Matter-Energy Transfer & Storage Sytem

[Valiant70]

This melds well with the way stuff currently works (no physical items moving, just cables connecting things) and was inspired by one of my favorite minecraft mods of all time.

Spoiler: For Minecraft fans

The Applied Energistics mode goes well with any big technology mod or mod pack. All your storage-juggling woes are gone at the cost of some power draw. http://ae-mod.info/

Essentially, physical items are transformed into energy and transported to different devices including storage modules with specific capacity. They may then be accessed from multiple locations throughout the structure or transferred to and from docked structures.

The basic concept requires these modules:

• Storage server: The heart and soul of the system. All other components are slaved to it. It has the capabilities of one Storage Module and Storage Terminal built into it for convenience. If it is destroyed, items stored in the system become inaccessible.
• Storage module: Adds storage capacity to the system. Each block has a set capacity in blocks determined by server configs.
  
• Storage terminal: Allows access to the items stored in the system from another location. It has several uses and includes filters like current storage blocks.
  • Simple access point: Press 'R' in astronaut mode to access the items stored in the system. You may add or remove items.
  • Factory access point: Slaving it to a factory allows the factory to draw materials directly from the system! Slaving a factory to it automatically pulls items from the factory into the storage system. Pulled items may be filtered.
  • Cross-entity item transfer: Place this device next to a rail docker or rail basic. If the two blocks docked together have Storage Terminals next to them, items may be transferred. Logic controls transfer. No ON signals to the Storage Terminal prevents all transfer. One ON signal allows receiving items only. Two ON signals allows sending items only. Three ON signals allows either sending or receiving depending on the other module's settings (if the other module also has three ON signals nothing will happen).
  • Remote crafting: If a factory is slaved to the storage server, you may set its recipe from the server or a terminal.
  • Shipyard item supply: Once shipyards are implemented, whatever controls them would be slaved to a terminal to draw materials directly from the system. The terminal would require and ON logic signal (or manual activation from within its UI) to transfer items to the shipyard. This should reduce resource depletion accidents.

The system draws power when something is added or removed by any means (player, factory, transfer). The amount of power drawn is proportionate to how much mass is being transferred and is server configurable (default 1 e/block). There is no power draw when nothing is being taken in or out as the items are stored as energy in a stable wave orbit in scifi-blah-blah-blah nanotech stuff inside the storage modules.

It might be better to split the storage terminal into three blocks: basic, intermediate and advanced. Basic would only allow adding and removing items by hand, while intermediate allows adding an removing by machine and remote crafting by hand. Advanced would allow machines to send crafting requests as well (for example a factory producing advanced armor could request the components it needs but doesn't have to be crafted by other factories in the system). Only intermediate and advanced would need to interact with logic.

 

[mrsinister]

This melds well with the way stuff currently works (no physical items moving, just cables connecting things) and was inspired by one of my favorite minecraft mods of all time.

Spoiler: For Minecraft fans

The Applied Energistics mode goes well with any big technology mod or mod pack. All your storage-juggling woes are gone at the cost of some power draw. http://ae-mod.info/

Essentially, physical items are transformed into energy and transported to different devices including storage modules with specific capacity. They may then be accessed from multiple locations throughout the structure or transferred to and from docked structures.

The basic concept requires these modules:

• Storage server: The heart and soul of the system. All other components are slaved to it. It has the capabilities of one Storage Module and Storage Terminal built into it for convenience. If it is destroyed, items stored in the system become inaccessible.
• Storage module: Adds storage capacity to the system. Each block has a set capacity in blocks determined by server configs.
  
