Vartul wrote:Hyperion wrote:Josh, you give my imagination the biggest boners
You had to make it weird, didn't you.
That is my mission in life
You should come to IRC, I'm pretty tame on the forums by comparison
Module instancing is actually proving to be a slightly difficult problem to hash out. Getting a good way to track 10,000 eventual variations on a single blueprint for every single blueprint without making the system cry is probably doable, but is beyond my realm of expertise. Just as a brief outline of my (probably dumb) thoughts, because this isnt really the place for it:
Blueprints are folders, but also instructions coded with the particular Tech stats. Inside the folder is a registry of every unique instance yet made and its stats, each tagged with the owner and where it's used. The owner and usage tags change freely via trade & plunder.
The currently simulated blueprints are known scripts, executed as necessary, changing the stats of the given instance.
Players & NPCs can also execute their own scripts (aftermarket modifications, improved/shoddy construction techniques & materials, overclocking, etc)on a particular instance which also changes the instance stats, but are wholly different from blueprint scripts. Such modifications don't affect the registry serial, but can affect the Human-readable name.
Destroyed instances (or intact but attached to destroyed ships/stations) continue to exist in the registry for potential salvage and reactivation until cleanup.
Temporary instances can also be attached with semi-random stats to permanent debris fields, but disappear as soon as a player is out of range.
Is this efficient? No idea
Challenging your assumptions is good for your health, good for your business, and good for your future. Stay skeptical but never undervalue the importance of a new and unfamiliar perspective.
Imagination Fertilizer
Beauty may not save the world, but it's the only thing that can