Read by Schine Wheel Block

    StormWing0

    Leads the Storm
    Joined
    Jun 26, 2015
    Messages
    2,126
    Reaction score
    316
    • Community Content - Bronze 1
    Could also come up with a way to let us make our own wheels and label them as such for the AI so it knows they are. These same labels in general would tell the game that a particular craft has a wheel base instead of thrusters for movement. :)
     
    Joined
    Jul 7, 2013
    Messages
    472
    Reaction score
    156
    • Purchased!
    • Legacy Citizen 4
    I think hover jets are the way forward. Basically, the hover system should allow a vehicle to move like the Player does in gravity, but faster and with a smaller jump height. You can always add something wheel-shaped and rotating to the side of the vehicle to create the illusion of working wheels if you want.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: nightrune
    Joined
    Aug 13, 2014
    Messages
    135
    Reaction score
    35
    • Legacy Citizen
    Know what would be cool? If we could bind logic to keys to act as movement. That way, would could build things such as mechs (would probably need a ball joint block to be implemented) and tanks (if they added wheels and treads). Then again, we would also need bigger planets to increase the immersion. And if they added tanks, why not more ground combat features. Like plasma grenades. And how about hull breaching ships. Things that could drill through armor and raid enemy ships and-hmm. Maybe I should make another thread for all this.
     
    Joined
    Jul 7, 2013
    Messages
    472
    Reaction score
    156
    • Purchased!
    • Legacy Citizen 4
    Know what would be cool? If we could bind logic to keys to act as movement. That way, would could build things such as mechs (would probably need a ball joint block to be implemented) and tanks (if they added wheels and treads). Then again, we would also need bigger planets to increase the immersion. And if they added tanks, why not more ground combat features. Like plasma grenades. And how about hull breaching ships. Things that could drill through armor and raid enemy ships and-hmm. Maybe I should make another thread for all this.
    I believe you can already tie a complex series of rail movements to a single logic circuit, then activate that circuit from a remote button when in Flight Mode with a single press. You could do this to begin a walking or rolling sequence no problem.

    However, making wheels and legs work would require changes to the collision detection system to take into account friction between surfaces. Also, you'd have to consider in your design how your vehicle would balance and remain upright in gravity. Especially tricky for vehicles with legs! Not a bad idea, but would require more "ground-work" (pun intended) than simply making Planets big enough to make such vehicles worth-while.

    Everything else you mentioned also sounds good but, yeah, is probably best discussed in other threads :)
    [DOUBLEPOST=1449930973,1449929268][/DOUBLEPOST]
    I think hover jets are the way forward. Basically, the hover system should allow a vehicle to move like the Player does in gravity, but faster and with a smaller jump height. You can always add something wheel-shaped and rotating to the side of the vehicle to create the illusion of working wheels if you want.
    Actually, I'm amending my idea. Adding 1 hover block to your vehicle will allow it to hover at a default height, say 1 meter above ground. Your vehicle can then move in 2 dimensions like the Player does in gravity. However, unlike Player movement (which instantly reaches maximum speed), your vehicle will need to accelerate like a ship does. The max speed (just like the current Thruster speed limit) is a server default, say 25 m/s. The more hover blocks you have, the greater your rate of acceleration until you reach the max speed.
    In addition, you should be able to hold down the jump button and it will accelerate you upwards. The rate you ascend is also determined by the vehicles mass/hover ratio. Your ascent will continue until you either release the jump button or you reach the edge of the gravity field.

    This would allow heavy vehicles such as Tanks to make small, slow "jumps" to clear awkward terrain, and lighter "flying" vehicles such as helicopter gunships to remain hovering at higher altitudes with relative ease.

    The only problem I can see with this idea is: what happens if you put both Hover jets and Thrusters on your vehicle? How does the game know which type of drive should be used?

    What does anyone think?
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Amadeus
    Joined
    May 8, 2015
    Messages
    117
    Reaction score
    55
    I believe you can already tie a complex series of rail movements to a single logic circuit, then activate that circuit from a remote button when in Flight Mode with a single press. You could do this to begin a walking or rolling sequence no problem.

    However, making wheels and legs work would require changes to the collision detection system to take into account friction between surfaces. Also, you'd have to consider in your design how your vehicle would balance and remain upright in gravity. Especially tricky for vehicles with legs! Not a bad idea, but would require more "ground-work" (pun intended) than simply making Planets big enough to make such vehicles worth-while.

    Everything else you mentioned also sounds good but, yeah, is probably best discussed in other threads :)
    [DOUBLEPOST=1449930973,1449929268][/DOUBLEPOST]

    Actually, I'm amending my idea. Adding 1 hover block to your vehicle will allow it to hover at a default height, say 1 meter above ground. Your vehicle can then move in 2 dimensions like the Player does in gravity. However, unlike Player movement (which instantly reaches maximum speed), your vehicle will need to accelerate like a ship does. The max speed (just like the current Thruster speed limit) is a server default, say 25 m/s. The more hover blocks you have, the greater your rate of acceleration until you reach the max speed.
    In addition, you should be able to hold down the jump button and it will accelerate you upwards. The rate you ascend is also determined by the vehicles mass/hover ratio. Your ascent will continue until you either release the jump button or you reach the edge of the gravity field.

    This would allow heavy vehicles such as Tanks to make small, slow "jumps" to clear awkward terrain, and lighter "flying" vehicles such as helicopter gunships to remain hovering at higher altitudes with relative ease.

    The only problem I can see with this idea is: what happens if you put both Hover jets and Thrusters on your vehicle? How does the game know which type of drive should be used?