• Storage terminal: Allows access to the items stored in the system from another location. It has several uses and includes filters like current storage blocks.
  • Simple access point: Press 'R' in astronaut mode to access the items stored in the system. You may add or remove items.
  • Factory access point: Slaving it to a factory allows the factory to draw materials directly from the system! Slaving a factory to it automatically pulls items from the factory into the storage system. Pulled items may be filtered.
  • Cross-entity item transfer: Place this device next to a rail docker or rail basic. If the two blocks docked together have Storage Terminals next to them, items may be transferred. Logic controls transfer. No ON signals to the Storage Terminal prevents all transfer. One ON signal allows receiving items only. Two ON signals allows sending items only. Three ON signals allows either sending or receiving depending on the other module's settings (if the other module also has three ON signals nothing will happen).
  • Remote crafting: If a factory is slaved to the storage server, you may set its recipe from the server or a terminal.
  • Shipyard item supply: Once shipyards are implemented, whatever controls them would be slaved to a terminal to draw materials directly from the system. The terminal would require and ON logic signal (or manual activation from within its UI) to transfer items to the shipyard. This should reduce resource depletion accidents.

The system draws power when something is added or removed by any means (player, factory, transfer). The amount of power drawn is proportionate to how much mass is being transferred and is server configurable (default 1 e/block). There is no power draw when nothing is being taken in or out as the items are stored as energy in a stable wave orbit in scifi-blah-blah-blah nanotech stuff inside the storage modules.

It might be better to split the storage terminal into three blocks: basic, intermediate and advanced. Basic would only allow adding and removing items by hand, while intermediate allows adding an removing by machine and remote crafting by hand. Advanced would allow machines to send crafting requests as well (for example a factory producing advanced armor could request the components it needs but doesn't have to be crafted by other factories in the system). Only intermediate and advanced would need to interact with logic.

very interesting indeed.....also, for those wanting a way to transfer ammo (if its going to be a thing) something like this could work as well, instead of manually plunking in warheads(ammo).

edit: Oh and I don't mean to de-rail this, the transfer thing made me think of the ammo people out there.

 

[Yrjosmiel]

So, in a nutshell, is it like accessing the same storage from different access points?

 

[Valiant70]

very interesting indeed.....also, for those wanting a way to transfer ammo (if its going to be a thing) something like this could work as well, instead of manually plunking in warheads(ammo).

edit: Oh and I don't mean to de-rail this, the transfer thing made me think of the ammo people out there.

Whether ammo is stored in storage blocks, some kind of magazine built into the weapon, or in something else, this system should definitely be able to link to it.
[DOUBLEPOST=1433014387,1433014347][/DOUBLEPOST]

So, in a nutshell, is it like accessing the same storage from different access points?

Yes, but with the added feature of also being able to remotely access your factories if they're attached to the system.

 

[mrsinister]

Whether ammo is stored in storage blocks, some kind of magazine built into the weapon, or in something else, this system should definitely be able to link to it.
[DOUBLEPOST=1433014387,1433014347][/DOUBLEPOST]
Yes, but with the added feature of also being able to remotely access your factories if they're attached to the system.

very kool.

 

[Visitor]

This is already partially realized in salvaging beam not only separating blocks/resources but moving them into storage. I wouldn't want it get much further than that, however - not because the idea is bad, but because of personal preferences and hopes for future situations I could experience in the game. I don't want electronic item teleportation.

I want to see couriers crossing sneaking past pirate blockades with their unique, expensive items; distribution centers and haulers braving space to deliver goods to those centers. I want to have to go to the mess hall on my frigate to get some meal from the fridge rather than have my spaceghetti teleported into my inventory and to have to run to the armory to grab a plasma rifle from there while the hull breach sirens are blaring, not download it from the terminal in the corridor. I would like to have more automated factory but have it using smartly designed rail system, not virtual connection between resource storage and refinery module, not some 'hocus pocus, pull the ore from the box'.

Like I've said, it's very subjective, the same way I prefer to play hardcore survival and resource maangement mods for Minecraft like Terrafirmacraft in opposition to the one you've mentioned. Still, because of that I cannot say I really like the current examples of using the idea.

 

[Valiant70]

I want to see couriers crossing sneaking past pirate blockades with their unique, expensive items; distribution centers and haulers braving space to deliver goods to those centers

No worries! You'd still need cargo ships to move stuff from place to place. This just allows item teleportation around one entity, or between two entities docked to one another. You couldn't warp items across a sector, much less a star system.

I want to have to go to the mess hall on my frigate to get some meal from the fridge rather than have my spaceghetti teleported into my inventory.

Food and medicine might need to be excluded from this high-energy system for safety *cough*gameplay*cough* reasons.

