Engine intake and exhaust considerations

[Haunty]

Example: one thing I don't like about Space Engineers that breaks immersion is that you can cover the intake of an atmospheric engine without any negative effect. Also you can completely enclose any thruster inside of a ship.

 

Would it be possible to not allow this on constructs in DU?

[Lord_Void]

It might be, but it would probably fairly server resource heavy as it would have to analyze the shape of the ship and the area around it. I mean I'm no expert, so it's possible they could do that.

 

I would say that it'd be kind of an interesting mechanic to be able to hide thrusters inside the ship so that it may appear like a slow ship at first glance, but can then surprise people by going much faster. 

[DarkTemplar]

The thruster component could add some sort of no build zone extending from the intake and exhaust, which would be different with each thruster.

[Atmosph3rik]

What if thrusters created a damage cone that affected the ship itself.

 

That way you could hide them but when you used them it would blow a hole in the ship?

 

If they caused damage to other ships too it could create some interesting combat.  

[Lord_Void]

What if thrusters created a damage cone that affected the ship itself.

 

That way you could hide them but when you used them it would blow a hole in the ship?

 

If they caused damage to other ships too it could create some interesting combat.  

 

That would be very interesting.

[Shynras]

I think there'll be something like that, since NQ cares about immersion, I doubt they want cubic ships flying around. 

[Lethys]

I have no idea how or if they solve it. Both have their shining days: one for immersion and easier PvP the other for more interesting ship builds, harder pvp and hilarious constructs

[Max_Carpenter]

If engines have a damaging area it would make landing in a capital ship or landing pad fun.

[mrjacobean]

If engines have a damaging area it would make landing in a capital ship or landing pad fun.

You would then change to landing thrusters that don't burn the capital ship

[Anaximander]

Add a X meter damage trail towards where the engine is firing, then add a Y meters "Radiation" damage when te engine is running around it. Distances and radii should vary with newton output on the engines' part.

A 100 MN engine? Well, you better put it way back on your ship and make sure certain materials are in place so the crew wont't suffer radiation damage.

That could solve it. If they can sustain damage bubbles spawning from 10000 guns, at the same time, one or five engines, firing a constant damage train behind them won't be an issue and would create a nice trail effect as well.

[vylqun]

i'd rather be able to hide them if i want, more possible constructs. Additionally it's probably quite hard to avoid it, so it would be better if they focus their ressources on more important topics^^

[Code24]

The thruster component could add some sort of no build zone extending from the intake and exhaust, which would be different with each thruster.

 

It think this is the best solution, simple and probably not very difficult to implement. 

[Lord_Void]

Add a X meter damage trail towards where the engine is firing, then add a Y meters "Radiation" damage when te engine is running around it. Distances and radii should vary with newton output on the engines' part.

 

A 100 MN engine? Well, you better put it way back on your ship and make sure certain materials are in place so the crew wont't suffer radiation damage.

 

That could solve it. If they can sustain damage bubbles spawning from 10000 guns, at the same time, one or five engines, firing a constant damage train behind them won't be an issue and would create a nice trail effect as well.

 

Very true.

[DarkTemplar]

Add a X meter damage trail towards where the engine is firing, then add a Y meters "Radiation" damage when te engine is running around it. Distances and radii should vary with newton output on the engines' part.

 

A 100 MN engine? Well, you better put it way back on your ship and make sure certain materials are in place so the crew wont't suffer radiation damage.

 

That could solve it. If they can sustain damage bubbles spawning from 10000 guns, at the same time, one or five engines, firing a constant damage train behind them won't be an issue and would create a nice trail effect as well.

I do like the idea, although I think it adds some unnessecary strain to the server with the calculations. (Damage, Radiation range, all that) When a no build zone could achieve the same thing.

 

In saying that. They could implement blocks with different strengths and resistances that you could place closer to the thrusters which would also block more radiation. These armour blocks would have to be monitered by an engineering crew to make sure they wouldn't decay/crumple/break and let the damage seep through.

[Anaximander]

I do like the idea, although I think it adds some unnessecary strain to the server with the calculations. (Damage, Radiation range, all that) When a no build zone could achieve the same thing.

 

In saying that. They could implement blocks with different strengths and resistances that you could place closer to the thrusters which would also block more radiation. These armour blocks would have to be monitered by an engineering crew to make sure they wouldn't decay/crumple/break and let the damage seep through.

Radiation does not mean voxel editing.

