Small conveyors should allow more items
Most components appear too large to fit inside of a small conveyor conveyor junction, but there are a few that are allowed for reasons that feel arbitrary. All items have a 'volume' statistic that is used for inventory space, but the underlying rule seems to use arbitrary physical dimensions for allowing components.
This is a quality of life issue for some components that are used frequently and are considered 'small' because of their lack of volume, but are still restricted from small conveyor networks. Other components cause confusion because they consume a relatively large amount of volume but are still allowed through.
- Steel plates and interior plates are relatively small components, but are not allowed through small conveyor networks, perhaps because of their width. They're also the most frequently used components (even in cockpits, for block placements) so it hurts quality of life a little for these blocks to be treated as too large.
- Canvas is allowed through small conveyors, but is visibly larger than the entire small conveyor junction block, or even the small grid parachute hatch block it's intended to be used in. This gives it gameplay reasons to be allowed through small conveyors, but it ends up being comically large in context.
- Motors are allowed through small conveyors. Paradoxically they are among the larger blocks by inventory consumption, but also have one of the smallest models of any component.
- Thruster components use the most inventory space of any of the components allowed through small conveyor networks, and are also visibly too large to fit through the conveyor slot.
- Computers are allowed in small conveyor networks, but the actual model makes it appear to be a tight fit.
- Displays and detector components look like they could fit through the small conveyor slot, but are considered too large to pass through a conveyor network.
- The hand drill and grinder are obviously too large to fit through small conveyors, but it appears all hand tools are given blanket access regardless of size.
- Construction component is allowed through small conveyor networks despite being larger than a number of other items that are not, including the Clang Kola can, Cosmic Coffee can, medkit, powerkit, display, and detector component. All of those appear narrow enough to at least pass through a tube.
The restriction on components is so disruptive that it wouldn't be a loss if all components were changed to be too large for small conveyors.
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It's not really a "quality of life" issue if your main justification is that the object's representation is larger than the conveyor tube. At some point, games have to make abstractions, either for game balance, or for playability, or the sake of keeping the development project achievable.
Regardless, you seem to have forgotten several important items that do fit through small conveyor tubes: ice, ore, and o2/h2 gas. (Maybe ingots too, I'm not sure I've ever tried). Since most components don't fit through small tubes, perhaps that's not what they are made for. Most of the small conveyors I use are to route ore on mining machines. And that's most of what I see them used for by other players as well.
I agree the restriction on small conveyors wouldn't feel that much different if all components were changed to be too large for them. I don't think most people would notice though, since most people use them to more ore, ice, and gas.
What would an engineering game be without constraints? The tools are there to build conveyor networks that can move large components around. You have to factor that in to your design and engineer a solution.
Besides, if all components fit through small tubes, then people would start building subgrid conveyor systems on their ships to save space. That doesn't sound like something any server admin would want, and even in single-player, I would consider that extremely cheesy. But why would you use large conveyors if small ones will do?
It's not really a "quality of life" issue if your main justification is that the object's representation is larger than the conveyor tube. At some point, games have to make abstractions, either for game balance, or for playability, or the sake of keeping the development project achievable.
Regardless, you seem to have forgotten several important items that do fit through small conveyor tubes: ice, ore, and o2/h2 gas. (Maybe ingots too, I'm not sure I've ever tried). Since most components don't fit through small tubes, perhaps that's not what they are made for. Most of the small conveyors I use are to route ore on mining machines. And that's most of what I see them used for by other players as well.
I agree the restriction on small conveyors wouldn't feel that much different if all components were changed to be too large for them. I don't think most people would notice though, since most people use them to more ore, ice, and gas.
What would an engineering game be without constraints? The tools are there to build conveyor networks that can move large components around. You have to factor that in to your design and engineer a solution.
Besides, if all components fit through small tubes, then people would start building subgrid conveyor systems on their ships to save space. That doesn't sound like something any server admin would want, and even in single-player, I would consider that extremely cheesy. But why would you use large conveyors if small ones will do?
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