Your solution for placing water is simply great!!!! True, there is a nuance - creating a separate recipe for creating tiles for placing excavators seems illogical.

After all, in essence, these tiles are not a specific entity, but only markings.

But adding a special tool for placing and removing these tiles to the bottom panel would be the most logical solution.

Thank you!

Glad you like my mod!

You mean adding the excavatable tiles as an abstract item?

When I set out to make this mod I wanted to implement the excavatable surface as tiles so you can increase/decrease the area when placing and not have to drag your cursor over every single tile like when you place concrete. Unfortunately I don't think that's possible to do for abstract items. But I'll take a look at it. I haven't check that area of the modding api since before 2.0.

Let me know if you have any problems with the mod or any other ideas. I'll gladly take it into consideration!

Thanks for the answer! Your mod is simply the most logical and, at the same time, does not look too cheaty. Moreover, it fits into the logic of Factorio almost perfectly!

I have no questions about the "excavation tiles" themselves as a way to implement markings for soil excavation. It's just that the idea of ​​creating markings as objects seems illogical to me.

Unfortunately, I don't know how difficult it is to implement, but in terms of logic, placing "excavation tiles" like drawings, it seems to me, would be more interesting.

There is one more thing that would improve the visual effect - this is the display of worked out but not filled with water "excavation tiles" - in the form of depressions using rocks.

But I think that it will be too difficult to implement. Therefore, do not take the last idea too seriously.

Thanks!

I've asked around a bit and it doesn't seem to be possible to create an abstract tile item that places the excavation resource. So the trade off is either an actual item that you have to craft (could be free) or an abstract item from the toolbelt that just places single tile excavation resources. My preferences is the former but let me know what you think.

Regarding your last point: I too would like something like that, but working with tile transitions is dark magic to me, so that's why I've just copied existing textures and tinted them somewhat. It's on my todo list. But very low priority at the moment. First I'd like to get the other planets working.

Got it. Thanks for the clarification.

And how difficult is it to place "excavation tiles" as an additional effect when installing an excavator? That would be even more interesting....

The excavators are mining drill which can't be placed without a minable resource beneath them. In theory I could create a mock-excavator that will be replaced by the mining drill after spawning the ore. Though with that solution you won't be able to create any smaller canals than the 5x5 mining area.
I think I'll stick with my current solution for now.

Unfortunately, I don't understand why it is necessary to make 5x5 mining drills, if you wrote earlier that excavators are also mining drills, and they are only 2x2?

That is, the question is not about the area of ​​the mined surface, but exclusively about your interest... :)

I do not insist, because you are the creator and owner of this mod. Therefore, in any case, I am grateful to you!