Useless Guppy Information

[Harkler]

Did you know that you can get multiple guppies to refuel each other?



They will do this forever.

[thejoe66]

that is pretty cool now the question is was this intended or just a cool little thing that worked out by accident

[Kingo]

The title confused me a bit.

The guppy is designed to transport packets to what needs them on the network they are hooked up to. If the packets go to fuel the guppy instead of the command node having to produce the packets to then send to the guppy, the goal is accomplished either way.

Not knowing anything involving the coding of the engine, I assume the "get requests for all buildings that need packets" function refers to all buildings, including the guppy towers. Therefore, the engine processes that the network guppy tower needs packets, and the incoming guppy's packets are sent to serve the request.

Interesting find, though.

[Harkler]

The title confused me a bit.

I just realized that I could have named this "Yo dawg, I heard you like guppies" (so we got a guppy to power a guppy to power a guppy...)

[purpleyukari]

Fun fact, if you put a power zone under a guppy after its built in the map editor it will gain the increased speed but not packet capacity.

[Nova]

Well, it would be a bug if it didn't work.

[Randomgold]

Although your little formation flight looks pretty neat, I'm left wondering if it's all that useless.  Could this little feature be used to make a sort of guppy relay network?  Over long distances or where your normal network can't reach, could you station guppies periodically along a path, using guppies to fuel them, cutting travel time by quite a bit?  Basically, instead of one guppy traveling a distance of say 1000 (whatever units this game uses), you could set up four guppies at a distance of 250, with the final one powering the weapons.  Would this reduce the time it takes to get the packets to where you want them, since each guppy is traveling for a shorter distance, or would it be about the same time?

[Michionlion]

Although your little formation flight looks pretty neat, I'm left wondering if it's all that useless.  Could this little feature be used to make a sort of guppy relay network?  Over long distances or where your normal network can't reach, could you station guppies periodically along a path, using guppies to fuel them, cutting travel time by quite a bit?  Basically, instead of one guppy traveling a distance of say 1000 (whatever units this game uses), you could set up four guppies at a distance of 250, with the final one powering the weapons.  Would this reduce the time it takes to get the packets to where you want them, since each guppy is traveling for a shorter distance, or would it be about the same time?

I think it would reduce it, but SCIENCE time!

[Grauniad]

Although your little formation flight looks pretty neat, I'm left wondering if it's all that useless.  Could this little feature be used to make a sort of guppy relay network?  Over long distances or where your normal network can't reach, could you station guppies periodically along a path, using guppies to fuel them, cutting travel time by quite a bit?  Basically, instead of one guppy traveling a distance of say 1000 (whatever units this game uses), you could set up four guppies at a distance of 250, with the final one powering the weapons.  Would this reduce the time it takes to get the packets to where you want them, since each guppy is traveling for a shorter distance, or would it be about the same time?

I think it would reduce it, but SCIENCE time!

Add a little math.

The travel time over 4x250 is the same as the travel time for 1,000.
Add in delays for guppy landing and take-off, and then add the delay in packet transfer, charging up the guppy pads.

If I were a betting man, and any bets were going around, I'd bet that one guppy over 1,000 units would handily beat a 4-guppy relay team over the same distance.

[Michionlion]

Although your little formation flight looks pretty neat, I'm left wondering if it's all that useless.  Could this little feature be used to make a sort of guppy relay network?  Over long distances or where your normal network can't reach, could you station guppies periodically along a path, using guppies to fuel them, cutting travel time by quite a bit?  Basically, instead of one guppy traveling a distance of say 1000 (whatever units this game uses), you could set up four guppies at a distance of 250, with the final one powering the weapons.  Would this reduce the time it takes to get the packets to where you want them, since each guppy is traveling for a shorter distance, or would it be about the same time?

I think it would reduce it, but SCIENCE time!

Add a little math.

The travel time over 4x250 is the same as the travel time for 1,000.
Add in delays for guppy landing and take-off, and then add the delay in packet transfer, charging up the guppy pads.

If I were a betting man, and any bets were going around, I'd bet that one guppy over 1,000 units would handily beat a 4-guppy relay team over the same distance.

You're right on one point - it doesn't get the packets there faster, but it does get them there with less delay.  Here is a map demonstrating that...

[knucracker]

Want to have fun?  Make a custom map (or a DMD map) but don't allow collectors or relays (allow everything else).   You can play in a very nomadic fashion, or you an build packet lines by using guppies since they can be used to bridge.  On the right kind of map it's actually kinda fun.

This topic also makes be think about Rube Goldberg maps... maps with no purpose, or a very simple purpose, but an overly complex 'machine' that accomplished that simple purpose.  You can make then with guppies (kinda like this map), or you can of course devise CRPLTowers that do ridiculous things.

[Grauniad]

You're right on one point - it doesn't get the packets there faster, but it does get them there with less delay.  Here is a map demonstrating that...

As long as we're quibbling :)  The 5-guppy option does just that - 5 guppies. I destroyed all guppies and had them build anew. Guess which option took the longest and cost the most?  If I were to deploy  even 2 guppies on the direct route, which do you think would construct faster and fire with the least delay?

[Michionlion]

You're right on one point - it doesn't get the packets there faster, but it does get them there with less delay.  Here is a map demonstrating that...

As long as we're quibbling :)  The 5-guppy option does just that - 5 guppies. I destroyed all guppies and had them build anew. Guess which option took the longest and cost the most?  If I were to deploy  even 2 guppies on the direct route, which do you think would construct faster and fire with the least delay?

But if you have excess energy and only one space for a guppy, but still want them resupplied as fast as possible, this would be the way to go.

[Captain Ford]

Just a note, Harkler's gif inspired me to create a DMD map which is now named "The Guppy Challenge". Apparently virgil had the same thoughts as me (great minds think alike).

No Relays
3 Collectors

I toned the spores down quite a bit from the defaults, but you still had better get some reactors built up and get at least 4 beams built to handle them.

[Cavemaniac]

This topic also makes be think about Rube Goldberg maps... maps with no purpose, or a very simple purpose, but an overly complex 'machine' that accomplished that simple purpose.  

Sorry to go off topic - but are American's familiar with the work of Heath Robinson?

What Americans know as a 'Rube Goldberg Machine' is known as a 'Heath Robinson Contraption' (or 'Device') in England and the Commonwealth.

Heath and Rube were contemporaries, doing much the same thing on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

These guys are my heroes.