DId we tell our new overlord spark link extensions would be grand?

Was this on the list? I have spent so much time this last month fightinf the fight to try and diminsh the number of spark machines. Where I once had one workshop hub, I’ve been enjoying making little buidlings to put machines in. It’s almost like a part time job, filling them and reapiring them all over the city.

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Is anyone developing or updating anymore?

@DKPuncherello, to follow is post about the future of Boundless.

I’m not sure if the new group has done any reading on this, here are a couple of points.

Spark links are an animated mesh, they take a (relatively) large amount of client resources to render, and with multiple states it’s server storage, too. They are subject to the complex block limit, but that also applies to chests and other things that don’t have animations.

This probably partly explains the additional limit, but also we get some realism here with the fact that electricity can only flow so far through a given wire. Of course that’s no absolute argument for or against, the amount of realism we (each) want is highly debatable.

One of the best compromise solutions I’ve seen for this is a broadcaster for wireless power, something we haven’t quite achieved in reality yet. It wouldn’t even technically have to be limited range - technically no difference referencing a spot on the other side of a shop or the other side of a planet.

Mmmmm Radiation :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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Some of us solve this by using a spark generator as an extension. @HOST has a great example of this. I’m pretty sure this was solves that problem.

Hey Xaldafax do you have any reference to what you mean? A spark generator or any machine cannot pass spark so I’m not sure if you just mean to make it look like you have a larger system?

That might be true here on earth but this is an alien planet with alien technology so is it a wire or just a fusion passing line? FYI this is more of a joke so don’t take me serious. Cheers.

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I dont think we should be calling them over lords before they earned the title .
Sparklinks do take up alot of space and you have to hide them if you have to many the rendering in and out is annoying i would love to be able to drag them from one spot on the machince to the to the spark genertaor would make it so much faster and just let them take as many as it would take o streach it the distance from my stack in the inventory .

It’s a fair question, for sure.

Basically by putting a generator in-between long runs it should allow extension. Visit @HOST build from this link. I swear he is running much longer runs that is normally allows.

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All right thank you for that, but I want to make sure there’s not confusion. This allows for additional spark, but does not in any way affect the limit of 100 continuous spark links.

More info on spark “circuits” from that thread:

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I like that wireless power… “Oortian magic” :wink: (what i say every time.

Maybe with a radius of X blocks it has to be with in.

An other idea would be battery banks. Or something like it. Preferably a “full” block without a different state.
One could say they have to be made with rift blocks and can be used to extend the spark link line with an other 100 links but limiting how many you can add to a full setup.
For example 1 power block can extend the link line with 100 links when placed on the end of a line. But only 2 can be used on a full line. Giving you a spark link line of 300 links in totaal.
(Just an idea)

That said using “Oortian magic” might be a better way to go and do it wireless. Do think it has to be in a horizontal radius though (saying horizontal as plot system is 2D so i do think this might be hard to implement as it might be a 3D thing if it would have a vertical radius to).

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Thanks for the reminder. There have been a couple of “battery” proposals but since spark became movable/tradable there’s less talk about that.

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Well I am pretty sure Host has more than 100 using this trick… I didn’t count them but his lines are pretty long. Go look at what it looks like. I think using that trick you can maybe solve it but I haven’t tested with something that long.

In that shot from what i could count. Its 7x4 (mach,gen,gen,machine) and 6x4 (4 coils) that makes 52. Can’t remember if the link line continues around the corner but I believe it doesn’t/didn’t.
Have been behind there but im sure @host can say the exact length.

To my knowledge there is no way to link up lines past 100. It simply won’t let you place a link between 2 lines even when one side doesn’t have 100 links.
I know because i have tried this several times in several different machine room layouts.

The set up of host is basically about additional spark reserves (lazy fueling :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:) and has nothing to do with the spark lines.

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I know it looks silly sometimes, here a few years down the road, when I just quote myself :rofl:

The thing is there’s a big post there with multiple screenshots and explanations that I don’t want to try and duplicate. HOST has pics and demos there too. People who are interested in this should definitely give it a skim.

You can, in fact, get WAY more than 100 spark links on a generator set.

This will get you 2700 links. But you will not at any point be able to cross those lines or they will merge and fall subject to the limit of 100 continuous links.

If you’re into that sort of thing, it’s quite the fun puzzle.

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LOL realism, Boundless Simulator (jokes)

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If the stupid ‘mesh limit’ wasn’t a thing I would have been able to push soo much harder- every line in every direction for my new build near a machine is maxed limit- makes building really hard.

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Wasn’t the mesh limit put in place because servers and player clients were actively crashing?

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Yes, I believe there was also a period of some adjustment.

I don’t actually recall any adjustment being made to spark link specific limits - as far as I know that limit was in place at least since release.

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