Honestly I think a lot of this would make more sense if instead of showing complex junctions and going "put this signal here and this signal here" etc, you explained *why* each signal goes in each position
Thank you, the path signals -> end with block signal cracked the mystery for me. Very helpful and much appreciated! For roundabouts I've been making them large enough to only have Y junctions and no X junctions, that also allowed me to have path signals inside the circle, it allowed multiple trains in the roundabout.
i would guess that this "X junctions vs two Y junctions" is the old problem that is almost completely unrelated to blocks and signals, and that often caused (and still causes as i believe to have seen in some other video) trains to do a full loop of the roundabout instead of immediately leaving at their desired next exit. and for long trains in small roundabouts it might even cause trains to crash with themselves ? but if you only have Y junctions, the trains should be able to find a short(!) path through the roundabout when having path signals at all entries to the roundabout and no additional path signals in it, allowing multiple trains in the roundabout even with none of those additional signals ...
I recently build a single track single direction train. Now I found more oil, I started to think about two trains ending in one station. You, sir, just gave me glimpse of stuff I couldn't even imagine beeing possible in the game. Thank you for the spot on explanation about trains, signals and intersections. Funny side note: the place where you build the test rig is where my very first train rail is running.
I have been building super elaborate and complex train networks in factorio and I love it. Doing it in satisfactory is tedious though. And now I got a few places where trains get stuck and seem to ignore my signaling. Love the game overall, but man signalling is unituitive. At least I now understand what the path signals are meant to do. Still not udnerstanding it fully, but now I know what to experiment with. Thanks for the video ♡ Edit: After watching the whole thing I do get it. Well explaiend! Even after a year video is still worth it!
I consider myself quite fluent with signals. In factorio I had almost 100 trains running over a complex build. I just returned to Satisfactory update 7 but seem like trains are still buggy. I have 2 trains running and my 3rd one just stops. I have checked and double-checked and triple-checked the signals, the paths, everything. I can manually drive my train from source to destination BUT ... ALAS ... no luck. I love Satisfactory but trains are such a frustrating disappointment.
I can add to this that train momentum is taken into consideration (distance required to stop before the signal), so trains will slow down before reaching the path signal even if the block before is clear. To fix this, move the block signal before the path signal further from the path signal. The train reserves the path once it enters the block before, so a larger block allows the train to maintain speed until reaching the path signal unless the path is already taken. Great video otherwise!
with that method, wouldn't a train that is still quite far in front of the path signal already reserve and thus block the block/crossing behind the path signal and the next ones, so that (although the train has not arrived at the crossing yet, and also won't for a while) all other directions can't proceed through that reserved section and have to stop even if they would have been able to cross and leave that crossing if their signals wouldn't have stopped them ? would the opposite of your suggestion also be possible, eg having a normal signal directly (only minimal distance of 2 platforms or a little less) before the path signal, so that the train doesn't slow down yet in front of that signal when that signal is (almost always) green, and only after passing that normal signal it would enter the (very short) block in front of the path signal where it either can immediately reserve the path and continue at full speed, or needs to do a very(!) quick (almost instant, on those 2 platforms) "emergency stop" anyway ? or do trains also look further ahead (through the next few signals; difficult/impossible if there are many signals and switches on the track) to consider breaking distance to any/all signals in front of them ?
@@Anson_AKB Your assumption about the train momentum always being taken into account before any given signal is correct. Train momentum and braking requirements ignores all signals but red ones and path ones. [EDIT RE PREVIOUS: Not actually true. With further testing, I have found that the trains only look past the next signal if green into the next block ahead, so you are correct in stating that given enough signals jammed together, you could use emergency braking to speed up traffic flow potentially! ] Also, at a crossing of 2 tracks (with regular block signals controlling who can be in the crossing block, even if they don't transfer onto each other), the crossing signal (perpendicular to the direction of travel) turns red long before the train reaches the signal in the direction it's heading, so the game takes into account which train is going to arrive first at an area based on it's current speed and can stop crossing signals in other directions in order to stop trains before they arrive at the path. The game also calculates the path that the particular train is taking into account when changing signals early. So at a diverging route that also has a crossing, signals won't change to red to stop traffic because the train won't be blocking traffic on that section of track. And this is all without using path signals! It's actually a lot of math being calculated in busy areas! I have seen some "emergency stop" situations as well, but normally at lower speeds, but I'm still testing the extent of that! Path signals really unlock more complex crossings by allowing multiple consists to use them simultaneously if paths don't cross!🙂 Hope that makes sense!
I know this is an old post, but I found his out of late, after driving with a train. I had watched the pathing signals and when the turn green if applicable. I have about 2-3 train lengths, sometimes 4 dependant on what speed I expect the train to be going by then. For the OP - I love watching your videos - I just made a (opinions differ) very nice NPP using your guide on Nuclear Plants - brilliant
I timed one of my trains as it went around a loop-shaped track on my map. It took exactly five minutes to complete a circuit, so I put another two trains on the loop for a total of three. One left the home station at 0:00, one at 1:40, and another at 3:20. Each train loaded sulfur at the home station, unloaded sulfur at the refinery station, where it then loaded ingots, and followed the loop round back to the home station where it unloaded the ingots. And somehow with each train running the exact same route, unloading/loading exactly the same cargo, each train separated by 1 minute and 40 seconds, they *still* manage to collide!
I know this is 10 months old but there is a reason for the crash. Cargo weight influences acceleration, and topspeed on step slopes, the first train tock longer for the route than the second one, allowing that one to reduce the distance util they collided. This speed difference keeps increasing, because the 2nd train gets less and less cago the closer it gets to the first train, causing it to catch up faster and faster.
i've watched this video like 3 times, and it took me forever to do my own train signals... i finally got it, but i have to drill "pathing signals on the way in, block signals on the way out" into my brain for any junction or split. another note for trains that go back and forth, the stations have to be in opposite directions in relation to the track otherwise the train doesnt know where to go. great video though i learned a lot, especially about roundabouts :D
Well done... best tip... Path on entrance, block on exit. I didn't know that. I've been struggling with days on a parallel track getting into a junction that split off into two parallel tracks then shortly one of those 2 parallel tracks split off twice into two stations that are side by side. It's been a nightmare. I'll have to try that again.
Anybody else's brain hurting from watching left-hand drive railways and trying to mentally convert them into regular railways? xD Great video though, nicely explained. This should pretty much cover your everyday railway-signaling needs ;)
I started out with left hand drive (I'm from the UK too), but these signals have clearly been designed for right hand drive systems, and I ended up reluctantly switching them over after a while. It's really weird trying to build with them being on the **ehem** wrong side, kept putting the signals backwards at junctions.
Definitely... his videos are usually easy to understand. The first part I got but when he started switching everything to the left (even though you have to place the signals on the right of the track, I couldn't follow anymore). Unfortunately, Total is one of the only creators who have done a signal video thus far.
@@JN.0_o Probably because like 75% of the world drives on the right ... and yes trying to flip this around in my head became frustrating and confusing :)
Technically speaking, trains and double-track rail were invented by the English and thus the first were actually left handed. Also, many countries that drive cars on the right have rail which travels on the left (e.g. Italy or China).
This video really helped as I was stuck with figuring out a complicated intersection with using path and block signals. I had a Y-shaped intersection with two single tracks from stations joining to two tracks, one in each direction.
