Signal Locator (Directional Sensor modification)

[Garheardt the Black]

Hello again!

I suggest a modification to the directional sensor that would:

-Allow you to select "Signal" as the target.

- Have a blank where a tag can be designated as the signal

-Make any source emitting the tag (signal) a target of the directional sensor.

 

With this one could:

-Make a beacon out of anything that can emit a tag signal.

-Drop a small battery with a "Beacon 1" tag and your sensor can fly you right to to it. 

-Give drones the ability to sense one another by "Squawking" identifier tags. 

-Did one of your autonomous drones detect a hostile? Now when your mother ship detects "Drone 1- Help!" it knows where the trouble is. 

 

Bonus:

This might work for the altimeter too!

 

Thanks again!

[Lurkily]

I would totally be in favor of this as an alternative to the tracker idea, but I think they tracker fulfills this need more or less.

What happens when you have duplicate factory built drones, with duplicate signals?  Or duplicate signals for any reason? 

 

[ManTheMister]

I feel like a specified beacon part would be far more balanced.

[Garheardt the Black]

I figured that multiple signal interference is already a hazard we have to avoid, such as when one launches a new copy of a  drone when a partially destroyed one is still sending signals. In that light, I'd suggest letting the directional sensor get confused since if it's getting multiple identical signals, it's going to be sending multiple identical signals .   

 

The trick would be "don't let that happen."  

(And or attach TNT to your beacon)

[Lurkily]

I think I'm in favor of a tracker part for this, that can be activated by a signal.  It's not a balance thing though - a tracker part also provides visual feedback you help you troubleshoot, and is a design element that hews more closely to the simplicity of design that we seem to be developing around.