I would like to have more automated factory but have it using smartly designed rail system, not virtual connection between resource storage and refinery module, not some 'hocus pocus, pull the ore from the box'.

That might still be possible. For example, if power draw for adding and removing items increased with distance, it might be more practical to stuff items into a cargo tram, move it along a rail, and put it into a factory. The idea of integrating rails and factories sounds complicated, however, and might not allow for remote crafting. Do you have any more specific ideas for bringing rails into the mix?

 

[Visitor]

Do you have any more specific ideas for bringing rails into the mix?

Generally, I understand your idea and can see some mechanics-wise benefits of implementation of it, but I think that lot of the core functions of it could be handled by rail system - and that it'd be better as it'd use what we have in new creative ways and encourage actual planning in building those rails to connect different facilities.

In the example with rails above, I wouldn't mind it if instead of it being magical materialization/dematerialization thing, the goods would travel either as containers set up on kind of conveyor belt that would get loaded from storage and offloaded in the refinery/wherever or if we want to simplify and merge the ideas - if rails would serve as kind of symbolic link: instead of items disappearing into and being pulled from interdimensional void through computer terminals, maybe drop points could be established and goods dropped on one such point container would - after a period of time - teleport into another container connected directly to it through rails system, as long as the rail itself is operational.

That way it'd be an alternative to short-distance cargo hauling and allow most of what I suspect you hope to achieve through this system (sans being able to pull any resources from anywhere to anywhere through one terminal), but would prevent some of the problems mentioned earlier without setting some arbitrary restrictions on particular items.

 

[TheOmega]

AE was one of my favorite mods for Minecraft, but think of it working like this:

• When you place the equivalent of the controller bock, you cant do anything
• You have to slave the equivalent of the drives to have storage space
• You would open an access terminal connected to the system to get items
• The terminal would look like a chest that could hold an infinite amount of items, with the amount of different types being determined by the number of drives
• You could still use normal chests
• To connect a salvager, you would connect it to an interface
• Unique* items would not be stored
• You would connect factories to interfaces also
• power draw is related to the total number of connected blocks in the system along with the amount stored

That way we don't need to clutter the place with chests for all of our yholes and alien rock stuff etc.

EDIT: For got the *
Unique items are like helmets and logbooks and marker beams etc.

 

[Valiant70]

AE was one of my favorite mods for Minecraft, but think of it working like this:

• When you place the equivalent of the controller bock, you cant do anything
• You have to slave the equivalent of the drives to have storage space
• You would open an access terminal connected to the system to get items
• The terminal would look like a chest that could hold an infinite amount of items, with the amount of different types being determined by the number of drives
• You could still use normal chests
• To connect a salvager, you would connect it to an interface
• Unique* items would not be stored
• You would connect factories to interfaces also
• power draw is related to the total number of connected blocks in the system along with the amount stored

That way we don't need to clutter the place with chests for all of our yholes and alien rock stuff etc.

EDIT: For got the *
Unique items are like helmets and logbooks and marker beams etc.

That's like... a straight up clone of the AE mod. I've suggested a simpler system with fewer components which I suspect Schine will favor. However, the mod that inspired this suggestion is more complicated and interesting in some ways, so to bring Starmade up to par the crafting system will need some improvements. It still seems kind of bland and I think it needs to be spiced up in a way that warrants multi-step systems for something other than armor and crystal armor. Maybe I can cook up some ideas for that too... later.

 

[deathsoul097]

I love this idea. I seriously love this idea. Cargo Ships with small Crates of storage systems are one thing i have always tried to implement into my designs and i think this has great potential to make the game much more immersive, as well being a much more intuitive storage system for larger vessels/stations which could have an incredibly expansive interior.

Council, bring this to Shine pls!

 

[Valiant70]

I love this idea. I seriously love this idea. Cargo Ships with small Crates of storage systems are one thing i have always tried to implement into my designs and i think this has great potential to make the game much more immersive.

Council, bring this to Shine pls!

You can tag council members like this: Hey, Crusade Megacrafter127 keptick , and everybody else! How about this idea? ( you use an @ + your favorite council member's username like "@councildude."

