Creeper Vacuum

[thepenguin]

Jeff, it's ok to want a star... But PLEASE don't try to ge 2 stars on your first day. In a week, you'll end up as a senior member that everyone hates. Pls, only post helpful comments and such.

the easy way to get 5 stars is just to become a beta :) :P

[Kithros]

I think a good middle ground for it would be to let the makers have an option to use remnants first before ore, rather than always using ore before remnants - it would still be a little tedious to spend the remnants and then vacuum it back up for the purpose of getting a big burst, but this also has added benefits such as letting the player save up for bursts while the maker is still spending the remnants normally (ie. not planning to just vacuum it back up).

[UpperKEES]

Yeah, that's what some others including myself also have suggested in beta (although I think it shouldn't be an option but just standard behaviour because it shouldn't become too complicated and you'd probably always want to use your ore to increase the burst capacity anyway).

[CobraKill]

What if we have a tank to store raw AC before it gets to converted into ore. I'm assuming you can't vacuum once your is full. This could be the solution. As for remnants, I say we should be able to choose wether to burst remnants or ore. Also maybe the tank could convert remanats into ore...

[thepenguin]

why do we need all this converting to ore and storign in phasic tank?

we make makers teleporters, 1 in, 1 out, and store it all in a real "tank" made of shields

[CobraKill]

I just mean so you can still vacuum if your ores full. Thaen as it drops the tank converts it to ore.

[Ranakastrasz]

How about making it work like this. You have The "phasic tank" which just stores anti-creeper at the same max proportional quantity as the Ore storage. Makers have 3 modes, Vacuum, Produce, and Emmit.
Vacuum would suck up anti-creeper in an area around the maker, and store it in the "phasic tank", by using fields. Produce mode and Emmit mode can be on at the same time, but dont have to be. Produce converts ore to anti-creeper, With produce only, Ore is converted to anti-creeper at a rate of 4 ore per second, while Emmit only would release 4 ore worth of anti-creeper from the "Phasic tank" per second. When both are enabled, Then it converts 2 ore's worth of anti-creeper per second, and emits it, not storing it at all(Half of the processing capacity is used for each job). There would be no capacity modes, 1x, 2x, 4x, like there is now, you would need to build more makers. Also, If a maker trying to emit cannot do so, it will (pick one of the two) act as though in both emit and convert mode, or do nothing. If A vacuum is trying to fill up the "phasic tank" with anti-creeper, and there are makers converting ore, then the makers will stop temporarily until the capacity is no longer full.
The Rate values above could be changed if need be, and optionally require energy do do some or all of these operations.
This system would have several effects...
-You would need 2 makers to produce the current production capacity of one now. This would cause you to need to make several makers if you want to produce a large amount of anti-creeper. I feel that the alternate capacity settings, while increases flexibility, allows you to produce a large amount of anti-creeper with a single maker. This system however, would require you to produce 4 makers if you want 4x capacity.
-You would have the ability to have makers convert ore while idle, which then could be released quickly with makers set to emit, or by bursting (which would only emit ~ 90% of the stored anti-creeper instantly) Or convert it and emit it at the same time, which would half the amount emitted, as one maker is doing both jobs at the same time.
-The Remnant problem would basically be that if the ore reserves are empty, the backup remnants would be converted to anti-creeper instead.
-The burst mode would be viable, as rather that depleting your entire ore reserves instantly, it would deplete the anti-creeper reserves instead, and the possible problem with vacuuming up anti-creeper possibly not fitting would be helped by disabling makers currently converting ore.
-It makes more sense, and would help with lore/explaining emitters. I'm pretty sure that Ore is not anti-creeper, so having to convert the ore to anti-creeper first would make sense from a ?technological? view, though also you could treat it as before, as because makers can do both jobs still, but at reduced rate than having two do the job, so there would be no REQUIREMENT to have 2 makers for the system to work, but it would work better, as you would get your full 4 ore worth of anti-creeper per second on the front line, and have the converting maker back in your base. On the other hand, Wondering how ore was magically transported to makers without using packets like energy is, or where the creeper in emitters came from, it could be explained with some technobabble now, as they both work the same way, stores the creeper in a "phasic tank" until an emitter emits, at which point a microrift-like warp thingy would send the creeper to the emitter/maker in emit mode.

[CobraKill]

Wow! This is good!

[TonyP2000]

I was personally thinking that when one bursts with only reserve remnants, then they can only burst as much ore as their max ore storage.  Alternatively, they can't burst at all when only remnants remain.

[keldor314]

I'd say that if the ore storage isn't full, then remnants should be converted into ore at some reasonable rate.

[CobraKill]

Welcome to the forums! And yes I believe that's what most have been thinking.

[jasvinderm]

Ah I agree with the whole remnant first idea xD posted a comment on the blog before checking up here first again (reminder to get up to date I suppose :P) here's the quoted comment and as its already suggested ill sit back and see what happens xD

'Hmmmmm, whilst knowing how many features are being added to the makers and my reluctance to suggest, yet another one; What about being able to choose whether the makers prefer using remnants or stored ore to create creeper?

With preferring remnants, you could just create what I see in my mind as greeper processing factories where you shield up two or more makers, one set on vacuum the others on producing preferred remnant ore (when remnant runs out they would then go to using stored ore making the process pointless), to convert to storage. Then this could be considered the cost of using the burst feature for a lot of ore, not being less efficient, but needing to create the extra makers,shields and so on and the time needed to make your burst option more effective.

The reason I suggest this as an option rather than the default is because I know we all try and get that mined ore into storage and used up first as it takes longer xD (well at least for me) so the preference of using stored ore before remnant would be the option default.'

[Ranakastrasz]

One thing I find frustrating is that I have no idea who most of the people here are replying to, And I would request that they put an indicator like @"insert pseudonym here"

[UpperKEES]

One thing I find frustrating is that I have no idea who most of the people here are replying to, And I would request that they put an indicator like @"insert pseudonym here"

Most replies are a response to the previous post or a question/remark in general. When specifically addressing someone or a certain part of their post, it's common habit to use the quote functionality provided by the forums (like I just did). Using the @-sign + name could work as well, but it would force people to read back previous posts and is more useful for forums without a quoting option. I still use it occasionally in the forum chat though. :)

[Gryten]

If a creeper maker that has stored Anti-Creeper in its "Tank" is destroyed what happens to the Anti-Creeper? Is it destroyed as well or is it released?