Finally the guide I was looking for... I had a 1 line setup with 2 trains, and made the "parking" spots on the side of stations, but could NOT figure out to signals that.. So I ended up building parallel tracks... Thanks tho :D
For anyone trying to replicate 10:43, it still works you just need to add additional blocks and paths at each station. If you're still having problems it could be a spacing issue, signals don't like to be too close to each other, generally the larger the scale the less problems you'll have
so as a note, early in the video you said you wanted to limit block signals to keep smooth running. i have found the opposite to be true in that if i separate into more blocks the system runs smoother as the likelyhood of a single block being taken up by another train decrease with more blocks involved (also allows long straight-aways to move seamlessly)
yes, the maximal distance between any two subsequent blocksignals on a route should determine the minimal distance that trains can have to each other, and that in turn determines the throughput. thus having more or less signals or blocks (if all those distances are shorter than that maximal distance; and on a straight lane without junctions or stations) should neither be better nor worse, and thus it shouldn't hurt to have a few extra signals on the track. since i didn't install update5 yet, i can't tell whether the game might (especially with path signals) sometimes break early to take the momentum of fast heavy trains into account, which would cause different behavior of having more or less signals. but in any case, the first signal behind a junction should always be a block signal, and that first block behind that block signal behind a junction should always be long enough to hold the longest train so that it doesn't "stick out" onto the junction behind it and keep that junction blocked, and that in turn probably would determine the maximal distance i mentioned above. as a rule of thumb from other games, i have most trains with the same length, or if needed a simple multiple of that length on dedicated routes (eg mostly L-CCC or 1-3 trains, and on specific routes 1-3-1-3 or 2-6 or 1-6-1 trains, or 1-3-1-3-1-3-1-3 or 2-6-2-6 or 4-12 or even 1-12-3 trains), with signal distances matching those 4, 8, or 16 total length behind every junction, and 4 or 5 (or 8 or 9) on the tracks between them. {ps: 1-12-3 instead of 4-12 to be able to also use the same station for 1-3 and 1-6-1 trains, and not need placeholder loading stations for the additional engines}
even if you did a thurough example, im super confused. might even be more confused now then before. sorry, but you seems to have helped alot of people understanding this. ill prolly loose all my hair from ripping it out before i get it to work.
9:40 Trains don't actually take the best path here, I think it might be that trains just pathfind around train stations if they don't use them (I tried to do this exact setup without stations). Also I think that you could just use block signals at both the entrances and exits and the train would act exactly the same. I do hope they add smart pathfinding soon though.
One thing id recommend is not having the exit signal from a path junction so close, maybe put it further along so that a train wont stop at that signal and block so much of the path. Its not necessarily a common thing with a smooth running network, but it may come up. Think of it like not entering a road intersection if theres no room for your car to exit that intersection. Youll just hold at the lights until theres room.
I had thought about roundabouts for trains but then I thought they wouldn't work. Glad to see I was proven wrong xd Never understood path signals before, but this cleared up some of the confusion at least.
I spent an entire Sunday, on the very annoying train system in this game. I believe most of my problems were tracks too close together, leading to loop warnings. I also had some problems I never did figure out. I added more signals, and a few problems magically went away. An unused, unterminated rail, connected to my main loop, was also causing a train to block forever. Ok, early access. But rails are way too painful IMO. You try to make a bi-directional, and get bit by freight car orderering. You try to put a loop/exit to avoid the freight car ordering, and I never got signals to work. Train stations are really big, which is painful. Laying track is really painful, as no trestles, and any terrain issues cause aesthetic issues, and now I find tracks too close don't work with signals. Ok, early access, I get it. But wow, I had to spend so much time trying to get something that should be simple to work.
Yeah making trains to work is where i quit the game. The wording on sif als and how they function is so confusing and no matter how many videos i watch on it, in my game they dont work at all. Always an error sign and they donr seem to work in a simple bi directional system which is what 90% of players will make given the cost of the first time they make it.
I eventually made peace with trains, as they are more pleasing as a transport option than other options. I just like seeing trains moving around the map. I like that you can send fluid without packaging them. After a fair amount of work, I mostly mastered the use of path signals, allowing for some cool junction layouts. I wish they were easier to use, and had more flexibility like being able to load/unload from the same depot.
Quite a good guide, thanks. What would improve understanding would be to always take on train/direction at the time - entry signal pathing and exit. At least for me putting all entry signals first without thinking of all the possible paths can sometimes be quite difficult to imagine, particularly when you have complex junctions. I often use a side train station next to the main two rail line. I want to enter the station from both directions - this creates quite a complex set and thinking through it is often challenging.
15:00 - the train goes around a full circle in the roundabout. this looks to me as if it is the old problem of having X junctions instead of two Y merge+split right after each other, and thus trains can't properly set the switches to go left or right on the first pass. thus reoundabouts probably should be built a bit bigger to avoid such X junctions everywhere. 14:35 - that same problem might also appear at other "multiple splits/merges", eg the triple-Y on that big junction. i have no idea whether or when they will fix those problems which are unrelated to signals, but might placing signals more difficult because of more chances to get conflicting rails (too near, loop into self, etc) 14:35 - small mistake (user error) : this is NOT a 4-way junction because the two connections are missing for the double track in topbottom (northsouth) direction after 10:00 - i don't understand why and when some of the signals switch to green or red ... eg at 10:02 the right path signal switches from red to green first, just when the last car of the train from the left side goes from the left onto the straight lane. why was that signal red in the first place when there were no trains in the next (its own) block or in the station and even the station's incoming signal was green ? and a moment later at 10:03 the two signals at the exit turn green (probably a signal that is hidden behind the left pillar of the station bridge?) but the left incoming path signal stays red even when all trains have left and all other signals are green ? or do the path signals look ahead for the NEXT TWO signals, thus whether their own block is free, and the NEXT TWO blocks too (in case of that red signal: the bypass lane, the merging junction, and also the next block where the leaving train is driving now) ? and the right path signal was green (as described above) since its three blocks are its own short block, the station's block, and the merging junction behind the station ? still strange to look ahead two more signals and three blocks ... or is that related to the breaking distances of possible fast heavy trains and the short length of these blocks, so that a path signals looks ahead not only for the next signal, but for all signals in some distance ahead ?
Path signals are always red until a path is reserved through the block, and then the correct entrance signal turns green. This is different to block signals which are always green until a train is in the block.
This video just made it clear to me that I can't work out the spaghetti junctions that is my one directional track linking up with my bi directional track only to split again into three stations. So that'll be someting to work on hahahaha...
Your video really help a lot..i still trying to understand a path signal but with your guide maybe i can try to improve a lot..at the moment i only use block signal for roundabout and etc.
If I understood the path signals correctly, you only need them if you have multiple exits. A train that reserves a complete path always reserves this one exit and therefore the complete block. So you can just as well use block signals.
I have set up an entire system where I have a double track, that splits off in various directions to get matierals from factories- but all these trains lead to a SINGLE main storage area. Is it not possible for me to have multiple trains in one block? I need them to cover long distances, but I don't want to prevent another train from taking a route just because another is on it. They are all going the same direction, so they won't crash. I just need to prevent crashing in the junctions- but as soon as I place a block, it will prevent them from entering the long distance tracks. Is there any way to allow trains in a block that another train is already in? Do I have to use block signals WITH path signals?
I started building a ~6km+ triple line this month to prepare for U5 - two single-direction lines and a service line reserved for passenger use. I paused work when I realised two potential problems you've now confirmed for me - tracks too close cause collision, and the signals look a bit awkward between the tracks when you have left hand side trains. Luckily not too much to redo and no major dependencies, except for the nuclear waste building up as I sort it out...
@@zaphernious4496 having a bypass at ALL stations (that can bypass the station and one more waiting train, maybe with a station "normalstationname-PAX") should also help to some degree for getting easier passenger transport on networks with no dedicated third lines.
@@Anson_AKB I've been using a train that is longer than my other trains as a mobile extended inventory, and I have to build and block off separate temporary offshoots so I can park my train where I'm working. Having dedicated stations for auto pilot travel is a good idea too (that I'm definitely stealing btw - no more worrying about blocking active stations), but if I'd thought of adding a third rail, then I wouldn't need to worry about my choo clogging up the rest of the network.
@@zaphernious4496 Hehe yes, I have a mobile inventory train too, named "Doctor Yellow" after the much loved Shinkansen service train. I also had a thought that if I ever start over from scratch I'd actually make a 'world train' rather than a central base / item malls, so that I always have all my finished resources with me.
@@Anson_AKB Dedicated service stations as waypoints along the route is a good idea to stop your service train from queuing up to go through busy stations on autopilot. I had a similar idea before opting for a full service line. My reasoning was in considering how it's going to be used. You'll have to set a whole timetable every time you want to go anywhere, or pilot it manually to stay on the bypasses. You also can't stop between stations as other trains will be stuck waiting for the track to clear. I think a dedicated service line is preferable as it's very nice being able to hop in the service train, just select your ultimate destination from a list that only contains service stations, and go make a cup of tea while the train gets you there. Then because the timetable only has one stop at any time, once the train arrives, it sits there at the destination until your tea is brewed and you come back to the game. A dedicated service line lets you do that and also allows for manually driving the trains at full speed, since on a shared line you would often catch up with local freight services and have to slow down to avoid collision (though you might still have to be careful anywhere the lines cross). Of course, having discovered my track section in question was in fact over 11km long, there is a strong "repetitive strain injury" argument against adding 50% more track than absolutely necessary...
