List of outdated blocks to remove when modernizing blueprints

[DeepspaceMechanic]

I started a thread a while ago, in which I missed a key point due to having no substantial experience in the survival gameplay area of StarMade (thread: Question: the ultimate fate of outdated blocks and blueprints?).

I learned that when players try to spawn or shipyard-produce structures from blueprints that they borrowed from other builders, they simply can't if they fail to provide those block types required by the blueprints that are no longer obtainable in 0.200+ game versions (either in shops or through crafting).

I originally wanted to ask which block types should be looked for by those who would like to refit a few of their CC resources to ascertain perfect compatibility. But then I started up the last 0.199 game version and went through the Creative Mode inventory myself.


The list of block types made unobtainable in the Systems 2.1 / Weapons 3.0 updates (and prior):

1. Power Reactor (Old type)
2. Power Capacitor
3. Power Auxiliary
4. Scanner Computer
5. Scanner Antenna
6. Jump Inhibitor Computer
7. Jump Inhibitor Module
8. Cloaker
9. Radar Jammer
10. Jump Drive Computer
11. Jump Drive Module
12. Damage Pulse Computer
13. Damage Pulse Module
14-22. Every classic Effect type's computer (9 in total)
23-31. Every classic Effect type's module (9 in total)
32-33. Shield Drain computer / module
34-35. Shield Supply computer / module
36-37. Power Drain computer / module
38-39. Power Supply computer / module
40. The early turret docking system's blocks


The process of refitting stuff:

• The "Blocks" window in the Blueprint Catalog has a text-search option, which can be used to check if there's stuff to be removed from a structure, even without spawning it (you only need to check ten search terms: Power, Scan, Jump, Cloak, Jam, Pulse, Effect, Drain, Supply, Dock)
• The "Highlight blocks in dropdown" button in Advanced Build Mode will show you exactly where are the blocks you want removed/replaced (unless they're in some docked entity).

 

[Nosajimiki]

Also, not sure how, but some PlexLander blocks managed to get into a BP that is only a few months old, I think it was just BP corruption, but if we could perhaps have a way to spawn incomplete blueprints, that would help with this transitional period a LOT. I think the decorative idea is better for compatibility, but incomplete spawning would help with all sorts of other problems where BPs and perhaps be a simpler temporary fix.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

Also, not sure how, but some PlexLander blocks managed to get into a BP that is only a few months old, I think it was just BP corruption, but if we could perhaps have a way to spawn incomplete blueprints, that would help with this transitional period a LOT. I think the decorative idea is better for compatibility, but incomplete spawning would help with all sorts of other problems where BPs and perhaps be a simpler temporary fix.

Absolutely agreed, the possibility to load structures from incompletely filled BPs sounds like an easy solution.

Right now there are weird stuff like when working on an old structure in a new game version (trying to refit it), and any unobtainable block removed simply vanishes from the structure and neither appears in your inventory, nor does it re-appear when you press "Undo". (Edit: Wrong, just in Creative Mode.) Structures could be loaded like that with the outdated stuff simply missing.


As for decorative replacements... The Replace Filter can be used perfectly well on outdated blocks (eg. mass-replacing decorative Jump Module blocks with the new Blue Cascades - even the different original orientations are retained). It would be wonderful if we would get decorative replacements for most of the stuff on the list above, perhaps placed on the very bottom of any inventory, with appropriate numbers (mass, cost, etc.) and names (include "decorative" or "legacy" to avoid confusing newcomers).

 

[Nebulon-B_Frigate_FTW]

Also, not sure how, but some PlexLander blocks managed to get into a BP that is only a few months old, I think it was just BP corruption, but if we could perhaps have a way to spawn incomplete blueprints, that would help with this transitional period a LOT. I think the decorative idea is better for compatibility, but incomplete spawning would help with all sorts of other problems where BPs and perhaps be a simpler temporary fix.

Yesterday I was importing a friend's ship into dev build singleplayer and apparently the dev build has a bug where all set chambers are considered invalid block types. All I wanted was a big test target.
It very much would help to be able to incompletely spawn BPs.

 

[kupu]

....
Also, I guess I should add that I had two attempts of asking a dev team member / requesting decorative replacements at kupu 's thread.

The two posts, no replies so far:

Ah i must of missed them, Sorry. I can't speak to mechanical changes that auto remove or replace, or blueprint issues.

However i can quickly list which blocks will be given a decorative replacement, or how they are being phased out below.
Most, if not all of these will be deprecated. Meaning they can not be purchased from shops, found in creative inventory or crafted.

1. Power Reactor (Old type)
These will not get decorative replacement. The next update will stop it's animation. Old core mechanical power blocks will not be kept to avoid any confusion.
2. Power Capacitor
These will not get decorative replacement. The next update will stop it's animation. Old core mechanical power blocks will not be kept to avoid any confusion.
3. Power Auxiliary
These will not get decorative replacement. The next update will stop it's animation. Old core mechanical power blocks will not be kept to avoid any confusion.
4. Scanner Computer
The screen will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.
5. Scanner Antenna
Yes. A decorative coil block will be added to keep an equivalent of this texture.
6. Jump Inhibitor Computer
The screen will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.
7. Jump Inhibitor Module
This texture is preserved as a "decorative cascade". 2 colours are currently present, red and blue. Green will also be added.
8. Cloaker
The screen will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.
9. Radar Jammer
The screen will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.
10. Jump Drive Computer
The screen will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.
There are no plans to re-introduce the side panel containing the glowy "warp ball" yet.
11. Jump Drive Module
This texture is preserved as a "decorative cascade". 2 colours are currently present, red and blue. Green will also be added.
12. Damage Pulse Computer
The screen will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.
13. Damage Pulse Module
The same style texture will be used for the new Tractor beam, however with a colour change to green.
14-22. Every Effect type's computer (9 in total)
These screens will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.
23-31. Every Effect type's module (9 in total)
3 new types will get coloured versions corresponding to their type. Orange - Heat. Kinetic - Green. EM - Blue.
The rest (old modules) will be greyed out to denote it being defunct, and set to deprecated.

