Block Reshaper (New factory block)

[Ithirahad]

Pretty simple suggestion: Just a way to turn any block, wedge, corner, tetra, or penta into any one of the other available shapes for that block. Currently once you 'cut' a block into a shape it's stuck in that shape, which is annoying; it should be possible to take any shape-type of block that you get and turn it into a different one. The old factory system could do this, and I see no good reason why this system shouldn't be able to. I keep running into issues where I have too many wedges and not enough regular blocks, or pirates drop a giant stack of pentas, or corners that I can't really use, and I really need to make most of them into blocks. :\

...At the very least, there should be a factory that turns tetras, pentas, corners, and wedges back into full blocks.

 

[lupoCani]

I wholeheartedly agree. Although I would personally prefer seeing a separate block for this, and many other already-possible tasks, it should be noted it would work just as well without one. Factories already "know" what they're supposed to produce, so they could easily be made to accept multiple kinds of input like, say, another shape of the same color of hull they're supposed to produce.

 

[Auriga_Nexus]

I think that what we should have is a block-shaping system that works based on 3d geometry. So, for example, if you have your bog-standard cube, you can slice it it to make either a) two wedges, b) a penta and a tetra, or c) a corner and... some scrap maybe? And also have it to where the reshaper can craft a full cube using either two wedges, a penta and hepta, or... well I don't really know how the hell corners fit into this, they're the only shape that can't fit cleanly with another shape to make a cube. But you get the idea.

 

[SkaireKrough]

I think that what we should have is a block-shaping system that works based on 3d geometry. So, for example, if you have your bog-standard cube, you can slice it it to make either a) two wedges, b) a penta and a tetra, or c) a corner and... some scrap maybe? And also have it to where the reshaper can craft a full cube using either two wedges, a penta and hepta, or... well I don't really know how the hell corners fit into this, they're the only shape that can't fit cleanly with another shape to make a cube. But you get the idea.

3 corners make a cube, put the points in the same corner and the square sides will form 3 adjacent sides of the cube, the other three sides are made up of triangles from 2 of the 3 corners blocks.

While I like the idea of be able to get any shape from any other shape of the same basic type, the fact that all different shaped blocks of the same basic type have equal armor and hit point values throws a big wrench into the idea of slicing a cube into 2 wedges or any combination of shapes that are each equal in stats to the one original block.

Most processes that convert something to something else are nowhere near 100% efficient and are even less efficient when you try to reverse the process.

Maybe a workable solution would be having the ability to get full blocks from the correct combination of the other shapes, but that full block when reshaped to partial blocks results in no left over or excess material.

 

[lupoCani]

I think that what we should have is a block-shaping system that works based on 3d geometry. So, for example, if you have your bog-standard cube, you can slice it it to make either a) two wedges, b) a penta and a tetra, or c) a corner and... some scrap maybe? And also have it to where the reshaper can craft a full cube using either two wedges, a penta and hepta, or... well I don't really know how the hell corners fit into this, they're the only shape that can't fit cleanly with another shape to make a cube. But you get the idea.

The problem with that is, last I checked, all hull shapes have the same mass and EHP. This means 1:1 conversion between shapes is more sound, both realistically and balance-wise. From a realistic perspective, if it has he same mass, all of the original matter must have been used in consuming it. From a balance perspective, "splitting" hull would mean doubling people's hull supply for free.

 

[Monchoman45]

Why even use a factory?

Why do we even have to craft these in the first place?

No, seriously. They even get stacked in the same inventory slots. All of my blue advanced armor takes up one inventory slot, all of the conversions are 1:1 - why am I using factory power to make wedges?

What if we just drop the idea of carrying around wedges and such altogether? Just carry around the full block. Using the same system, let me choose what I want to place - just scroll through wedge, corner, hepta, or tetra - and then consume one of the square blocks. Relatively minor code change, pretty simple inventory conversion script, no more "12,000 tetras but only 2 heptas" problem. Everyone's inventory space stays the same, factory recipes get simpler, shop menus are easier to navigate.

Salvaged a green hull tetra? Get a green hull block. Maybe I'll go over to my ship and place it as a corner piece.

