Improved Salvage array

[GRHayes]

As most people on here are aware of the primary ways people build salvage arrays falls under 2 methods.
1. Salvage+Cannon and using every other position in a Checkered board.
2. Using two salvage computers and alternating the cannon positions to fill in the gaps.

Both have their draw backs. The first you don't use every position the second you can only fire half the beams at a time.

There is now a 3rd option with the new rail and inventory system.
You build a primary ship. The put to rail docks on each side of the center line. You then dock to modules in place. Placing salvage beam and computer on each module plus cannons and cannon computer.
You use logic to turn it on and off and have it fire every o.5 seconds. That way only a half second ever ends up between beams. It is nearly continuous firing.

You then place a storage block and cargo space on both the modules. You fee the salvage computer to the storage block. You turn the storage block off with logic. It never needs to be turned on again. You then connect the rail docker of the module to the storage module on each of the modules.

You can then put a storage block and cargo module on the primary ship. You turn it on with logic and set it to pull what you want or everything. You then go back to the to rails used to dock the modules and connect them to the primary ships cargo module.

In other words hit C on the rail and V on the storage block.
With the salvage modules that is C on the Rail Docker and V on the storage block.

If you need an example I put one on the community content called Salvage king.

If you wan to pull from the ship automatically you need to connect the rails you dock with to the primary cargo hold and turn the primary cargo logic off so it can be drawn from.

Hope that helps some of you.

 

[Sachys]

You've missed out using two computers laid out as you suggested and using logic to fire them. Far simpler than your method. Generally better than the first (subject to personal preference of course).

 

[GRHayes]

You've missed out using two computers laid out as you suggested and using logic to fire them. Far simpler than your method. Generally better than the first (subject to personal preference of course).

Good point. You sure could layout two groups of beams and canons and simply toggle between them.
I just don't like the issue of dealing with the potential group mixing if you have to repair it.
This way what I do and screw up on one doesn't effect the other at all. If it gets to bad I simply pull the module and replace it.

It started out as a way to test if I could get AI to use a system that fires all beams rather than just one.
The idea was simple when it undocks turn on the logic and give the AI a single beam to control on the primary ship.

So far AI mining doesn't work for me at all. They get hung up in space having an epileptic seizure. That is with a very basic mining ship.
It also allowed me testing storage transfer. Since it worked I simply kept it.

 

[Sachys]

Um. I mean two salvage computers - in contrary chessboard arrays, firing simultaneously.

and for repairs, use a shipyard (when they work again - latest update seems to have frien them for most!)

 

[GRHayes]

Um. I mean two salvage computers - in contrary chessboard arrays, firing simultaneously.

and for repairs, use a shipyard (when they work again - latest update seems to have frien them for most!)

I understood what you meant. However if you just use salvage computers it will not fire continually. There will be a large gap between firing.
Which is why I said add the cannons.

Yep, if and when shipyards work the way they are supposed to then it won't be much of an issue.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

However if you just use salvage computers it will not fire continually. There will be a large gap between firing.
Which is why I said add the cannons.

Hi there, my friend!
First off, I appreciate that you wanted to share a more efficient system design with us. I myself am a big fan of mining and salvage ships, and I made a mining-related thread a while ago. (You can check it out here: The art of automatic, direct-to-storage mining / For BEGINNERS with PICTURES)

It really takes some time to figure out how to design the most efficient systems, and the double-chessboard pattern with two salvage computers on the same ship is probably the best solution.

And in the case of other weapon systems slaved to the salvage system (example Cannon for zero-cooldown, or Damage Pulse for high-power), they don't have to have any particular arrangement or position on the ship.

You can just make, for example, a 75-beam chessboard array for computer 'A' (that can be made from 10 module long groups, on a surface with 15 x 10 dimensions) and then place a second 'B' controller, select it, and just place all of its modules at once with 15 x 10 x 10 advanced build mode settings (it too will have 75 beams).

Then you can place two cannon computers, each with a solid bulk of 750 cannon modules placed anywhere on your ship, and then connect one of them to your 'A' salvage controller, and the other to 'B'.

As for controlling such a setup via logic... we will have to test that; it might be that an activator turned On will cause a salvage+cannon setup to fire continuously, but I don't know that for sure yet.