See, since I started playing this game, roughly in June of this year, I heard rumblings about upcoming train collisions watching vids from all y'all yt creators. Therefore, all my train lines are a single train per line, set up for a specific purpose. Transporting plastic, bauxite, sulfur, etc. I may try multiple trains on a single line in the future, but do press X to doubt.
ive thought about leaving some of the slugs ive came across because they just looked so cool in the position .. but i cant not pick them up lol, i saw you did it
Here is a question: if i have a single track line that goes all the way around my entire map, with 9 stations. If i were to put one block signal down at one of the station exits, would it consider the entire loop in front to be a single segment? Would i have to put a block signal at every station exit and have 1 less train than stations to make it work? they are very frustrating, but i refuse to quit until i make it work. Thanks for the video btw.
So question...... Are you able to set up a parallel lines that can switch a train from left hand to right hand drive? And if yes how do you do the signals, i have tried and putting path at entry and block at exit, doesn't work, im 100% sure im doing something wrong
You get the bug with overlapping signals because of the left hand orientation. The pole is in the middle, between tracks, thus encroaching on the other tracks placement radius.
Another quick tip! People seem to be struggling when placing a signal on a specific side of the track to properly dictate direction. You actually don't aim to the right/left of the track; you need to aim before/after the signal to dictate which direction the train comes from. The signal snaps to a node between two placed rails so aiming just before or after it will still place it in the right spot.
This is definitely helpful for my signaling system. It just made my realize I made a few mistakes, and the next time I start up Satisfactory, I will make changes using your tips.
still lost, got mixed and confused results...tryed to put path entering a junction and a block at the end but 7 Times out of 10 i got errors...tryed doing opposite and i got less errors, but i'm not sure if it's properly working...my brain is fucking frying
Still have few of uncovered questions: 1. Do train station add "weight" to path, like in Factorio? So train can detour around the station like showed in (9:57). 2. Are rail stackers possible? So multiple train can stack in parallel waiting for the next block to empty. 3. Do train occupy the whole block, or do they occupy only a path (16:30)? Normally in Factorio we place chain signal between each exit and enter on roundabout (9:16). Will trains run parallel on the roundabout without those chain signals?
From what I got from the wiki: 1. and 2. No. The routing is done by the train engine, completely disregarding signals and other trains. The signals only influence the decisions of "stop" and "go", no direction changes.
Trains are driving me nuts. My train runs fine as long as there is only one train. If I add the second, they WILL collide within a couple minutes. If I put down a signal (stop/pathing) at any location, regardless of what signals I have in other locations the train will immediately stop and will not continue on until I delete the signal. Then it stops at the next one until I delete that one, and so forth. My stations are pretty much like the one you show at about 9:49. I tried setting up the signals as yours were in similar locations. "Signal loops into itself" was the most common result. At no time under no circumstance did I get a signal to do ANYTHING but stop a train. It didn't matter if I had the other train parked at the opposite end of the map...
I'm rewatching because I have issues with my network that I think are fixed but I do like that bug where the liquid trains need for locomotives on grades because it better simulates the "sloshing" affect of bulk liquids and I've hauled loads in tankers before in real life and that load surge can and WILL stop a truck from getting into motion or push a truck from a dead stop with brakes applied. Think of a half empty gallon of milk you haphazardly set on the table and see how it still moves in its direction an inch or so now times that by about 4,000 or more. It'll knock your teeth loose if you don't know how to be smooth so that bug I actually liked
Yes : it's working for my bypass lane for each train station, as explain at 9'38". But at the beginning of a track split (Y) your Pass signals must not be too close otherwise it's bugging !. Thanks TE.
The new buildables are great. I've been having trouble with signals. I think part of my problem is my double rails are closer than 4m and are sometimes counting as one rail. Then I have 1 section that is dual direction that picks up stuff from a T1 collection depot. The end result is the large double loop is blocked as one section if a train is on it anywhere in the world. Ah see, it looks like I need a path signal on the single dual direction rail that connects to the double track.
I am more confused on how to use signals now than I was before watching this. Maybe try again and go slower and not make it so confusing with all the left hand stuff. Definitely went too fast thru the whole thing and pause didn't help.
I wish they'd just give us a 45 degree foundation joint at least If not fully round foundations! And wish they'd improve how you lay down tracks... Like provide pre curved 90 degree turned tracks etc
man i have over 1000 hours in factorio, making train stations in my sleep, but satisfactory's train system is rough by comparison. i hope they make it so you can add signals and tracks anywhere along a line at some point. having to deal with where a segment starts and ends is so annoying to keep in mind (maybe thats just me?)
Hi, i'm doing m'y signal on m'y EA save. I'm actualy working on my station and i don't understand why my path signal are in red but my block signal is green i have the same spot of you at 17:46. I have path at the end of station and one block a bit ferwer when all my rail make one. For unstuck my train i put all as block but have you any idea about it? Thx a lot for you video this help me a lot. Nice job 👍🥰
This seems nice and all, but do players actually use the train enough to justify the complications? My main map has like a 7 station/7train circuit, to stop at every resource type spanning a good portion of the map. I have 2 smaller 2 station/ 2 train circuits for particular late game liquids/gas. Also, signaling will likely mess up my 183 km/h train speed as it takes a hit minute to stop. Obviously, having more options is better, I just feel like the trains occupy too much space that to fully utilize the new features most of the area would have to be train related.
I disagree but it depends on your build style if youre harvesting all the resources from a biome then a train would take up much less room than a conveyor bus. It depends on each person's build style
I tried to set this up exactly as you have but the signals only want to click to track at the junction of the tracks and it frustrating as all get out.
Hay man I'm confused with block signals and path signals, I watched your entire video and it still ain't working. I'm trying to setup a bi directional circuit, and on this passing track I have setup, at the beginning of the passing lane, I have a path signal and at the end of that lane I have a block signal, and on the track running parallel to it leading to the same track at each end I have a path signal at the beginning of that track and a block signal at the other end of the track and yet according to the trains there's a signal problem because the path signals stay red but the block signals say green on the other end even though there's no train in between 1 of the path signals and the block signal its paired with. The block signals ain't what's causing the problems, they say green at the other end because there no train on that side of the track, it's the path signals that keep staying on red even though there's no train on that section
perhaps it is a bit late to ask this as i am a few months out from when this was posted but i cant seem to get my chain of path/blocks to work on a 4 way cross junction. i am not sure what i am doing wrong. i am following that path in block out but my signals are still not working, any help would be appreciated if possible thanks :)
For very long straight line (I use double lane railway btw) how to you do to allow multiple train du ride at the same time without placing a bloc signal every 50 meters for 2km ? For now my trains are juste waiting for a long time that the previous trains cross a junction before going. Thanks in advance if you have a solution !
@@justacoasterfan_ which is safer actually since i often spot trains catching up to others in long runs. There are places where trains go downhill and meet others that are on the same line with just engine power and no extra momentum. would go bang without regular signals, just like in real life.
Place block signals just before the junction and then slightly further along before the junction. Then trains will only slow down if both those blocks are occupied.
@@TotalXclipse As a rule of thumb, path signals should be placed at the entrance to an intersection and block signals at the exit. To improve efficiency you should place path signals before every track intersection (This I am part I have not tested - but was the way these things I worked in factorio which used a similar/same system.).
