[Suggestion] Output priority for Assemblers

[Ransom]

For using multiple outputs on a assembler, an option to choose the output priority would be nice, like it can be done with splitters :)

[Ransom]

*HAATSCHOOOMMM*

[Zaflis]

It's not as trivial idea as you might think. It's sorter that takes items out, assembler doesn't output anything. You can have even 3 sorters outputting on same side, all to 3 different belts.

What about idea of even distribution between all sorters then, so that they take turns? This isn't even about assembler now, you have same problem when outputting from a chest or any other machine.

If this is done poorly it can impact performance.

Ok for last words, Factorio's inserters are about 1:1 match with sorters. In all these years their devs couldn't think of a good solution to this problem either. So better just sort belts afterwards.

[Flappers]

You can already do that...

As you place the sorter down, before you place it, press TAB and it will filter through it's priority (if the output has more than 1 type)

This is the most efficient way to handling things like refiners, which have 2 outputs. You set one sorter to one output and another sorter to the other. So early on refineries have refined oil on one output sorter, and hydrogen coming out on another sorter to another belt.

[ValhallasAshes]

You can already do that. Click on the sorters outputting items from the refinery/building and set the filter to what item you want that sorter to export. From then on, that sorter will only export the item you set making it easier for you to direct what items end up on which belt.

EDIT: lol, Flappers beat me to it.

[Zaflis]

That's not priority sorter but filter sorter, very different thing.
You can do real priority sorting with splitters for multiple belts of same item.

[Onibaku]

I'm thinking that the practical applications of this are so few and in between that I would prefer the devs work on things more mainstream

[RawCode]

since each inserter is separate entity, it won't know is item should be picked or skipped, adding filter won't allow you to split output 1:1 on multiple belts.

your only option is chained sorters after machines, also personally i do not see how to implement this in acceptable manner without making something like "multidrop" inserter

[Flappers]

Originally posted by Zaflis:

That's not priority sorter but filter sorter, very different thing.
You can do real priority sorting with splitters for multiple belts of same item.

Right... so you want everything coming out of one sorter and "prioritised" somehow... to where exactly and for what purpose?

Everything that has multiple outputs has multiple positions where you can place a sorter. I fail to see where priority is more convenient than filtering on the sorter, especially when you can only link 1 sorter to 1 belt...

This makes absolutely no sense, and provides no benefit to the player when filtering on the sorter accomplishes the same thing.

[GMC]

The only use I can see for sorter priority is if you're using an assembler to send its output directly to multiple assemblers and you want one to have priority. But ultimately that's just a space-saving measure. There isn't any use case which couldn't also be achieved by outputting to a belt and using a splitter (or just using a single belt with the higher-priority consumer first).

While it wouldn't be particularly difficult to implement, it's Yet Another Feature and one which hardly anyone would actually use.

[ValhallasAshes]

The only use I can see for it is if you're wanting to conserve resources at a splitter/combiner you could prioritize the more dense higher resource track. You know, a second low output line used for fully saturating/load balancing a belt so the low output line is only combined fed onto the belt when it's actually needed. But for everything else, filters make far more sense.

[Zaflis]

Originally posted by Flappers:

Right... so you want everything coming out of one sorter and "prioritised" somehow... to where exactly and for what purpose?

I can easily imagine use cases for this, one thing being the mall. For example you would have an assembler making green sorters, then 2 sorters for output: 1 to chest and 1 towards making blue sorters. Ideally you would want them split 50:50 but in practise you get something totally random, probably 100 towards blue sorters and 0 into chest. If you can prioritize, you could first fill the chest and then let more go into blue sorters... But it is a problem because when you want some of green sorters there's none to pick up.

It's about making sorting decisions in a compact space. Ofc you can do real 50:50 or directed 100:0 priority with splitter but it won't be compact build anymore. I don't really need this feature for sorters personally but whatever...

[Ransom]

it make sense dudes bcs i have an assembler in the middle of a whole factory and i cant replace the belts. replacing it would mean to replace the half factory!
one goes out of its right side and the other on the left and the left one is the more important one and i want the assembler to output on this belt and only to the other if there is an overflow in the assembler. but for unknown reason it only shove it out to the right side and never to the left. only when the right side is full of items.
doesnt matter what i do it doesnt change... all what i can do for now is to set a filter on the right side to a different item manually and that sucks :P
btw its only one item produced in the assembler.

[Razorax]

It should totally be done in a round-robin way (as Factorio does it), currently the priority is simply "the first sorter placed get's priority above all others", instead of having "next in line get's priority" - which is sort of what you would expect when placing multiple sorters outputting from one entity. I agree, there are workarounds - but it's just a bug IMO that buildings are currently not outputting using round-robin.