Using a/d to make tank tracks turn?

[Roger the Shrubber]

So yeah, i'm pretty bad at this Gates stuff, or/greather than/and, etc etc. How do i go about setting A/D to control which side is braking and which side is going, while W/S is still used to moving forward and backwards? Will also accept any tips how to make my life easier with logic. So far only using basic stuff like inverting numbers etc.

(Simple mode)

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

In simple mode basically anything goes and nothing much matters.
Just slap a few engines on the right side and a few engines on the left side, and when you press A or D, reduce how much the engines on that side are pulling. You can do this by a simple function like:
X-Y for left side steering and
X+Y for right side steering.

X is your W/S throttle
Y is your A/D.

Doing this in advanced is a little bit more involved, but not overtly difficult

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2049374987

[Randox]

Numerical Switchboxes would be a good bet. They allow toggling between two number inputs via on/off signal. Here you are making a microcontroller (to keep the size down) that converts A/D to on/off and uses that to manipulate the brakes.

You need to convert A/D to an on/off signal first. Set the sensitivity to 100 in the chair, and make sure it's on reset and not sticky. Read the axis into a micro controller, and feed it into the A inputs of a greater than and less than gate. Create a constant number set to zero and attach to both B inputs. The greater than gate will output when D is pressed, and less than will trigger for A. These will be your switch box triggers.

I'm not sure how the vehicle is set up exactly. I've not tried tracks yet myself. So as an example for how to do the next part I'll deal with the brakes, but this same approach will also handle a clutch (if you need to disconnect the braked track from the engine) or inverted throttle from electric motors.

If you want to just apply brakes at full power on the left or right side:

Set up two number switchboxes, and two constant number signals: one for 1 and one for 0. Connect the on/off signals from the greater and less than gates to one switchbox each. The top number input on these boxes is the number passed when the red signal is on (A or D pressed), so connect the 1 constants to the On input for both boxes. Connect 0 to the off inputs, so that brakes aren't applied when you aren't trying to steer. The micro controller will need two number outputs, one for each brake.

I hope that makes sense and at least gives you an idea where to start. You probably need to release a clutch too. This is done the same way, except the 1 and 0 inputs are reversed so that you pass 0 when A or D is pressed and 1 when they aren't.

If you want variable brake application, then set the sensitivity of A/D axis to something lower, and rather than a constant 1 signal for the number switch attached to the brake signal, pass the steering input through a clamp (-1 to 0 for left, 0 to 1 for right), and invert the left signal after the clamp by multiplying it by -1.

[Devious Toast [SAC]]

Another person posted the controller requirements to allow WASD control with pivot steering. Works decently well with electric driving motors. I'm sure if someone wanted to, they could come up with something involving a single diesel engine, gear boxes and clutches to come up with a similar effect.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1724789407

[Overland]

2 subtract blocks, 2 clutches and a numerical inverter on one side does me fine,
its also very very useful to make skidsteer wheeled vehicles, such as cars, land trains etc

really fixes the oversteer of normal steering, I use it extensively now after switching back from tracks to wheels with the same idea

[Shillelagh]

I also did a switchbox microcontroller

[Shillelagh]

but num inverters and subtract would work kindof

[Overland]

Randox

Ive made you a little beastie,

shes skid steer (like tank tracks but wheels) the front wheel is just a castor
controls with WASD keys,


shes advanced mode only though so you'll need to use that,
the pipes are just framework, theres nothing using pipes here for power

I was once like you knowing only basic things, recently its all clicked.. have a look at this thing, see how it all works, it should be self evident with some looking around at it :)

Best of luck. enjoy

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2070480677

[Randox]

Originally posted by Overland:

Randox

Ive made you a little beastie,

shes skid steer (like tank tracks but wheels) the front wheel is just a castor
controls with WASD keys,


shes advanced mode only though so you'll need to use that,
the pipes are just framework, theres nothing using pipes here for power

I was once like you knowing only basic things, recently its all clicked.. have a look at this thing, see how it all works, it should be self evident with some looking around at it :)

Best of luck. enjoy

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2070480677

I'll take a look. Always nice to find simple solutions to problems I make super complex.

EDIT: Thanks for the demo. I'm not sure I'm willing to give up on my super time consuming and complicated approaches to problems with simple solutions just yet though. It's kind of a way of life for me :D

The rope to limit the steering was a nice touch. Naturally I didn't bother looking in rope view, so that had me puzzled for a moment.

[Overland]

we are same :) its only very recently I found this minus block creates very simple skid steer, complex is a way of life for many in stormworks