@@TotalXclipse i saw nobody testing whether satis pathing has any priorities to find its pathes, eg through a blocked station vs through a bypass, or through one of several tracks when one of them is blocked by other trains or stopped trains or even stopped manual trains, or when there are two alternative empty tracks with different lengths. until now i only know that the new satis pathing at path signals finds a path through a single big block, and even another path for another train through the same block if those pathes don't collide or cross each other (which ottd does too but factorio does not). on the other hand, factorio has overall pathing (finding ways to stations and including penalties for blocked stations, trains, signals, waiting trains, and many more) built into normal signals already. but no idea whether satis does more than finding "some short path" for trains, i never have heard of any penalties to optimize those general pathes (not to be confused with pathes through blocks at path signals). @Bevan Jones 1 : yes, your rule of thumb should probably work, but maybe better refer to ottd path signals (and yet they are still not identical to satis path signals) instead of factorio chain signals. factorio chain signals need to be placed also between every pair of crossing rails on a junction to create lots of separate blocks. they have no ability to create non-intersecting usable pathes inside a single block for several trains at the same time. @Bevan Jones 2 : _"pass right through" using the bypass ? that's something i haven't seen tested in any videos yet. it would be nice, but require some general pathing (see above) which might be (mostly/completely) something different from pathing through single big blocks at path signals.
4:35 I just built a massive trainline and it's all built closely together....................................... I hope they fix this and i guess for now it's one train :))))))))))
I have two separate lines that merge into a single line for a bit then split back off into two. How do I set up signals so that my two trains don't hit each other when coming into that junction?
So you kind of glazed past my particular situation, which is what I think 99% of players will try to do at first -- A simple Y junction. 3 train stations, 2 of them on two separate lines which merge to go to a third station, no loop on the end (because we want to preserve which end of the train is which) How do you set that up?
Single line doing a y junction can be done with block signals place then on both sides of the track as you're using a push pull design. You need these signals just at the junction
Hello, thanks for this very nice tutorial. But I have a question. It's look like (in the cross section part) that you can place 2 path signal and finish with a bloc signal. So P -> P -> B. But when I try to do that, the game says that my first path signal can not found its bloc signal. So how did you do that ? Thanks a lot
Really don't want to have to travel the world map slightly bumping my second rail over a few meters. Can't they just fix the distance check thing to be like 2 meters?
I cant seem to make the Path Signal and Block Signal to Work together.... the Path Signals never change from Red To Green but the Block Signal Goes from Red To Green and vice versa
Question: Will Trains line up behind each other at a stop signal automaticly? Or wil the train just hit the back end of the waiting train at max speed? It seems kinda annoying to place a ton of signals on a track just to prevent trains from driving into each others back ends??
That's the function of block signals. The track is split into individual blocks which can only be occupied by 1 train at a time. They are a pain, but you only need to set them up once.
You need to place enough signals at waiting points on your tracks to accomodate the maximum possible amount of trains that could wait at the same time. This means if you have 4 trains, every intersection, station and other waiting point will need 4 signals, one for each train. This includes the signal used in the railway system (the signal you would need to make it functional even when you have a single train)
Ok thanks. But isn't this going to be super annoying for megafactories that have a single train network across the whole map with 20-30 trains driving on it? At some point all the trains merge onto one trainline in order to drive into the main train station. So would you have to place 20-30 signals before each and every junction just to eliminate rear-end collisions? Before Update 5 I thought that train signals would only be used for junctions and not for keeping trains from rearending each other :/ It just seems to me that it would be way less annoying if trains wouldn't just drive into a train that is standing still infront of them... Sorry if my english is bad 😁
Not sure you need N blocks at every junction, just N+1 in total is enough to stop a deadlock, then add some more for better flexibility (so trains aren't constantly hitting an occupied block and slowing down). It should be just like transport fever or railway empire if you've played any of those series.
@@alectrix3790 From playing factorio what I can tell you is that for precaution (it isn't that big a hassle) you should have the 20-30 signals on any waiting area, separated by the size of your biggest train. This is only IF the waiting area is bigger than the longest queue that can form in your network. If for example you have a block that can only fit 5 trains of max length, you need to have 5 block signals to prevent issues since all other trains will be waiting before the intersection. You have to remember tho that if for example you have a section off the main railway that serves only for 3 trains let's say, then in that section you only need 3 signals per waiting area. I think you will see when you play it, but it's not that big of a deal. you can also increase the size of trains and reduce the amount of them to reduce the amount of signals required.
im having an issue where i have a bi directional track thats apart of a larger loop (the opposite track eventually loops around and connect to a station heading the same direction of the loop) but halfway through the bi directional track i have a passing lane for the train that goes against the traffic flow to move over if another train is heading through the loop to move without stopping but once it gets to the passing lane it just sits there and wont go back on the track to the station. none of my signals dont have the *conflicting entry type error*
wait I can't just use a block for a small portion of the rail? I just wanna make a stop before a station, not divide my whole rail into 2 segments :s this way to make 2 trains move on the same loop I have to put like a million of these everywhere
This really helps but I have seen on reddit someone tried that last thing you showed and it didnt work as intended the trains kept taking the shortest path even though more blocks were open.
Great video, I keep getting an error message that the signal loops onto itself. I have a massive train line around the entire map, so I am not entirely sure how to fix this error. Also, do you have a setup for signals where one has a multi-station set up where trains come in on one line but peel off into their designated station?
That signal looping sounds like A. You're not using the same signal on the entraces to that segment (and closing with block signals) or you have the bug where the rails are close together so one signal is counting both parts of the track instead of just one side.
if you have a "massive (long) lane around the world" and don't know where the problem is, start building blocksignals to create lots of blocks (btw: that will be necessary anyway to use that long lane for multiple trains). when one of those new blocks has no problem, one of its signals (the old one) should now turn from "error" to red or green, and the other (the new one) should show "error" now. after doing this along the entire lane for a while, you should see a relatively short new block with the error staying on the older existing signal and more easily can see what the error is or rebuild that segment.
Honestly I think a lot of this would make more sense if instead of showing complex junctions and going "put this signal here and this signal here" etc, you explained *why* each signal goes in each position
Too pretentious the youtuber is
Pathing signal on the way in, block signal on the way out.
Lol felt like I watched the whole video for that one sentence.
Thank you, the path signals -> end with block signal cracked the mystery for me. Very helpful and much appreciated! For roundabouts I've been making them large enough to only have Y junctions and no X junctions, that also allowed me to have path signals inside the circle, it allowed multiple trains in the roundabout.
i would guess that this "X junctions vs two Y junctions" is the old problem that is almost completely unrelated to blocks and signals, and that often caused (and still causes as i believe to have seen in some other video) trains to do a full loop of the roundabout instead of immediately leaving at their desired next exit. and for long trains in small roundabouts it might even cause trains to crash with themselves ? but if you only have Y junctions, the trains should be able to find a short(!) path through the roundabout when having path signals at all entries to the roundabout and no additional path signals in it, allowing multiple trains in the roundabout even with none of those additional signals ...
I recently build a single track single direction train. Now I found more oil, I started to think about two trains ending in one station. You, sir, just gave me glimpse of stuff I couldn't even imagine beeing possible in the game. Thank you for the spot on explanation about trains, signals and intersections.
Funny side note: the place where you build the test rig is where my very first train rail is running.
I have been building super elaborate and complex train networks in factorio and I love it. Doing it in satisfactory is tedious though. And now I got a few places where trains get stuck and seem to ignore my signaling.
Love the game overall, but man signalling is unituitive.
At least I now understand what the path signals are meant to do. Still not udnerstanding it fully, but now I know what to experiment with.
Thanks for the video ♡
Edit: After watching the whole thing I do get it. Well explaiend! Even after a year video is still worth it!
I consider myself quite fluent with signals. In factorio I had almost 100 trains running over a complex build. I just returned to Satisfactory update 7 but seem like trains are still buggy. I have 2 trains running and my 3rd one just stops. I have checked and double-checked and triple-checked the signals, the paths, everything. I can manually drive my train from source to destination BUT ... ALAS ... no luck. I love Satisfactory but trains are such a frustrating disappointment.