So much easier.

 

[Auriga_Nexus]

Why even use a factory?

Why do we even have to craft these in the first place?

No, seriously. They even get stacked in the same inventory slots. All of my blue advanced armor takes up one inventory slot, all of the conversions are 1:1 - why am I using factory power to make wedges?

What if we just drop the idea of carrying around wedges and such altogether? Just carry around the full block. Using the same system, let me choose what I want to place - just scroll through wedge, corner, hepta, or tetra - and then consume one of the square blocks. Relatively minor code change, pretty simple inventory conversion script, no more "12,000 tetras but only 2 heptas" problem. Everyone's inventory space stays the same, factory recipes get simpler, shop menus are easier to navigate.

Salvaged a green hull tetra? Get a green hull block. Maybe I'll go over to my ship and place it as a corner piece.

So much easier.

Meh, valid point. When you think about it tetras, heptas and the like still take up a full 1x1x1 cube of space with regards to block placement (eg you can't put two wedge shapes together to make a cube because both would be occupying the same cube place). So if they're going to take up a block anyway why not just make it to where any one of the five possible shapes can be achieved via a single cube block?

You could justify it by saying your astronaut has a fusion cutter or something built into his suit (since he has a salvage beam already this would make sense) and so if he has a block of any material he can cut it to the shapes he needs.

 

[whooplaah]

Why even use a factory?

Why do we even have to craft these in the first place?

Salvaged a green hull tetra? Get a green hull block. Maybe I'll go over to my ship and place it as a corner piece.

So much easier.

I agree. I feel like this would simplify factories - all I have to do is make the desired color 'hull' and I can place all the shapes of that color. Much easier than crafting the color, then deciding how many of each shape to make, then coming back to refill only one of the shapes. I could save a lot of time that is usually spent just waiting for the factory to finish.

 

[Ithirahad]

Why even use a factory?

Why do we even have to craft these in the first place?

No, seriously. They even get stacked in the same inventory slots. All of my blue advanced armor takes up one inventory slot, all of the conversions are 1:1 - why am I using factory power to make wedges?

What if we just drop the idea of carrying around wedges and such altogether? Just carry around the full block. Using the same system, let me choose what I want to place - just scroll through wedge, corner, hepta, or tetra - and then consume one of the square blocks. Relatively minor code change, pretty simple inventory conversion script, no more "12,000 tetras but only 2 heptas" problem. Everyone's inventory space stays the same, factory recipes get simpler, shop menus are easier to navigate.

Salvaged a green hull tetra? Get a green hull block. Maybe I'll go over to my ship and place it as a corner piece.

So much easier.

Yeah, this would be ideal TBH...

 

[lazarus78]

I think that what we should have is a block-shaping system that works based on 3d geometry. So, for example, if you have your bog-standard cube, you can slice it it to make either a) two wedges, b) a penta and a tetra, or c) a corner and... some scrap maybe? And also have it to where the reshaper can craft a full cube using either two wedges, a penta and hepta, or... well I don't really know how the hell corners fit into this, they're the only shape that can't fit cleanly with another shape to make a cube. But you get the idea.

There's a suggestion thread near by for an inverse of the corner block.

I do think the reshaping should be equal, as mentioned, cube into 2 wedges, etc.

 

[Ithirahad]

There's a suggestion thread near by for an inverse of the corner block.

I do think the reshaping should be equal, as mentioned, cube into 2 wedges, etc.

...But that isn't equal. They all have the same HP. So, a player with 10000 Advanced Armor blocks could effectively double his armor for free by splitting it all into wedges and making a wall out of the flat sides. (It would create more lag, too, since all of those angular faces don't just magically disappear like flat faces do.)

 

[lazarus78]

...But that isn't equal. They all have the same HP. So, a player with 10000 Advanced Armor blocks could effectively double his armor for free by splitting it all into wedges and making a wall out of the flat sides. (It would create more lag, too, since all of those angular faces don't just magically disappear like flat faces do.)

True, I didn't think of that. I guess if the mass and armor/health is equal, then a 1:1 conversion would be OK.