(More) Signals from factories and chests

[Goblin]

Please read the post from papachabre and my repsonse.

For summary:
It brakes down to:

My only suggestions are to make it so that storage units can activate an OR block when anything draws the last item from them, and that factories and refiners also had this ability. I'd like for the same to be true for use with an activation module (it works when the storage is full instead of empty FYI). I think that'd allow me to simplify my system but it still would've taken some thought and planning to create.

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Currently i don't like the way factories work.

Ok i need this thing hier for my ship
-- writes it to a list
Next my factories have to produce this - than this - than this
-- next 30 minutes running from factory to factory to update the production

It takes a good amount of my time to configure the factories to do what they should do.
So why not let them figure out what to do:

Hey i need advanced armor - hey you chest give me standart armor oh hey you are a factory - build me standart armor

So they will create demands on factories on which they are connected to.

In pseudo code:

I need red hull
if(connected inventory doesnt have red paint){
get a connected factory or self
create need on factory "red paint"
if(factory was self){
create need red hull
swap production to red paint
}
}

factory finished building old item
check needs
start with next need and try to build.

For me that would make the new shipyards much more fun. Especally if they again could create needs from currently loaded blueprint.

I hope someone is able to understand it and can translate it for none me's

So what do you think?

 

[papachabre]

Using logic and multiple factories you can accomplish at least part of this with the current system. For example I'm working on an armor factory. There's a refinery that starts and stops automatically when there are ores and shards available for it. There are factories that produce paint from the appropriate capsules automatically since that's the only thing you can produce with them (so nothing is being wasted really). They also start/stop automatically. I have a matrix of activation modules - one for each color of hull, and each class of armor. They are hooked up to factories in such a way that the ingots and crystals required for advanced and crystal armor are produced automatically when you choose to make those armors. I'm working on making production stop if it runs out of standard armor so that it doesn't keep producing ingots and crystals by accident.

If I want to use up all of my green hull to make standard armor, I just hit the standard armor actuator. If I want to keep my green hull but also make standard armor I hit both the standard armor and hull actuators - green hull is produced in the basic factory and it is grabbed by the standard factory to make standard armor. I think that with clever use of logic you can probably even make it so that factories automatically produce the materials needed when they aren't available.

What I'm trying to say is that it's possible to make factories that do what you want with the current system, but it just takes some effort and a little bit of creativity. I like that; I like when games give you some basic tools and you can use them to create brilliant structures (think Minecraft redstone computers, etc). So I'd prefer not to add too many of these types of shortcuts to the game.

 

[Goblin]

Hm.
papachabre, given your arguments i would fully agree but get to another problem which, i think, raised a base problem ending in this treat in the first place:

As you said: Currently you can only accomplish a part of it.
So i would like to alter my idea, for the simple sake of "you are right" - i damn like the system factorio is using for example.

The difference to Starmade currently is the missing feedback.

So if there would be a system of feedback in form of a signal if empty for a factory (similar to a filled rail) you COULD accomplish the above part. In extend there could be some monitor-block revealing more signal-informations:
cannot build because resource is missing

It WOULD need a factory capable of producing everything but thats something i do not worry about (and there would be a lot of unneeded resources but thats something i don't care and there will be someone to prove me wrong).

I will rename the threat because ... you are right.

 

[papachabre]

Oh no I wasn't arguing, and I'm not right. It's just my opinion because I like thinking about logic and building machines. That's fun to me. Not everyone is like me, so just because it can be done currently doesn't mean it shouldn't be changed.

But I would mention that feedback is currently possible. If you put an OR logic block on a storage block it will activate when the storage pulls an item in, and deactivate when the last item is pulled from it by another storage. Unfortunately it doesn't activate when a factory takes the block, so you have to get creative. Check my post here for an example: http://starmadedock.net/threads/refinery-auto-start-stop.20782/

I'm not saying that no changes should be made. My system is big and kind of complicated, and I'm sure that there are improvements that could be made to the game to make it simpler - like allowing storage units to send signals when anything empties it or fills it. I just want to make sure you know what is possible currently.

 

[Goblin]

papachabre first of: I didn't know the fact a chest could emit signals.
So in first place: My needs are fully served.

The only reason i made this up was to solve a problem which never existed. So as long as it is possible, I'm happy

BUT:
As you sad: You would like to have ways to make it simpler.
As my needs are served maybe you could invest a minute to talk about what kind of ways to make it simpler you are thinking of, because this could also help people which are not satisfied by "it is possible".

 

[papachabre]

Oh I see. I'm glad to have pointed that out to you then :D.

My only suggestions are to make it so that storage units can activate an OR block when anything draws the last item from them, and that factories and refiners also had this ability. I'd like for the same to be true for use with an activation module (it works when the storage is full instead of empty FYI). I think that'd allow me to simplify my system but it still would've taken some thought and planning to create.