[0.7.6.5] Feedback - GeoCorp Refinery

[ZeroGravitas]

This new block looks very nice, and appears to work OK (as far as I've quickly checked it), but:

(1) It seems odd that it's the only GeoCorp crafting block that isn't 2 units deep, from base to chunk ports. Hence it will need to sit upon a little platform to match input-output heights in a GeoCorp only fabrication base.

(2) For it's extra size, and GeoCorp's focus on resource harvesting, it seems functionally identical to the GSO refinery, which is a little disappointing.

I was maybe expecting increased throughput with double inputs-outputs, or something. Maybe GSO refinery will be nerfed? (Beyond the existing issue with unrefined chunks sneaking past them and jamming the conveyor feed.)

(3) Other's thoughts below...?

 

[Pink Kitty]

Well, step one is: get it in the game.

They can tweak the function of it, when the get code-time.
It' probably got the form factor that it does to be compatible with other bases. But yeah, it really should have the ports at the top, same as the other blocks.

 

[Black Wyvern]

Geo refinery. Functionally identical, larger, more expensive reskin of the GSO refinery.

Venture has the mobile quirk. Geo needs something unique. Maybe two-slot parallel processing?

 

[Legionite]

Geo needs something unique. Maybe two-slot parallel processing?

Why not change it so if one raw resource goes in, two refined ones come out!
Catch: it gets backlogged easily

 

[Boomik]

How about instead of taking 3 resources at once, it takes in 8 or more at once. The double resources thing sounds cool, but is probably way too OP.

 

[Pink Kitty]

Reskin is easy.

Other stuff needs code.

Code time is in short supply.

 

[Potato]

Since this is in TT_unstable, I assume the devs used the same piece of behavior code from GSO's refinery as a placeholder. After all, @Pink Kitty is right; the team's short of coding time.

 

[ZeroGravitas]

Why not change it so if one raw resource goes in, two refined ones come out!

I find the idea of resource gain quite appealing here. I'd say 1 in -> 2 out is too overpowered though; 3 in -> 4 out would be my call. And yeah, it would make sense to have it be far slower, by alternating input/output phases, probably.

However, that's not going to work logically with the existing auto-crafting system (when it just requests 1 of a resource to be refined, etc). It could still be used to pre-process resources, instead, but would make make it an exception, not working with the crafting system like the rest. (Possibly confusing and unwanted.)

Well, step one is: get it in the game.

Reskin is easy.

I don't see a point in rushing it into the main stable branch, if it might be redesigned. Well, it wouldn't be possible to change the block then, since it would screw up people's saves, snapshots, etc. [Although, maybe it would already require a new block ID be created, for the sake of us on the unstable, and the current block model left in the game, unused, like the big old GeoCorp old cabs...]

And regarding coding: if it's a only a modest amount and it'll add to the gameplay, then I'd hope time would be found, one way or another. (I'm hoping more coders are available after the bulk of multi-player is completed, if not hiring a new, replacement member.)

 

[Pink Kitty]

if it's a only a modest amount and it'll add to the gameplay, then I'd hope time would be found,

Is it only modest?
The devs are not stupid.
IF someone could stamp out the code in an hour or so, they probably would.

My guess, is that when the MP is done, they're planning a code update, that will clean out and tidy all the code, fix problems, and then they'll add the fancy stuff.

 

[Boomik]

Is it only modest?
The devs are not stupid.
IF someone could stamp out the code in an hour or so, they probably would.

My guess, is that when the MP is done, they're planning a code update, that will clean out and tidy all the code, fix problems, and then they'll add the fancy stuff.

Multiplayer is still a ways away. I don't mind the wait, but I'd like to see new features every now and then on the road there.

 

[ZeroGravitas]

Is it only modest?

Yes. Definitely 'modest' compared to, say, adding water, or sky islands, or an entirely new class of weapons, etc.

There are a *lot* of relatively little additions and changes that could currently be made, though, of course. So yeah, I wouldn't expect it to happen now. I sincerely do hope that a "clean out and tidy all the code" is on the cards within a couple of stables (because the overall number of bugs seem to have been increasing while I've been here, so far). I think a lot of small fixes and changes are currently shelved, as low priority, despite many of them probably only taking an a couple hours (although it's pretty hard to know how long a piece of code will take to fix/modify).

'Finding time' would probably mean delaying things that need work (perhaps delaying everything), rather than shoehorning them into an rigid schedule; making every addition in the meantime mediocre, under the banner of "not enough coder time", would be sad. And I wonder if it might actually take more work in the long run, to circle back and make improvements/changes later... But heck, I'm no game dev.

Certainly, I think that we, as a community, should keep asking and pushing for nice things that we'd like to see, within reason (i.e. not necessarily going off on a total tangent from what the game already is). Leave it mostly to the devs to decide what they have time for, and maybe we'll all be pleasantly surprised here and there, as with the tech splitting change.