 

Radiation means it can fry organic material - players - same way a microwave roasts chicken but not the plate beneath it.

 

It would be a simple "damage area" generated around an engine. Think of "radiation" damage, as something some materials - like Lead - can block entirely from going through it, but a material like iron, can't do the same thing - at least, not with several tens of meters of it. So, you seal the engines with Lead casings, so the radiation won't sip to the crew. Same deal could be done for other types of damage, but that's anothet story on its own.

 

And it will only cause calculations, if you tried to bump a ship from behind. If the "Cylinder" behind an engine finds nothing, there won't be calculations to begin with. It would be the same as a gun towards nothing - but at a server update rate.

 

If they can sustain, as I said, 10000 guns on ships, firing at each other, one or five main propulsions won't change much across the board.

 

If they don't do that, they risk having Titans doing flips on the spot by having thrusters attached to the centerpoint of mass. They may have thought of somethign else, but that's one of my suggestions.

[Kurock]

Engine exhausts should not be covered and should either render the engine ineffective or blow a hole in the construct, depending on the engine.

 

An idea for engine intakes and heat sinks could be tubing elements which connect the engine to the "outside" of the construct. Also tubing looks good even if its just decorative.

[Max_Carpenter]

Engine exhausts should not be covered and should either render the engine ineffective or blow a hole in the construct, depending on the engine.

 

An idea for engine intakes and heat sinks could be tubing elements which connect the engine to the "outside" of the construct. Also tubing looks good even if its just decorative.

Engines connected to radiators on the ships hull could solve the problem of acrobatic titans. I also enjoy connecting components. For me it makes the building and operating ships more complex and enjoyable for longer. Connecting fuel tanks, generators, control lines and battery's would help shipbuilders become a more skilled craft.

[Lethys]

Engines connected to radiators on the ships hull could solve the problem of acrobatic titans. I also enjoy connecting components. For me it makes the building and operating ships more complex and enjoyable for longer. Connecting fuel tanks, generators, control lines and battery's would help shipbuilders become a more skilled craft.

 

for heat radiation yes, but exhausts could still be inside a ship. which would make some hilarious ships possible but wouldn't be logical. I still don't know what to prefer

[Lord_Void]

Personally, I hope they start off with logically comical, and progress towards comically logical.

[Anaximander]

Personally, I hope they start off with logically comical, and progress towards comically logical.

*perpetual motion machinery intensifies*

[Max_Carpenter]

for heat radiation yes, but exhausts could still be inside a ship. which would make some hilarious ships possible but wouldn't be logical. I still don't know what to prefer

I would like to see propulsion units that burn fuel on the surface of a ship. But maybe in the future propulsion units that use say, gravity to pull a ship along could be fitted inside a ship. Allowing for more variety in ship design like Borge cubes.

[OmniAdept]

I have been gving this some thought. If the engine exhaust does damage to the block behind it. You could easily set up an escape pod. Get a couple engines keymapped to a button with some blocks supporting the cockpit under them. You lose the ship, save yourself, and make it much harder to commandeer a ship with no cockpit.  It will probably work best with utility ships like haulers or miners.

 

So, I guess, I would like an engine block that you can build right up to and causes damage. if you block the inlet the engine will pull O2 from reserves, similar to the UK's SABRE hybrid turbine/rocket engine 

[Anaximander]

I have been gving this some thought. If the engine exhaust does damage to the block behind it. You could easily set up an escape pod. Get a couple engines keymapped to a button with some blocks supporting the cockpit under them. You lose the ship, save yourself, and make it much harder to commandeer a ship with no cockpit.  It will probably work best with utility ships like haulers or miners.

 

So, I guess, I would like an engine block that you can build right up to and causes damage. if you block the inlet the engine will pull O2 from reserves, similar to the UK's SABRE hybrid turbine/rocket engine 

Ships have bridges. Star-fighters have cockpits.

 

You could just add explosives and total a ship's bridge just to piss off the pirates and escape on a star-fighter you got on the ship.

[Anaximander]

Well, a better solution to this, would be for thrusters, depending on their potency, to have a "no build zone" behind them for a certain length and in a cone. i.e. a 1 MegaNewton thruster having a 50 meters "no-building" zone the way its exhaust faces in a cone of 15 degress.

If engines causing damage is THAT much of a deal, a no-building zone will definetely not be an issue to implement.
 

[Lord_Void]

You could probably build an escape pod as a separate construct, so you wouldn't have to have engines to destroy blocks.