Square metal extractor areas?

[el_matarife]

Square instead of circle metal extractor areas for maps with the metal areas (Ex: Brazilian Battlefield, Small Divide, Mars) rather than metal spots. You only get ~90% efficiency for metal on those maps unless you start to overlap, which becomes a giant pain. Square metal extraction areas would be much easier to use. This should probably be a mod defined option that defaults to round since I'm sure there's someone out there who actually likes trying to "stack oranges" and making old mods behave differently isn't the best idea. The size of the square should be set to the diameter currently specified in the map.

[KlavoHunter]

I'd love this.

[tombom]

Yeah, I pretty much agree. Maps without spots are silly because of this.

[Saktoth]

Just use hexagons on maps like Castles, like you do in Fibre, its the most effecient method. You're always going to have mexes end up in ditches, on slopes, and other silly spots and have some kind of gaps or overlap. If maps like brazil just had slightly larger radius you'd be able to extract the full amount-doesnt need to be square or anything. But honestly, crappily designed maps with lazy metal are crappily designed maps.

[Gota]

Or just allow for squares...

[the-middleman]

what is the wrong with overlapping mexes?

[el_matarife]

what is the wrong with overlapping mexes?

It's a lot less efficient, especially in CA where the mex overdrive widget doesn't take into account amount of metal harvested per mex when it is calculating energy costs. A mex extracting 10 metal costs the same energy as a mex extracting 1 metal in energy with mex overdrive right now.

[manored]

Square-shaped mex extraction ranges would look stupid tough... I mean, there would be no reason for a metal extractor to extract less in some directions and more in others... tough if it improves gameplay significantly...

[KingRaptor]

Other than solid-metal maps, I don't really see how squares would be any better than simply making the circles bigger - placing two mexes will still result in either a gap that needs to be filled, or some overlap between them.

[LordMatt]

Not to say that I agree with the idea of the OP, but squares would be easier to line up with no gaps or overlap. Just look at graph paper vs an equivalent of circle paper.

[el_matarife]

Not to say that I agree with the idea of the OP, but squares would be easier to line up with no gaps or overlap. Just look at graph paper vs an equivalent of circle paper.

Yeah this is exactly what I'm getting at. Overlap is a real pain, especially in CA where the mex overdrive widget charges you the same amount of energy no matter how much metal is being extracted. In fact, I'm sure there's a point where the mex extracts so little metal that you should self destruct it rather than pay the energy costs. Why should you have to be spend all that time perfectly arranging your metal extractors instead of doing something useful?

[smoth]

Wow, I am surprise to see soo much hate for this request. I think the op has a good point.

[Snipawolf]

I like it, it's cool.

[Neddie]

As long as it doesn't override circles by default, run with it. I'd like triangular mex extraction as well.

[el_matarife]

As long as it doesn't override circles by default, run with it. I'd like triangular mex extraction as well.

This is an interesting idea, what would triangles do?

[manored]

As long as it doesn't override circles by default, run with it. I'd like triangular mex extraction as well.

This is an interesting idea, what would triangles do?

Be triangle-shaped :)

[Pxtl]

For CA, couldn't you just space them out so there's no overlap and overdrive those ones, and then stick in low-overdrive mexes to pick up the slack in the gaps? I mean, it wouldn't be perfect, but you'd make sure that your high-cost mexes are getting full value, while your cheap mexes are just topping up with the leftovers.

[el_matarife]

For CA, couldn't you just space them out so there's no overlap and overdrive those ones, and then stick in low-overdrive mexes to pick up the slack in the gaps? I mean, it wouldn't be perfect, but you'd make sure that your high-cost mexes are getting full value, while your cheap mexes are just topping up with the leftovers.

This sounds great if they add designated metal extractors to overdrive, which they haven't yet. Or they could just make extractors that extract less cost less to overdrive. The point is that right now circular areas REALLY sucks for CA.

[Zoy64]

+1000.394720461012 to the square mexes. i hate the circles that we have now. besides, a square covers more area than a circle.

[Forboding Angel]

Actually that isn't true (But I like square extraction raduii myself).