First things first, the next release is currently getting packed up & tested, containing Scaffolds and the new awesome colorable anti-fire creeper-proof crater-remover CF.
As well, i’ve wanted to reveal some of my intentions in the regard of the upcoming (within the next weeks, somewhen) “Electronics”:
The basic idea behind it: The computer in a computer-game :3
One starts by crafting the basic Electronic Block. This block already is costly (consists of Adv.Machienblock and some ElectroChips, which again consist of multiple circuits), but actually merely the most basic component… and a conjunction.
Multiple Electronic Blocks and some more ingridents craft a “Kernel”. Placing a kernel somewhere causes it to create a small ElectronicNet/System for itself. Now you can proceed adding more blocks to it, simply by placing them adjacent.
You should actually add a Power Supply block to your system now. While idle, blocks will consume “only” a few EU/t each. However, while actively working they will eventually run up to 50-100/t per active block.
Power Supplys can only take MV, though i’ve calculated, when used cleverly, you can provide ~2500 EUt max into every Power Supply.
A kernel itself is useless on it’s own, still. However, the next step would be to add a Console. Consoles are the only block players can actually interact with. It will bring up a basic GUI, containing a, duh, console and an input line. Yes, DFOS (DragonForceOperatingSystem, which is totally not a pun on GeForce or DOS) is exclusively console-based. However, currently our new device can’t do much except for processing extremely basic and useless commands, f.e. returning the coordinates and the owner of the kernel.
To make more, you will need Processors. Each processors adds cycles to the System.
Entering commands, reading commands, processing commands uses a somewhat large amount of cycles each. The more processors (probably in different tiers, too) you have, the faster the whole system will work.
On this point you will probably think about adding another few Kernels, because a system can only take up one task per Kernel. And it sucks to wait multiple minutes for a long operation to finish, whilst you just want a small info… which however ends up behind the long operation in queque.
As well you will eventually want to save data or start creating your own librarys.
For these tasks you can craft Data Storage and Library Storage blocks. First ones can store any sort of data. F.e. messages, rules, or other stuff i didn’t think about to well yet. Library Storage blocks can be programmed with some more commands.
In fact there will be multiple “layers” of commands. F.e. most basic commands will be “Admin only”. Thus exclusively the admin of the system (usually the guy who placed the first Kernel) can use these commands (it will be possible to change “adminrights” later on, though). He can now use librarys to write publicy avaible commands, which are stored in the library and can be used by other users.
To give your system an actual use, there will be useful blocks, capable of emitting/receiving Redstone signals, controlling EUflow and probably controlling Ractors as well.
There are some more components i’ve got in my mind, but these ideas are to vague yet to give you too much detail ^^
Note:
There isn’t a single line of code for this written yet. Some stuff may be implemented differently or not at all, regardless of what i’ve said in this blogpost, depending on whether and how it will prove to be possible.
PS:
Geez, posts like
“Beyond this, it would be awesome if a server could have its own interwebs! Users could link in to the main system and connect to pages built by users! With hacking it would be awesome if you could re-route their power supply, blowing up stuff or just stealing their power. Wow, this has such potential.”
are the reason i usually do NOT post these sort of stuff on a blog.
STOP HYPING!
The whole CPU system will be extremely simple. You will get a few settings and commands to play around, a basic to syntax to create own commands from and eventuall some more advanced Data Storage. But don’t exspect me to code anything near an actual CPU or similar, seriously.
