Mining Laser Upgrade Tool/Utility - Brainstorming Session!

1st Official Post

    Greetings fellow earthlings!


    Lately I have been working on a mod that brings much more usability and 'awesomeness' (Yes, even more awesome) to the Mining Laser. It started out as more of a way for me to learn more about the IC2 API for my tutorial videos, but now I have been spending more and more time perfecting it with hopes to distribute it Soon^TM.


    The reason I am here today is I need your input. So far I have a few code-customizable lasers, dubed Lazerz, and I need a way to customize it in-game. I was thinking a "stand" type thing in game where you place an advanced circuit and add upgrades like redstone for more power or flowstone for more range to create a new item called a "lazer circuit". You then use this laser circuit in your recipe and boom, you have your customized laser. I like to stay away from GUIs unless 100% needed. I feel they take away from the game play by moving player's attention from your block/item to a new, complex and confusing display.


    Any ideas? Go wild with them! What do you think or what do you want?

    • Official Post

    Tinkers Construct style add stuff to make tools better on a laser? Sure, why not

    145 Mods isn't too many. 9 types of copper and 8 types of tin aren't too many. 3 types of coffee though?

    I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realise that what you read was not what I meant.


    ---- Minecraft Crash Report ----
    // I just don't know what went wrong :(


    I see this too much.

    • Official Post

    So upgrading it in the world instead of opening a machine's interface and doing there? Like soul shard 1's right click endstone and obsidian structure for a soul shard?

    145 Mods isn't too many. 9 types of copper and 8 types of tin aren't too many. 3 types of coffee though?

    I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realise that what you read was not what I meant.


    ---- Minecraft Crash Report ----
    // I just don't know what went wrong :(


    I see this too much.

    Ya,


    Got me thinking there. Multi-blocks are cool, wonder how I could use that...



    Thats why this kind of thing is awesome! Never would have though about that!

    • Official Post

    Stationary :
    Redstone controlled shooting, Minecart Lasers (patrol, mining, farming), AutoFire (configurable timer).


    Both :
    Heat Control, toggle block destroy on/off.
    Power Control, configure power used, determining range, damage and strength (block hardness/blast resistance that can be destroyed).
    Entity Detector , which detects hostile/passive/player mobs and automatically shoot at them, constantly.
    Kinesis Beam, collects items around.
    Shielding, fires a constant array of lasers in all directions when enabled, those beams have a short range, therefore protecting only your surroundings.
    Villazer, a "hostile" mob like zombie pigmen, which sells you some laser parts (you can either build or buy). Will shoot you to death if attacked.
    Ion Thruster, adds configurable recoil (allows you to quickly escape , play rocket jump, or boost a minecart).
    Gamma Power, adds gamma radiation to your lasers, inflicting radiation effect for 30s to any target hit and yourself, therefore requires you to wear a full hazmat suit.

    Health-draining laser, laser rays hit enemy and convert its life energy into radiation which can then be absorbed by the human body. (Up to 15 hearts)


    Incompatible with non-mammalian (or whatever kingdom Steve belongs in) life energy such as Spiders and Silverfish.

    • Official Post

    Nanobot Laser, targets hit with them will have effects based on nanobots. [Uses nanobots inside inventory every shot]
    Only allies can use them on you - intended for multiplayer, otherwise you can add syringes.
    Medical nanobots applies regeneration IV effect for 1 minute.
    Metabolic nanobots applies speed III and jump boost III effect for 30 minutes.
    Combat nanobots applies strength III effect for 30 minutes.
    Virus nanobots applies increasingly poison effect indefinetely, until cured with terra wart.
    "insert fancy name here" nanobots applies "Insert effect, time and special conditions here".

    EMP Upgrade. Gives the target an "EMP Disruption Field" effect for 5 seconds, which disables the use of any electronic device.


    Tesla-EMP Upgrade. Causes all electronic devices on the target to lose 20% of its power.

    An upgrade to give the mining laser, when holding down the mouse key, a constant single beam instead of little ones?

    Quote from Blaster

    An upgrade to give the mining laser, when holding down the mouse key, a constant single beam instead of little ones?

    I had to think real hard on this one. Is this something that you guys want? If so, then I would be willing to find yet more ways to override IC2's classes. The problem is I don't want to change the visual aspect of too many things. (I want the mod to work WITH the existing mining laser, not REPLACING it.)

    Quote from AGKz

    I had to think real hard on this one. Is this something that you guys want? If so, then I would be willing to find yet more ways to override IC2's classes. The problem is I don't want to change the visual aspect of too many things. (I want the mod to work WITH the existing mining laser, not REPLACING it.)

    Is there any real reason for that? I think overriding IC2's laser (the same way as how Railcraft overrides vanilla Minecraft carts) would be the best way to implement all the features.

    • Official Post

    Well, you can create a new laser item instead of replacing IC² ones maybe?
    Called "AGKTech Modular Laser Beam Emitter" or any other fancy name you can think of.
    That item would use IC² one for crafting, alongside the basic modular circuit, the "Modular Motherboard".

    • Official Post

    The Laser API I added a while ago is already perfectly suitable for this. You can already manipulate everything on your Laser. You could even add Encahntment alike Upgrades to the Mining Laser, then then uograde the Laser Shot according to that. You could even make a bouncy Laser, which is getting Reflected from all Walls, or a Laser going through Walls without harming them. Everything is possible.

    • Official Post
    Quote from GregoriusT

    You could even make a bouncy Laser, which is getting Reflected from all Walls,


    Laser + rubber. We need now.

    145 Mods isn't too many. 9 types of copper and 8 types of tin aren't too many. 3 types of coffee though?

    I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realise that what you read was not what I meant.


    ---- Minecraft Crash Report ----
    // I just don't know what went wrong :(


    I see this too much.

    • Official Post

    I would remove vanilla IC2's Laser and start with a blank one that just fires a continuous weak laser that makes fire. From then on you would add upgrades (shots instead of continuous, heat for damage, higher energy concentration for mining, explosive, ect)

    Well as Greg said, all that stuff is possible with the events he created. Including the beam, which honestly can just be manipulated by making the gun shoot faster and overriding/extending the beam's render size.


    As for replacing the laser all together, I want to give people the opportunity to use my advanced lasers verses IC2's relatively simple one, though all change to the render would likely change how IC2's beam is rendered as well.