Deployable strobe
scifiwriterguy
Sector ZZ-9-Plural Z-α Join Date: 2017-02-14 Member: 227901Members
Sector ZZ-9-Plural Z-α Join Date: 2017-02-14 Member: 227901Members
Basically, just a small (one inventory block) deployable that sinks to the first surface it encounters and blinks. Not insanely bright - not like the flare (please!) or floodlight - just noticeable from two or three dozen meters is fine.
Functionally, it would be for pathfinding with a submersible. Since a dive reel doesn't work with any of the subs or the PRAWN, it would be helpful to be able to drop a strobe every so often to mark key turns or features. Ideally, does not use batteries/cells and runs forever. (Power consumption of a modern marker strobe is so low that any respectable battery can keep it running for weeks, so in the future, they should be able to run for a century on a AA.)
This differs from the existing beacon in several ways. 1: Inexpensive - probably just a titanium and a quartz to build each one. 2: No HUD data - no name, range, or icon (using beacons to plot a path leads to a LOT of clutter right now). 3: Simple - With no need to configure names for each one, it's throw-and-go.
If you want to get fancy, you can make the light color configurable or make it stick to the first object it hits (which might be smart, seeing how far blood oil orbs can roll from where they spawn). But, really, anything that sits there and goes blink-blink-blink would be very helpful (and thematically sound).
Functionally, it would be for pathfinding with a submersible. Since a dive reel doesn't work with any of the subs or the PRAWN, it would be helpful to be able to drop a strobe every so often to mark key turns or features. Ideally, does not use batteries/cells and runs forever. (Power consumption of a modern marker strobe is so low that any respectable battery can keep it running for weeks, so in the future, they should be able to run for a century on a AA.)
This differs from the existing beacon in several ways. 1: Inexpensive - probably just a titanium and a quartz to build each one. 2: No HUD data - no name, range, or icon (using beacons to plot a path leads to a LOT of clutter right now). 3: Simple - With no need to configure names for each one, it's throw-and-go.
If you want to get fancy, you can make the light color configurable or make it stick to the first object it hits (which might be smart, seeing how far blood oil orbs can roll from where they spawn). But, really, anything that sits there and goes blink-blink-blink would be very helpful (and thematically sound).
Comments
It's like in Minecraft; I use redstone torches to mark exit routes and exploration paths in caves because they're visually distinct.
Plus, each LED pole or floodlight uses a battery. Strobes would be disposable, not cashiering a battery every time you drop one. With poles and floods, it's almost necessary to go back and get them when you're done unless you want to be crafting batteries all the time.
Really, it's just a simple tool that would be easy (from a development standpoint) to create; the strobe effect has already been written as part of the moonpool's antennas. Up the intensity float value, center it on the new object, and call it a day...could even just clone the flare object and replace the light effect.