A6.0 Feedback: SIGNAL, TRIGGERS & SIGNAL LOGIC

I am not sure how complicated this would be to achieve if at all possible but I am thinking of ways to lower ship class size or the game engines need to render objects.

I can't speak for everyone, but it seems to me that the most used reason for sensors is to automate lights. Would it make sense to offer a Light-Sensor prop in addition to the current stand alone lights and sensors? My reasoning is if sensors are mostly used with lights, why not eliminate the need to draw and take physical placement in game of the sensors when people want to use them for lights (which again I would argue is most of the time).

Thank you.

 

Just having a motion sense or occupation light would greatly simplify most builds for people. The switches are still great for master builders and other complicated setups.

 

A built in label for switches would be cool.

 

Please allow for a much longer time delay circuit.
I want to automatically shut off my grow lights after 45 min. Right now i have to use a RL kitchen timer!

Doors - Can i make sensors only give a signal based on MY or my factions movements? I'd like to customize the opening and closing of doors and hangers without letting just anybody walk/fly in. Unless its a trap. Then could I make it do the opposite? Its so boorish to have doors to inside turrets opening and closing all the time.

 

The UI to set things up is currently a mess and definitely needs improvements, other than that the system seems fine.

I noticed that a player that enters a seat vanishes from sight for detector blocks. That makes setups to i.E. activate thrusters if a player takes a seat in a cockpit impossible.

It would be great if you could setup bases so that default keys (like T for light) would instead switch a circuit. That way you can i.E. hook up those lights that you are supposed to switch off, but keep others (farming lights, signal lights) still on. Alternatively allow for to switch off pressing those buttons all-together in favor for physical switches in the game.

 

Not impossible... just a little more complex. Use a set - reset latch.

 

This system is great, its complicated when you dont know what you are doing,

I started out by making a signal switch for HOOD

On my transit van HV i placed 2 ramps for the engine hood, one in the closed position and a second ramp which is retracted.
Then when i toggle the HOOd switch, my engine hood rolls back and another ramp rolls out in a 45 degree upward angle to make it appear as though it has a regular car engine hood.

setting both ramps to FOLLOw the switch with one ramp ticked for invert.

I have used it to make awning and cruise control etc.
Very useful !

And I have not even begun making circuits yet.
Would like to see a guide for this.
Would also like to see an optional float panel for the switches which when selected will show a thin panel with your switches somewhere on the screen.

That would be very cool/awesome/sick/uber/smashingly fabulous or whatever it is the kids say these days...

 

It would be nice when the signals and custom groups could be set into the quickslots when used inside a ship or hover like the weapons.
Oh and a signal for the cockpits when someone is sitting or not.

 

So i made a great control switch for my duel shutter doors on my base. The end result i connected up to a light, and works exactly as intended. Unfortunately the default PROXIMITY opening and maybe closing of the doors CONTINUES TO HAPPEN IN parallel.

Please allow us to have FULL control of the doors.

After a moments thought, keeping manual opening and closing is fine. Its the automated part I want to be able to replace.

 

Ok having struggled successfully to make several different triggers control a device, where some triggers only open and some only close and others do both - I think the following advanced signals need to be made available for every trigger.
1. Positive pulse when a trigger goes "on"
2. A second positive pulse when a trigger goes "off"

Why?
1. Once you get into the situation where you only want one or more triggers to affect a device when it goes on or goes off you have to use the set/reset latch.
2. To use the set/reset latch with multiple triggers everything that goes to one of the inputs (through OR gate(s)) needs to be a pulsed signal if you want other inputs and the reset side of the set/reset latch to not be blocked (if you DO want them blocked then use the exiting signal from the trigger).
3. It takes 5 "circuits" to manual make a trigger have the these two pulses i'm asking for. (one delay (1 sec), one XOR, two 2xAND gates and an inverter) which is fine if your just doing a few but making these is quickly going to get tedious.

 

In thinking about the above, I think that what is better is for there to be a "circuit" to take in a signal and output a pulse on one of two outputs when the input toggles. That keeps the default interface much cleaner.

 

To be honest: I'd love it if you'd simply take this Minecraft Circuit-Crafter mod and put it into Empyrion with better graphics. It would allow everyone to create exactly the circuit they want, it has a nice and intuitive interface, and foremost: it is a lot of fun to design something with it.

Alternatively flowchart programming (like Scratch) would be able to do the same with less CPU overhead but also less fun.

 

Trap doors should activate by signal only. They would be really useful blocks if you could control when they open/close, but right now they're just weird

 

Agreed, though Internationalization of the text would be a challenge. Perhaps the labels could be selected from a number of symbols that represent things like lights, weapons, doors, etc.

 

Shouldn't there be a button control? You press the button and it sends a signal for 1-2 seconds. Some things are "instant" like self-destruct and a lever seems weird.

And, some buttons are really important, like self-destruct, such that you might want to have to lift a protective cover before being able to press it.

 

Buttons are really important, you end up having to create a lot of logic just to turn a lever into a button

 

Has anyone used the lock/unlock property for doors and explain what it's for.
I can't make it work. Doors keep opening even if I lock them. Is it for POI and/or public doors only ?

 

I did and still do and it works well (within certain limits) I must also add that I use this for POI building exclusively.

This mechanic will not work in creative mode. There the doors will always open regardless of locked or not. Bring your building in survival mode to test the doors.