Implement 'Setup Action' Toolbars based on Block States for more blocks

Yllaina shared this feedback 3 years ago
Submitted

There's a thread that has comments about this suggestion but as it is not the main topic, I wanted to make a new thread about it. Basically, the call is for more blocks to be able to call actions from a toolbar based on state changes in the same way that air vents have. As vents can have a single action set to trigger when pressure reaches either 100% or 0%, other blocks should be able to do the same, such as merge blocks having actions set to trigger when they become attached or detached, doors when they are opened or closed, welders/grinders when they are building or stop, etc.

There's virtually unlimited possibilities for new builds or simplifications of old ones if these options are added. Right now I'm trying to set up a missile silo and prevent it from being reloaded while there's a missile already loaded. Currently, this can be done by locking timers to being activated in a certain order (reloading disables the reload timer, firing turns it back on), but in a system that doesn't use timers for these processes the only option is to use a sensor that physically detects the presence of the missile. The need for either of these would be null if the merge block on the firing platform could disable reloading as long as it is attached and re-enable it when detached by the firing process.

While this particular example is something that can be worked around, there are plenty of blocks that have no such other options like doors, turrets, anything that isn't run by a complex system of timers and which doesn't involve moving a grid which can be seen by a sensor. Another simple example would be the ability to tie an alarm to turret firing, or the automatic activation of self-repair systems to the same.

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Update: As my missile silo has progressed, I've reached a point where it's impossible to automate the reload functionality due to the limitations on information available to timer and sensor blocks. Basically, between the program being used (Whiplash's LAMP script, which is phenomenal btw) and the limitations on timer blocks, there is no way for the silo to know whether a missile is still in the silo because the sensors can't discriminate between the missile and the armature that holds and raises it to fire. It can't know when to lower that armature and lock it back in place because the script fires one of two missiles and the ship can't tell which when they are both armed. If the merge blocks themselves had the option of being able to trigger an action when detached, this problem could be easily worked around as I would be able to reset the correct armature as soon as the missile is detached from it without the need for a very sketchy sensor rig.

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