Clarification on state of server

KaiserMagnus

So I've recently started playing on the Diaspora SB server, and I was wondering exactly what features are and aren't active. All over the place there are posts saying this is/isn't active, feature X is removed till further notice etc. and I wanted to know what information is up to date. So to put it simply:

Is mining operational? (and what can you do with it, because beyond the fuel system I don't see what it's for)
Is gyropod fuel required?
What is the current stance on oxygen/hydrogen compressors (I noticed the readouts on planetary resource amounts vanish a while ago)

I really like the server, but it's hard to play as well as I would like to without knowing these things.

Kanzuke

Probably not the best person to answer, seeing as I've only started playing again recently, but I'll still try to help:

1. Mining - Mining is in progress from what I can see, the programming is there but there is no current use for it, as we don't yet have a weapons, core modification or trading system established to make use of it yet. I think you can still point a mining laser at an asteroid and get Ore, but there's no real use for it
2. Gyropod fuel - Is gone, but will probably be re-implemented with the rest of mining when all the surrounding stuff is done
3. Oxy/Hydro Compressors - Still on the server, still useable, still drain Atmospheres, but the general consensus from an Administration point of view is there's no point in harrasing or punishing those who use them responsibly, as it takes a long ass time for an un-multiplied compressor to drain an atmosphere down to inhabitable conditions. We'd still prefer if everyone would use a water pump and then split the water with a H20 splitter, but we won't murder you if you use compressors.


Hope that helps!

Steeveeo

Mining was a bit of a pet project for me a ways back. When it first started, it pretty much got you the basic RD3 stuff after processing the ores, and ice just became water. Later, we added metal into the mix, which was used for kinetic weapons back on the old weapons system. Gyro-Pod fuel was another idea on what to do with the mining system, which looked good on paper, but really wasn't that fun to play with as it just prolonged the time it took to get to space. Rather than making mining a necessity, people just found ways around it, like using E2 Gyros and similar.

Currently, LtBrandon is trying to simplify the process by making the Ship Cores a central system for everything (which I somewhat disagree with, but less lag is always good), so the only thing mining does at current is increase the numbers in the Hold tab of your core. I'm pretty sure mining will get back to being used for weapons, and maybe even for building ships when (and if) Faction Warfare is ever finished. However, fuel, in my eyes, will not be reimplemented.

As for most of the features being enabled/disabled with no real markup on it, everything is in flux due to several reasons, the main on being the recent switch to GMod 13, as well as overhauling the core systems of the server (like mining, weapons, and...well, the ship cores). Things go online when finished, and things are taken off when Garry breaks them.

For a final note, there is literally no advantage to using compressors for LS. There are only a finite number of gas units on the map, but infinite water. Almost everything can be extracted from water: water is suit coolant, water is fusion coolant, water can be split for O2 and hydrogen, water can be electrolyzed into heavy water to make fusions produce TONS more energy, and the steam that comes off both the fusion and heavy water electrolysis processes either condenses back into water or can be ran through a steam turbine for extra energy.

LtBrandon

KaiserMagnus wrote:

So I've recently started playing on the Diaspora SB server, and I was wondering exactly what features are and aren't active. All over the place there are posts saying this is/isn't active, feature X is removed till further notice etc. and I wanted to know what information is up to date.

I really like the server, but it's hard to play as well as I would like to without knowing these things.

As the one working on two of your questions I will give you my answer, of course everything is subject to change as things change often around here.

KaiserMagnus wrote:

Is mining operational? (and what can you do with it, because beyond the fuel system I don't see what it's for)

Currently, mining is completely operational, at least as far as the mining portion of it goes. Right now Steeveeo is working on the asteroid spawning stuff and improving it, as well as the crystal spawner. I intend to open the market portions of it soon, and that will be the first actual use it will have other than bragging rights in the new system.

Right now it doesn't actually have any use, and thats only because I haven't reached the part of my todo list that involves activating the gas clouds. Once gas clouds and the market are available you will be able to start producing ship fuel and some other trade goods.

KaiserMagnus wrote:

Is gyropod fuel required?

Currently the whole gyropod fuel system is disabled until further notice. To better answer your question, however, I would like to point out that it will be making a come back, and when it does, it will not be a requirement. I intend to make fuel more of a bonus, similar to, for example, poison in World of Warcraft(when applied to a rogue's weapons they deal more damage).

KaiserMagnus wrote:

What is the current stance on oxygen/hydrogen compressors (I noticed the readouts on planetary resource amounts vanish a while ago)

Kanzuke and Steeveeo summed this one up pretty well. While its better to avoid them, as water does do a better job, they are not banned in any way. I would, however, like to point out that in the event that you knowingly drain spawn of enough air for everyone to have issues breathing, it will usually be taken as though you had just blown up everyone on the planet.

KaiserMagnus

OK thanks for explaining all that stuff