Power cables need re-done!

[Tactical Nuclear Coffee]

Hello

Iv finally got to the point where im using electricity but i have to say its really clumsy and just plain uggly to look at. So my question is, will it be re-done at a later date?

It seems too ridged and large. If the outlet has a node that allows it to connect to a node on a light automatically wouldnt it be much better having the cables follow nodes that you place? For instance if you place one at the generator and another node along the wall it will connect them as it connects an outlet to a light. It would eliminate the thick ugly pole that 99% of the time isnt level with the structure.

Or

A second option would be clicking on the generator and clicking "Hide Cables" but it would need to hide outlets aswell as the cables.

I really like having electricity and i do hope to see more endgame tech rely on power but when it looks so ridgid it makes the whole thing look crap. Furthermore the ground isnt level but the cables are.

Lastly. Water pipes are for the most part look ok but look just as bad and are just as un-user-friendly as electricity when it comes to pinpoint placement. Maybe something like the first option above for water? Hiding it all would'nt be as effective as power cables.

Cheers.

[EDIT]

I didnt think my description did my idea justice so i have taken a few minutes to ilustrate the idea in the most professional and time consuming way i can. So check out the crude ms paint drawing :D

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=531926896

So. The top part is how is is currently, as i was doing a side view you will need to add the + shaped cables in your head. All in all its rather promonent when it comes to cables. Even if you can phase through your electrical system ingame you still see them and are no doubt mentally throwing up all over the place at the sight of your "powered" house.

So moving on, Lets talk about the lower half of the picture. As you can see it still needs a generator but instead of large unbending cables floating around in the air with dino magic they are much flatter. The new "Outlets" have two functions. Its first function will still show and allow cables going from the "outlet" to any electrical machine that needs power but there second function will allow the "outlet" to generate a larger cable similar to the one going to a fridge or light but this new cable will connect to the closest other "outlet" (One connection per "outlet") So in theory you could make the cable as long or as short as you or your house requires.

Furthermore a second "Outlet box" with a max of two "outlet" to "outlet" connections would allow a ground floor cornor box to connect to another "outlet" along the wall on the first floor and a second one that could be placed on the upper floor allowing multifloor wiring without the need to have a whole mess of ridgid cables sticking and hovering all over the place.

[EDIT #2]

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=532084613

So in this picture. The top represents a top-down view of a room with cables coming from a generator, as you can see its rather messy.

The second picture shows the same room but instead of large cables you can only really see outlets. Outlets that wont be very noticable due to them being placed either on the wall or foundartion (or ground) eliminating the floating cables and also allowing the player more control over where the outlets are placed as apossed to having them just placed at the end of cables that could overshoot the area or just be floating there.

I really wood like a dev to comment on this because the current electrical layout really is bad and if more electrical stuff is coming it may be better to give it the once over. Plus this way would save you learning 50 cable ingrams for 1m, 2m, 4m cross section, vertical, quarter circle left and quarter circle right ect ect ect.

Again, thanks for taking the time to read this and if anyone can point out any flaws in this design please tell me so i can re-think or explain it :) (With many more crude stoneman drawings)

[cbond]

+1 on your first idea.

[Tactical Nuclear Coffee]

Shameless bump but iv also added diagrams to explain it better.

[Gasui]

Bump

[Sistermatic™]

Do you know you can put cables in down low and then put foundations in? I run an entire system, fridge, AC, the lot, can't see a cable. The outlets are flush with the top of the foundation and my design includes putting outlets exactly where the equipment goes so I don't even see the connecting cables.

In fact I have an entire bridge, lit every 2nd ceiling where all the cable run just under the ceiling tiles - all connected from the main genny.

Agreed, not easy, but not impossible either.

tl;dr: You're proposed system is technically already quite doable.

[Val "w31" Comdriver]

cool idea but I see a problem there. from your top-down view - what stops outlet 5 (top right corner of the house) to connect with outlet 2 (down right)? and may be outlet 2 to outlet 4 (top left)? I know, I could be solved by distance between them, but then it can be not so easy in placing outlets. but anyway your idea is AWESOME!

as for pipes I would suggest to completely remove that awful X connection pipe and let us to connect pips just as fence foundations with ability to rotate pipe 45 degrees on any direction.

for this two you wouldn't need so much cable and pipe engrams (straight, inclined, vertical). just OUTLET and just regular PIPE would be enough.

and btw, you don't need to place X cable for outlets. you can fit outlet in just straight cable

[Ferdia]

Pipes and cables are the bane of my life. I spend so much time trying to get them to place correctly that sometimes I forget what I'm trying to achieve.

