Invisible Shipyard Modules

[uberadiant]

Apologies if this has been suggested (or shot down!) before, I had a quick search but couldn't see anything.

Would it be possible to have the option of making the shipyard module invisible until in build mode, like the core anchor is? This would allow us to create slightly more elaborate shipyard designs without having to conform to the actual defined shape of the buildable area. For example -

In the above image there are no modules as yet. However, when these get added they will stick out the bottom where the spokes curve, affecting the aesthetics. Now this might not be so much of a problem, you think, as only a few would be visible. But how about this design -

With modules added the aesthetics would be completely ruined. The narrow back end would just end up being inside the actual build area, assuming I wanted to use the full width of the front area. With invisible modules I could make use of the entire shipyard without affecting the aesthetics at all.

 

[Malacodor]

However, when these get added they will stick out the bottom where the spokes curve, affecting the aesthetics.

Why would the stick out? They can follow the curves.

 

[Lone_Puppy]

I can see where you're heading with this one. It would be cool. It would need a way to be toggled on/off so existing shipyards would be unaffected. Otherwise to not affect existing it would require an additional block that wouldn't really be practical and I don't think would even be considered.

 

[uberadiant]

Why would the stick out? They can follow the curves.

I didn't realise they could be any shape curve, thank you! Unfortunately it won't help the second example so much...

I can see where you're heading with this one. It would be cool. It would need a way to be toggled on/off so existing shipyards would be unaffected. Otherwise to not affect existing it would require an additional block that wouldn't really be practical and I don't think would even be considered.

Yeah it would definitely be best to have the option rather than forcing everyone to use it. I think it would be useful for some people though (and by some people, I mean me :p)

 

[Lone_Puppy]

I didn't realise they could be any shape curve, thank you! Unfortunately it won't help the second example so much...

You can hide the modules inside the struts you build also.

 

[Raisinbat]

Would it be possible to have the option of making the shipyard module invisible until in build mode, like the core anchor is? This would allow us to create slightly more elaborate shipyard designs without having to conform to the actual defined shape of the buildable area. For example -

I don't think making them invisible is the right solution for this, but those designs should work. Maybe having shipyard size + speed simply depend on number of modules instead of requiring an exact layout would help.

 

[Ithirahad]

You can hide the modules inside the struts you build also.

No, you can't. All the module groups have to be the same exact size and shape. So that won't work.

 

[Nickizzy]

Apologies if this has been suggested (or shot down!) before, I had a quick search but couldn't see anything.

Would it be possible to have the option of making the shipyard module invisible until in build mode, like the core anchor is? This would allow us to create slightly more elaborate shipyard designs without having to conform to the actual defined shape of the buildable area. For example -

In the above image there are no modules as yet. However, when these get added they will stick out the bottom where the spokes curve, affecting the aesthetics. Now this might not be so much of a problem, you think, as only a few would be visible. But how about this design -

With modules added the aesthetics would be completely ruined. The narrow back end would just end up being inside the actual build area, assuming I wanted to use the full width of the front area. With invisible modules I could make use of the entire shipyard without affecting the aesthetics at all.

What sort of ship uses that shipyard anyway? If You could make it small enough(or I think it's a config option if it's SP or you can persuade the admins) you could make an extra ring past the big claw to expand the shipyard that way. Or just make a massive superstructure to go around the entire thing.

The problem is that it's either redefining how shipyards are made or adding really weird algorithms for calculating space. It's more of a design problem with the shipyard(sry!) than a feature problem easily solved. You could make it a docking station instead for a ship(it's a specialized ship that could use that, anyway) and could make the arms look way better using rails.

 

[Jojomo]

As a possible downside, wouldn't shipyards then become virtually indestructable?

 

[Tydeth]

What sort of ship uses that shipyard anyway?

This kind: At least, if you asked about the first one. The second one comes up when google image searching Star Trek Shipyard, along with the first and several StarMade results.


Jojomo If the invisible shipyard module blocks can take hits like area triggers (IIRC, they can be hit by weapons fire), then the issue of invulnerable invisible modules won't be an issue.

 

[nightrune]

As a possible downside, wouldn't shipyards then become virtually indestructable?

You'd have to hit the computer then.

 

[Lone_Puppy]

No, you can't. All the module groups have to be the same exact size and shape. So that won't work.

Not for irregular shape of the second inage but the first you can. Which is what i was picturing in my head.

 

[Nickizzy]

This kind: At least, if you asked about the first one. The second one comes up when google image searching Star Trek Shipyard, along with the first and several StarMade results.


Jojomo If the invisible shipyard module blocks can take hits like area triggers (IIRC, they can be hit by weapons fire), then the issue of invulnerable invisible modules won't be an issue.

I mean the one with the big claw shape on the end. Couldn't you make that a docking area, and have the actual shipyard somewhere else?

 

[Ithirahad]

Not for irregular shape of the second inage but the first you can. Which is what i was picturing in my head.

Oh, thought you were referring to the second one.

