Cyclops fuel line idea

[a2k6wb5]

Hey guys,

what do u think about some kind of a fuel line/electrical cable (eg as buildable attachment to a base-structure) wich would be used to connect your cyclops to your bases energysource? It would charge the energy cells of your cyclops while parked next to your base (i imagine that just like you do it on nowerdays planes - you grab the end of the tube from the outside of your base, take it over to your boat and attach it to some kind of plug).

I think something like this would make life much easier if your base location is for example in an area where you dont really need to take your big buddy out every time. Its just idling at one spot but still using power. So instead of collecting stuff for energy cells every couple of hours just to ceep it running you would have much more time looking at all the gorgeous environment.

Love the game - keep it going!

[tran_fors]

Yeah, that's the current suggestion that players are posing to the devs. ;)

[Mojoyoyo]

+1

[Mr Blobby]

Definitly, but we don't want it to overpowered, perhaps a day or so to charge it up, and it takes up alot of power, which could mean you are unable to use the fabricators or the workbench. Just my idea though.

Also I also hope that they add a console which will control modules, like external modules and the inner engine console could be for inner upgrades like power, and things. External for depth module and any other ideas they have for the outer layer for it.

+1 for the idea though, i would actually use the Cylops then.

[a2k6wb5]

Originally posted by tran_fors:

Yeah, that's the current suggestion that players are posing to the devs. ;)

Oh youre right...just seen some ideas like that while scanning through more of the discussions.
But as more often it gets mentioned the more likely it will be noticed anyways ;)

[a2k6wb5]

Originally posted by Mr Blobby:

Definitly, but we don't want it to overpowered, perhaps a day or so to charge it up, and it takes up alot of power, which could mean you are unable to use the fabricators or the workbench. Just my idea though.

Right there with you! Maybe it could even just be powered with a strong energysource like the nuclear reactor...

[tran_fors]

Adding a delay on charging sounds like a good idea at first blush, but it's one that's pretty easily bypassed by making two Cyclops. Just gotta make two, and make two of the upgrades you have installed (not a monumental task, once you get the past the initial hurdles of a new game). Using a great honking amount of power is fair though - just need to make sure you create about 20 solar panels on your base, and you're good to go.

[tran_fors]

Originally posted by a2k6wb5:

Oh youre right...just seen some ideas like that while scanning through more of the discussions.
But as more often it gets mentioned the more likely it will be noticed anyways ;)

Fair enough. ;)

[a2k6wb5]

Originally posted by tran_fors:

Adding a delay on charging sounds like a good idea at first blush, but it's one that's pretty easily bypassed by making two Cyclops. Just gotta make two, and make two of the upgrades you have installed (not a monumental task, once you get the past the initial hurdles of a new game).

Hm...true. But is it actually bypassing if you have to do so? In almost any game there is a point where you dont really have to care about resources anymore isnt it? So mabye we would have to concider making the cyclops a bit harder to get (if were honest it dosnt even take that much time to get the cyclops at first - not that i would worry to much about that...im more of the explorer guy and grinding is just the way not the target for me...but like i said: just me)

[tran_fors]

Originally posted by a2k6wb5:

Hm...true. But is it actually bypassing if you have to do so? In almost any game there is a point where you dont really have to care about resources anymore isnt it? So mabye we would have to concider making the cyclops a bit harder to get (if were honest it dosnt even take that much time to get the cyclops at first - not that i would worry to much about that...im more of the explorer guy and grinding is just the way not the target for me...but like i said: just me)

I suppose it's a matter of philosophy, but I find I enjoy games more when they don't make me work around them to do what I want to do. Needing to have a ton of power to charge up massive batteries makes total sense to me, because it's a resource - if I don't have enough of a resource, I can't do what I want to do, and that's my own fault. Needing to have two Cyclops (or two Moon Pools & SeaMoths) to circumvent an artificial charging-speed limitation makes less sense to me, but I won't whinge or kvetch about it if that's how they go.

