Replace signals with ctrl+click

[Bear789]

Sometimes you want to change the signal you put on a railway, either for functionality (a normal signal with a choose signal, for example) or for aesthetics (in Pak Britain, for example, there are signals with different shapes for different ages). Destroy and rebuild can be tedious, when it must be done on a large scale, so I thought that we can use the same system used for downgrading/repolacing ways and stations.

[prissi]

You should be able to update Signals using the signal drag tool.

[Bear789]

Yes, but it works only to replace all the signals in the stretch that you drag. It doesn't work in more complex situations where you may have univenly spaced signals (juntions come to mind) or when you need to replace only one signal.

[Ters]

You just drag on the spot. Unless the spacing is set very small, only one signal should be built. It's as much work as clicking on each signal, but at least less than remove and build.

[Bear789]

You just drag on the spot. Unless the spacing is set very small, only one signal should be built. It's as much work as clicking on each signal, but at least less than remove and build.

How am I supposed to do that? I tried, if I click on the existing signal and drag, nothing happens. If I click somwhere else and then drag over the signal, the game puts a new signal where I first cicked and leaves an empty space where the old one was, which defeats the whole point.

To clarify, I'm ok with manual replacement, I'm just asking for a way to do that in a single click, without having to destroy the old signal first.

[Ters]

That was odd. If one drags from a signal with the same type, the spacing starts from that signal. If one drags with a different signal, the first signal of the new type is placed on the next tile, and then spacing follows from there. I'm not sure that's really a good behaviour whether the signal is to be replaced or not. The alternative being always starting spacing from the tile the mouse button was pressed down on.

To clarify, I'm ok with manual replacement, I'm just asking for a way to do that in a single click, without having to destroy the old signal first.

I just hoped we didn't have to make something new. Especially something that won't work with touch screens, like ctrl+click. Perhaps overwriting signals on normal click is acceptable, even though it could confuse those trying to place two different signals on one tile. (Single click replacement would not work if multiple signals on same tile should be allowed some day.)

[Bear789]

I just hoped we didn't have to make something new. Especially something that won't work with touch screens, like ctrl+click. Perhaps overwriting signals on normal click is acceptable, even though it could confuse those trying to place two different signals on one tile. (Single click replacement would not work if multiple signals on same tile should be allowed some day.)

If ctrl-click is a problem, it could work like this: we already have a small window that appears with ctrl+click on the toolbar to choose spacing for click & drag and another couple of options. Maybe there can be an additional option for replacing on click, disabled by default; when it's disabled, the tool behaves normally (and in future will add multiple signals on the same spot), when enabled, it replaces the signal you are licking on with the new one keeping the old orientation.

[prissi]

Since replacing signals is just not relevant for gameplay at all (and signals can upgrade themselves when electrifying lines, when properly defined) such special functionality is aparently not of general interest (also given the response here).

[Ters]

I actually like the idea of having upgraded signals on non-electrified lines. Semaphores in the 21st century just feels wrong. It starts to feel wrong around 1970.

[greenling]

Ters
You want modern Signals on non-electrifed lines?
That need a little work around on the signales.

[Fabio]

Given the importance of ctrl key in Simutrans, I would just add a virtual ctrl key in main toolbar for touch devices: you press it and it stays pressed until next click or drag. Long pressing could be an alternative to ctrl as well (even with mouse: if you keep mouse down it acts the same as ctrl click).