Fully Programmable Computers Suggestion

[Oblivifrek]

What my suggestion is that we have a Block Called The Computer Block which can be fully Programmable (Just Like ComputerCraft in minecraft) why would you need a computer in starmade heres my list of ideas for the uses for this fully Programmable Computer:

• Use for Lockable Doors with passwords
• fully programmable Turrets/AI
• Fully Programmable AutoPilot
• Be able to hack other players/enemies in-game computers in warfare (like disable there custom made AI Systems/Scripts and Turrets)
• Be able to make mini Application in-Game
• Be Able to control all other Computer System on Ship (like Weapons Computer)
• Overclock Ship's Shields and Power Cells (It would be Hard of course but possible)
• Alarm Systems like if weapons hit you shields and will trigger the Alarm Systems if ship is in danger.
• Make your own shop with the computer acting like the transactor
• And Much More

Here's some Block ideas as addons for the Fully Programmable Computer:

• Monitor Block (Can be like in ComputerCraft where you combine lets say 4x4 Monitor Block to have a bigger screen and can be to display ship stats for crew members)
• Radio Receiver Block (Just like in ComputerCraft with RedNet you can receiver data from Radio Transmission Block)
• Radio Transmission Block (where you can transmit data to a Radio Receiver Block)
• Hard Drive Block (The standard Computer Block will have a built-in block but will only store a set number of files lets say 10 files/programs but with a Hard Drive Block lets say you can store 100+ files/programs and you could have multiple Hard Drive Blocks for more file/program Space)
• Radio Scrambler Block (The Radio Scrambler Block can scramble Radio signals could be usful for hacking your enemys computers and take control)
• Printer Block (Can be usfull to send orders to the weapons room if you dont want to send orders thought the computer or chat system)
• Disk Drive Block (to read or write from other computers)
• Proccessor Extender Block (Allows for two programs to run on one computer)
• Proccessor Enhancer Block (Allows a program to run better/more efficiently on one computer)
• RAM 4KB Block
• Advance Computer Block (Does More things and better things; Please comment what an Advance computer block should do)
• Advance Proccessor Extender Block
• Advance Proccessor Enhancer Block
• Advance Disk Drive Block (Better Disks)
• Advance RAM 8KB Block (could run faster plus bigger ram as you can see)
• Advance Radio Scrambler Block
• Advance Hard Drive Block

Heres ideas for pre-installed programs on the computers

• Auto-Pilot Basic
• Weapons Manager Basic
• Salvage Manager Basic
• Network Manager Basic
• Stock Market (Check the ecomony from your ship or Space station)
• Missile Manager Basic
• Automation Basic
• Maps
• Engine Manager Basic
• Chat basic
• Lua Scripting Editor (for Basic to advanced Programmers)
• Block Coding Editor (for non-programmers (its a scratch like program))

Theres my ideas for the Fully Programmable Computer if your thinking what computer programming Language should be use. It should Be Lua because Java, C, C++, C# to me are to hard for this kind of thing and plus ComputerCraft uses Lua and uses a DOS like Interface. if any of you have a idea thats on the same line or see the same vision just comment on this topic on any other suggestions for things that you could do with a fully programmable Computer in starmade. because i think it could add another gameplay element to starmade.

 

[mou]

I agree with all of this

 

[Oblivifrek]

Yeah i see the possiblity for this feature to be implemented in the near future and as i said about it above it could add a layer of gameplay possibility to starmade. (\"You can\'t have a space game without a Computer LOL\")

 

[Gnoccy]

I like the Idea, but there should be an alternative for the Players without any programming skills. For example there could be some premade programms for the most common tasks that you can just load.

Or maby something like this: http://medienmami.uni-ulm.de/mediathek/kara_2.png. For those how understand German:http://www.swisseduc.ch/informatik/karatojava/kara/screenshots.html. It´s a simple education programm to teach you the basics of finite-state machines. You can easily build your own machine with just a few clicks.

But anyway, I would love to see LUA based computers in the game. I\'m imagining a boardingparty that could disable the shields of enemy ships or even take control over the whole ship.

I hope my english wasn\'t to bad. Sorry for that.

 

[Ixalite]

this seems like a great idea, but may cause lag. I love new features, but I hate for them to slow down the game. There are many other things that could be added with a higher fun/lag coefficient.

 

[Oblivifrek]

So great ideas Gnoccy you could have lua for the advance person and Block like Programming (Visual Programming i think its called) like Scratch Heres the URL: http://scratch.mit.edu for the basic person plus you can have pre made programs for both Lua and Block like Programming for Examples to start you off and Lxalite it could be improved and optimized but i see what you mean. Ive got another idea aswell if your ship is destroyed you may want to backup your In-Game Computer so back it up with a Disk/ Disk Drive or what ever Media it will be for the future.

 

[Riftmaster]

This sounds like it would involve knowledge of actual programming.