I can add to this that train momentum is taken into consideration (distance required to stop before the signal), so trains will slow down before reaching the path signal even if the block before is clear. To fix this, move the block signal before the path signal further from the path signal. The train reserves the path once it enters the block before, so a larger block allows the train to maintain speed until reaching the path signal unless the path is already taken. Great video otherwise!
with that method, wouldn't a train that is still quite far in front of the path signal already reserve and thus block the block/crossing behind the path signal and the next ones, so that (although the train has not arrived at the crossing yet, and also won't for a while) all other directions can't proceed through that reserved section and have to stop even if they would have been able to cross and leave that crossing if their signals wouldn't have stopped them ?
would the opposite of your suggestion also be possible, eg having a normal signal directly (only minimal distance of 2 platforms or a little less) before the path signal, so that the train doesn't slow down yet in front of that signal when that signal is (almost always) green, and only after passing that normal signal it would enter the (very short) block in front of the path signal where it either can immediately reserve the path and continue at full speed, or needs to do a very(!) quick (almost instant, on those 2 platforms) "emergency stop" anyway ?
or do trains also look further ahead (through the next few signals; difficult/impossible if there are many signals and switches on the track) to consider breaking distance to any/all signals in front of them ?
@@Anson_AKB Your assumption about the train momentum always being taken into account before any given signal is correct. Train momentum and braking requirements ignores all signals but red ones and path ones. [EDIT RE PREVIOUS: Not actually true. With further testing, I have found that the trains only look past the next signal if green into the next block ahead, so you are correct in stating that given enough signals jammed together, you could use emergency braking to speed up traffic flow potentially! ] Also, at a crossing of 2 tracks (with regular block signals controlling who can be in the crossing block, even if they don't transfer onto each other), the crossing signal (perpendicular to the direction of travel) turns red long before the train reaches the signal in the direction it's heading, so the game takes into account which train is going to arrive first at an area based on it's current speed and can stop crossing signals in other directions in order to stop trains before they arrive at the path. The game also calculates the path that the particular train is taking into account when changing signals early. So at a diverging route that also has a crossing, signals won't change to red to stop traffic because the train won't be blocking traffic on that section of track. And this is all without using path signals! It's actually a lot of math being calculated in busy areas! I have seen some "emergency stop" situations as well, but normally at lower speeds, but I'm still testing the extent of that! Path signals really unlock more complex crossings by allowing multiple consists to use them simultaneously if paths don't cross!🙂 Hope that makes sense!
I know this is an old post, but I found his out of late, after driving with a train. I had watched the pathing signals and when the turn green if applicable. I have about 2-3 train lengths, sometimes 4 dependant on what speed I expect the train to be going by then.
For the OP - I love watching your videos - I just made a (opinions differ) very nice NPP using your guide on Nuclear Plants - brilliant
I timed one of my trains as it went around a loop-shaped track on my map. It took exactly five minutes to complete a circuit, so I put another two trains on the loop for a total of three. One left the home station at 0:00, one at 1:40, and another at 3:20. Each train loaded sulfur at the home station, unloaded sulfur at the refinery station, where it then loaded ingots, and followed the loop round back to the home station where it unloaded the ingots.
And somehow with each train running the exact same route, unloading/loading exactly the same cargo, each train separated by 1 minute and 40 seconds, they *still* manage to collide!
✨️Logic✨️
I know this is 10 months old but there is a reason for the crash.
Cargo weight influences acceleration, and topspeed on step slopes, the first train tock longer for the route than the second one, allowing that one to reduce the distance util they collided. This speed difference keeps increasing, because the 2nd train gets less and less cago the closer it gets to the first train, causing it to catch up faster and faster.
i've watched this video like 3 times, and it took me forever to do my own train signals... i finally got it, but i have to drill "pathing signals on the way in, block signals on the way out" into my brain for any junction or split.
another note for trains that go back and forth, the stations have to be in opposite directions in relation to the track otherwise the train doesnt know where to go. great video though i learned a lot, especially about roundabouts :D
Well done... best tip... Path on entrance, block on exit. I didn't know that. I've been struggling with days on a parallel track getting into a junction that split off into two parallel tracks then shortly one of those 2 parallel tracks split off twice into two stations that are side by side. It's been a nightmare. I'll have to try that again.
Anybody else's brain hurting from watching left-hand drive railways and trying to mentally convert them into regular railways? xD
Great video though, nicely explained. This should pretty much cover your everyday railway-signaling needs ;)
Maybe I'll do another video covering Right hand drive junctions :D
I started out with left hand drive (I'm from the UK too), but these signals have clearly been designed for right hand drive systems, and I ended up reluctantly switching them over after a while. It's really weird trying to build with them being on the **ehem** wrong side, kept putting the signals backwards at junctions.
Definitely... his videos are usually easy to understand. The first part I got but when he started switching everything to the left (even though you have to place the signals on the right of the track, I couldn't follow anymore). Unfortunately, Total is one of the only creators who have done a signal video thus far.
@@JN.0_o Probably because like 75% of the world drives on the right ... and yes trying to flip this around in my head became frustrating and confusing :)
Technically speaking, trains and double-track rail were invented by the English and thus the first were actually left handed. Also, many countries that drive cars on the right have rail which travels on the left (e.g. Italy or China).
Just starting playing with trains. And you saved my mental health. Thank you very much.
I love that we can now split a rail into 3 splits instead of only 2. Makes train hubs a lot easier.
This video really helped as I was stuck with figuring out a complicated intersection with using path and block signals. I had a Y-shaped intersection with two single tracks from stations joining to two tracks, one in each direction.
When the signals green, the track is clean
When its red, your train may be dead😂😂
🚦
Signal your path, or your train takes a bath
If it could work with humans would be great
@@michaelsotomayor5001 I know right us humans can be very finicky creatures
Finally the guide I was looking for... I had a 1 line setup with 2 trains, and made the "parking" spots on the side of stations, but could NOT figure out to signals that.. So I ended up building parallel tracks...
Thanks tho :D
For anyone trying to replicate 10:43, it still works you just need to add additional blocks and paths at each station. If you're still having problems it could be a spacing issue, signals don't like to be too close to each other, generally the larger the scale the less problems you'll have
so as a note, early in the video you said you wanted to limit block signals to keep smooth running. i have found the opposite to be true in that if i separate into more blocks the system runs smoother as the likelyhood of a single block being taken up by another train decrease with more blocks involved (also allows long straight-aways to move seamlessly)
yes, the maximal distance between any two subsequent blocksignals on a route should determine the minimal distance that trains can have to each other, and that in turn determines the throughput. thus having more or less signals or blocks (if all those distances are shorter than that maximal distance; and on a straight lane without junctions or stations) should neither be better nor worse, and thus it shouldn't hurt to have a few extra signals on the track. since i didn't install update5 yet, i can't tell whether the game might (especially with path signals) sometimes break early to take the momentum of fast heavy trains into account, which would cause different behavior of having more or less signals.
but in any case, the first signal behind a junction should always be a block signal, and that first block behind that block signal behind a junction should always be long enough to hold the longest train so that it doesn't "stick out" onto the junction behind it and keep that junction blocked, and that in turn probably would determine the maximal distance i mentioned above.
as a rule of thumb from other games, i have most trains with the same length, or if needed a simple multiple of that length on dedicated routes (eg mostly L-CCC or 1-3 trains, and on specific routes 1-3-1-3 or 2-6 or 1-6-1 trains, or 1-3-1-3-1-3-1-3 or 2-6-2-6 or 4-12 or even 1-12-3 trains), with signal distances matching those 4, 8, or 16 total length behind every junction, and 4 or 5 (or 8 or 9) on the tracks between them. {ps: 1-12-3 instead of 4-12 to be able to also use the same station for 1-3 and 1-6-1 trains, and not need placeholder loading stations for the additional engines}
Excellent. Just figured out why I had so many issues with my "teardrop" loops in back of my stations.
even if you did a thurough example, im super confused. might even be more confused now then before. sorry, but you seems to have helped alot of people understanding this. ill prolly loose all my hair from ripping it out before i get it to work.
Sorry it's confused you more! If I get chance I'll try to write the signal guide up for satisfactorytips.com. Hopefully it'll be easier to understand!
This is one of the best explanations of signal use I've seen for any game. Nicely done.
You should look for some Factorio ones.
It's much easier to visualise with a more 'top down' view and less fancy visuals.
9:40 Trains don't actually take the best path here, I think it might be that trains just pathfind around train stations if they don't use them (I tried to do this exact setup without stations). Also I think that you could just use block signals at both the entrances and exits and the train would act exactly the same. I do hope they add smart pathfinding soon though.
