Selectable range for XYZ-Sliders.

[Lukwan]

The sliders are set to a default of 10 blocks. I would like there to be an option in the basic menu to expand this to at least 100 (maybe higher). Alternatively: add a selector in the Advanced Build-Mode for 10/25/100/*150?*. For improved functionality create 'indents' at 10, 25, 50 & 100 so the user does not have to fiddle as much to get a round number. [When I build I am constantly adjusting the sliders.]

I am aware that there are other ways to expand the slider-range but I feel this is something that should be easy to change on the fly. Just have a warning about going past your computer's abilities so people with toasters know why the default is ten.

Changing settings in the config is something server-admins do...simple players should have access to mundane settings like this to help with copy & paste and block-harvesting.

 

[Pacific_Jim]

I think the reason why this is tied to the server config is so admins can prevent players from crashing the server. I don't see why the option couldn't be greyed out in online play however.

 

[Malacodor]

I think the reason why this is tied to the server config is so admins can prevent players from crashing the server. I don't see why the option couldn't be greyed out in online play however.

I guess the reason is that people can't put a 100*100*100 cube of blocks around their ship in midfight.

There should be another setting, which allows for bigger build areas in shipyards.

 

[Lukwan]

I guess the reason is that people can't put a 100*100*100 cube of blocks around their ship in midfight.

Ya, there is that. In my books that is a real jerk maneuver. If I ran a server I would consider that RP-breaking & therefore against house rules (lag-exploit). I mean...in the middle of battle...? C'mon! Also we should not allow the few jerks that exist in games and on the internet to ruin a useful feature.

 

[Lone_Puppy]

Some servers allow larger areas, but it makes sense to limit it.
The shipyard on the other hand, is a great idea Malacodor.

 

[Madman198237]

I'd really like the ability to configure it on the fly, just make it so server-owners can set a maximum value instead of a constant value. So if they don't want you capable of placing 8 1000000000^3-area cubes of asteroid crap, then they can set it that way.

I agree that basic options like this should be easily reachable for the basic player, even in an alpha game like this. (Especially since this game is so far along that we all treat it closer to a nearly-fully-developed game)

 

[NeonSturm]

I'd really like buttons for 2,4,8,16. Ideally I could choose these steps myself.

The buttons are not breaking any server-side limits, they are just a quality of life feature for clients.

 

[DrTarDIS]

Hell yeah, or just a numerical imput feild? Can I just type "12" "29" "38" or what ever other number please? Why the hell do I need to use a slider and then fine tune with arrows?

 

[NeonSturm]

Sliders are nice as long you don'T care about exact values

 

[Valck]

I think it would make sense to restrict not the individual dimensions, but the resulting total volume; the game may be totally fine with pasting a 100x1x1 stick, but struggle with a 100x100x1 plate and crash at a 100³ cube. The exact value varies for each player's (or server's) machine.

If I find my computer can handle say, a cube of 25x25x25, that means it should be able to handle a volume of 15625 blocks, so it should be equally able to handle a 125x125x1 plate or a 15625x1x1 stick. So instead of setting PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_AREA = 25, change that config entry to PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_VOLUME = 15625 and let the sliders figure out the maximum dimensions by themselves, similar to the way adjusting thrust values works - if you increase one dimension, the other two get reduced accordingly.

TL;DR:

change "PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_AREA" (which is a misnomer anyway because it's not about area at all) to "PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_VOLUME" and use that to adjust the dimensions dynamically.​

 

[Pacific_Jim]

Some servers allow larger areas, but it makes sense to limit it.
The shipyard on the other hand, is a great idea Malacodor.

That still depends on whether the stress from placing 10,000 blocks on repeat would be handled client or server side from Shipyards (I actually don't know here). It's not just a limitation for combat balance, it's for general server stability.

 

[Lone_Puppy]

That still depends on whether the stress from placing 10,000 blocks on repeat would be handled client or server side from Shipyards (I actually don't know here). It's not just a limitation for combat balance, it's for general server stability.

I thought shipyards were limited to their build area anyway. You would need a yard 10000 blocks long, and if the server already has rules, it would already be a deal breaker.

 

[NeonSturm]

That still depends on whether the stress from placing 10,000 blocks on repeat would be handled client or server side from Shipyards (I actually don't know here). It's not just a limitation for combat balance, it's for general server stability.

There is actually no reason for the server to be so strict with checks.

