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Detailed thoughts on a 'programmable hinge'


Lurkily

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I've been wanting hinges that can follow complex sequences.  Like a leg with digitigrade or plantigrade joints, which needs specific sequencing to work properly.  Merely timing things doesn't work yet, because I can't offset the start of an impulse block, and impulse blocks aren't very discriminate.  (an easy way to make a delayed sequence, like on keypress, wait a defined period of time, then output another keypress for a defined period of time, and do not repeat, would help.  A modification of impulse would suit this need, and impulse could still act in its current manner if its output was its input.)

 

Here's what I propose.  A programmable hinge would have a specific angle of rotation.  Activating it would rotate it in a player-defined direction (CW or CCW) at a player-defined speed, and stop when it reached that angle.  A programmable hinge would be capable of storing several of these settings. (Two would suffice for most things, but three would allow quite complex behavior.  I'd prefer three, or even a 'plus' button to add as many settings as you need.

 

Thus, you could have a door that flew open quickly to a certain angle to allow your TNT missiles to be fired.  Then upon closing, to minimize collision with the drone and damage to the frame, one keypress could rotate the doors to an almost-closed position quickly, and the same keypress could rotate them fully closed, but at a slower speed, to safely closed missile hatches.  Legs could be easily synchronized to angle the legs to compress the stance, then angle forward, then extend flat.  each of these very complicated phases of walking could be packed into three keypresses for the entire sequence.

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A hinge with a variable rotation speed and an angle limits is something we plan to add :) Together with a different impulse part it should do the job :)

I'm not a fan of very complex parts with many settings.  I'd like to keep the individual parts easy, but powerful if you combine them in a smart way :)

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I agree with you that making simple things that can be built into more complex things is usually a cleaner solution.  There are some very limited circumstances that I can't replicate even with those tools, which is why I tried to think of something else.  Let me provide an example.

 

I want a drone with sensors fixed to the body to direct the weapons.  It if senses an enemy above, I want it to turn all guns straight up, without necessarily knowing their initial rotation, and without having to put entire gravity sensors (which don't respect the ship's orientation) on a hinge.

 

It's a limited case, but it's part of what I considered.  Without pre-set 'move to' angles or having an angle output of some kind from the hinge, I don't think it's possible.  The reason I bring it up is because I feel like, with the logic I see in the game, it's something that SHOULD be possible.  I don't know how to enable it with simplicity, though.

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