New Logic Block Connections

[Yetimania]

The other night I had an idea (you know, one of those middle-of-the-night brainwaves) for a few new ways that StarMade blocks could be connected to expand the current, extremely useful logic block system. This would not require any new blocks.

Idea One: Weapon Block Linkage:
Right now, weapon computers (including missiles, beams, cannons, salvage, etc.) can be slaved to an activation block, or other logic block, to fire without needing a player in that computer. And that's super cool. But I had another idea to expand on that system:
What if a logic block (or other weapon block) could be slaved to the weapon computer? When the computer fires (either because it is activated by a logic block or by a player in the ship core/computer clicking), it sends an ON signal. Otherwise, it sends an OFF signal.
Possible Uses:
There are dozens of possible awesome applications of this. Here's a few I came up with:

• Weapon Firing Effects. You can make things light up, open and close doors to simulate mechanisms or missile hatches opening, and do other things to simulate a really cool weapon firing effect.
• Linked Weapons. You could link the computer to another weapon, and have them both fire simultaneously. Do you want to have both a rapid-fire ion cannon and a slow-firing explosive cannon on the same trigger? No problem!
• Staggered Weapons. Right now, having, say, two slow-firing AMC's on the same computer isn't really that useful except to deal more damage if you happen to hit with both. But with logic blocks, you could have a computer linked to a delay linked to another computer which would mean that when you fired one weapon, a second or so later the other one fires. This would mean that you would fire, say, the left cannon, then the right cannon, then the left cannon, etc. instead of both cannons, long delay, both cannons. This might help you hit with non-rapid weapons, and put an intermediate step between a non-rapid weapon and a rapid-weapon.

Idea Two: Activation Blocks as Weapons
My other idea was similar to the first one, and either or both could be implemented. Basically, my idea is that you could link a ship core to an activation block, and if you did, that activation block would appear on the weapons list when flying the ship. Whenever you clicked with that weapon selected, the activation block would output ON. Otherwise, it would be OFF. You could use this to create systems on the ship that are controlled by the pilot, such as openable and closable doors, launchable drones, and, of course, more complicated mixed-weapons systems such as those I detailed above.

Thanks for listening to my ideas!

 

[CodeBlack]

To Idea 1 : It could be usefull but you can also achieve these things by just connecting the trigger also to the 2nd weapon for example. you dont need to send the signal through the weapons computer. Anyways, i like the idea.

To Idea 2: Its absolutely awesome

And finally i got a 3rd idea (it kind of replaces idea 1 XD): how about Weapon computers send an on signal when the weapon is ready to fire and an off signal when it is reloading. this way you could do signals that show you, if an weapon is ready or not for example.

 

[FunnyBunny14]

All except use 1 can already be done.
Luckely use 1 is a brilliant use for it.
+1

 

[NeonSturm]

To Idea 1 : It could be usefull but you can also achieve these things by just connecting the trigger also to the 2nd weapon for example. you dont need to send the signal through the weapons computer. Anyways, i like the idea.

To Idea 2: Its absolutely awesome

And finally i got a 3rd idea (it kind of replaces idea 1 XD): how about Weapon computers send an on signal when the weapon is ready to fire and an off signal when it is reloading. this way you could do signals that show you, if an weapon is ready or not for example.

cannon-cannon fires 10 times a second. Nice 0.1 delay clock

 

[Megacrafter127]

Nice 0.1 delay clock

We really need those though :P

 

[psteiner]

This simple idea would change the entire subject of ship building, to wiring and effect incorporation.

 

[Saber]

What if a logic block (or other weapon block) could be slaved to the weapon computer? When the computer fires (either because it is activated by a logic block or by a player in the ship core/computer clicking), it sends an ON signal. Otherwise, it sends an OFF signal.
Possible Uses:
There are dozens of possible awesome applications of this. Here's a few I came up with:

• Weapon Firing Effects. You can make things light up, open and close doors to simulate mechanisms or missile hatches opening, and do other things to simulate a really cool weapon firing effect.

This is something I was hoping for back when I was creating a bomber a few months back. I had set up a row of lights and doors at the end of some missile barrels, in the hopes that, when I fired some of the doors would open creating a "blastoff" effect with the light on the hull. Then when the missiles were reloaded (set by a timer) a second door would open revealing the missile block so there was a visual indicator from outside the ship that it was ready to fire. Either way I imagine something like this is planned, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.

And finally i got a 3rd idea (it kind of replaces idea 1 XD): how about Weapon computers send an on signal when the weapon is ready to fire and an off signal when it is reloading. this way you could do signals that show you, if an weapon is ready or not for example.

Except the HUD already gives you an indicator of not only when your weapon is reloaded, but also how long it's cooldown is. It's not a physical indicator but it still works. If you really wanted something like that though I don't think you need to create a whole new logic output just to indicate the weapon is ready, you could just set up a timer with the same time as the weapons cooldown which would then activate a light or something upon reload.

 

[CodeBlack]

This is something I was hoping for back when I was creating a bomber a few months back. I had set up a row of lights and doors at the end of some missile barrels, in the hopes that, when I fired some of the doors would open creating a "blastoff" effect with the light on the hull. Then when the missiles were reloaded (set by a timer) a second door would open revealing the missile block so there was a visual indicator from outside the ship that it was ready to fire. Either way I imagine something like this is planned, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.


Except the HUD already gives you an indicator of not only when your weapon is reloaded, but also how long it's cooldown is. It's not a physical indicator but it still works. If you really wanted something like that though I don't think you need to create a whole new logic output just to indicate the weapon is ready, you could just set up a timer with the same time as the weapons cooldown which would then activate a light or something upon reload.

thats the way i am doing it right now...but this takes so much delay blocks in some cases Oo
also...i know that you can see the cooldown when in the cockpit, but im talking about broadsides and stuff that gets fired by activating a trigger. So people on the ship can Fire weapons without hopping into any computer. Yes you could just place the computer there using it to fire, but i kinda like it when you press a button and it fires.
(Btw.: when i place a computer and hop into it, i automatically get assigned to one camera...no matter where the computer is placed...is there a way to change that?)

 

[Saber]

i kinda like it when you press a button and it fires.

I'd definitely recommend spending some time getting the timing right then, so that when you hit the activator it fires the missiles, and goes through some delay blocks, when your cooldown ends have a light activate. Getting the timing might be tricky at first but it will be a pretty sweet effect.

 

[CodeBlack]

I'd definitely recommend spending some time getting the timing right then, so that when you hit the activator it fires the missiles, and goes through some delay blocks, when your cooldown ends have a light activate. Getting the timing might be tricky at first but it will be a pretty sweet effect.

ive already done this, but i had to use a hige amount of delay blocks, because of the high reload time...