Pistons

[The Linkage]

Hi, i come from the Incredibots forums, and there we have pistons. They are very useful because we can make almost anything whit then- starting with elevators, motors, and sort of other things.

So, pistons would have this options:

Motor: speed, strenght and an option to make them oscillate automatically.
Floppy mode or auto-brake.


To see how they work, go to this page:

Spoiler: show

http://www.incredibots.com/if/game.php

[Ravenplucker]

The search button is your friend. Use it.

[Someone Else]

Already suggested many, many times.

Almost everyone here thinks pistons are a terrible idea. I, however, think otherwise.

I support.

I would make the options
Speed_m/s
Strength_n
Impulse Break Limit_nm
Max Length_m
Min Length_m

In_key - - - Toggle_bool
Out_key - - - Toggle_bool
Brake_key - - - Toggle_bool
Spring_bool
--Spring In_key - - - Toggle_bool
--Spring out_key - - - Toggle_bool
Auto-reciprocate_bool
Autobrake_bool

By something_bool, I mean a checkbox. An underscore is sometimes used to indicate a unit.
The spring options would only expand out when the spring checkbox is checked.
If the spring checkbox checked, the Context Menu would also include spring options for the piston spring.
The max and min lengths would be achievable by moving the slider to make it very precise, or by dragging parts of the piston.
Pistons would also have collision menus. They, like 1.9 springs, would be comprised of several parts.
These would be the Inner Stop, Slider, Outer Stop, and maybe Spring.
Each would have its own options and, except in the case of the spring, its own collideSet.
Different parts would not collide with each other or anything the piston is connected to.

[Chronos]

I, however, think otherwise.

And I think you're lazy. It's not that hard to make reliable, powerful pistons. We don't need a piston tool for that reason.

[The Linkage]

Well, I've tried to make pistons with another parts, but they are not the same, especially when they make the whole "road".

[Someone Else]

I, however, think otherwise.

And I think you're lazy. It's not that hard to make reliable, powerful pistons. We don't need a piston tool for that reason.

The thing about built-in pistons is, they don't break unless you want them to. Like hinges.

Think about where we would be if we didn't have hinges. We'd have to make fancy ball-and-socket hinges all the time, so stuff would always break and lag everyone to death.

*Not to mean that fancy ball-and-socket hinges don't have their place. As demonstrated by Kilinich and his bridge building kit.

And besides. Now we've got the opinion of a "professional" piston user. I say "professional" because I don't think The Linkage gets paid.

[mrmegawarrior]

*support*

[Sonic]

Don't support. See Chrono's argument for he reason why.

[The Linkage]

Oh, well, post a piston that doesn't do this:

[Ravenplucker]

Oh, well, post a piston that doesn't do this:

Post a piston that isn't a piece of crap.

[The Linkage]

Sure!

[Chronos]

Sure!

Post a piston that isn't a piece of crap.

[Ravenplucker]

Closer, but no banana.

[electronicboy]

few hints:
objects at a larger scale are more accurate than smaller objects...

(so, bigger, thicker pistons work better than smaller, thin ones....)

a good use for this would be, heavy piston, light objects...


also, IMHO, adding pistons would kinda ruin the games element of creating it yourself...
i mean, before we had thrusters, people created ones using thyme! which are alot more intresting than some lame texture....
also, inertamultiplier, which is now used for creating unrotatable objects, we never had this in phun, and most of algodoo, yet we had fun with the simplest of devices....

yeah, sure, at first its hard to make stable, reliable devices, but there are many tutorials, and after a while, you will learn to make them alot more reliable!

[Ravenplucker]

Also, polygons have dodgy collisions anyway. Make the pistons out of seperate rectangles.

electronicboy, thrusters were also mechanical! (and were cooler than thyme)

I find that the tutorials weren't that helpful at all. You learn most by reverse engineering, which is a pity because most of the scenes on Algobox seem to be junk.

[mrmegawarrior]

Ok everyone, if a piston option was created, it wouldnt ruin the element of making one yourself. It would make pistons better and you could still make pistons if you felt like it.

[Rrobba]

Hi, i come from the Incredibots forums

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Anyway, I support.

[Ivan]

I respect Someone Else's ideas, but I would rather suggest springs lockable to angle using bend on spring endpionts/hinges.
This would be simplier and pistons wouldn't break or do this:

[Chronos]

I respect Someone Else's ideas, but I would rather suggest springs lockable to angle using bend on spring endpionts/hinges.
This would be simplier and pistons wouldn't break or do this:

Again, that piston is a complete pile of shit topped with a dollop of failure.

[Ravenplucker]

Pistons don't break or do that if they're properly built.

[The Linkage]

Pistons don't break or do that if they're properly built.

Post a "properly built"one.

[Chronos]

Pistons don't break or do that if they're properly built.

Post a "properly built"one.

Here you go:



Not the best one I've ever made, but it's enough to prove you wrong.

[Ravenplucker]

5 seconds of work and you have a stable, reliable piston.

We don't need a tool for this.

[mrmegawarrior]

Mot pistons are reliable but all are breakable. If we had a tool for this, they would be unbreakable unless we wanted them to be able to break.

[TC42]

Or you could just design an application so that it would not overstress the piston...?