Useful computers

karlnp · 2016-02-04T01:29:41.000Z

We’d need some people in the real world who have some idea of what happened first.

Aluminumfoil · 2016-02-04T02:39:02.000Z

This feature is already in the game. If you press windows+D (Windows) or F11 (OS X) while you have a laptop in your inventory or are standing next to a functional console, it opens a fully functional computer that can even play CataclysmDDA.

BeerBeer · 2016-02-04T09:36:39.000Z

But will there be a game in CDDA in which the character plays a character that plays a post-apocalyptic game? Or are we not deep enough yet.
Edit: Also, what makes me think I’m not being played right now?

Artyom177 · 2016-02-04T15:12:18.000Z

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbBX6aEzEz8

ethanwdp · 2016-02-04T18:01:04.000Z

What’s with all of the sarcastic replies? There’s already playable minigames in Cataclysm for the in-game Gameboy, so just port 'em over to the in-game computer.

It would make the computer skill more useful, it would add a morale boost, and it would be able to process information.

I’m not saying I want an entire OS in Cataclysm, that’s far from what I want. I just want in-game computers to be useful and not pieces of decoration.

Artyom177 · 2016-02-04T18:42:42.000Z

Calm down man, just joking around

I like the idea but sadly I think it’s something that would be added a while from now. After they implement everything of course.

ethanwdp · 2016-02-04T19:14:15.000Z

[quote=“Artyom177, post:10, topic:11338”]Calm down man, just joking around

I like the idea but sadly I think it’s something that would be added a while from now. After they implement everything of course.[/quote]

Apologies for my tone, I wasn’t sure if it was an IGN-forums-esque circlejerk of snide remarks or just a few people joking around.

I’m fine with waiting, and at worse I’ll just attempt to mod it in.

karlnp · 2016-02-04T19:35:50.000Z

I like it, and I’ll see what I can do as part of my “make an endgame” mod attempt. It’s a fine idea, at any rate.

Artyom177 · 2016-02-05T14:23:24.000Z

In this forum we like to joke around. Don’t take everything we say to heart

If we could make the computers connect with each other like how Fallout 4 does it’s whole base building. That would defiantly be awesome and something that I would LOVE to see in Cataclysm.

Noctifer · 2016-02-05T16:00:29.000Z

If you create an electronic item and assigned it all the flags maybe it would work. I guess the control laptop and Ink tablet would conflict…

kevin.granade · 2016-02-05T17:09:26.000Z

Oncevsomeone gets around to implementing the, “powered furniture” feature that keeps being requested, this would be fairly trivial, as far as making a stationary version of a laptop at least.
To extend the concept further than that it would need some in game benefits that you can’t get with a laptop or otherwise standard system.
I can’t immediately come up with anything that qualifies for a single survivor, and if it’s used in the context of npc settlements I’d rather it stay abstract.

ethanwdp · 2016-02-05T17:43:47.000Z

[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:15, topic:11338”]Oncevsomeone gets around to implementing the, “powered furniture” feature that keeps being requested, this would be fairly trivial, as far as making a stationary version of a laptop at least.
To extend the concept further than that it would need some in game benefits that you can’t get with a laptop or otherwise standard system.
I can’t immediately come up with anything that qualifies for a single survivor, and if it’s used in the context of npc settlements I’d rather it stay abstract.[/quote]

Moar power! Each part would have a power rating.

Data and games would need a higher power rating the better they are, ex: a super fun game or a huge research database.

There are two ratings: GPU and CPU. If you’re running a craptop with a low gHZ dual core processor, it won’t be able to run advanced simulations that you stole from a lab which contain recipes to powerful/useful high-tech items. In exchange, it’ll also have a longer battery lifespan, less heat, and less electricity used. Also, games and ebooks.

Various programs will be scattered around the world - radio, hacking, medical examinations, etc. The better the software is, the more powerful the computer will have to be.

Once you have a beastly rig with 8 GPU’s and 6 8-core Haswells with 3TB SSD’s, data and games would seem like a trivial task to you. In which case, you’ll be able to modify it to complete tasks. Automatic fire extinguishing (provided there’s adequate water), repairs, alarms, etc. To do these you’ll need specially made software you “borrow” from labs, making labs even more valuable.

Software installation will depend on two things - available computer space (larger programs are usually better), and your computer skill. If you’re a computer illiterate redneck, you might break your computer by trying to install Snake. If you “borrow” advanced software from a lab, you’re going to have to be a computer whiz to break the encryption and successfully install it.

Oh, and low quality software will cause computer issues, requiring you to figure out how to fix it or getting better software.

vache · 2016-02-05T18:22:04.000Z

I think upgrading/changing parts in computers would be pure fluff. It doesn’t seem like it would serve enough gameplay purpose to be worthwhile. However, having the ability to set up a static computer to do various things (would have to be greatly expanded from what we have now) would be useful. One of my pie in the sky ideas that I haven’t been able to deliver on so far would be to create custom options for computers that are compositions of a variety of actions, so that people can add custom computers to json mapgen. Something that I think could be extended to what you’re saying might be to have those actions available to the user to program computers that they build. These actions could be tied to the player’s computer skill level, so that they can be used to train, and that higher level computer skill allows more advanced or more useful actions.

So here’s an example of something that it could be used for:

Install a static computer, either by laptop computer or assembling a collection of parts
Install a set of spotlights around the base
Program the computer so that it turns the spotlights on at dusk and off at dawn

I would imagine that it would only require wiring to officially connect from power to the computer and the lights, and the connections from the computers to the lights could be abstracted away or require n units of cable when settings up the connection in the computer.