 

[Byamarro]

Hmm What do You think if cargo would incrase mass of ship? People would need special trade/cargo ships with big amount of thrusters...

 

[Valiant70]

Hmm What do You think if cargo would incrase mass of ship? People would need special trade/cargo ships with big amount of thrusters...

Hrm. maybe. I remember that it did in another game I played, which made freighter piloting a skill in its own right.

 

[Byamarro]

Hrm. maybe. I remember that it did in another game I played, which made freighter piloting a skill in its own right.

Because You know, Storages right now are really huge. Tons of capsules, dirt and rock... It would be pretty cool. Maybe players would resign from ships in some cases and will do some kind of mass relays.

 

[Visitor]

You can tag council members like this

I'd like to suggest community members to not really establish such trends since should that become regular way of drawing attention to what someone likes, council folks will get spammed by alerts. All ideas should be taken equally into consideration, from great to horrible - bad ones will probably die off anyway and ramping attention for good ones like that may be actually unhealthy.

 

[deathsoul097]

Because You know, Storages right now are really huge. Tons of capsules, dirt and rock... It would be pretty cool. Maybe players would resign from ships in some cases and will do some kind of mass relays.

I think it would have to be a percentage mass, rather than the full mass of the blocks, because with the current storage (And potentially this updated system) you could potentially be carrying the materials for a capship in a few hundred mass ship, making any possible TWR useless. Or this could be used as a balancing factor so that if we want to make a capship, we actually need a well designed cargo ship, of a size that would make it capable. The mass relay idea is good too, and i think we can kind of do this with the current push modules linked to logic, only problem being either decelerating at the end so that you reach your target, or using an autopilot system? The hyperspace/Jump Drives and Warp Gates would be very useful for freighters, especially if there are a lot of hot zones (Pirate systems) on your transport route.

 

[Valiant70]

I'd like to suggest community members to not really establish such trends since should that become regular way of drawing attention to what someone likes, council folks will get spammed by alerts. All ideas should be taken equally into consideration, from great to horrible - bad ones will probably die off anyway and ramping attention for good ones like that may be actually unhealthy.

Kupu actually suggested tagging councilors once in a while when I talked to him over PM about one of my ideas he had shown a vague interest in. It should be fine as long as user use some discernment about when tagging is appropriate. In this case it isn't a bad idea because the concept is well-received and fairly new to the Starmade community.

I think it would have to be a percentage mass, rather than the full mass of the blocks, because with the current storage (And potentially this updated system) you could potentially be carrying the materials for a capship in a few hundred mass ship, making any possible TWR useless. Or this could be used as a balancing factor so that if we want to make a capship, we actually need a well designed cargo ship, of a size that would make it capable. The mass relay idea is good too, and i think we can kind of do this with the current push modules linked to logic, only problem being either decelerating at the end so that you reach your target, or using an autopilot system? The hyperspace/Jump Drives and Warp Gates would be very useful for freighters, especially if there are a lot of hot zones (Pirate systems) on your transport route.

Yeah, it would have to be a percentage mass. Oh, that's another thing that could be made server-configurable.

I would imagine bulk cargo runs would most commonly run through jump gates, and more dangerous routes would warrant an armed escort.

 

[Byamarro]

Kupu actually suggested tagging councilors once in a while when I talked to him over PM about one of my ideas he had shown a vague interest in. It should be fine as long as user use some discernment about when tagging is appropriate. In this case it isn't a bad idea because the concept is well-received and fairly new to the Starmade community.

Yeah, it would have to be a percentage mass. Oh, that's another thing that could be made server-configurable.

I would imagine bulk cargo runs would most commonly run through jump gates, and more dangerous routes would warrant an armed escort.

Actually it just could be hard to land on planet with cargo so you would need short distance mass relay to send cargo to czego ship which will be on orbit.

 

[Kaamio]

as a user of ME-network in Minecraft, I agree this system would fit in Starmade. That would also allow making storage boxes quite small without it being impossible hassle to store stuff and making cargo holds a thing that actually requires ship design choices, even if they probably don't have to be in convenient shape or anything real life usable.