As for grinding vs. exploring... if you design the game right, they're indistinguishable. ;) This game pulls that off pretty flawlessly, IMO - I rarely go over the same areas except because they're near my bases and I have to cross that terrain repeatedly to get to places.

[grandnovice]

Even I had that idea too, it does kind of make sense. I geuss it also depends on just how big the game is going to be when done. But some way to recharge the Cyclops would be nice. I think having to pull into port is a fair idea. You could always make it require a base power level for it to occur and make it take a little time.

[a2k6wb5]

Originally posted by tran_fors:

I suppose it's a matter of philosophy

I guess thats true yeah :)

But all together i think we can say however this game is going to turn out in the end: its amazing! ;)

[tran_fors]

Originally posted by a2k6wb5:

But all together i think we can say however this game is going to turn out in the end: its amazing! ;)

Oh, hells yes. ;)

[Dinkelsen]

I have been testing three different methods of Cyclops recharging (by using the debug console, I am NOT a developer) to find out what would be my preferred method to do this.

- Solar recharge module
So far I tried a solar recharge module (leave one upgrade slot empty and spawn powercells to recharge the Cyclops via debug console when the Cyclops hits 100m or less depth) This is similar to what we have with the Seamoth and it works well but I do not know if it is my preferred method. It is a little too easy and it does not help if you stay submerged for long periods, which is what I envision the role of the Cyclops - extended submerged expedition base-ship.

- Rechargable power cells
This works well and is the most flexible approach but it has a huge drawback, it makes the power constraint on the Cyclops practically non-existent. With 6 power cells The Cyclops can roughly go from one end of the game world to the other. If you simply craft 6 more, or 12 more or even 20 more - the resources are there, its just some grind - you can extend the range of the Cyclops almost indefinitly, which is a bad thing in my eyes. The Cyclops should have a power constraint, just not one that is as constraining as it is now.

- Recharge the Cyclops at a base
This also works well (with "works well" I mean that you can play the game and it is enjoyable) and at the moment would be my preferred method. There is still a power constraint, you have to plan your expeditions and you have to build and maintain a base network. There are places where there is renewable energy available (via solar panels and thermo generators) and there are places where you have to build and maintain fuel based generators. All in all this method would require the most thinking and planning and if I was a game designer, I would go for this.

There is, however, a bit of a problem. At the moment we have the opportunity to plug new power cells into our Seamoth and Cyclops, which is a good thing for emergencies but not if they are rechargable (see indefinitly expanded Cyclops range above) I would like to keep the emergency functionality without taking the power constraint off the Cyclops. One way would be a non-rechargable power cell which I do not like either. Maybe a single use "Emergency Power Pack"? It just does not feel comfortable.

Edit: Maybe this could work: A Cyclops comes with a "Rechargable Cyclops Power Cell" which can be removed from the Cyclops' engine core, but not manufactured by itself. This item is large and unwildly (3x3 tiles size) and can be recharged at a special container in a base. That way you keep the emergency recharge ability but would have to build more Cyclopses to get more power cells, which is impractical.

[Mojoyoyo]

Yeah that would be great, but as you said you can't manufacture it so if you lost one (you don't know where you simply clicked when you didn't wanted) you would have to build another cyclop again T__T and if you build 2 cyclops you would have another 6 more. Nah, you should be able to build rechargable batteries and a recharger machine in your base, and they should be expensive, slow recharge rate and low capacity, and when you improve your quality resources, be able to build better ones, so you have another "techtree" for the batteries which you could use in the cyclops, the seamoth and the Rigsuit.

[tran_fors]

I'm kind've on the fence about a battery charger.. ultimately I'm not seeing what niche it fits. If we can charge the Cyclops from the base then the only reason for a charger is for gadgets, and we already have the charging fins for that.

I admit the idea of keeping a half dozen emergency cells for the Cyclops seems a little unrealistic (what, does the player eat the drained cells when you swap them out?), but I guess I classify that in the same category as "what happens to all those used up water bottles?".

One other reason I'm not certain that a battery charger is a good idea is, needing to manage a dozen batteries' charge status seems like a pasttime only an accountant could love. ;)