[Tactical Nuclear Coffee]

I agree with time and a lot of materials you could hide the cables in the foundations but when your house is built first and the electrical cables second its time consuming and annoying in most cases. Having a small house with the size of cables we have atm is ok but presice placement can be tricky if the house isnt a 4 sided cube-like shape.

As for being do-able yeah outlet to electrical machine automatic wire is already in, would just need a second one for outlet to outlet and make it bigger.

But for me, once i have a house down adding electrical cables and water pipes just seems really frustrating and they are never where i want them to be.

Like i said, i agree its workable as we have it just now but would you rather take all that time planning and measuring where the pipes and cables will go or place 4-8 outlets exactly where you wanted them and turn on the generator? I know i would pick the latter :)

[Blank3k]

I was struggling with the mess myself, in the end I destroyed my building and rebuilt it with an air gap in the ceiling, which has hidden a lot of the mess... however because they don't snap to be perfectly straight any long runs usually results in me having to put in an ugly intersection to pull it back in-line else it drifts out the side of the building/conduits etc.

All in all, while I can understand pipes being a solid object of certain length (please add bends!) for placement - having solid set length wires is really frustrating and immersion breaking & I completely agree the system really needs to be re-done.

Side note,
Would also be nice to add some switches / sensors, keypad gets the job done but its ever so "meh" I'd much rather have a control room with switches for lights and doors etc

[Tactical Nuclear Coffee]

Originally posted by EG Comdriver W31:

cool idea but I see a problem there. from your top-down view - what stops outlet 5 (top right corner of the house) to connect with outlet 2 (down right)? and may be outlet 2 to outlet 4 (top left)? I know, I could be solved by distance between them, but then it can be not so easy in placing outlets. but anyway your idea is AWESOME

Im sure i mentioned this in my original post but id love to go into more details.

Given that the first outlet at the generator is #1 and the top right of the building is #5 it will work like this.

Firstly you would add single outlet to the generator (#1) then provided its within x meters it would connect to a second outlet with its automatic cable. As the single outlets only have a maximum of one outlet to outlet cable, once linked to another it would'nt connect to any more. Even if #5 outlet is closer to #2 than #2 is to #3.

For the #3 outlet that could be a dual outlet. Basically works the same as the single outlet but is able to connect to two outlets meaning that if you were to place #4 outlet, that #4 would connect to #3 and use 1/2 connections. Then placing another outlet (#6) above #3 on the second floor this #6 outlet would then connect to #3 and take its second free outlet to outlet connection.

When any outlet is placed it should scan the area and connect to the closest outlet with a free slot. In sort it wont look like a spiderman attack with cables and wires linking to everything in your house.

Of course the generator would need to have a free outlet slot for the first outlet to join too and each aditional outlet within range will connect to the previous one.

I hope that has explained it more :)

[Val "w31" Comdriver]

Originally posted by Laser Guided Coffee:

I hope that has explained it more :)

yep. got the idea. it reminds me of the chemical bonds =)

[null]

+1 for "hide Cables" its purely cosmetic.

[Sistermatic™]

Originally posted by Laser Guided Coffee:

I agree with time and a lot of materials you could hide the cables in the foundations but when your house is built first and the electrical cables second its time consuming and annoying in most cases. Having a small house with the size of cables we have atm is ok but presice placement can be tricky if the house isnt a 4 sided cube-like shape.

As for being do-able yeah outlet to electrical machine automatic wire is already in, would just need a second one for outlet to outlet and make it bigger.

But for me, once i have a house down adding electrical cables and water pipes just seems really frustrating and they are never where i want them to be.

Like i said, i agree its workable as we have it just now but would you rather take all that time planning and measuring where the pipes and cables will go or place 4-8 outlets exactly where you wanted them and turn on the generator? I know i would pick the latter :)

As soon as you can do a fabricator you do the cabling. Since my fabricator is in a separate "workshop" I use a temp house while I build the network, including internal water. (I start with a "temp" house knowing all the tech is coming as I skill up.)

It's just a case of doing it in the right order. Like we do in the... cough... real world. :)

(My house is also about 15 foundations long and 8 wide.)

[Kurisshī]

+1 for feng shui

[Val "w31" Comdriver]

bump! stll need better cables

[Ruse]

Read the reddit AMA. It'll be fixed much later. It's alpha, stop whining about placeholders.