How far could rail tech be taken?

[Megacrafter127]

Sure you could rotate the rotor twice, but I think the aesthetic value would be lost. Imagine Bench's Imperial Shuttle wings with a stutter in the middle... unless pulsing the rotate 'command' in quick succession provides one continues movement to the final angle? I've never pulsed the rotate 'command' quickly to test it tbh

You can easily pulse it through an activator(and an AND with a flip-flip) next to the rotator itself.

 

[iceman6491]

I dont doubt that you can pulse it, I was more curious of how smooth the resultant movement would be. Anyway I fear I may have derailed slightly. I agree with you tho Mega, it would be a good way of defining the angle, I was just curious of the end result :p

 

[Brain_Dawgs]

Damnit, now i want to make chamber. Look what you've done to me OP! I was going to make Tharsis after I finished the dom but it looks like that's going to have to wait

Mission accomplished *laughs mechanically*. :D

 

[Megacrafter127]

I dont doubt that you can pulse it, I was more curious of how smooth the resultant movement would be. Anyway I fear I may have derailed slightly. I agree with you tho Mega, it would be a good way of defining the angle, I was just curious of the end result :p

If you don't do it with a separate clock, it should be smooth.

 

[Viridis00]

The main challenges to making functional mecha are getting the legs to move as the player does. We'd need a way to logically determine movement which I think could actually be possible in game. I mean, the game knows when you're pressing a button that it sends you in whatever direction along the axis. What if when you travel in a certain axis by whatever key is mapped, the logic block is activated?

From there you could rig a looping function to power legs to move if you on the ground, or in space move them into dynamic poses so it gives the illusion of movement.
Logic remotes already make things like that incredibly sexy shield animation on CyberTao's mecha possible.
Turret axis makes automatically moving arms/heads with vulcans possible as well if you choose to make them like that.

 

[CyberTao]

From there you could rig a looping function to power legs to move if you on the ground, or in space move them into dynamic poses so it gives the illusion of movement.

To be honest, the Astronaut mode and ship mode could have different key bindings. The Q&A said that they were going to add additional hotbars at some point, and if I could bind the "Forward walk" animation to W instead of 8+Click I could mimic that effect. Context sensitive shortcuts I guess is the term.

I mean, the cockpit of a mobile suit or any kind of mecha is normally a oversized button panel, and using it like this would make Logic the primary method of control, awarding those with good logical engineering.

Mechs are not really part of the base game, we can make it needlessly complex and 1337 if it's possible. Would mean a lot more to be a mecha genius if mechas were complicated to build.

 

[Gamel]

If you don't do it with a separate clock, it should be smooth.

How about using light block?
So (C)rotator->(V)activation block[45degree]+(V)light block[15degree]
then the rotator will turn 60degree

 

[Viridis00]

To be honest, the Astronaut mode and ship mode could have different key bindings.

They actually already are separate if you wish, keybinds for astronaut and ship flight are just bound to the same keys by default. Being able to bind remotes to keys would also work for this, but I just like the idea of a gyroscope or directional accelerometer that does its I/O automatically without being bound to a specific key, but rather what the player has mapped in their settings so it is interoperable between people with different bindings or mapped to a joystick.

 

[CyberTao]

They actually already are separate if you wish, keybinds for astronaut and ship flight are just bound to the same keys by default. Being able to bind remotes to keys would also work for this, but I just like the idea of a gyroscope or directional accelerometer that does its I/O automatically without being bound to a specific key, but rather what the player has mapped in their settings so it is interoperable between people with different bindings or mapped to a joystick.

I dunno, I just feel like making things automatic would lead to more derpiness and need more Dev time. I just want a manual setting to add on top if nothing else (either that or I will marco it somehow).

 

[Trekkerjoe]

Turret axis makes automatically moving arms/heads with vulcans possible as well if you choose to make them like that.

Trust me, the rail turrets are bugged. They seem to prevent movement, especially if your cockpit is in a turret. I have completed a mech that can move under it's own power, complete with an upper turret as the cockpit, and unlike previous prototypes without turrets, it bugs out and teleports back to it's staring position.

EDIT: removed random text.

 

[godmars]

With the one I was testing I had stick the cockpit in the lower torso because of that. But even then, they still bug out currently (in that instance the turrets cant decide on what they want to aim at)

 

[Trekkerjoe]

I am seriously hoping for that bug to get fixed. Also hoping for friction to be implemented. Both are necessary for walkers.

 

[Lidren]

I want to see this:

 

[Snk]

I want to see this:

The thing is, this is definitely possible. Let's do it!

 

[Dire Badger]

snk- sorry for saying this, but the saying is "Make a man a fire, and he's warm for a day. Set a man ON fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life." (implying his life will be very short)
The way you have it in your sig is driving my OCD crazy.

 

[Snk]

snk- sorry for saying this, but the saying is "Make a man a fire, and he's warm for a day. Set a man ON fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life." (implying his life will be very short)

No... the "Him" refers to the man you make a fire for. It is self explanatory.

 

[Dire Badger]

Is english your second language? How could you possibly misunderstand what I said?
"Warm for the rest of his life' is the problem. not 'forever', because a man isn't warm forever when you set him on fire. Then he's dead. It kinda spoils the joke and the understated cynicism.

Now, if you wanted to change it up, you could say "Make a man a fire and he's warm for a day, set him on fire and YOU will be warm forever." With the implication That you are going to hell for it, a rather... mild joke, but decent for all that, as it actually pokes fun at the understated cynicism implicit in the initial line, and reinforcing the christian origins of the original quote which was "Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish, and he will eat for the rest of his life". Essentially it's a way of turning a humorous, cynical misquote back on itself.

 

[EricBlank]

The only way this conversation is relevant is if Schema gives us flamethrowers for antipersonnel weaponry.

Now, then, I think Gamel has hit upon a good idea going here:

How about using light block?
So (C)rotator->(V)activation block[45degree]+(V)light block[15degree]
then the rotator will turn 60degree

We can connect light blocks or rods, or other blocks that have an on/off state, to a rotator to dictate angles rather than activators. You could then designate each colored light block as having a different value, say green blocks have a value of 15, blue are 10, etc. Unless space really does become an, and I doubt it will since there are enough different lights and rods that we can form a decent range of values. You can do 180+10+1 to get a rotator that very specifically rotates whatever is on it by 191*, or 45+15+5+1 to achieve 66* increments.