Space Engineers

Space Engineers

(THYA) Shield HUD Script
Nightfall301  [developer] May 23, 2018 @ 11:30pm
Dual Shield support question.
Perdurable and I anticipated this request, and have kicked around implementation ideas, and have seen at least one vote for it, already. The script is already able to pull the data from each shield generator type, independently (had to be, the mods use different methods for supplying information) - it's just a matter of how complex the script starts to get once the display code starts splitting up.
My question is, what do you, the users, feel the best method for setting this up would be?
Adding yet another configuration variable? Like "[D Shield" and "[E Shield" for splitting the two display types? Also, how would this change be reflected in the alert lights and alarm setup recently added? Some sort of cascade detection - "If D Shield = 0 AND E Shield <24 (or vice versa), then alarm"?
Keep in mind, this will add another group of variables to the program code itself, and the THYA graphics have no way to differentiate whether they are displaying Defense or Energy shields. And before someone proposes combined graphics display, remember, each % is a seperate image, meaning that the current 3 graphics "modes" comprise 303 images. Adding "Defense" or "Energy" to those images could be as many as 606, and doing a combined setup would be 10201 images for just one graphics mode (covering all potential combinations by percentage). Think of the load times that would bring.
I've poked around in some other scripts, looking at other folks' monospace pixel display setup, which could open some possibilities.
Now, from my personal standpoint, this "layered shield" idea makes some small bit of sense. Having tested it, however, I don't feel the two mods work together quite the way I would envision them. Currently, hits registered by a grid drain the Cython shield before the DarkStar one. The way most sci-fi seems to work, the hits should be absorbed by the outer "bubble" (DarkStar), draining that shield system completely before ever reaching the "energy armor" (Cython). Or if you look at it as the bubble not being an absolute catch-all, anything that manages to get through the bubble should then hit the energy armor. It's quite possible that if DarkStar's modAPI petition is granted, the mods will work together in exactly the sci-fi manner outlined above. We're just not there, yet. That's my 2¢, anyway.
Last edited by Nightfall301; Jul 16, 2018 @ 7:58pm
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Showing 1-5 of 5 comments
Dr Nox Jan 6, 2019 @ 12:00am 
If/When the petition is granted, I'm sure any shield meta (if one is ever developed) will use the dual shield strategy, just because of the inherent usefulness two shields has on your survivability. Until that point however, I can agree with you in the fact dual shield support isn't quite needed yet.
TauXv9 Jan 7, 2019 @ 4:57pm 
my server uses both for reduncancies due to the Defense shields weaknes to EMP attacks
Nightfall301  [developer] Jan 12, 2019 @ 8:49am 
I did poke around in the monospace realm, and incorporated my results in v1.6.3 as the CRB and CCB modes. Many thanks to JTurp for his code contributions enabling simultaneous dual shield system monitoring.
TauXv9 Jan 12, 2019 @ 2:24pm 
awesome!
Dragon Fire 813 Nov 10, 2020 @ 9:58am 
How about a setting in the PB block to chose which shield to use or use both. That way you add another PB block and change the LCD tag to manage a different shields alarms and displays. Add a third PB block to have combined shields.
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Showing 1-5 of 5 comments
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