Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: Droid Module Focus (Structure Maintenance): Information, discussion and bug-reporting (04/24/04)
Otesa
Thu Apr 15, 2004 10:24 pm
#27
Jenden wrote:
Deidre_DE wrote:
I agree, true harvester maintenance would be wonderful! I could send out a BLL with a laundry list of my harvesters. It grabs all the resources right then ( just like paying maintenance instantly) , and disappears into my datapad for 1 hour. When I can pull it from my datapad after one hour I find the crates of resources in it's storage unit. /sigh That would be great.getting things out of a harvester poses a bit more of a challenge. What happens if you don't have the inventory room, either at the start or half way through. I'm sure there are some other problems, but I'm tired right now...
It could work like this: The resource module could take the resources out of the harvestor and place them into the droid's storage compartment. Since the regular BLL only has one slot, maybe the resource module could be built in, then all you have to do is add a lvl 6 storage and BOOM, full remote havestor maitnence (if the power droid goes through). Then the BLL would be much more valuable because of this ability. Really, when was a BLL used for anything other than an AT-ST joke?
Shadow71
Fri Apr 16, 2004 12:50 am
#28
A couple of questions. Some testing scenarios, perhaps. Okay, so you add structures to the droid, some of them being harvesters. What happens if AFTER you've added it to the droid, but before you send the droid on a maint run, you pick up that harvester? Does it remove the harvester from the list in the droid?
Further, what happens in the above scenario if you send the droid out to maintain, if it DOESN"T remove the harvester from the list?
What happens after you've added it to the droid but before you send it out to maintain, that you've picked up a harvester, and placed it somewhere else? Does it remove it and then add it to the list again? or does it just stay on the list, and if so, Further, if you then send the droid out to maintain with this scenario, what happens?
What if you send a droid out to maintain, and then resources shift and you pick up one of the harvesters you had sent it out to maintain? Maintenance is delivered almost immediately, but the droid takes a while to "finish" its job. So wondering about some of these scenarios (if they can be tested what happens to the list in the droid before you send it out with these scenarios, what happens if you do these things with the harvesters and THEN send the droid out, and then what happens if you send the droid out and THEN do these things with the harvesters).
Or even houses or factories (I'd think those wouldn't move near as often, but sometimes I rearrangem y factories, every once in a while.)
Sorry if this seems convoluted! Oh yeah, can you have more than one maint droid out at a time doing stuff? I'd assume so (doing maint I mean) since it doesn't count towards your called total. Ie, start on your home planet send out your home planet maint droid, make a quick hop to a nother planet (really only useful to send out s econd droid on another planet to do maint if you have several and they are spread out, otherwise just easier to fly out to them yourself)and deploy a second maint droid with a list of structures you have on that planet. Esp if you are time crunched and need to head out quickly to do other stuff.
Iree
Further, what happens in the above scenario if you send the droid out to maintain, if it DOESN"T remove the harvester from the list?
What happens after you've added it to the droid but before you send it out to maintain, that you've picked up a harvester, and placed it somewhere else? Does it remove it and then add it to the list again? or does it just stay on the list, and if so, Further, if you then send the droid out to maintain with this scenario, what happens?
What if you send a droid out to maintain, and then resources shift and you pick up one of the harvesters you had sent it out to maintain? Maintenance is delivered almost immediately, but the droid takes a while to "finish" its job. So wondering about some of these scenarios (if they can be tested what happens to the list in the droid before you send it out with these scenarios, what happens if you do these things with the harvesters and THEN send the droid out, and then what happens if you send the droid out and THEN do these things with the harvesters).
Or even houses or factories (I'd think those wouldn't move near as often, but sometimes I rearrangem y factories, every once in a while.)
Sorry if this seems convoluted! Oh yeah, can you have more than one maint droid out at a time doing stuff? I'd assume so (doing maint I mean) since it doesn't count towards your called total. Ie, start on your home planet send out your home planet maint droid, make a quick hop to a nother planet (really only useful to send out s econd droid on another planet to do maint if you have several and they are spread out, otherwise just easier to fly out to them yourself)and deploy a second maint droid with a list of structures you have on that planet. Esp if you are time crunched and need to head out quickly to do other stuff.
