About these Cyclops alternatives...
TheF0CTOR
A Galaxy Far Far Away Join Date: 2015-08-09 Member: 206945Members
A Galaxy Far Far Away Join Date: 2015-08-09 Member: 206945Members
There's been a lot of interest expressed over a Cyclops alternative. I like where these ideas are going, but there's a major problem here. Everyone seems to want something different, and none of these ideas make any sense. The Cyclops is supposed to be a transport sub that can also act as a temporary base. The Seamoth is supposed to act as a personal deep-sea exploration vehicle. The majority of these ideas try to combine the best of the existing subs in a craft the size of a skyscraper without sacrificing anything. The most realistic idea I've seen was for a gigantic surface-only ship (say it with me; boat), but even that idea had many flaws. First and foremost, it was approximately the size of Texas.
That's okay, though. I like big thinkers. In this case it's a little too big, but I think it's an idea worth looking into. Now, a few things need to happen before they can introduce a new ship:
1. Finish the current update, which happens to be focusing on the Seamoth.
2. Update the Cyclops to feature...
(2a) animations for bulkheads (similar to those in the seabases).
(2b) functional lockers below the main deck (I believe they're named "Lock 1" through "Lock 5").
3. Add a Cyclops dock of some type for seabases.
4. Exosuit.
Now, what would be the features and sacrifices of a surface ship? First of all, let's review the physics of how boats work. As long as the amount of water displaced is heavier than the boat itself, it will float. That means we should be able to have a boat that's larger than the average seabase, and as long as there are no hull ruptures, it will float. Like - I don't know - a real boat?
However, the main sacrifice here is cargo capacity. The inverse of the above statement means that our surface ship should have a maximum load capacity. This will of course be upgradable, but let's say the maximum load is a docked Cyclops (with a Seamoth in it), a docked Seamoth, a docked Exosuit, the player, and x amount of cargo. If you were to leave the Cyclops behind, you could carry more cargo. Of course, the cargo space in the Cyclops and Seamoth(s) would have to be accounted for as well, but that should be doable.
Beyond that, let your imagination run wild with this idea. Boats followed the same laws of physics that we follow today, and we'll still be bound by them thousands of years from now. We might find ways to cheat the laws of physics, but you can't break them all together. It's a balancing factor in real life as well as in video games.
That's okay, though. I like big thinkers. In this case it's a little too big, but I think it's an idea worth looking into. Now, a few things need to happen before they can introduce a new ship:
1. Finish the current update, which happens to be focusing on the Seamoth.
2. Update the Cyclops to feature...
(2a) animations for bulkheads (similar to those in the seabases).
(2b) functional lockers below the main deck (I believe they're named "Lock 1" through "Lock 5").
3. Add a Cyclops dock of some type for seabases.
4. Exosuit.
Now, what would be the features and sacrifices of a surface ship? First of all, let's review the physics of how boats work. As long as the amount of water displaced is heavier than the boat itself, it will float. That means we should be able to have a boat that's larger than the average seabase, and as long as there are no hull ruptures, it will float. Like - I don't know - a real boat?
However, the main sacrifice here is cargo capacity. The inverse of the above statement means that our surface ship should have a maximum load capacity. This will of course be upgradable, but let's say the maximum load is a docked Cyclops (with a Seamoth in it), a docked Seamoth, a docked Exosuit, the player, and x amount of cargo. If you were to leave the Cyclops behind, you could carry more cargo. Of course, the cargo space in the Cyclops and Seamoth(s) would have to be accounted for as well, but that should be doable.
Beyond that, let your imagination run wild with this idea. Boats followed the same laws of physics that we follow today, and we'll still be bound by them thousands of years from now. We might find ways to cheat the laws of physics, but you can't break them all together. It's a balancing factor in real life as well as in video games.