How i would have made the Module system

1st Official Post

    First and foremost if you ask why i did this, i will respond with "Because Fun".


    Second, each machine would have a "Offline mode", Tinkering with Online machines its a stupid concept with dire consecuences (Electrocution or Unexpecte Explosions) :D, wires should also be removed before doing any modification.


    And third so far i have 2 types of system (I was going to make a 3 but it was too much for what minecraft can handle >.>, Even though the second system could also be a little too much):


    Module Upgrade System (V1.0): A Tier Based System. Each machine possess a total of 12(9 with the tiered machine) slots for modification but only the first one its available. System its valid as long as the number of upgrades its 3 or so (Optional). To increase the number of available slots i deviced 2 ways for it, Either a Tiered machine block (I.E Macerator Mk1, mk2, etc) giving 3 spaces per tier (3/6/9) or a Motherboard system in which only the first slot its available on the machine, in this slot you would place the "Motherboard Upgrade Mk1/Mk2/Mk3" granting you access to the next 4/4/3 Slots in your machine. In this tiered system Mk2 and Mk3 upgrades wont work without the preceding upgrade. Number wise i dont have idea since i suck at math :P.


    If the machine is in offline mode the Upgrade grid GUI will show up instead of the Process GUI (I suck at paint too so dont mock me D: ) :




    Module Upgrade System (v2.0)-Link System:     A more ambitious system that the v1, it kinda works similar on how a Nuclear reactor (Minus the checking status every tick and really big explosions), the idea is that it only checks the circuitery when a machine goes from off to on or when chunk/world its reloaded. In case of explosion, it would limited to the machine block itself and a chance to lose some of the components inside. This system would be based on reaching a certain "Equilibrium" with some parameters:


    -Energy Reserve (How much Energy the machine can hold internally)
    -Energy Comsumption (How much Energy the machine use to realize a task)
    -Efficiency (How Fast the machine realize the task)
    -Maximum Voltage (How much Eu/t the machine can receive)


    Each Module Upgrade will have a special value (I call it weight for now, couldnt come with a better name), each Machine/Motherboard tier can only hold a maximum amount of total weight before it collapses when the machine gets turned on (Kinda like Heat in a nuclear reactor, too much heat is baddddd). If the total weight exceeds what the Motherboard/Machine Tier can hold its behaviour will be affected, Worst case scenario its that the machine could end up exploding, other effects would be a performance it or more weird things. Like the MUS v1 system, this one would use either a Machine Tier (Mk1,Mk2,Mk3) or a Machine with a Single Special Slot to introduce the motherboard (Mk1,Mk2,Mk3), the tier would indicate the amount of slots you will have available and how much weight the machine can support before collapsing.


    Modules would come in 4 types and 3 versions each, each type of module would increase 1 Stat slightly but in turn it would decrease 1/2/3 stats by a lesser amount. MK1 versions can be placed anywhere, MK2 version can only be placed nearby MK1 or MK3 Versions, and MK3 versions can only be placed nearby other MK2 versions. If a mk2 version its placed near another mk2 version there will be a performance hit in the form of a penalty weight. Also each version will only affect their own type, Mk2 Efficiency module will not affect MK1 Energy Reserve module and there will be a Weight penalty because the mk2 isnt near a same type of mk1/mk3 version also same types of modules will Link themselves and transmit every upgrade they recieve from the MK2/MK3 versions (I dubbed this as the Link System). MK1 modules would have a static increase in their numbers, Mk2 would increase the stats of linked mk1 by a certain % (Both the Extra stat and the penalty to other stats) and Mk3 would decrease the penalty incurred to other stats (Static or % havent decided yet) of linked mk1/mk2.


    There could also be a 5 type of modules with a high "Weight" parameter only that would give the machine special traits like a % chance to get extra items (Limits apply), More Input/Output Space, A "Heat" system similar to the induction furnace for the other machines, etc.



    Well that was fun, let me know whats your opinion on this, Devs Feedback its very appreciated so i can learn about the limitations on the minecraft system so the next time i could design even more realistic systems.