[...]Unfortunately it won't help the second example so much...

You can hide the modules inside the struts you build also.

 

[Malacodor]

I didn't realise they could be any shape curve, thank you!

Well, at least I hope that's the intended way, if not I'd be screwed. The game says it must be a C-shape, and 'C's do curve inward. However, the height and width limitation of shipyards is currently broken, so I can't test it.

 

[Lord_Greyscale]

Well, at least I hope that's the intended way, if not I'd be screwed. The game says it must be a C-shape, and 'C's do curve inward. However, the height and width limitation of shipyards is currently broken, so I can't test it.

Astoundingly enough, the shipyard "arm" can even be a complete circle, so long as it is a "symmetrical" circle. (so, not the "circle" formed by, say, this here rock formation

EX: the letter O, and the number 0 (zero) are both "symmetrical", in the sense that if you fold it in half, in at least one direction, the halves will be identical. This same symmetry is true of the letters/characters/numbers C, D, B *, U *, V *, Y *, 3, <, >, ^, [, {, (. Of those, more than half are "c" shaped, and so the rule was written to emphasize the most obvious/simplest shape.
( * in most fonts, these are symmetrical along one axis or another, though some fonts go out of their way to be non-symmetrical.)

Heck, it is even possible that the rule was written during/for a version of shipyard code where only a proper letter C/U shape would work, and then like so many other things in this game, the code changed, but the old (but at least functional) description stuck around like a foul odor.

EDIT: realized I missed a few characters.

 

[Jojomo]

I may be misunderstanding this, or missing some important point, but from the news page that announced shipyards:

The size of ship you may dock is unlimited but the shipyard will not work if the length of the yard is too small (the other dimensions don’t matter as long as the docked ship doesn’t overlap with any block except the anchor).

Does this mean you could make a very narrow shipyard "backbone" of 3x3 U shapes, and then build any size ship in it? (Length permitting)
(And add any decorative blocks/structures you like to the yard beyond the "backbone", without affecting function?)

 

[Madman198237]

Probably not, as you would need to build most of the yard in the down direction, or have all of you ship be under the core (Or it's likely going to collide with the yard itself, barring trickery.....hmmm, this needs testing!)

 

[Lord_Greyscale]

I may be misunderstanding this, or missing some important point, but from the news page that announced shipyards:

The size of ship you may dock is unlimited but the shipyard will not work if the length of the yard is too small (the other dimensions don’t matter as long as the docked ship doesn’t overlap with any block except the anchor).

Does this mean you could make a very narrow shipyard "backbone" of 3x3 U shapes, and then build any size ship in it? (Length permitting)
(And add any decorative blocks/structures you like to the yard beyond the "backbone", without affecting function?)

Ah, I know exactly what that means.

It means the "shipyard" portions of the shipyard, (design, construct, de-construct, re-construct, de-construct_to_make_a_design_of) won't work, because the fat/long/tall bastard you "docked" to the anchor point has some part of it sticking outside of the "shipyard" (the zone defined as "within the shipyard's arms")
EX: I build a 256 meter long ship, that is about 50 in the other two dimensions. For the original shipyards to "work" on it, the shipyard would need to be 256 meters long, or longer. (the arms themselves are the points by which a shipyard measures it's own length.)
It could indeed have bits and bobs poking well outside the "shipyard" all along it's length, so long as they did not overlap/collide with the yard's arms.

For "modern" StarMade shipyards, the entire ship MUST fit completely within the yard.
If the core is all the way in the nose, or buried deep in it's engines, the the shipyard would need to be re-built to accommodate the weird-assed ship you've just stuck in it.
(the "easy" way is to place and link a new Shipyard anchor, then delete the old anchor. I usually take the hard route of adding more arms.)
This allso means gribbly bits added along the side couldn't "poke out"


Last I tested this, you cannot even place a block in design-mode if the placed block would end up "outside" of that bounded area. (that's another case of "the description doesn't say it works that way!")
(this may have changed, I last tested that over 3 months ago, I have studiously avoided even trying to design bigger than my shipyard can handle)
At the time they introduced it, yes, the non-length dimensions really did not matter, but that was patched "fairly" soon-ish.

You can, however, freely dock anything to the anchor, so long as said thing would not end up clipping into the shipyard's arms. (italicized for emphasis, not for anger) That behavior is basic rail-docking mechanics in action.

HASTY EDIT: I forgot some of the restrictions "modern" shipyards have that the originals didn't

 

[Valck]

(the "easy" way is to place and link a new Shipyard anchor, then delete the old anchor. I usually take the hard route of adding more arms.)

You don't have to delete the shipyard anchor, just unlink it, add another anchor where you need it, and link that to the shipyard computer. I usually have several anchors in more or less standardized locations, and just link the one required by a specific design. I wish there were a way to automate this using logic, or even better yet, shipyards would auto-place a virtual anchor such that any ship is centered within the shipyard's dimensions, without the need for a player to place any anchor anywhere...