Automation Ribbon

Automation Ribbon is an automation building that behaves like a bundle of four automation signals traveling together. It can be connected to any automation port, even when the port would not normally accept that kind of input or output. In practice, it is used to carry multiple bits of automation data along a single line segment, making it possible to pack more than one signal into the same route.

When an Automation Ribbon is attached to a regular Automation Wire, the wire displays the signal from the first bit of the ribbon. This does not mean the other bits are destroyed; they remain present in the ribbon and can still be recovered when the ribbon is used by compatible buildings or connections. The first bit is also special for visual behavior: if a building’s animation depends on automation input, that animation is driven by the first bit, and it will not refresh again until the other three bits are all red and the first bit changes.

Automation Ribbon follows several useful interaction rules:

• When all inputs and outputs of a logic gate are connected to Automation Ribbon, the gate usually performs bitwise logic and outputs each bit separately.
• A single-bit signal entering a ribbon is expanded into the first bit, while the remaining bits stay red. In other words, a signal can be stored as X-red-red-red.
• Some buildings compress a four-bit ribbon by OR-ing the four bits together and treating the result as the received signal.
• Port color in the automation overview is determined by the first bit when a ribbon is connected to a single automation port.

Because of these behaviors, Automation Ribbon is useful anywhere complex automation needs to be routed through limited space or through devices that can interpret bundled signals. Its first-bit priority also means that ribbon layout can affect what players see on the automation overlay, even when the other bits are still active.