Creeper Vacuum

[mthw2vc]

Virgil, a thought hit me that could put the kibosh on the "recycle idea. Doesn't the current "efficiency upgrade" for ore add a 10% factor in ore-to-Anti-Creeper conversion? If so, does it mean that I can make A-C, recycle it back into ore and make x% more, rinse, and repeat?

is that a new upgrade? if not the I think that's just ore rig mining speed.

No, the existing upgrade does do more than just increase mining speed, but it does not increase the conversion ratio either. One ore in the deposit does not equal one ore in the storage. By upgrading your rigs, the amount of ore they subtract from the deposit every second is unchanged, but they add x% more. In other words, the upgrade makes your rigs give you ore faster without depleting it from the ground any faster. You get it x% faster AND get x% more of it.

(Mind you, this only affects ore rigs. Makers and remnants are unaffected and function as normal.)

[Ebon Heart]

I think converting it back into ore makes more sense... but storing it and being able to release it all at once would be a lot more fun!

[UpperKEES]

I think converting it back into ore makes more sense

It would make sense if you would be able to do other things with ore than making anti-Creeper out of it, but why would it be converted back and then convert it again (3rd conversion). Sounds like an ineffective technology for the future.

storing it and being able to release it all at once would be a lot more fun!

Yeah, fun and powerful.

[Cotters]

What about making the "Vacuum-tank" a structure?

the maker could have settings to turn G-creeper into oar, or (if oar is full) send it to a vacuum chamber structure. If you had more than one, then it would be evenly distributed to all active ones(you could deactivate ones you don't want filled). Destroyed/detonated vacuum chambers would burst-out all the creeper in them at once. In order to be useful, they would have to be build-able on all surfaces like beacons. This solves some of the problems with the other 2 choices. If bombing was something wanted in the game, the vacuum chambers could be a movable unit. I like that better than suicide-ing  makers.

So: makers maintain there principle function, the G-creeper gets vacuumed, oar can be mined more-or-less uninterrupted, you get a new structure, upgrades are still valuable- but have a balanced value to other upgrades, and makes defending infrastructure a priority.

[knucracker]

The 'hybrid' model that has come out of this discussion is this:
-Makers vacuum up Anti-Creeper and turn it into ore (like option 1)
-Makers have a 'burst' button that will dump instantly the entire ore stash into anti-creeper.
-I increase the benefit of the ore storage tech upgrade.  So you could have up to say 2000 stored ore.

The conversion rate of ore to creeper is 1:30000.  One ore makes thirty thousand creeper.  This means that 2000 ore wound make 60000000 (60 million) creeper.

Now you still have to mine that 2000 ore... but this is true in any model.  Basically, the burst button is just another kind of emission setting.  You have (1x, 2x, 4x, Burst).  Sometimes you would use a Maker just as you currently do, to provide support for an assault by creating anti-creeper at the rate you are producing it.  At other times you might decide to wait and store up ore so that you can burst emit it at the right time and location.

Vacuuming up creeper in this model turns it back into ore.  You can now use that ore to slowly emit anti-creeper via 1-4x settings, or you can emit it all as anti-creeper all at once using the burst button.

This seems like it might provide the most benefits discussed with few negatives... but maybe I have overlooked something. Thoughts on the hybrid model?  I will add it as an option to the poll.

[Cotters]

OOOOOO so the maker dosn't blow-up when you do a burst!!! ok. I like it, would save a lot of time..

How about vacuum speed? how will all that work?

[knucracker]

Vacuum speed is basically as fast as possible. A maker vacuums up all 9 subcells underneath it each frame.

[MadMag]

I like the Vacuum as it is actually.. Maybe a little bigger "tank" and a burst sensetive button.

[UpperKEES]

The 'hybrid' model that has come out of this discussion is this:
-Makers vacuum up Anti-Creeper and turn it into ore (like option 1)
-Makers have a 'burst' button that will dump instantly the entire ore stash into anti-creeper.
-I increase the benefit of the ore storage tech upgrade.  So you could have up to say 2000 stored ore.

The conversion rate of ore to creeper is 1:30000.  One ore makes thirty thousand creeper.  This means that 2000 ore wound make 60000000 (60 million) creeper.

Now you still have to mine that 2000 ore... but this is true in any model.  Basically, the burst button is just another kind of emission setting.  You have (1x, 2x, 4x, Burst).  Sometimes you would use a Maker just as you currently do, to provide support for an assault by creating anti-creeper at the rate you are producing it.  At other times you might decide to wait and store up ore so that you can burst emit it at the right time and location.

Vacuuming up creeper in this model turns it back into ore.  You can now use that ore to slowly emit anti-creeper via 1-4x settings, or you can emit it all as anti-creeper all at once using the burst button.

Sounds good too!

How about a 10%, a 25% and a 100% burst button? That would allow the player to divide the total amount of ore over several makers / several bursts.

[Grauniad]

If you don't reset the votes, we can't recast our votes now that there are more options...

[knucracker]

Ok votes reset now that the third option has been added and subsequent discussions.

[Katra]

I think a maker should be able to operate in either vacuum or anti creeper making mode; but not both at once.

[UpperKEES]

I voted for 'hybrid' now, because it does exactly the same thing as option 2, but it's faster to move it from the vacuum maker to another one to release it, plus I like the larger ore storage.

I'm glad the maker got a little more powerful, because I always felt it had more potential than it currently was able to show in the game. :)

I would still like to be able to release for instance 10% / 25% bursts though.

I think a maker should be able to operate in either vacuum or anti creeper making mode; but not both at once.

In hybrid mode this would be the case, because creating anti-Creeper and sucking it up immediately doesn't have any effect.

[MadMag]

I voted for hybrid also, because I like the idea of have control of the burst.

[UpperKEES]

One more question: what about remnants? Can you burst these immediately? Or do they have to be converted into Creeper the normal way first? Being able to burst them would change the current story/bonus maps for sure....