PS: it took me about half a year in starmade to figure out this solution, learning such an art always takes time

 

[GRHayes]

Hi there, my friend!
First off, I appreciate that you wanted to share a more efficient system design with us. I myself am a big fan of mining and salvage ships, and I made a mining-related thread a while ago. (You can check it out here: The art of automatic, direct-to-storage mining / For BEGINNERS with PICTURES)

It really takes some time to figure out how to design the most efficient systems, and the double-chessboard pattern with two salvage computers on the same ship is probably the best solution.

And in the case of other weapon systems slaved to the salvage system (example Cannon for zero-cooldown, or Damage Pulse for high-power), they don't have to have any particular arrangement or position on the ship.

You can just make, for example, a 75-beam chessboard array for computer 'A' (that can be made from 10 module long groups, on a surface with 15 x 10 dimensions) and then place a second 'B' controller, select it, and just place all of its modules at once with 15 x 10 x 10 advanced build mode settings (it too will have 75 beams).

Then you can place two cannon computers, each with a solid bulk of 750 cannon modules placed anywhere on your ship, and then connect one of them to your 'A' salvage controller, and the other to 'B'.

As for controlling such a setup via logic... we will have to test that; it might be that an activator turned On will cause a salvage+cannon setup to fire continuously, but I don't know that for sure yet.

PS: it took me about half a year in starmade to figure out this solution, learning such an art always takes time

As to will an activator keep a salvage module on continually the answer is no. I tested it to make sure things hadn't changed though to make sure.
The reason is unlike in minecraft where redstone logic is state based logic in starmade is only pulse based.
A good way to see this is put an activator down. Turn it on. Then put a light down and turn it off. Then connect the activator to the light.
The light doesn't suddenly turn on when connected. You would have to switch off the activator and then turn it back on for the light to turn on.

 

[Crashmaster]

You're missing the best option IMO where the second (offset) salvage checkerboard is behind the first and connected to the same computer so you use every position and fire all at once without logic.
I never need the full range of the salvage beams so I select the rear blocks of the front array as the output to keep things evener.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

I never need the full range of the salvage beams so I select the rear blocks of the front array as the output to keep things evener.

This is new for me... What exactly is the difference in function caused by selecting one of the ten modules in a single group (ie. a salvage tube) as the output? The way I (mis)understood it until now is that there can be a difference only if you have an adjacent (touching) set of modules extending sideways... What am I missing here? :D

PS: you could also have a fusion of what the two of us described - a double-layed "interlaced"(?) setup with two controllers - would that add to the blocks/sec capacity (I know that both layers fill connected storage this way too)

 

[Crashmaster]

Beam length is constant and starts from the block selected as output. With two salvage tubes one in front of another I set the front block of the rear tube and the rear block of the front tube as output so the far ends of the beams are only one or two blocks different in length and when you sweep with the mouse they 'pivot' from points that are also only one or two blocks of z difference.
Almost entirely esthetic.

 

[GRHayes]

You're missing the best option IMO where the second (offset) salvage checkerboard is behind the first and connected to the same computer so you use every position and fire all at once without logic.
I never need the full range of the salvage beams so I select the rear blocks of the front array as the output to keep things evener.

Technically I agree it is the best performance wise. However, that also uses 50% more space. Which is fine as long as that is something you don't mind. That said it takes more hull to cover it and or you give up cargo room.

In short everything has a trade off.
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Beam length is constant and starts from the block selected as output. With two salvage tubes one in front of another I set the front block of the rear tube and the rear block of the front tube as output so the far ends of the beams are only one or two blocks different in length and when you sweep with the mouse they 'pivot' from points that are also only one or two blocks of z difference.
Almost entirely esthetic.

Maybe I am confused but seems like you are talking about using to single beam tubes length wise. If so we are talking about a lot larger arrays to harvest blocks faster. If not sorry for my misinterpretation.

 

[Mork2]

I have built an alternating checkboard salvage/pulse system as a template and published it. One checkerboard is in front and offset. So there are no gaps in the salvage array and as explained above there is only 1 square difference in z axis. The entire array is 18 deep with an extra for the computers for a total z axis of 19. Each tick of the salvage pulse system will salvage a block each.

If you stack two of them deep and use logic to alternate between them you can keep a permanent mining beam up and the entire thing is only 38 blocks deep. If you tried that with a single salvage cannon array to salvage 1 block per tick it would have a length of 200..... Mind you the salvage/pulse ticks are slower but its a lot more handy to fit in the ship length wise.