Transporter technology underplayed?

[ChibiMushi]

Is it just me, or does it seem these things are coming at us basically free and way too accessible? I know the range is small on them, but I feel like they shouldn't fit on just any old ship.

I think this tech should hold some value and be purposed for use on larger builds. Those are the builds that truly need them. I don't think these tiny 1000 or 2000 block scout ships really call for the tech and it's getting underplayed and comes off as a common everyday instant teleportation device.

I propose a power per activation increase. 200k power sounds way more reasonable to me. That's a relatively small mark to hit, but keeps it out of every single ship in the hanger. Going to need something a little more substantial to warrant a transporter than a run of the mill starter ship/first mining vessel.

 

[Comradecolonel]

I agree that transporters feel too easy to get. I also feel this way about a lot of blocks in starmade. Even jump drives are easy to get a hold of.

That being said i don't agree with a flat power usage for transporters. I like that there isn't a size restriction in starmade. Any ship can have any system so long as it is designed right.

 

[kiraen]

Agreed.
The power requirements seem kind of arbitrary to me, tho.
Perhaps just make it a Capital system.

 

[Proxima_Centauri]

Why does it bother you that teleporters can be used on small ships?

It's not like they have any use in combat.

I think this tech should hold some value and be purposed for use on larger builds. Those are the builds that truly need them.

Why do only "larger builds" need them?
This literally makes no sense.

 

[nightrune]

It's not like they have any use in combat.

Yet

 

[ChibiMushi]

Why does it bother you that teleporters can be used on small ships?

It's not like they have any use in combat.



Why do only "larger builds" need them?
This literally makes no sense.

Immersion. Basically.
The complexity of the tech.

E=Mc2

"When one converts a human body weighing 200 lbs (or 90.7 kg) into pure energy, the energy is equal to the body’s mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light. For a 200-pound body, mass-to-energy conversion would generate approximately 8.17 x 10^18 J, which is an amount of energy equivalent to 130,000 times the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima"

Depending on the method of transportation of course. But my 200k suggestion doesn't sound unrealistic to me regardless of tech. Assuming it's equivalent to what we see in the rest of starmade.

What we are looking at, to me, is as stated, a vastly underplayed transporter system. It's one of those things I typically have to raise an eyebrow to when it's being done on a grand scale in scifi. And here it's simplicity, lack of value, and accessibility effects my immersion.

 

[Proxima_Centauri]

Well first off, transporters are not real, and arguing over their technical specifications is just wasted breath.
That being said, they don't turn matter into energy, they just disassemble and reassemble groups of molecules.

Also, the transporters are obviously based on transporters from Star Trek, and even tiny shuttle craft in Star Trek had transporters.

 

[kookster]

There are plenty of sci-fi universes that have teleport systems on small ships, why not starmade? If you want it restricted configure it on your own server.

 

[Heillos]

I don't see any need for adding a cost to the operation of transporters given their current usage. The simple fact that transporting between separate entities will drop the shields of both is a strong balancing factor.

If transporters ever become a boarding tool, then perhaps a power cost for forcing oneself through a hostile transporter might be reasonable. In the current state of things, though, I see no necessity for such a cost.

It should also be noted that your proposed power cost is well out of line with the precedent set by the default config. A warp gate, being able to transport ships up to 128 sectors across space, costs 100 power per unit of mass transported, and 100 power per second for each gate block in operation. An astronaut, taking up less than 2 blocks of volume, and being (probably) less dense than a block of Advanced Armor (0.25 mass) could surely not cost 200,000 power to transport a mere sector or two.

Having broached the subject of configuration, actually, the BlockBehaviorConfig.xml does include an optional upkeep cost for transporters (constant drain for each transporter block in use), but there is no field available for power usage per activation. I'd be open to simply requesting that Schema add such a value to the config, for those who would prefer transporters to have an activation cost.

 

[DrTarDIS]

Disagree 100%. It's already hard enough to get into my various docked ships reliably. Transporters let you organize via ship name or pad name(when it doesn't break). Don't put more big rocks in mah sandbox :P

 

[sayerulz]

Until they start conveying a large advantage, then there is no real need for disadvantages. Come back when they provide a large advantage in combat.

 

[Lukwan]

Transporters are what I use to get to the various small ships in my fleet or from them to my station (given how slow the astronaut used to be). I use them to perform EVAs so I don't need an airlock. My ships have transporter pads specifically designed for use in combat so that I can perform emergency repairs, reprogram Bobby-AI in a turret or escape enemy fire. I have used them for all of these things in PvP server and single player.

Wuddayamean there is no use for transporters in combat?! :p

There are so many things that need to be fixed (ahem fleets) that I don't see why we should fiddle with one feature that, frankly, works perfectly.

 

[Groovrider]

When transporters first came out there was a general panic as many player thought that no on would ever build doors and interiors again. Players suggested cool downs, transporter sickness, making them fuel based, require lots of power...lots. All in the name of stopping the Doorless apocalypse.

Except it never happened. Players still build doors and hallways (unless they don't because Sandbox!). We still have interiors and no ones legs have atrophied from never walking anywhere. Just leave transporters alone please.