Also as additionial idea: I would like it if scanner data could be remotely added to ones personal navigation. That way I could use entire networks of radar stations.
I really like the networking idea, but I feel that letting the players character magically have access to an entire empire worth of radar would be sorta counter productive. If you mean giving the ship you're flying access to all that radar than yes! Sorta! It is currently an "antenna" block, so the idea of it sending and receiving data from other sources makes since, HOWEVER, those various sources would need to be within range of each other... which would depend on the signal strengths... or there could be an infinite range but at the cost of increasingly old info (lag) so that you don't instantly know what's happening on the other side of the universe. Or even a combination of the two where there is an infinite signal range, that travels at a set speed, but if a chain of antennas are all within range of each other, the info they relay is done so instantly?
I disagree with two parts. One, chat. This would just limit in game comunication and socialability and would give a big advantage to 3rd party software people and soloplayers in different galaxies.
(I didn't want to quote again)
"nav detection, missile warnings, and HUD indicators: 1000 block lengths/meters per antenna/light bar block."
You do relize that, besides missile warnings, the nav screen and hud indicators are one of the most important part of navigation, in any distance greater than 200 meters. That is the most ecpensive thing on your list, and is quite(both comparitivally and literaly) large. In order to get basic nav systems for a ship you need 1,000 blocks of scanners. Unless you're flying only ~100 block long ships, thats quite a lot. That space could hold a 10,000 dps cannon system.
I would have the basic nav stuff cost 5-10 or so, you need it but it is really small, while the the missile detection thing be around 500 or so.
Of course, I do realize this but it hadn't occurred to me when i made this suggestion! :p That's simple! Make all that important HUD stuff dependent upon the radar / antenna system. After all, it doesn't make since to have indicators for everything if there is nothing aboard your ship that detects stuff, or tracks things. It could be said though, that the ships core currently possesses the 'central computer' of sorts, and the radar, and the navi systems. Which brings up another point... the ships core is currently able to hold an entire universe worth of systems inside it as a 3D map which can be used to plot courses, and track objects in.... that's quite impressive! Maybe later, when ship cores aren't the central point of a ship, the computer blocks could be made to adopt this function somehow? Maybe using motherboard blocks to make giant, awesome, computers! (not to be confused with actual logic computers...)
EDIT: This comment can be ignored.
Hum. I like the idea, but what about working it something like this:
1. Antenna Computer + Antenna = Scan System for things
2. We combine the weapon/effects to make diffrent scan types.
Examples:
Antenna + Missiles = Current Scanner
Antenna + Cannons = Radar
Antenna + Cannons + EMP = Long Range Radar
Antenna + Missile + Pulse = Long Range Scanner
Not sure how many useful weapon/effect combos could be made. But overall I think it would be more interesting then a standard passive system.
I saw your other post stating that you misread the original, but still a cool idea! Instead of using weapon parts, perhaps various crystals or such could be slaved to the antenna that could alter how it functions. Such as in the EvE universe where the 4 factions each use a differnt type of 'radar' that function quite differently from each other (gravimetric, magnetometric, ladar and radar). Or maybe ingots could be attached somehow to better find certain ores? etc.