One thing id recommend is not having the exit signal from a path junction so close, maybe put it further along so that a train wont stop at that signal and block so much of the path. Its not necessarily a common thing with a smooth running network, but it may come up. Think of it like not entering a road intersection if theres no room for your car to exit that intersection. Youll just hold at the lights until theres room.
I had thought about roundabouts for trains but then I thought they wouldn't work. Glad to see I was proven wrong xd
Never understood path signals before, but this cleared up some of the confusion at least.
I build and maintain tracks for a living and This is getting way more interesting to do with added signals
by Alpha release it will be marketed as a train/ transport simulator...
I spent an entire Sunday, on the very annoying train system in this game. I believe most of my problems were tracks too close together, leading to loop warnings. I also had some problems I never did figure out. I added more signals, and a few problems magically went away. An unused, unterminated rail, connected to my main loop, was also causing a train to block forever. Ok, early access. But rails are way too painful IMO. You try to make a bi-directional, and get bit by freight car orderering. You try to put a loop/exit to avoid the freight car ordering, and I never got signals to work. Train stations are really big, which is painful. Laying track is really painful, as no trestles, and any terrain issues cause aesthetic issues, and now I find tracks too close don't work with signals. Ok, early access, I get it. But wow, I had to spend so much time trying to get something that should be simple to work.
Yeah making trains to work is where i quit the game. The wording on sif als and how they function is so confusing and no matter how many videos i watch on it, in my game they dont work at all. Always an error sign and they donr seem to work in a simple bi directional system which is what 90% of players will make given the cost of the first time they make it.
I eventually made peace with trains, as they are more pleasing as a transport option than other options. I just like seeing trains moving around the map. I like that you can send fluid without packaging them. After a fair amount of work, I mostly mastered the use of path signals, allowing for some cool junction layouts. I wish they were easier to use, and had more flexibility like being able to load/unload from the same depot.
Quite a good guide, thanks. What would improve understanding would be to always take on train/direction at the time - entry signal pathing and exit. At least for me putting all entry signals first without thinking of all the possible paths can sometimes be quite difficult to imagine, particularly when you have complex junctions. I often use a side train station next to the main two rail line. I want to enter the station from both directions - this creates quite a complex set and thinking through it is often challenging.
15:00 - the train goes around a full circle in the roundabout. this looks to me as if it is the old problem of having X junctions instead of two Y merge+split right after each other, and thus trains can't properly set the switches to go left or right on the first pass. thus reoundabouts probably should be built a bit bigger to avoid such X junctions everywhere.
14:35 - that same problem might also appear at other "multiple splits/merges", eg the triple-Y on that big junction. i have no idea whether or when they will fix those problems which are unrelated to signals, but might placing signals more difficult because of more chances to get conflicting rails (too near, loop into self, etc)
14:35 - small mistake (user error) : this is NOT a 4-way junction because the two connections are missing for the double track in topbottom (northsouth) direction
after 10:00 - i don't understand why and when some of the signals switch to green or red ... eg at 10:02 the right path signal switches from red to green first, just when the last car of the train from the left side goes from the left onto the straight lane. why was that signal red in the first place when there were no trains in the next (its own) block or in the station and even the station's incoming signal was green ? and a moment later at 10:03 the two signals at the exit turn green (probably a signal that is hidden behind the left pillar of the station bridge?) but the left incoming path signal stays red even when all trains have left and all other signals are green ? or do the path signals look ahead for the NEXT TWO signals, thus whether their own block is free, and the NEXT TWO blocks too (in case of that red signal: the bypass lane, the merging junction, and also the next block where the leaving train is driving now) ? and the right path signal was green (as described above) since its three blocks are its own short block, the station's block, and the merging junction behind the station ? still strange to look ahead two more signals and three blocks ... or is that related to the breaking distances of possible fast heavy trains and the short length of these blocks, so that a path signals looks ahead not only for the next signal, but for all signals in some distance ahead ?
Path signals are always red until a path is reserved through the block, and then the correct entrance signal turns green. This is different to block signals which are always green until a train is in the block.
This video just made it clear to me that I can't work out the spaghetti junctions that is my one directional track linking up with my bi directional track only to split again into three stations.
So that'll be someting to work on hahahaha...
Your video really help a lot..i still trying to understand a path signal but with your guide maybe i can try to improve a lot..at the moment i only use block signal for roundabout and etc.
Sir, you are getting a shoutout in my brain for this tutorial, thank you.
If I understood the path signals correctly, you only need them if you have multiple exits. A train that reserves a complete path always reserves this one exit and therefore the complete block. So you can just as well use block signals.
You absolutely can just use block signals, but they will cause your trains to slow down and stop if any other train enters a section of track.
I have set up an entire system where I have a double track, that splits off in various directions to get matierals from factories- but all these trains lead to a SINGLE main storage area. Is it not possible for me to have multiple trains in one block? I need them to cover long distances, but I don't want to prevent another train from taking a route just because another is on it. They are all going the same direction, so they won't crash.
I just need to prevent crashing in the junctions- but as soon as I place a block, it will prevent them from entering the long distance tracks. Is there any way to allow trains in a block that another train is already in? Do I have to use block signals WITH path signals?
I started building a ~6km+ triple line this month to prepare for U5 - two single-direction lines and a service line reserved for passenger use. I paused work when I realised two potential problems you've now confirmed for me - tracks too close cause collision, and the signals look a bit awkward between the tracks when you have left hand side trains.
Luckily not too much to redo and no major dependencies, except for the nuclear waste building up as I sort it out...
A service line for passengers is an excellent idea
@@zaphernious4496 having a bypass at ALL stations (that can bypass the station and one more waiting train, maybe with a station "normalstationname-PAX") should also help to some degree for getting easier passenger transport on networks with no dedicated third lines.
@@Anson_AKB I've been using a train that is longer than my other trains as a mobile extended inventory, and I have to build and block off separate temporary offshoots so I can park my train where I'm working. Having dedicated stations for auto pilot travel is a good idea too (that I'm definitely stealing btw - no more worrying about blocking active stations), but if I'd thought of adding a third rail, then I wouldn't need to worry about my choo clogging up the rest of the network.
@@zaphernious4496 Hehe yes, I have a mobile inventory train too, named "Doctor Yellow" after the much loved Shinkansen service train. I also had a thought that if I ever start over from scratch I'd actually make a 'world train' rather than a central base / item malls, so that I always have all my finished resources with me.
@@Anson_AKB Dedicated service stations as waypoints along the route is a good idea to stop your service train from queuing up to go through busy stations on autopilot. I had a similar idea before opting for a full service line. My reasoning was in considering how it's going to be used. You'll have to set a whole timetable every time you want to go anywhere, or pilot it manually to stay on the bypasses. You also can't stop between stations as other trains will be stuck waiting for the track to clear.
I think a dedicated service line is preferable as it's very nice being able to hop in the service train, just select your ultimate destination from a list that only contains service stations, and go make a cup of tea while the train gets you there. Then because the timetable only has one stop at any time, once the train arrives, it sits there at the destination until your tea is brewed and you come back to the game. A dedicated service line lets you do that and also allows for manually driving the trains at full speed, since on a shared line you would often catch up with local freight services and have to slow down to avoid collision (though you might still have to be careful anywhere the lines cross).
Of course, having discovered my track section in question was in fact over 11km long, there is a strong "repetitive strain injury" argument against adding 50% more track than absolutely necessary...
Thanks for the tip on the overlapping tracks causing issues. Seems it's still a thing in 2022.
Already figured it out but watched the video anyway. ;)
My train Drivers are drunk…. And blind… and deaf.. but it have help a lot get these signals.
Thanks mate I was waiting for this video. Path signals won the fight against me and made me rage quit 🤣
See, since I started playing this game, roughly in June of this year, I heard rumblings about upcoming train collisions watching vids from all y'all yt creators.
Therefore, all my train lines are a single train per line, set up for a specific purpose. Transporting plastic, bauxite, sulfur, etc.
I may try multiple trains on a single line in the future, but do press X to doubt.
I heard “chain signal.” Welcome to SatisFactorio! 🤣 Great breakdown and tutorial, thanks!
ive thought about leaving some of the slugs ive came across because they just looked so cool in the position .. but i cant not pick them up lol, i saw you did it
Great guide TotalXclipse! Very helpful.
