Scott's Humble Suggestions

[SeveringHams]

I have many suggestions for this wonderful game, and I wish to share them with you.
I'll start with the simpler ones

• 36 tooth gear. There is almost every single gear size that LEGO produces (Though i realize that isn't the point. The point is that these gear sizes mesh on a grid very well) except for the 36 tooth gear, which meshes with the 12 tooth gear at the same distance that a 40 tooth gear meshes with an 8 tooth gear. It is quite strange that this is not included.
  
  
• Long pinion gear: to allow continuous meshing with gears as they slide along the axis they rotate upon.
  
  
• "Steam" piston: a piston that applies a limited amount of force and is able to be moved by other forces, allowing it to reciprocate while spinning.
  
  
• Scriptable computer block: A block that can take in input from any device that outputs data. Lua would make the most sense here. When in the code editor, the block will automatically assign I/O variables to any components connected, based on the given name of each component. There would also be a UI to save scripts so if you delete a computer for any reason, you get to keep the code.
  
  
• Sensor or mechanical input blocks: a way to generate an input mechanically whether through detected rotation, sensor, position or anything else that is controllable by a creation. This would input either directly into a component, or would input into a scriptable computer block.
  
  
• Separate the differential from its gear/pulley. This one is probably cumbersome, and it was a silly idea but i included it anyway. Have one block that the gears go into and attach to the side of a gear to have less items taking up space in the part list.

Here are some more difficult or complex ones:

• Combustion engine piston: This one might be a bit hard to explain, however this one is also my favourite. This would be a block, perhaps in many sizes (for piston bore and piston stroke), in which a piston resides in. On top of the block, there would be two valve buttons that are pressable/pushable by a cam-like object. Perhaps a third for the spark. These valves are intake and exhaust. The piston in the block can either have or not have friction depending if you want to be super realistic, and also will act like a spring when both exhaust and intake are closed. the piston would have an axle inside perpendicular to the axis it slides on, and would only allow rigid or rotation connection, to allow choice in either having a normal connecting rod, a connecting rod with a slider for support in longer stroke engines, or a scotch yoke. The idea here would be to allow users to create and optimize an engine while still being simple in the sense that it is one piece that you would build off of.
  
  
• Build angled on axles: When something is attached to an axle, allow an option to offset the angle at which it is attached to it. Either it offsets while it is frozen, or it applies the offset when it is unfrozen.
  
  
• Custom user-generated content capabilities: This one is quite simple, but not easy. Allow users/modders to create modded blocks/items/gears/content which can be shared and downloaded through the workshop. This will reduce load on you, the (i assume) only dev, and allow ideas to proceed through less steps and be more directly implemented into the game. This will also drive up community engagement.

I hope these suggestions resonate with people, and that people like my ideas. I hope that the developer likes these suggestions, and that he will not have too much trouble implementing them. I hope you enjoyed reading this.

P.S: After reading replies to other suggestions from the developer, I realize some of these suggestions are either incompatible or reduntant, but I'm still holding it out for the combustion engine block

[Yamnuska]

Man, I really hope for that steam piston. Making steam engines would be so cool.

[SeveringHams]

Ursprungligen skrivet av gjritter:

Man, I really hope for that steam piston. Making steam engines would be so cool.

I agree. But I think the engine block would be cool too

[danger726]

Thanks for the suggestions @SeveringHams! Pretty much everything on your list is already in my backlog, except for the 36T spur gear and long pinion gear (by which I assume you mean a long 8T spur gear?) I'll add those to my todo list. Cheers!

[SeveringHams]

Ursprungligen skrivet av danger726:

Thanks for the suggestions @SeveringHams! Pretty much everything on your list is already in my backlog, except for the 36T spur gear and long pinion gear (by which I assume you mean a long 8T spur gear?) I'll add those to my todo list. Cheers!

You are the best developer IMO, I hope you never burn out and your love for programming is not tarnished. I really do.

Just a thought, how do you plan to implement a gas engine? Would it be a thing that the user builds, adjusts and optimizes, or would it be something more modular like another suggestion I read? Also, quite strange that nobody else thought of the 36T gear.

Maybe not just specifically just the 8T gear, but we will take anything we get. I was more thinking the resize tool would work on gears to make them wider.

Thank you for creating such a wonderful game!

[danger726]

Aiming for combustion engines that you build out of physical crankshaft, pistons, etc. but we'll see how the physics behaves!

[SeveringHams]

Ursprungligen skrivet av danger726:

Aiming for combustion engines that you build out of physical crankshaft, pistons, etc. but we'll see how the physics behaves!

Fantastic! Super excited about this, also the new update is fantastic! Haven't had a chance to put the new clutch where my old one is, but it is really exciting!