    What does anyone think?
    What if it worked kind of like the transition from the old docking system to the new one: thrusters and hover blocks can't exist on the same [non-docked] entity?
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Blodge
    Joined
    Jul 7, 2013
    Messages
    472
    Reaction score
    156
    • Purchased!
    • Legacy Citizen 4
    What if it worked kind of like the transition from the old docking system to the new one: thrusters and hover blocks can't exist on the same [non-docked] entity?
    Not allowing both types of drive on the same structure would be a nice, simple fix, yeah.

    However, you've made me think: Supposing I want to design a Shuttle/Fighter/Cargo Freighter which can handle both atmospheric and space flight with equal ease? Maybe hovering could be an "effect" you add to your existing thrusters which can be switched on and off with a control computer, just like the Overdrive effect on Engines?

    This may cause space issues for very small ground vehicles, but would allow for some quite versatile ships to be built.
    [DOUBLEPOST=1450023032,1450021487][/DOUBLEPOST]Or, maybe you could fit both types of drive to your vehicle, but the Hover engines automatically engage and override the Thrusters when you enter gravity/atmosphere without the need for a computer? Then they switch back again when you're back in space?
     

    StormWing0

    Leads the Storm
    Joined
    Jun 26, 2015
    Messages
    2,126
    Reaction score
    316
    • Community Content - Bronze 1
    Maybe add some curved blocks we can use to build wheels? :D
     
    Joined
    Nov 20, 2014
    Messages
    72
    Reaction score
    98
    • Legacy Citizen
    • Community Content - Bronze 2
    Actually, I'm amending my idea. Adding 1 hover block to your vehicle will allow it to hover at a default height, say 1 meter above ground. Your vehicle can then move in 2 dimensions like the Player does in gravity. However, unlike Player movement (which instantly reaches maximum speed), your vehicle will need to accelerate like a ship does. The max speed (just like the current Thruster speed limit) is a server default, say 25 m/s. The more hover blocks you have, the greater your rate of acceleration until you reach the max speed.
    In addition, you should be able to hold down the jump button and it will accelerate you upwards. The rate you ascend is also determined by the vehicles mass/hover ratio. Your ascent will continue until you either release the jump button or you reach the edge of the gravity field.

    This would allow heavy vehicles such as Tanks to make small, slow "jumps" to clear awkward terrain, and lighter "flying" vehicles such as helicopter gunships to remain hovering at higher altitudes with relative ease.

    The only problem I can see with this idea is: what happens if you put both Hover jets and Thrusters on your vehicle? How does the game know which type of drive should be used?

    What does anyone think?
    I like everything you said up to holding space to go upwards, Instead why not implement a system where the craft automatically moves up terrain when it reaches within a 1 block radius of the front of the vehicle. This way a hover tank per say does not turn into a helicopter.

    To combat the hover with thruster issue you brought up, just limit a hovercraft to only use hover blocks and not thrusters as well. This way the vehicle would have to rely on another ship with thrusters to transport it out of a planet/stations gravity.
     
    Joined
    Jul 7, 2013
    Messages
    472
    Reaction score
    156
    • Purchased!
    • Legacy Citizen 4
    I like everything you said up to holding space to go upwards, Instead why not implement a system where the craft automatically moves up terrain when it reaches within a 1 block radius of the front of the vehicle. This way a hover tank per say does not turn into a helicopter.
    Sorry, I should have been clearer. I think the vehicle should by default always be hovering 1 meter above the ground. So if you approach ground which is 1 meter higher than your present altitude, then your vehicle will automatically "bump-up" to the same height so you can move smoothly. However, if you approach ground which is 2 meters higher, you should need to increase the hover height. If the height is always automatically adjusted regardless of the steepness, then obstacles such as boulders, trees and mountains cease to be obstacles.
    A Tank only becomes a Helicopter when you remove enough armour (and other heavy bits) for it to be light enough to manoeuvre like one.

    To combat the hover with thruster issue you brought up, just limit a hovercraft to only use hover blocks and not thrusters as well. This way the vehicle would have to rely on another ship with thrusters to transport it out of a planet/stations gravity.
    Amadeus already suggested that. It's a simple solution but I prefer having the option to swap between Hover drive and Thrusters. If you can't switch off your hover drive, how can you ever stop hovering? :)
     
    Last edited:
    Joined
    May 8, 2015
    Messages
    117
    Reaction score
    55
    Not allowing both types of drive on the same structure would be a nice, simple fix, yeah.

    However, you've made me think: Supposing I want to design a Shuttle/Fighter/Cargo Freighter which can handle both atmospheric and space flight with equal ease? Maybe hovering could be an "effect" you add to your existing thrusters which can be switched on and off with a control computer, just like the Overdrive effect on Engines?

    This may cause space issues for very small ground vehicles, but would allow for some quite versatile ships to be built.
    [DOUBLEPOST=1450023032,1450021487][/DOUBLEPOST]Or, maybe you could fit both types of drive to your vehicle, but the Hover engines automatically engage and override the Thrusters when you enter gravity/atmosphere without the need for a computer? Then they switch back again when you're back in space?
    I like it being an effect, I think that would be the best solution out of all of these ideas. It could let us have one more offensive effect too- but that's beside the point.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Blodge

    kiddan

    Cobalt-Blooded Bullet Mirror
    Joined
    May 12, 2014
    Messages
    1,131
    Reaction score
    358
    • Top Forum Contributor
    • Legacy Citizen 4
    • Purchased!
    No :( How am I gonna build my space Ferrari?
    An option for how high you hover above the ground would be a neat little option for stuff like a space Ferrari... Otherwise how am I going to build a space Ferrari too?!?!
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Blodge