    • Official Post

    Very interesting, so this would be like a second gui you could access from the main gui. I like the nuke reactor approach to this, seems like a fun more balanced way to increase you machine productivity, I don't think I saw anything that we couldn't do, would take some work, but then again so did the nuke reactor from what I hear ;)

    Lesson 1: Watch over your crops....

    Yup yup, i have not messed with any minecraft code (although i do have checked some Apis like IC2 and forge, but since i have little knowledge of java i had a little of a hard time putting the pieces together), so i tried to base these systems with examples of stuff i have seen before in mods or vainilla minecraft, because if they could do it that means its possible at least + a little stuff that simply came to mind at the time :P.

    personaly, of the two I like the first one with the motherboard tier thing a lot better.
    though it would take some balancing so one can still achieve really fast speeds with a MK3 upgrade, and of course the mk 2 and 3 upgrades will get more expensive.
    Still sounds somewhat better than the system we have now.

    • Official Post
    Quote from alexthesax

    Very interesting, so this would be like a second gui you could access from the main gui. I like the nuke reactor approach to this, seems like a fun more balanced way to increase you machine productivity, I don't think I saw anything that we couldn't do, would take some work, but then again so did the nuke reactor from what I hear ;)


    Rather combine the openage with a specific item ^^ Aka, module wrench thingy.


    Sort of complex, but if somebody wants to code something like this (directed at alex and my team), wouldb'tmind adding it.

    Quote from Alblaka

    Rather combine the openage with a specific item ^^ Aka, module wrench thingy.


    Sort of complex, but if somebody wants to code something like this (directed at alex and my team), wouldb'tmind adding it.

    My third system (before i scrapped it), relied on a Scanner/Assembler to open the modification menu but i was different from a simple drag and drop system forming pretty figures :P.


    And i didnt exactly said that the Module Modification Gui would come from the regular gui, but mostly from applying a redstone signal to shutdown the machine to allow the modification (But i guess a remote or a special tool to shut the machine would be practically the same... Just remove the wiring to avoid electrocution incidents :P :whistling: )

    Quote from Alblaka

    Rather combine the openage with a specific item ^^ Aka, module wrench thingy.


    Sort of complex, but if somebody wants to code something like this (directed at alex and my team), wouldb'tmind adding it.


    Please! No more tools, unless you are going to increase the player inventory slots while you are at it.
    I have too much stuff to carry around already lol

    I still think we dont have enough tools :3, Machines should break down from time to time and we would need to use some tool to repair them using materials to make them work again lul. (Woops my brain is working again, maybe ill drop another crazy idea tomorrow...)

    Oh I would add something to Version two.


    How about an empty machine?


    Just place down a machine-block and if you right-click it you get this GUI. Then you need to place certain parts in it to make it work as a certain machine. Then you have a tool to start it, which makes it turn into a working machine. With this same tool you could disable the machine again to add new stuff or to change things or to turn it into another machine.


    Would be hell of a lot to think about, but could create macerating - compressors or a incredible triple-macerator. I guess creating a GUI for such machines that changes with the parts in it is a mess... but again it would be something really original.

    Version 2 isnt made for such shanenigans. But... if i bothered with completing version 3 it would be possible to design a system including the parts necesary for the machine to operate-store energy-Receive energy.


    Besides i was thinking yesterday of a "Spare Part" system where you would need add the parts needed for the machine to operate and for every operation tick it would reduce the durability of said parts. Higher Grade parts would have more durability and so...

    maybe for the v3 version the working of the machines could also be set as a module?


    for example no more separate machines just start with a machine frame (a machineblock with some wire's crafted into a that machine frame block)


    if you click it you get the module gui, here you need to add a machine module (for example a extractor module)
    also a motherboard module like the v2 will be added.)
    after you added the setup module's you can click the machine on (I think for turning the machine on/off and reaching the upgrade module gui there should be an special item) you get the normal screen of a machine but with the extra upgrades.
    (in case you inserted the extractor module in the upgrade module this machine will now be working like an extractor.)


    later alternative energy sources could be also added (and for making use of them you need to add a energy source module into the setup gui)

    English -> not my lang, so sorry for the mistakes. (can be the dyslexia too :/)


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