Green cascades and green force fields are being added because most previous green "decorative" options were removed.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

Ah i must of missed them, Sorry.

No problem at all, thanks very much for stopping by and clarifying these things

I can't speak to mechanical changes that auto remove or replace, or blueprint issues.

However i can quickly list which blocks will be given a decorative replacement, or how they are being phased out below.
Most, if not all of these will be deprecated. Meaning they can not be purchased from shops, found in creative inventory or crafted.

I'm not sure if this is more of a Schema question, but beyond the fact that these blocks will be unobtainable in survival circumstances, will the game retain these blocks "behind the scenes" so that blueprints which contain them will still be spawn-able through the "Admin Load" command? Personally, I'm only concerned about the continued possibility to spawn and check out other's creations in singleplayer, even if they missed a few old blocks when modernizing the structure.

I'm guessing the reason you wrote that screens will be greyed out to indicate that they're defunct is that certain non-modernized structures (eg. the procedurally generated old default stations and fleets) MUST be able to appear in the universe. So if all those outdated blocks will still be there, it should be made clear to newcomers what they are/aren't anymore.



BTW, by "decorative replacements" I mostly meant new non-functional blocks introduced by Schema that use the exact same textures of your's that were recently removed. Where confusion of what they are can be mitigated, it sounds to me like a perfectly reasonable decision; it would only mean that the parts of the cherished legacy content that aren't necessary to be remove wouldn't get wasted.

And thank you for your continued work in StarMade, I think it's safe to say that we all love your texture work, I'm certainly a big fan of it, and can't wait for the new stuff you mentioned

 

[Nosajimiki]

No problem at all, thanks very much for stopping by and clarifying these things

I'm not sure if this is more of a Schema question, but beyond the fact that these blocks will be unobtainable in survival circumstances, will the game retain these blocks "behind the scenes" so that blueprints which contain them will still be spawn-able through the "Admin Load" command? Personally, I'm only concerned about the continued possibility to spawn and check out other's creations in singleplayer, even if they missed a few old blocks when modernizing the structure.

I'm guessing the reason you wrote that screens will be greyed out to indicate that they're defunct is that certain non-modernized structures (eg. the procedurally generated old default stations and fleets) MUST be able to appear in the universe. So if all those outdated blocks will still be there, it should be made clear to newcomers what they are/aren't anymore.

BTW, by "decorative replacements" I mostly meant new non-functional blocks introduced by Schema that use the exact same textures of your's that were recently removed. Where confusion of what they are can be mitigated, it sounds to me like a perfectly reasonable decision; it would only mean that the parts of the cherished legacy content that aren't necessary to be remove wouldn't get wasted.

And thank you for your continued work in StarMade, I think it's safe to say that we all love your texture work, I'm certainly a big fan of it, and can't wait for the new stuff you mentioned

I am actually of the opposite concern. Letting people spawn things in creative that they can not spawn in survival is a really big problem. When trying to convert things to power 2.0, I've probably wasted nearly 500k in resources so far over trying to fill BPs that can't be completed because I could admin load them in SP, but miss that one depreciated block type when trying to bring them up in SP. A policy for gracefully depreciating all old blocks into inert versions of themselves would go a long way, but in lue of that, there needs to be a way to either get blocks back out of incomplete BPs or spawn them incomplete.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

I am actually of the opposite concern. Letting people spawn things in creative that they can not spawn in survival is a really big problem. When trying to convert things to power 2.0, I've probably wasted nearly 500k in resources so far over trying to fill BPs that can't be completed because I could admin load them in SP, but miss that one depreciated block type when trying to bring them up in SP. A policy for gracefully depreciating all old blocks into inert versions of themselves would go a long way, but in lue of that, there needs to be a way to either get blocks back out of incomplete BPs or spawn them incomplete.

True. The option to remove and reuse blocks from blueprints sounds like it should be an easy fix, and definitely needed.

To preclude others having the same unfortunate problem you described, again, blueprints can be scanned for the old stuff - the "Blocks" button in the Blueprint Catalog has a text search option, and we only need to check seven search terms (Power, Scanner, Jump, Cloaker, Jammer, Pulse, Effect) to make sure that none of the 31 outdated block types listed in the OP are present.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

UPDATE:

Edited the original post to include the Drain/Supply system blocks, which were removed in the first proper release of the Weapons 3.0 update, as well as some legacy system blocks deprecated prior to the Power 2.1 update.

 

[Reilly Reese]

It may be prudent to include the old docking modules which are still in the game.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

It may be prudent to include the old docking modules which are still in the game.

Indeed, it would be nice to have a comprehensive list (that would include all block types that were removed prior to the power update too).

I'll edit the original post, but I could use some help in compiling the full list, because I joined the club only after the current rail system's implementation... So I guess I'm unfamiliar with many other old block types (if there were any others deprecated?)

 

[Reilly Reese]

Indeed, it would be nice to have a comprehensive list (that would include all block types that were removed prior to the power update too).

I'll edit the original post, but I could use some help in compiling the full list, because I joined the club only after the current rail system's implementation... So I guess I'm unfamiliar with many other old block types (if there were any others deprecated?)

Any other deprecated pieces I can think of have been replaced and will just spawn as other blocks.