Iree
supermatteus
Fri Apr 16, 2004 2:52 am
#29
All these ideas for making the module collect resources and add power are all very good, but sadly unlikely 
This and more was all mentioned in the forums before the DEVs started work on it. If they were going to implement those functions then they would have done. Its most likely that they looked at them and decided it would be too unbalancing to allow us to have full control of our harvesters across the galaxy. So I think it is a waste of time to try and pursue these ideas, the devs will do nothing about it.
So with that in mind, which of these would you all prefer?
A) A module that displays absolutely no info for your 'off planet' structures, only allows you to view / add maintenance to 'on planet' structures, and ties up your bot for an hour
or
B) A module that displays vital info for ALL your structures ( maintenance / power / on,off status), allows you to add maintenance (via wire transfer so charge a bank surcharge) which would lock for 20-30 mins for that structure but still allow you to check the status 
I know this was not meant as a status viewer but as it is (A) thats all its good for, viewing the maintenance status, which is still useless as you may as well check the maintenance when you go to check the power/resources yourself. You can get across a planet in about 30mins now so why would you bother tying up your droid for an hour? This module makes no sense, if it did collect resources and add power that would be great, but it doesn't and it never will. I think (B) would not be too unbalancing for the devs but would be much more useful to us.
Arcid
Fri Apr 16, 2004 3:12 am
#30
Agreed, I think we're going a bit off track with all the potental things we would like to be able to do, while the B idea above is all that is really needed to make this a very useful module
psikobunny
Fri Apr 16, 2004 5:42 am
#31
two points I want to make before I too put the expansion of this module to bed.
A) while anyone should be able to use a droid or two (one plus one on a run), the ability to have more droids on runs should be limited to DE. I know people who take up novice Merchant just to get a second vendor. I don't think its "unbalancing" to give people a reason to pick Novice DE or a concrete advantage to DE when it comes to running utility droids.
B) Combat Modules establish the precedent that identical module function differently when installed into different frames. They add different damage, attacks etc based on whether they are in an R unit or a Probot. So why not have the functionality of the Structure Maintenance module change based on the frame you install it in? peruse this:
1) Interplanetary Maintenance: Probot or Tracker models could be able to travel to another planet.
2) Power Maintenance: Power Droids with maintenance modules don't need separate storage for power resource, that's what the Power Core you built into them is for. dump energy resource into a Power droid and have it be converted to a number, just like the credits you paid for maintenance were. Then the droid goes off and dumps that into your harvester and comes back.
3) Resource gathering. Only with a BLL with an Item Storage Module as well as the Maintenance module.
I know it's all been said other places before, but I wanted to flesh out a detail or two to my saisfaction, and Express that the Maintenance modules are a great idea, but they aren't the whole of the idea. I really hope the Devs can expand and complete the concept of this module at some point.
A) while anyone should be able to use a droid or two (one plus one on a run), the ability to have more droids on runs should be limited to DE. I know people who take up novice Merchant just to get a second vendor. I don't think its "unbalancing" to give people a reason to pick Novice DE or a concrete advantage to DE when it comes to running utility droids.
B) Combat Modules establish the precedent that identical module function differently when installed into different frames. They add different damage, attacks etc based on whether they are in an R unit or a Probot. So why not have the functionality of the Structure Maintenance module change based on the frame you install it in? peruse this:
1) Interplanetary Maintenance: Probot or Tracker models could be able to travel to another planet.
2) Power Maintenance: Power Droids with maintenance modules don't need separate storage for power resource, that's what the Power Core you built into them is for. dump energy resource into a Power droid and have it be converted to a number, just like the credits you paid for maintenance were. Then the droid goes off and dumps that into your harvester and comes back.
3) Resource gathering. Only with a BLL with an Item Storage Module as well as the Maintenance module.
I know it's all been said other places before, but I wanted to flesh out a detail or two to my saisfaction, and Express that the Maintenance modules are a great idea, but they aren't the whole of the idea. I really hope the Devs can expand and complete the concept of this module at some point.
supermatteus
Fri Apr 16, 2004 6:14 am
#32
psikobunny wrote:
I really hope the Devs can expand and complete the concept of this module at some point.