Some train bugs were fixed in yesterday's patch, along with a host of other fixes 😉
Here is a question: if i have a single track line that goes all the way around my entire map, with 9 stations. If i were to put one block signal down at one of the station exits, would it consider the entire loop in front to be a single segment? Would i have to put a block signal at every station exit and have 1 less train than stations to make it work? they are very frustrating, but i refuse to quit until i make it work.
Thanks for the video btw.
Thank you for the awesome video! I really appreciate the examples: I finally get what pathing signals are for.
So question......
Are you able to set up a parallel lines that can switch a train from left hand to right hand drive? And if yes how do you do the signals, i have tried and putting path at entry and block at exit, doesn't work, im 100% sure im doing something wrong
Thanks for the tutorial video Total!
You get the bug with overlapping signals because of the left hand orientation. The pole is in the middle, between tracks, thus encroaching on the other tracks placement radius.
Did that solve your issues with train signals? If you have any more questions let me know!
Another quick tip! People seem to be struggling when placing a signal on a specific side of the track to properly dictate direction. You actually don't aim to the right/left of the track; you need to aim before/after the signal to dictate which direction the train comes from. The signal snaps to a node between two placed rails so aiming just before or after it will still place it in the right spot.
Today, i lerand that you are from UK. ? ;)
Fluid trains are already fixed
This is definitely helpful for my signaling system. It just made my realize I made a few mistakes, and the next time I start up Satisfactory, I will make changes using your tips.
still lost, got mixed and confused results...tryed to put path entering a junction and a block at the end but 7 Times out of 10 i got errors...tryed doing opposite and i got less errors, but i'm not sure if it's properly working...my brain is fucking frying
My favourite train bug was the one where I reset my derailed train and it sent me to the stratosphere like a catapult lmao
Still have few of uncovered questions:
1. Do train station add "weight" to path, like in Factorio? So train can detour around the station like showed in (9:57).
2. Are rail stackers possible? So multiple train can stack in parallel waiting for the next block to empty.
3. Do train occupy the whole block, or do they occupy only a path (16:30)? Normally in Factorio we place chain signal between each exit and enter on roundabout (9:16). Will trains run parallel on the roundabout without those chain signals?
From what I got from the wiki:
1. and 2. No. The routing is done by the train engine, completely disregarding signals and other trains. The signals only influence the decisions of "stop" and "go", no direction changes.
Trains are driving me nuts. My train runs fine as long as there is only one train. If I add the second, they WILL collide within a couple minutes. If I put down a signal (stop/pathing) at any location, regardless of what signals I have in other locations the train will immediately stop and will not continue on until I delete the signal. Then it stops at the next one until I delete that one, and so forth. My stations are pretty much like the one you show at about 9:49. I tried setting up the signals as yours were in similar locations. "Signal loops into itself" was the most common result. At no time under no circumstance did I get a signal to do ANYTHING but stop a train. It didn't matter if I had the other train parked at the opposite end of the map...
Hmm are you doing a 1 line with two way trains or a 2 rail line?
I'm rewatching because I have issues with my network that I think are fixed but I do like that bug where the liquid trains need for locomotives on grades because it better simulates the "sloshing" affect of bulk liquids and I've hauled loads in tankers before in real life and that load surge can and WILL stop a truck from getting into motion or push a truck from a dead stop with brakes applied. Think of a half empty gallon of milk you haphazardly set on the table and see how it still moves in its direction an inch or so now times that by about 4,000 or more. It'll knock your teeth loose if you don't know how to be smooth so that bug I actually liked
It is eerie just how similarly you speak to Driver61
At least, i found a solution for each of my signal issue in this demo, i just have to apply this in game : i'll keep you posted :-)
Yes : it's working for my bypass lane for each train station, as explain at 9'38". But at the beginning of a track split (Y) your Pass signals must not be too close otherwise it's bugging !. Thanks TE.
thank you from making it possible for me to make my 1 rail train system
The only thing I’ve understood on this game purely because I work for a railroad lol. I can’t wait to unlock this section
The new buildables are great. I've been having trouble with signals. I think part of my problem is my double rails are closer than 4m and are sometimes counting as one rail. Then I have 1 section that is dual direction that picks up stuff from a T1 collection depot. The end result is the large double loop is blocked as one section if a train is on it anywhere in the world.
Ah see, it looks like I need a path signal on the single dual direction rail that connects to the double track.
I am more confused on how to use signals now than I was before watching this. Maybe try again and go slower and not make it so confusing with all the left hand stuff. Definitely went too fast thru the whole thing and pause didn't help.
4:29 good that those BEANS cant derail trains
I wish they'd just give us a 45 degree foundation joint at least If not fully round foundations! And wish they'd improve how you lay down tracks... Like provide pre curved 90 degree turned tracks etc
The joy of seeing that my software engineering skills will finally be put at use into a game other than Minecraft x)
15:04: *You spin me right round baby right round like a record baby!*
As a train engineer IRL, i find this really close to what it IRL actually does...
Rule of thumb from Factorio:
Chain rail signals before every intersection. Block signals after each intersection.
These work basically the same as rail signals and chain signals in factorio.
man i have over 1000 hours in factorio, making train stations in my sleep, but satisfactory's train system is rough by comparison. i hope they make it so you can add signals and tracks anywhere along a line at some point. having to deal with where a segment starts and ends is so annoying to keep in mind (maybe thats just me?)
Hi, i'm doing m'y signal on m'y EA save. I'm actualy working on my station and i don't understand why my path signal are in red but my block signal is green i have the same spot of you at 17:46. I have path at the end of station and one block a bit ferwer when all my rail make one.
For unstuck my train i put all as block but have you any idea about it?
Thx a lot for you video this help me a lot. Nice job 👍🥰
Thanks for the tutorial!
the slow moving train bug after a crash can also be fixed by manually driving it out the way and then switching it to self-driving
That didn't work for me last time, but then it hasn't happened to me since a recent patch
This seems nice and all, but do players actually use the train enough to justify the complications?
My main map has like a 7 station/7train circuit, to stop at every resource type spanning a good portion of the map. I have 2 smaller 2 station/ 2 train circuits for particular late game liquids/gas. Also, signaling will likely mess up my 183 km/h train speed as it takes a hit minute to stop.
Obviously, having more options is better, I just feel like the trains occupy too much space that to fully utilize the new features most of the area would have to be train related.
I disagree but it depends on your build style if youre harvesting all the resources from a biome then a train would take up much less room than a conveyor bus. It depends on each person's build style
Are there any big changes between this and 1.0? Or is it all basically the same?
The left hand signals issue is really annoying, I hope they add alternate side versions
I tried to set this up exactly as you have but the signals only want to click to track at the junction of the tracks and it frustrating as all get out.
Hay man I'm confused with block signals and path signals, I watched your entire video and it still ain't working. I'm trying to setup a bi directional circuit, and on this passing track I have setup, at the beginning of the passing lane, I have a path signal and at the end of that lane I have a block signal, and on the track running parallel to it leading to the same track at each end I have a path signal at the beginning of that track and a block signal at the other end of the track and yet according to the trains there's a signal problem because the path signals stay red but the block signals say green on the other end even though there's no train in between 1 of the path signals and the block signal its paired with. The block signals ain't what's causing the problems, they say green at the other end because there no train on that side of the track, it's the path signals that keep staying on red even though there's no train on that section
Okay, useful video, but the left side is soo confusing... which makes this video even more useful actually... o_o
The thing with right-hand signal placing pisses me off. So now I have to rerout all the lines for signals on parallel tracks to look ok.
It surprised me, since I've also been doing left-sided traffic because I live in Sweden, same as CSS.
it should not have been too difficult to have a game option to select lefthand or righthand signals, and then mirror all signals accordingly ?
@@Anson_AKB It shouldn't, but I doubt CSS will do that. At least before Update 6.
perhaps it is a bit late to ask this as i am a few months out from when this was posted but i cant seem to get my chain of path/blocks to work on a 4 way cross junction. i am not sure what i am doing wrong. i am following that path in block out but my signals are still not working, any help would be appreciated if possible thanks :)
For very long straight line (I use double lane railway btw) how to you do to allow multiple train du ride at the same time without placing a bloc signal every 50 meters for 2km ? For now my trains are juste waiting for a long time that the previous trains cross a junction before going.
