Design Mode Computer

[Valiant70]

The shipyard update is pretty doggone cool! I know some features are still planned for it though, so we can expect shipyards to become more amazing as time goes on. Here is an idea for one such feature (if something similar hasn't been planned already).

Currently, there is a feature that allows you to test fly a virtual ship in a "simulation" without building it. (transport it to a "test sector")

As an extension of this, I'd like to be able to use design mode outside of a shipyard, without a visible hologram of the ship anywhere else. The ship would be constructed in a virtual sector, similar to the test flight mechanic. When you're done working on the ship, it would be saved to the design meta-item and the sector and ship unloaded, which could reduce server (and client) memory load a bit versus leaving a hologram lying around.

This concept could either be an option in shipyard computers, or a completely new block. If a separate block is added, it could be placeable on ships (there'd be no reason for it not to be), which would be nice, especially for base ships. An engineer stationed on a base ship could work on designs all the time, and then build them upon returning to a station.

Advantages include:

• You don't have to worry about the size of the shipyard you're designing in
• Ability to hide designs from prying eyes without the need for a secret base
• Leave shipyards open for actual construction and repair rather than filling them with holograms most of the time
• IMO, a ship design lab with a number of computers for your faction's shipwrights would be a cool feature to include in a base. Alternately, design computers could be included in shipwright's personal quarters.
• (If it's separate from the shipyard computer) you could place them on ships. (see above)
• Less server load and graphical lag from holograms lying around when no one is working on them. I guess you could unload designs from shipyards while you're not working on them, but I doubt most people will remember to do that.
• Since you're already in a virtual sector, you could just hit the space bar to test fly. That's convenient!

What? "This isn't necessary" you say? Silly player. It would be helpful and would do no harm, so it's almost as good as being necessary!

 

[kiraen]

My support for this depends on numbers from Schine. Which uses more computer resources? The holograms, or the extra sector?
I would tend to think the empty sector would be cheaper, so I will tentatively agree. But I have to ask, why wasn't it done this way in the first place?

 

[Valiant70]

Which uses more computer resources? The holograms, or the extra sector?

Yeah, we would need to hear from Schine on that one. What I DO know is that when you're not working on it, the empty sector would not be loaded into server memory. That means the design computer would generate less server load when idle than the shipyard. On faction bases and the like, that would save a bit either way. It might not save a whole lot in the end unless the ships were huge, but it's something.

Now here's where you'll see some real memory savings: The sector the computer block is in (big faction home base, planet, capital ship, whatever) doesn't need to be loaded while the engineer is working on a ship! Why? Because the guy's game is only rendering the virtual sector!

Example: TK-421 logs in on the Death Star, and happens to be the only Empire faction member online. He decides to work on his Star Destroyer 2.0 design, so he flips on his design computer. The moment he switches to the virtual sector, there's no longer anyone in the Death Star sector, so it unloads. We just went from having a moon-sized station in memory to having a relatively minuscule ship in memory. That's helpful!

 

[Yrjosmiel]

Directly from my mind! :D

 

[Valiant70]

It'd be nice to have this feature for the new home base station I'm building. I will only have smallish shipyards on it due to server rules (rules designed to generate more war/conflict ).

 

[willvette]

I like this idea a lot, free ship building with out disrupting the economics of the game. It offers the best for ship designing but still requiring the cost of building it and a gem after limits are placed on stacks making shipyards more economic. That doesn't mean that manual building wont disappear but it will become a bite more limited as a player would have to continuously pull or buy more building blocks. Think mega building projects in Minecraft survival mode, need more cobblestone...