MultipleUnitTrainControl

Factorio mod written in Lua. Lets locomotives provide backwards force in automatic if they are in a bidirectional pair.

• Type: Mod
• Name: Multiple Unit Train Control
• Description: Lets locomotives provide backwards force in automatic if they are in a bidirectional pair.
• License: MIT
• Source: GitHub
• Download: mods.factorio.com
• Version: 0.2.0
• Release: 2020-01-24
• Tested-With-Factorio-Version: 0.18.1
• Category: Helper, Train
• Tags: Train

Have you ever wished that all your locomotives would provide acceleration when running automatically, not just the ones facing forwards? You're not alone! With the power of Multiple Unit Train Control (MU Control) technology, a coupled pair of locomotives (an MU consist) can drive in either direction using the power of both!

Summary

Simply take two locomotives of the same type and couple them together facing opposite directions. Now you have an MU consist of two locomotives that can drive in either direction with the force of two locomotives. It will also consume fuel at the rate of two locomotives. Research Wireless MU Control and you can put wagons in between the two locomotives and still get the power boost.

This mod is meant to be an alternative to Noxy's Multidirectional Trains. I created it specifically to work with the Automatic Coupling System mod, because constantly uncoupling, reversing, and recoupling the trains interferes with the train alignment required to do realistic yard switching. MU Control only modifies the train when the locomotives are first linked, so it doesn't change anything while coupling and uncoupling wagons automatically.

Features

• Upgrading and downgrading locomotives preserves color, name, health, fuel inventory, equipment grid, burner heat, and train schedule.
• Detects when the player uncouples locomotives of an MU consist.
• Mining, blueprinting, or pressing 'Q' over an MU version will produce its standard version.
• Mod setting to configure frequency for fuel balancing.
• Currently supports:
  • Vanilla
  • Train & Fuel Overhaul
  • Electric Train (version 0.17.28 and up)
  • Batteries Not Included
  • Fully Automated Rail Layer
  • Angel's Petrochem Train
  • Angel's Smelting Train
  • Bob's Logistics
  • Schall Armoured Train
  • Electric Vehicles: Reborn
  • 5dim's mod - Trains
  • Armored Train (Wagon Turrets)
  • Realistic Electric Trains
  • Fusion Train
  • Nuclear Locomotives
  • Yuoki Industries - Railways
  • YIR - Yuoki-Industries-Railroads
  • YIR - Americans
  • YIR - Uranium Power Trains
  • Industrial Revolution
  • Bigger Slower Trains
  • Automatic Train Fuel Stop
  • Bob's Vehicle Equipment
  • Battle Locomotives
  • Electronic Locomotives
  • Electronic Battle Locomotives
  • Electronic Angel's Locomotives
  • Angel's Crawler Train
  • Steam Locomotive
  • Diesel Locomotive
  • Neocky's Trains

Planned Features

• Support additional modded locomotives. If you want more, please send me suggestions!

Details

Under the hood, MU Control detects when a train is created with opposite-facing locomotives of the same type, and silently replaces them with a different entity, the "MU version", that have twice as much power as before. As long as those two locomotives do not separate, MU Control never changes the train again. If an MU locomotive is found to be without its twin, MU Control will immediately replace it with the normal version. It always waits until the train has come to a stop before making replacements, to prevent most issues with automatic mode and collisions.

Since the game still thinks only one locomotive is driving, but with twice the power, the front locomotive will use twice as much fuel and the back won't use any. MU Control automatically balances fuel between them periodically, so the single-direction range of the two together is the same as if they were both facing forward. You can set the frequency of balancing or disable it in the mod settings. If you let it drain to empty, it won't balance the last unit of fuel.

Four modes can be selected in the mod settings:

• Basic mode: Locomotives that are adjacent or separated by other locomotives can form MU consists. Examples: , <L--L>
• Advanced (Wireless) mode: Locomotives can form MU consists anywhere in the train. Examples: , <L--W-W-L>
• Tech Unlock mode (default): MU upgrades remain disabled until you complete research MU Control technology. Unlock Wireless mode with a second research technology.
• Disabled mode: Reverts all MU locomotives to normal.

Known Issues

• If a locomotive is stopped on a junction when it is replaced, the train may not be reassembled correctly and will still be set to automatic, possibly causing collisions.
• In rare cases, the locomotive is deleted but the replacement cannot be placed, so it is lost. This normally only happens under heavy biter attack, but might happen at the end of a track.
• The MU version of each locomotive type is not craftable and should never end up in your inventory, but sometimes it does. It will revert as soon as you place it on a track.
• Train kill statistics may not be preserved when upgrading/downgrading locomotives.
• Mode is currently a runtime setting, so MU Control technologies will be available to research even if you have set MU Control to ignore them.
• The MU version has a separate item-type circuit signal, which is a separate signal from LTN stops when outputting train rolling stock descriptions. Not a bug, but don't click the wrong one by accident.

Credits:

• Noxy - Multidirectional Trains, which gave me the idea and some examples of train manipulation.
• Optera - Train & Fuel Overhaul, which taught me how to make altered entities, and for releasing their copyPrototype library function to public domain.
• Train30 - Created the icon graphics for MU Control technologies.
• kryshnar - Provided French locale.