Energy Patches...

[Forboding Angel]

I know that most everyone will think this is stupid, but would it be possibe to implement energy patches?

I imagine a new tag would be needed (as well as a new mapconv... please? :) )

This has a lot of applications for mods other than ta. Plus, it would help out a lot.

edit:
and yes I know about the buggy geo :)

I am actually talking about essentially an energy extractor, complete with a radius. Where the facility could be placed anywhere, not just on the spot, unlike the geo.

Meh, I didn't know where to post this. However, I figured I'd put it here to get the idea out.

[AF]

Would this be using a seperate energy map or just the same as metal extractors on the metal map onyl they get energy instead?

[altaric]

mmh .. actualy energy is the way to win as a porc, get a couple fusion and MMs and you win on any map i thought about a dynamic wind map : that would be fun but not necessary and maybe uneven
however wind should be higher on mountains

[Forboding Angel]

altaric, this has noting to do with ta style of play.

Seperate energy map.

[Masse]

id say that lets wait for new gui and after thats done i'll help poking developement to get more "moddability" to spring

[AF]

I'm guessing this would break the mapformat.

[Tobi]

It should be possible to add it so that's backwards compatible.

[monohouse]

energy patches well maybe, but I do think smoething else though, non-constant solar collectors, each map is a different planet, with a different distance to the sun(s) (maybe even different solar energy depending on position on map which depends on direction of solar rays, but let's start somewhere first...) so it would be nice that each map had it's own solar energy output factor (like metal ?) so that it would have a very nice balance (in maps without metal lots of neergy from solar collectors).

but we're not there yet what a pity.

[Maelstrom]

There are a few problem with varying the energy output from solars.

1) There is nothing defined in the FBi saying that a unit is a solar collector, except for the name of Solar collector. If we just reduced the amount of energy everything made, then fusions would start making less energy, for no real reason.

2) Mods are balanced around the fact that solars give out a constant energy, and winds do not. If we change both to be variable, albeit only on a per-map basis, this balance will be disrupted.

3) Theres probably another one, but I cant think what that would be right now.

Wind determined from a wind map would be good. Im all for that one. What would be interesting would be a whole seperate wind map where you can specify the wind direction and intensity for each spot. Then we could simulate wind rushing through canyons, high winds on mountain tops, low winds in dips in the ground, katabatic winds off mountains, things like that. But thats getting a little to fanciful me thinks

[Guessmyname]

Metal extractors work using the extractmetal tag. You can set it so that a unit will constantly make metal using the metalmake tag.

Wind using a wind thingy tag, as does tidal. Solars just use the energymake tag. For extracting energy from a energy map, surely an extractenergy tag would be appropriate?

[zwzsg]

There are a few problem with varying the energy output from solars.

1) There is nothing defined in the FBi saying that a unit is a solar collector, except for the name of Solar collector. If we just reduced the amount of energy everything made, then fusions would start making less energy, for no real reason.

2) Mods are balanced around the fact that solars give out a constant energy, and winds do not. If we change both to be variable, albeit only on a per-map basis, this balance will be disrupted.

Well, all those problems are solved if we agree that all current solar sollector keep their constant output, and that only new or updated solar collector that use some new IAmASolarCollector=1; tag have energy output varying with the sunshine.

However, I'm against adding windmaps and solarmap, because it would make playing and learning maps too tedious. Already many times players have to go solar to play safe on if they aren't sure of the wind of the map, so imagine if they had to learn not only the wind of each map, but the wind on all area of all maps!

But a simple single sunshine value for the whole map, that affect only solar that have been updated to use a new tag, that I could accept.

Hmm, good idea Guessmyname. Would land tidal be possible, and so why not make waterless map recycling the tidal values and using it to modulate the output of solar-looking units? However it wouldn't be very clean, and you wouldn't be able to have actual tidal in the same mod unless you come up with a reason for tide to be proportionnal to sunshine, and that could even lead to a split in maps, those where tides are really tides, and those were tides are actually sunshine.

[jellyman]

I assume it wouldn't be hard to show a wind intensity layer whenever a wind generator is ordered, just like you get a metal layer whenever you order a mex. So a player wouldn't have to learn the wind disribution on each map. But when chosing a start position you will want to have a close look at the terrain, then at the metal distribution, then at the wind disribution, then possibly toggle between them a couple more times until you figure out the best spots for building a base/expanding to at start...

[genblood]

Whats the chances of adding a level 2 solar collector to the
mix? Something similar like, the kbots and vehicles ... both
have level 1 and level 2 units .... By adding a level 2 solar
collector should resolve the problem ...