More advanced recipes could involve electronics and fabrication to create things like motion sensor and pressure plate switches, and could trigger things like locking and unlocking doors, simple automated crafting (with other equipment), or triggering alarms.

ethanwdp · 2016-02-05T18:52:37.000Z

[quote=“vache, post:17, topic:11338”]I think upgrading/changing parts in computers would be pure fluff. It doesn’t seem like it would serve enough gameplay purpose to be worthwhile. However, having the ability to set up a static computer to do various things (would have to be greatly expanded from what we have now) would be useful. One of my pie in the sky ideas that I haven’t been able to deliver on so far would be to create custom options for computers that are compositions of a variety of actions, so that people can add custom computers to json mapgen. Something that I think could be extended to what you’re saying might be to have those actions available to the user to program computers that they build. These actions could be tied to the player’s computer skill level, so that they can be used to train, and that higher level computer skill allows more advanced or more useful actions.

So here’s an example of something that it could be used for:

Install a static computer, either by laptop computer or assembling a collection of parts
Install a set of spotlights around the base
Program the computer so that it turns the spotlights on at dusk and off at dawn

I would imagine that it would only require wiring to officially connect from power to the computer and the lights, and the connections from the computers to the lights could be abstracted away or require n units of cable when settings up the connection in the computer.

More advanced recipes could involve electronics and fabrication to create things like motion sensor and pressure plate switches, and could trigger things like locking and unlocking doors, simple automated crafting (with other equipment), or triggering alarms.[/quote]

I like your idea, but my problem is being able to find some laptop in a dumpster and using it to run complex simulations, comms, and base utilities seems a bit silly.

vache · 2016-02-05T18:57:00.000Z

That’s where the computer skill comes in, all of that is player created based on their programming skill. It could be that the controllable items require wireless sensors to be toggled. There’s nothing really too advanced going on there that a consumer grade laptop couldn’t handle.

kevin.granade · 2016-02-06T07:34:20.000Z

I’m not sure where you’re getting “complex simulations”, that’s not going to be feasible anyway, that sort of thing is going to take months to write for a single coder, and there’s not a payoff in the entire game that would make that level of investment worthwhile.
Communication and automation though, those you can easily run from whatever working computers you stumble across.

ethanwdp · 2016-02-08T15:12:05.000Z

[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:20, topic:11338”]I’m not sure where you’re getting “complex simulations”, that’s not going to be feasible anyway, that sort of thing is going to take months to write for a single coder, and there’s not a payoff in the entire game that would make that level of investment worthwhile.
Communication and automation though, those you can easily run from whatever working computers you stumble across.[/quote]

I meant “complex” in the role playing term. The game isn’t actually running NASA-level simulations, it would just be a disk with a “Complexity” flag.

jcd · 2016-02-08T20:28:59.000Z

Kevin means that you as the player could never write anything complex enough to need anything more than a ‘standard’ laptop to run within the timeframe of the game… (i would argue that there are NP-Hard problems still around, but it is highly unlikely that the player will ever have to solve something with exponential+ complexity)

Now, for finding and using complex simulators in disks to have any meaning, you need to specify their in-game use first. Based on that we could then find out if the machine needed is anything better than a ‘simple’ laptop.

I personally think that complexity won’t add anything meaningful to the game. (but tasks to automate/simulate/control with a computer will!!)

PS. Of course anyone can write something complex enough to not be able to run in any pc. But a lvl 9-10 in computers survivor should be able to figure how to solve 99% of his problems with just his lappy.

ethanwdp · 2016-02-09T16:51:16.000Z

[quote=“jcd, post:22, topic:11338”]Kevin means that you as the player could never write anything complex enough to need anything more than a ‘standard’ laptop to run within the timeframe of the game… (i would argue that there are NP-Hard problems still around, but it is highly unlikely that the player will ever have to solve something with exponential+ complexity)

Now, for finding and using complex simulators in disks to have any meaning, you need to specify their in-game use first. Based on that we could then find out if the machine needed is anything better than a ‘simple’ laptop.

I personally think that complexity won’t add anything meaningful to the game. (but tasks to automate/simulate/control with a computer will!!)

PS. Of course anyone can write something complex enough to not be able to run in any pc. But a lvl 9-10 in computers survivor should be able to figure how to solve 99% of his problems with just his lappy.[/quote]

We could just have tiers of computers. Experimental programs (like those from labs) would require a high tier PC, lots of electricity, and a good computer skill to decrypt to the point of usability.
Higher tiered computers/laptops are harder to find and use more electricity. Tier 1 is regular consumer tier, Tier 2 is gaming tier, and Tier 3 is NASA tier.

This would be easy to implement, wouldn’t be needlessly complex, and would balance it out.

vache · 2016-02-09T19:11:47.000Z

But you still haven’t explained the function of such programs, but I will do it for you. One idea that I had for end-game progression would be that you secure a lab in working order and then spend a while finding and escorting scientists to the lab. Over time, the scientists perform research and make requests for certain materials to progress their studies, and finally provide you with the results. Some examples might be that the scientists can produce a tool that can stabilize and close nether portals, enhance CBMs for better power storage or efficiency, improve experimental weapons, etc. I think this should be a part of a set piece facility, like a certain lab, instead of something the player is responsible for setting up and installing though.