Handle it client-side and update rarely as long as it does not affect game balance too much.
It often doesn't really matter where power or thrust is placed, only the shape.

Once you change the sector or being targeted by enemies you could update the server.​

 

[DrTarDIS]

I thought shipyards were limited to their build area anyway. You would need a yard 10000 blocks long, and if the server already has rules, it would already be a deal breaker.

22*22*22 = 10648
It's not as hard as you THINK

 

[Gasboy]

I guess the reason is that people can't put a 100*100*100 cube of blocks around their ship in midfight.

There should be another setting, which allows for bigger build areas in shipyards.

They can do that, but that screws up their ship. If you try to build onto your ship after it has been damaged, it won't "fix" the damaged hull or armor.
[doublepost=1473944434,1473943846][/doublepost]

I think it would make sense to restrict not the individual dimensions, but the resulting total volume; the game may be totally fine with pasting a 100x1x1 stick, but struggle with a 100x100x1 plate and crash at a 100³ cube. The exact value varies for each player's (or server's) machine.

If I find my computer can handle say, a cube of 25x25x25, that means it should be able to handle a volume of 15625 blocks, so it should be equally able to handle a 125x125x1 plate or a 15625x1x1 stick. So instead of setting PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_AREA = 25, change that config entry to PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_VOLUME = 15625 and let the sliders figure out the maximum dimensions by themselves, similar to the way adjusting thrust values works - if you increase one dimension, the other two get reduced accordingly.

TL;DR:

change "PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_AREA" (which is a misnomer anyway because it's not about area at all) to "PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_VOLUME" and use that to adjust the dimensions dynamically.​

No, a cube is different from a plate.

Take a 2 x 2 x 2 cube. 8 blocks. There are 24 faces showing, 4 per side of the cube.

Now take a 2 x 4 x 1 plate. 8 blocks. 28 faces showing. 8 top and bottom, 4 left and right side, and 2 per end.

The more your graphics card has to display, the more information your computer has to work, the harder it is. More faces showing, more work.

EDIT: Your example is extreme, even.

25 x 25 x 25 is 3750 faces showing.

15625 x 1 x 1 stick is over 60000 faces showing.

 

[Valck]

restrict not the individual dimensions, but the resulting total volume

More faces showing, more work.

Even if you have to account for faces instead of volume it still makes no sense to restrict by one linear dimension; like you say

25 x 25 x 25 is 3750 faces showing.

15625 x 1 x 1 stick is over 60000 faces showing.

Then use PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_FACES as the limiting factor. I still think my point is valid in general.

 

[Gasboy]

Even if you have to account for faces instead of volume it still makes no sense to restrict by one linear dimension; like you say

Then use PLAYER_MAX_BUILD_FACES as the limiting factor. I still think my point is valid in general.

I was simply pointing out that while the volumes were the same, the different shapes were different as far as drawing them in were concerned.

And it is much easier to visualize a set of linear dimensions than it is to visualize a set of block faces. If you know your limit is 25 x 25 x 25, you can work with that. If you are instead limited to 3750 block faces... how do you visualize that? More succinctly, how do you visualize that in a relatively short time span.

I know that 24 x 13 x 10 fits inside 25 x 25 x 25 instinctively. I have no clue off the top of my head how many block faces would be showing in 24 x 13 x 10, it requires a moment to think about it.

 

[SmilingDemon]

25x25x25 has to initialize probably 4 chunks ... 15625 x 1 x 1 is more like 489 Chunks ... and that is going to kill your system .. not the 15K Blocks.
i can place 64 K Blocks at once on the testserver ... not that big of a problem .. because it would be a cube ( or 8 Cubes in this case)

 

[Lone_Puppy]

22*22*22 = 10648
It's not as hard as you THINK

That's only 22 blocks long. Not likely to cause lag due to crossing sector borders.

 

[Valck]

it is much easier to visualize a set of linear dimensions than it is to visualize a set of block faces. If you know your limit is 25 x 25 x 25, you can work with that. If you are instead limited to 3750 block faces... how do you visualize that? More succinctly, how do you visualize that in a relatively short time span.

You don't, the interface does the heavy lifting for you. Just as the thrust interface adjusts the other two sliders if you change one. All the server owner has to figure out once, just as they have to now, is the amount of [whatever metric is chosen] the server can handle. Or they could always leave it at the default.