Thanks in advance if you have a solution !
You need to spam block Signals, there sadly is no other way rn
@@justacoasterfan_ which is safer actually since i often spot trains catching up to others in long runs. There are places where trains go downhill and meet others that are on the same line with just engine power and no extra momentum. would go bang without regular signals, just like in real life.
Place block signals just before the junction and then slightly further along before the junction. Then trains will only slow down if both those blocks are occupied.
Totally love this!
You only need one path signal at 9:35, before the intersection. You should replace the two pathing signals with block signals.
Really? Won’t the train take the most direct route without pathing and wait at the station? I could be mistaken - but it still works 😅
@@TotalXclipse As a rule of thumb, path signals should be placed at the entrance to an intersection and block signals at the exit. To improve efficiency you should place path signals before every track intersection (This I am part I have not tested - but was the way these things I worked in factorio which used a similar/same system.).
@@TotalXclipse If the train is not going to the station it should just pass through right?
@@TotalXclipse i saw nobody testing whether satis pathing has any priorities to find its pathes, eg through a blocked station vs through a bypass, or through one of several tracks when one of them is blocked by other trains or stopped trains or even stopped manual trains, or when there are two alternative empty tracks with different lengths. until now i only know that the new satis pathing at path signals finds a path through a single big block, and even another path for another train through the same block if those pathes don't collide or cross each other (which ottd does too but factorio does not). on the other hand, factorio has overall pathing (finding ways to stations and including penalties for blocked stations, trains, signals, waiting trains, and many more) built into normal signals already. but no idea whether satis does more than finding "some short path" for trains, i never have heard of any penalties to optimize those general pathes (not to be confused with pathes through blocks at path signals).
@Bevan Jones 1 : yes, your rule of thumb should probably work, but maybe better refer to ottd path signals (and yet they are still not identical to satis path signals) instead of factorio chain signals. factorio chain signals need to be placed also between every pair of crossing rails on a junction to create lots of separate blocks. they have no ability to create non-intersecting usable pathes inside a single block for several trains at the same time.
@Bevan Jones 2 : _"pass right through" using the bypass ? that's something i haven't seen tested in any videos yet. it would be nice, but require some general pathing (see above) which might be (mostly/completely) something different from pathing through single big blocks at path signals.
4:35 I just built a massive trainline and it's all built closely together....................................... I hope they fix this and i guess for now it's one train :))))))))))
I have two separate lines that merge into a single line for a bit then split back off into two. How do I set up signals so that my two trains don't hit each other when coming into that junction?
Love ur guides!
So you kind of glazed past my particular situation, which is what I think 99% of players will try to do at first -- A simple Y junction. 3 train stations, 2 of them on two separate lines which merge to go to a third station, no loop on the end (because we want to preserve which end of the train is which)
How do you set that up?
Single line doing a y junction can be done with block signals place then on both sides of the track as you're using a push pull design. You need these signals just at the junction
I spent all last night parking all my trains in a single file conga line in order to avoid the instant chaos when logging on today
Hello, thanks for this very nice tutorial. But I have a question. It's look like (in the cross section part) that you can place 2 path signal and finish with a bloc signal. So P -> P -> B. But when I try to do that, the game says that my first path signal can not found its bloc signal. So how did you do that ? Thanks a lot
Make sure that there are blocks placed before it and you need to ensure every line that splits from that section is also a path signal
@@TotalXclipse thanks for your answer. I will check that. Thanks a lot !
What I'd like to see is signals for vehicles so I can build level crossings.
thanks jace, helps alot
Really don't want to have to travel the world map slightly bumping my second rail over a few meters. Can't they just fix the distance check thing to be like 2 meters?
Driving on the left side is just wrong.
Get it right, islanders! ;-)
Oh, and heard of the metric system? It's gr8! :-p
can u scale setup on 11:11 ? or its just 2 lines max ?
I cant seem to make the Path Signal and Block Signal to Work together.... the Path Signals never change from Red To Green but the Block Signal Goes from Red To Green and vice versa
Can you not have crossing lanes in your 4 way level junction? or can you only split 1 line into 2?
Good spot, yes you can and yes I forgot to put it in the video 😅
Question:
Will Trains line up behind each other at a stop signal automaticly?
Or wil the train just hit the back end of the waiting train at max speed?
It seems kinda annoying to place a ton of signals on a track just to prevent trains from driving into each others back ends??
That's the function of block signals. The track is split into individual blocks which can only be occupied by 1 train at a time. They are a pain, but you only need to set them up once.
You need to place enough signals at waiting points on your tracks to accomodate the maximum possible amount of trains that could wait at the same time. This means if you have 4 trains, every intersection, station and other waiting point will need 4 signals, one for each train. This includes the signal used in the railway system (the signal you would need to make it functional even when you have a single train)
Ok thanks.
But isn't this going to be super annoying for megafactories that have a single train network across the whole map with 20-30 trains driving on it?
At some point all the trains merge onto one trainline in order to drive into the main train station.
So would you have to place 20-30 signals before each and every junction just to eliminate rear-end collisions?
Before Update 5 I thought that train signals would only be used for junctions and not for keeping trains from rearending each other :/
It just seems to me that it would be way less annoying if trains wouldn't just drive into a train that is standing still infront of them...
Sorry if my english is bad 😁
Not sure you need N blocks at every junction, just N+1 in total is enough to stop a deadlock, then add some more for better flexibility (so trains aren't constantly hitting an occupied block and slowing down). It should be just like transport fever or railway empire if you've played any of those series.
@@alectrix3790 From playing factorio what I can tell you is that for precaution (it isn't that big a hassle) you should have the 20-30 signals on any waiting area, separated by the size of your biggest train. This is only IF the waiting area is bigger than the longest queue that can form in your network. If for example you have a block that can only fit 5 trains of max length, you need to have 5 block signals to prevent issues since all other trains will be waiting before the intersection.
You have to remember tho that if for example you have a section off the main railway that serves only for 3 trains let's say, then in that section you only need 3 signals per waiting area.
I think you will see when you play it, but it's not that big of a deal. you can also increase the size of trains and reduce the amount of them to reduce the amount of signals required.
im having an issue where i have a bi directional track thats apart of a larger loop (the opposite track eventually loops around and connect to a station heading the same direction of the loop) but halfway through the bi directional track i have a passing lane for the train that goes against the traffic flow to move over if another train is heading through the loop to move without stopping but once it gets to the passing lane it just sits there and wont go back on the track to the station. none of my signals dont have the *conflicting entry type error*
wait I can't just use a block for a small portion of the rail? I just wanna make a stop before a station, not divide my whole rail into 2 segments :s this way to make 2 trains move on the same loop I have to put like a million of these everywhere
This really helps but I have seen on reddit someone tried that last thing you showed and it didnt work as intended the trains kept taking the shortest path even though more blocks were open.
I saw that post too, and can confirm that was the case in early patches. This may have been updated since the Reddit post was made, though.
Great video, I keep getting an error message that the signal loops onto itself. I have a massive train line around the entire map, so I am not entirely sure how to fix this error. Also, do you have a setup for signals where one has a multi-station set up where trains come in on one line but peel off into their designated station?
That signal looping sounds like A. You're not using the same signal on the entraces to that segment (and closing with block signals) or you have the bug where the rails are close together so one signal is counting both parts of the track instead of just one side.
if you have a "massive (long) lane around the world" and don't know where the problem is, start building blocksignals to create lots of blocks (btw: that will be necessary anyway to use that long lane for multiple trains). when one of those new blocks has no problem, one of its signals (the old one) should now turn from "error" to red or green, and the other (the new one) should show "error" now. after doing this along the entire lane for a while, you should see a relatively short new block with the error staying on the older existing signal and more easily can see what the error is or rebuild that segment.
i have to single train systems that cross. is there any solution for that? i cant build crossjunktions
I have a question. How do you get trains???????? 😆 GOOD STUFF THANKS. 👍
Tier 6 unlock in the hub
11:40 I tried to replicate that and the path signals error out with "Path block cannot contain stations"
This is a great video thanks :)