We all do but thats wishful thinking I fear psiko.
As I stated in my previous post the dev will not allow us to have complete remote control over our harvesters, that would be far to 'unbalancing' and to be honest I do agree with this logic, but besides that it is likely to be quite difficult to implement successfully. Handy as it would be, it is not going to happen.
Even if the module just displayed the information for all harvesters that would be infinately more useful then the module as it stands. As it is, anything you can do with it you can also do without it, only quicker! If you could just see; how much maint, how much power, and on/off for each harvester, you would at least save from going outeveryday to make sure the harvesters are still functioning. You would be able to see if there was a problem or not and so only go on a run when you need to.
kalmank
Sun Apr 18, 2004 6:28 pm
#33
Hey all -
Just wondering, does experimentation affect the structure modules at all? And are they stackable? Like will 6 level-3s allow me to pay 54 items?
Thanks
Isildur
AltharXXX
Sun Apr 18, 2004 10:41 pm
#34
this module is truely sad. oh well. /agree (everyone who thinks it should do more)
Arcid
Mon Apr 19, 2004 2:29 am
#35
The thought has just occured to me that there is already something in the game that would ake this module much more useful. The Status Window from the structure interface. With the addition of a piece of information to show whether or not a harvester is still operating a simple return of a Status box would make the module the sort of thing that everyone with structures would want without being unbalancing
LeBob
Mon Apr 19, 2004 6:33 am
#36
this droid is kept in the datapad or inventory?
it is or is not 'used up' in the process?
will it do a maint run on Naboo if I'm on Tatooine?
is there a specific droid that has to be used for this module?
or the module will function in various droids?
if so, can the droid have this module along with other modules?
ifone logs out after sending the droid to do it's maint run, what will happen?
does the droid actually appear in the game? (like actually travel to the structure in question and can be seen doing so)
thanks
TheRealTK421
Mon Apr 19, 2004 7:28 am
#37
/bow
LeBob wrote:
this droid is kept in the datapad or inventory?
Datapad.
it is or is not 'used up' in the process?
Itis NOT used up when you use it.
will it do a maint run on Naboo if I'm on Tatooine?
Currently, no. The structures have to be on the same planet (but we're checking on this).
is there a specific droid that has to be used for this module? or the module will function in various droids?
Nope...it should work with any.
if so, can the droid have this module along with other modules?
Yes, you can have this module installed with other modules.
ifone logs out after sending the droid to do it's maint run, what will happen?
The maintenance should get paid pretty much instantly (when you hit "Go") and you will be able to call the droid again when it is done with its trip.
does the droid actually appear in the game? (like actually travel to the structure in question and can be seen doing so)
No, I wouldn't think so (but I've not tested this). I'd have to bet that if you were standing out by a harvester, you wouldn't see the droid come up on its own.
Respectfully,
Morturr
Mon Apr 19, 2004 8:24 am
#38
TheRealTK421 wrote:
/bow
LeBob wrote:
does the droid actually appear in the game? (like actually travel to the structure in question and can be seen doing so)
No, I wouldn't think so (but I've not tested this). I'd have to bet that if you were standing out by a harvester, you wouldn't see the droid come up on its own.
Nope - the droid never shows up at the destination - tried it on a harvester right next to me - was gone for 15 minutes - never showed up physically at the harvester.
Respectfully,
Morturr
Mon Apr 19, 2004 8:33 am
#39
Current issue with the Maintenance module:
Currently - this module is having a big issue with unnamed harvesters. If a structure is not named - it will show up in the list as:
installation_n:small_ore_mine (for a personal sized mineral extractor)
When this item is selected and maintenance is chosen for it - it will not deliver the maintenance to the harvesters because it seems to have bugged out. If you have a list of say 4 of these harvesters in your droid's storage, choosing 1 of them and adding maintenance to it will cause them all to disapear when it goes back to the selection menu.
When you are in a zone different then the unnamed harvesters - the Edit maintenance list will only show the waypoints to the harvesters, and show no names for them (not even the name mentioned above). As such, when you try to start a maintenance run, they just do not show up at all and you cannot do maintenance on it.
If you name the harvesters - it seems to work better - but i have not had time to test this thuroughly due to many requests for the new droids