Instead, the hacking part should be a minigame at most, and the actual programming of the computer should involve menus rather than actual code.

Otherwise persons with programming skills would have a serious advantage in using the things over those with little or no programming skills.



So perhaps something like the current weapons menu, plus the AI menu, etc.



Hell, you could just expand the AI block\'s capabilities and use that....



Personally, I\'d like to see turrets able to be programmed to only fire within a given arc (so they do not clip through ships, or take to firing off-bore in a ridiculous fashion...)

That, or make it so turrets cannot clip through a ship hull/other turrets/ships/whatever.

 

[dwwojcik]

I don\'t know if you are familiar with the ComputerCraft mod for Minecraft, but it works quite well. Programmers create amazing things, and non-programmers can be equally successful with built in programs and items from other mods. Besides, there are many generous coders who would be happy to share their usefull scripts with the community.

 

[Oblivifrek]

Riftmaster i think to satisfy all partys you could have lua for Advance User , Block Coding for Little programming and Menu Programming just like the AI Blocks like Automation Programming / Command Programming i think its called for the non programmers but all the options shown above should do the same job. Like Locking a Door with a password. I may have complicated the suggestion abit with the reply but could work.

 

[Oblivifrek]

dwwojcik yeah if ComputerCraft Works in Minecraft and its great for all types of user it should work here. Could i say if you hack player/enemy computers you should get a second player to be onboard with you so you can fly while your friend can hack the shields and stuff but you could hack and fly at the same time if you know how to fully programme a computer to fly

 

[Nootau]

I wonder are the rates of actual advances coders will be the same as they are for CC, where 90% of the code used are used by people with extremely limited concepts of programing and simply download the code while the last 10% are split between the ones who code and post the code and those who code and actually use it for themselves.

 

[dwwojcik]

I saw a suggestion for an EMP cannon in another thread. Maybe if a computer has hit by one of those it would reboot?



EDIT: I also just read a suggestion for a recall function for AI controlled ships. If we had the ability to transmit commands over radio channels (Wireless Redstone, if you will) between computers, we could use them for that. It would also be interesting to be able to intercept, scramble, or unintentionally overlap radio frequencies. A scrambling or encoding script could definately come in handy if you know your friend uses radio, but if Lua makes your head hurt you could totally ignore it.

While you\'re at it, change chat to a game mechanic. It would add a whole new layer of immersion to the game, and if you absolutly had to talk to somebody too far away just use skype.

 

[Oblivifrek]

Dwwojcik that a greeat idea use a radio receiver and trasmitter Block so you can transmit and receive signals to a computer and stuff like that.

 

[Oblivifrek]

Double post lol just got an idea for how to share scripts you know this website people can share their ship you could do the same with script for people who are willing to share scripts for starmade and another thing Apis you would have to have weapon Apis, Turret Apis, AI Apis, System Apis (to program in game basic computer features) and more. So if you want to learn Apis this stuff would have to have on the wiki.

 

[z1967]

Please make the hacking minigame Galaga or some old styled arcade game like snake or pong... Maybe not pong but you get the idea.



Edit: grammar and I lied

I really like the idea of having the three different levels of use. Advanced (lua), hybrid (menu and lua), and of course beginner (menu). I am a programming noob and Although I can use basic python, I am new to Lua.

also add \"EHD\" or external hard drives to transfer files from one computer to another.

 

[Oblivifrek]

Yeah each computer block should have a rom system built in but you could have a Hard Drive block that has a set HDD size and could have one in game computer act as a ships server and the other in-game computers on the ship as clients or run the in-game computers on the ship indipendently basically the user can choose which layout there in game computers work if they have more than one in game computer

 

[Arlin.Del'Adre]

I think basic programming capabilities would be a great customization, maybe programming ai to fly in formation what to target when attacking an enemy ship, return when damaged to a certain extent. also better aim with turrets and the capability to fire multiple weapons and such... however any more than that would be to complicated due to the fact that the average player is not going to spend hours coding their turrets and fighters. and the best coders out their wont share their code... Therefor even the code that is downloadable wont be up to par when it comes to competitive fighting.

 

[Oblivifrek]

Yeah it think the best warfare type of scripts would be kept secret until they find better ways of getting the most out of the AI and turrets. Another idea that I have that comes from computercraft in game Monitors so you could have 5 x 4 monitor pluged into the in game computer use it to show data and use it to track enemies and other stuff that doesn\'t require input but just output like stats and ship stats etc

 

[Rookery]

I had suggested this a while back on the chatroom. I also think it would be epic if we could also have monitors and program them to display ship status. I loved ComputerCraft and it is the only reason I still play minecraft and I truly hope this is implemented into the game. LUA support would be great.

 

[Oblivifrek]

Rookery I agree with you will all the ideas about computerCraft. ComputerCraft fits the bill for star made and this should be really should be suggested to the developer of star made because as I said and others on this suggestion it would add a layer of gameplay and combat possibilitys to star made.