Repulsor mechanics

[UpperKEES]

I have a few questions about the way repulsors work:

1. What is the maximum amount of creeper that can be hold/moved by 1 repulsor? Something like 300000?

2. Does stacking 2 repulsor beams double that amount?

3. Is there a limit to stacking? When I for instance place 9 repulsors (R) like this:

RRRRRRRRR>>>>>>>>

does the cell with the right most repulsor (influenced by all 9 repulsors) push 9 times the maximum amount of creeper to the right?

4. I noticed that repulsors with a diagonal beam (B) can't pass terrain (T), like this:

RT
TB (with B meaning NO beam when the repulsor points to the bottom right)

When I remove 1 of the 2 terrain cells, the beam does work, like this:

R
TB

Is this correct? And if so, does the beam have 100% power, or just 50%?

5. How about 3 beams crossing, like this:

RTB
RBB
RTB

I'm interested in the cell indicated with B. It is influenced by all 3 beams. I'd say 50% of the top repulsor beam (the vector pointing downwards) gets compensated by 50% of the bottom repulsor beam (the vector pointing upwards), so I would expect a final effect of 200% pointing to the right for that cell. Is that correct?

6. Is gravity still being applied to cells influenced by beams?

7. And what about fields on the map? Are these combined with the repulsor effects, or are these 'overruled' by the repulsors?

[Fisherck]

I have a few questions about the way repulsors work:

does the cell with the right most repulsor (influenced by all 9 repulsors) push 9 times the maximum amount of creeper to the right?

4. I noticed that repulsors with a diagonal beam (B) can't pass terrain (T), like this:

RT
TB (with B meaning NO beam when the repulsor points to the bottom right)

When I remove 1 of the 2 terrain cells, the beam does work, like this:

R
TB

Is this correct? And if so, does the beam have 100% power, or just 50%?

7. And what about fields on the map? Are these combined with the repulsor effects, or are these 'overruled' by the repulsors?

I can (to some extent) answer 4 and 7.

4.Origonally, Repulser's beams were able to pass through terrain that look like this:
RT
TB

But that did not seem to make much sense, because other objects like creeper can't, so we got rid of it.
I am not a 100% sure, but I believe that diagonal beams with terrain next to them are still 100% (experience making me think this).

7. I know for a fact that fields are affected by repulsers, but they are affected differently. On day 17, when you use repulsers on the hyperdots, they don't stop. But instead shed creeper (bad effect). On bonus 2 (The Tree), the repulsers I used (pointing down of course) did not cause the creeper to leave the field, but head back down the field. That is what I know.

I have one more I want to add.

Why, when in a heavy deficit (my blasters and launchers are starving), that my repulsers are often more than 3/4s full? Is it because the request rate is the same, but repulsers use a lot less energy?

[knucracker]

1. What is the maximum amount of creeper that can be hold/moved by 1 repulsor? Something like 300000?
2. Does stacking 2 repulsor beams double that amount?
3. Is there a limit to stacking? When I for instance place 9 repulsors (R) like this:
RRRRRRRRR>>>>>>>>
does the cell with the right most repulsor (influenced by all 9 repulsors) push 9 times the maximum amount of creeper to the right?
4. I noticed that repulsors with a diagonal beam (B) can't pass terrain (T), like this:
RT
TB (with B meaning NO beam when the repulsor points to the bottom right)
When I remove 1 of the 2 terrain cells, the beam does work, like this:
R
TB
Is this correct? And if so, does the beam have 100% power, or just 50%?
5. How about 3 beams crossing, like this:
RTB
RBB
RTB
I'm interested in the cell indicated with B. It is influenced by all 3 beams. I'd say 50% of the top repulsor beam (the vector pointing downwards) gets compensated by 50% of the bottom repulsor beam (the vector pointing upwards), so I would expect a final effect of 200% pointing to the right for that cell. Is that correct?
6. Is gravity still being applied to cells influenced by beams?
7. And what about fields on the map? Are these combined with the repulsor effects, or are these 'overruled' by the repulsors?

1: Repulsors push with the same strength as a medium level field.  This means they all apply a bias of 10000.  For reference gravity is a bias of 500.  It's hard to explain how much creeper this can push... but it is something you can play with when I put the editor in beta.

2: Yes, the fields that the repulsors produce at additive (just like any two vectors would add)

3: There is a limit, bit I don't think you can hit it with repulsors and the lengths.  If it did overflow, I guess it might reverse from a repulsor to a tractor beam...

4: Yes, and 100% power

5: The vectors add so the vertical component of the diagonal beams cancel.  The horizontal components add together.  They aren't 50%, though, they are more like 70.7% (sqrt(2)/2 if I remember).

6: Yes, gravity always applies (if present on the map)

7: Field on a map are just more vector fields.  So repulsors, map fields, and gravity all add together.

[UpperKEES]

Great, this all makes sense. Thanks a lot! :)

I'll indeed have to play a lot more with them in the editor to get a good feeling/understanding of all possible effects....

[thepenguin]

3: There is a limit, bit I don't think you can hit it with repulsors and the lengths.  If it did overflow, I guess it might reverse from a repulsor to a tractor beam...

hmm, tractor beam? (what is the limit I need to do that?)

(I'd probably need some strong fields to get it, though :()

[Aurzel]

i tractor beam would be pretty awesome though make it immune or resistant to creeper then it could be used funnel creeper away from dangerous places as well as help move friendly creeper around

[UpperKEES]

i tractor beam would be pretty awesome though make it immune or resistant to creeper then it could be used funnel creeper away from dangerous places as well as help move friendly creeper around

Indeed!

My idea is for a new unit (maybe in a later update) that will actively collect greeper and transfer it to makers.  That way you can hoover up all the greeper and have the maker(s) deliver it where you wish.

This transporter could easily be implemented as a reversed repulsor (tractor beam). The main difference would be that all 8 beam directions should (or could) be active at the same time (and maybe it should have a movement speed similar to the Dark Mirror).

Edit: of course the beam(s) of the transporter should keep working (for at least the center cell) while being moved!

[Ranakastrasz]

I too would want to be able to transfer Greeper, and considering that repulsors already modify fields in their beam path, I think that it may be possible to do something like this
˹˺˻˼˄˃˂˅
Vertical pump

Code Select Expand


˺˄˹
˺˄˹
˺˄˹

Horizontal pump

Code Select Expand


˼˼˼
˃˃
˺˺˺

Elbow pump

Code Select Expand


˃˼˼
˃˃˃
˺˄˺


[UpperKEES]

Yeah, repulsors are great toys. You can manoeuvre the Creeper (good or bad) around any way you like:



These ones actually contain several millions units of Creeper in their center.

[Alex1010]

How did you sustain that ???

[thepenguin]

crystal energy allows the player to make more than 60 packets per second

[Alex1010]

Ah.

[thepenguin]

Ah.l

my suggestion, it's great for those of us who are massive Overbuilders

[Emmote]

Just out of curiosity, what's the difference between Short, Medium and Long beams? (Other than the length of course.)

My first guess is power consumption, but I can't seem to notice any difference. My second guess is that the longer the beam, the weaker it gets, but that doesn't seem to be correct either.

Any ideas?

[mthw2vc]

Power consumption.