance to an unoccupied space and have it stay at level 5.

What happens is that the belt starts at the ground, then you have to ramp it up to level 5. Then you can start dragging it out as a flat belt. In my case (a) I have to then delete the ramp since it's not something I wanted, and b) if I'm not building in a clear area I won't have room for a ramp anyway, I just want to start in empty space at level 5.
It can usually be done if over another belt, but it seems if there are other structures nearby it starts to mess up the initial placement point.
Basically, if it's going to work, it will. If it starts getting confused, break out or design a blueprint to reduce the fiddle factor.

Using the shift key, stops every problem you just described.

[josmith7]

Originally posted by tenderloveheart:

Using the shift key, stops every problem you just described.

Actually it doesn't. As you use the up or down arrows to adjust the belt height, before starting the belt, your camera angle can cause the start point to displace over the ground.

So that can make it hard to start a mid-air belt right where you want to.

(Mind you, I'm unclear on why you want to start a belt in a specific point in mid-air instead of starting it at the supply source and running it to the destination. Though I did do so once, just to count up how many layers of belt I could stack. And when I swung the camera around I found that what I'd thought were all belts aligned directly above each other actually started stair stepping off to the side because my aim-point was shifted as I changed elevation)

[jamiechi]

Originally posted by josmith7:

Originally posted by Nailfoot:

And TAB can cycle through diagonal belts.

Diagonal (free placement) belts are now a 3rd snapping option for the 'R' key. They removed that functionality from TAB.

I think they should add a Force Straight belt option to the cycle.

[Dirkels]

Originally posted by jamiechi:

I think they should add a Force Straight belt option to the cycle.

And how would that be different from the current options?

[Nailfoot]

Originally posted by Dirkels:

Originally posted by jamiechi:

I think they should add a Force Straight belt option to the cycle.

And how would that be different from the current options?

I think he means so that it doesn't put a 90 in it, so you don't need to keep your cursor on that exact grid line.

[jamiechi]

Originally posted by Nailfoot:

Originally posted by Dirkels:

And how would that be different from the current options?

I think he means so that it doesn't put a 90 in it, so you don't need to keep your cursor on that exact grid line.

Yes. Currently we have the two right angle options and the angle. A lot of the time I just want to go straight.

[Zarken]

This is DUMB AS ♥♥♥♥!!! I swear to God developers have no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ common sense in designing anything past their ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 4SSHOLES!! Blueprints are pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ useless when they dont build the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ belt with the rest of the blueprint. I cannot play this until this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥ is fixed and I will not give a good review with this mechanic busted to ♥♥♥♥ the way it is!! Fix the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mechanic, common ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sense ppl!!

[josmith7]

Originally posted by Otsdarva:

This is DUMB AS ♥♥♥♥!!! I swear to God developers have no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ common sense in designing anything past their ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 4SSHOLES!! Blueprints are pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ useless when they dont build the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ belt with the rest of the blueprint. I cannot play this until this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥ is fixed and I will not give a good review with this mechanic busted to ♥♥♥♥ the way it is!! Fix the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mechanic, common ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sense ppl!!

What on earth are you on about?

Your complaint has nothing to do with this ancient thread.
But also, blueprints can definitely include belts -- and they get built when the blueprint is placed; just like every other element in the blueprint.


So can you please explain, exactly, the steps you're taking, the outcome you expected, and the exact outcome you got instead? Maybe then someone can explain what's going wrong for you.

[Dirkels]

I don't speak ❤️❤️❤️❤️. Could you try English?