Range Tech

Range research for every turret, in categories. Built to work with quality turrets and
modded turrets, which is where similar mods tend to fall short.

Factorio 2.0, Space Age supported (optional).

What it does

Every turret is put into exactly one category, based on its ammo type. If the ammo type is
unknown, the main damage type it deals is used. Rules, first match wins:

1. Your override setting.
2. Artillery turrets are always ignored.
3. Explicit rules for specific modded turrets (e.g. repair turrets are ignored, their reach is not
   a normal turret range).
4. The ammo category: exact names first, then name fragments, so modded ammo categories such as
   my-mod-rocket or frost-shell are recognised too. Generic vanilla categories that mods reuse
   for other weapons (electric for lasers, flamethrower for acid throwers) are refined by the
   damage type, which is read from the turret's projectiles, streams and beams.
5. The main damage type, again exact names first, then fragments (cold/frost/cryo, acid/poison,
   fire, laser, electric, ...).
6. Otherwise other.

Categories without any turret get no research. The rules and name fragments live in
lib/categories.lua; supporting a new mod usually means adding one line there. Every decision and
its reason is written to factorio-current.log (lines starting with [range-tech]), including
warnings for turrets that ended up in other because their ammo or damage type is unknown.

Each category (except Ignored) gets its own chain of range researches:

• The number of levels is a setting (default 5).
• Level 1 needs the science packs of the category's easiest turret to unlock. Later levels add
  packs gradually until the last level needs the packs of the hardest turret in the category.
• Every level costs more than the previous one (default: 100 packs, growing 1.5x per level).
• Each level adds a flat number of tiles or a percentage of the turret's base range.

Settings (startup)

• Preset: Percent (+10% of base range per level, all categories), Flat tiles (+3 tiles per
  level, all categories) or Custom. The individual "Custom" settings (levels, bonus type, bonus
  amount per category, plus cost base, growth and research time) only apply to Custom.
• Category overrides: move turrets between categories, e.g. gun-turret=laser; some-modded-turret=ignored. Categories: bullet, shotgun, cannon, railgun, grenade, missile, flame, laser,
  electric, cold, acid, other, ignored. Artillery turrets cannot be reassigned.

Factorio cannot build a per-turret settings list (the settings stage runs before any turret
exists), so overrides are one text setting. To see turret names and categories use the
/rangetech command in game, or search factorio-current.log for [range-tech].

Quality

Quality is a property of the placed turret, not of the prototype. When research changes a
turret, the replacement keeps its quality, ammo, fluids, health, kill counter and target
priorities. The quality range bonus (+10% per quality level in the base game) applies on top of
the researched range.

Blueprints, ghosts and construction bots

The longer-range copies are an internal detail. Everything you carry around is the normal turret:

• Items, mining and pipette always give the normal turret item.
• Blueprints (copy, cut, new blueprints, re-selected contents, library records) are rewritten
  to the normal turret names when they are made. They work with or without this mod, and
  removing the mod never breaks a blueprint.
• Ghosts from a blueprint are the normal turret, so construction bots build the normal turret
  item. The moment it is built it is swapped for the copy that matches your research.
• A turret that is destroyed leaves a ghost of its copy. It looks identical, bots build it from
  the normal item, and it is rewritten to the normal name as soon as you blueprint it.

Only a turret that is standing in the world is a copy (it has to be: the range is part of the
prototype). Mods and tools that look for turrets by name will see the copy's name.

Removing the mod

Copies that are standing in a save disappear when the mod is removed. Before removing it, run
/rangetech-revert (admins only). It turns every turret back into its normal version and pauses
range upgrades. /rangetech-resume turns upgrades back on.

How it works / limitations

Factorio has no research effect for turret range (only for artillery), no aura that affects
range, and scripts cannot make a turret shoot beyond its prototype range. So this mod creates
hidden copies of each turret with a longer range (one per level) and swaps turrets for the right
copy when research completes or a turret is built.

• Copies are made in data-final-fixes. A mod that changes turrets after this mod in the same
  stage will not be reflected in the copies. If that happens, adjust load order.
• Changing the settings or the turret mods in an existing save replaces or removes the copies;
  turrets are re-checked on configuration change.
• Rewriting a blueprint rebuilds it. Wires to entities outside a cut selection are not kept for
  the turrets in it, and other mods that read the blueprint mapping after this mod may find it
  empty.
• Technology icons are reused from the technologies that unlock the turrets.