Theory crafting: Using computers to execute actions

Predious

Predious

The Destroyer
Considering the versatility of these computers and counters, is it possible through them to make other actions possible? An example is this.

Say you want to have some kind of random number generating device in your world, and you want it to be connected to different statues that spawn different mobs that will get killed by traps or something to get loot. A random number is picked, and whatever number it is, the relating statue spawns the monster that will drop into a lava pit per say, and kill it for the loot.

While the idea seems sound, I don't really have the mental aptitude to test this myself. I do have to confess, I do not really having an interest in the computers that @DicemanX and @ZeroGravitas have been working on in game, but the idea is amazing, and is not knocked down in my books. This thread is simply to challenge the Idea with something possibly new or just challenging and see where it goes.

So... Possible or Toss-able?
 
I know absulutely nothing about wiring but i think it would work. just hook up the output of whatever random number it selected to a statue or whatever you want to happen.
 
Yes, certainly possible :).

In fact, I was thinking about implementing something along those lines in a challenge map that would feature a variety of challenges test players on their reflexes, cunning, and ingenuity. In one of the testing chambers I'd put down a chest with a sniper rifle with bullets. The player would have to use that rifle to kill randomly generated mobs (birds most likely) from one of X statues in the room before they reach platforms with pressure plates on them. If a pressure plate is reached by a bird it would block the player progress forcing the player to start over again.

Basically, the player would start a timer (consisting of 5-sec timers in a cascade) which would activate an RNG in a manner identical to the RNG with 4 outputs I set up in my Terraria in-game video game:

http://forums.terraria.org/index.ph...ideo-game-space-invaders-terraria-style.9232/

Once the timer reaches the end it would open a door to the next testing chamber, *unless* any of the pressure plates get activated by the mobs the player is supposed to kill first (the pressure plate would lock the path). If the path gets locked the player would have to restart the mechanism and try again.
 
DicemanX said:
Yes, certainly possible :).

In fact, I was thinking about implementing something along those lines in a challenge map that would feature a variety of challenges test players on their reflexes, cunning, and ingenuity. In one of the testing chambers I'd put down a chest with a sniper rifle with bullets. The player would have to use that rifle to kill randomly generated mobs (birds most likely) from one of X statues in the room before they reach platforms with pressure plates on them. If a pressure plate is reached by a bird it would block the player progress forcing the player to start over again.

Basically, the player would start a timer (consisting of 5-sec timers in a cascade) which would activate an RNG in a manner identical to the RNG with 4 outputs I set up in my Terraria in-game video game:

http://forums.terraria.org/index.ph...ideo-game-space-invaders-terraria-style.9232/

Once the timer reaches the end it would open a door to the next testing chamber, *unless* any of the pressure plates get activated by the mobs the player is supposed to kill first (the pressure plate would lock the path). If the path gets locked the player would have to restart the mechanism and try again.
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Nicely done, Mr. X! As always, you continue to impress me with your superior knowledge and skill in Terraria. I guess that answers my question, but this thread still has a lot to offer, and you only need to explore and see what can be done with these computers. Its amazing what this game can offer, and what you all can offer as well.
 
If you can think it up, you can build it in Terraria :).

We've developed a lot of mechanisms already to enable a whole host of contraptions - now it's more of a question of getting inspired and having the time to build!
 
DicemanX said:
If you can think it up, you can build it in Terraria :).

We've developed a lot of mechanisms already to enable a whole host of contraptions - now it's more of a question of getting inspired and having the time to build!
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The funny thing... I have LOADS of time. I guess I need a... maybe a little 'push' or something.
 
Predious said:
The funny thing... I have LOADS of time. I guess I need a... maybe a little 'push' or something.
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Maybe this thread might be the push you're looking for :).

You mentioned not having much of an interest in the computers ZeroGravitas and I have constructed, although they are still worthy of examination for their mechanisms. They showcase how to build hoik path changers, flip-flops and other feedback/feed-forward mechanisms, state detectors (used in reset mechanisms), etc. Basically, they feature the tools that can be used to put together just about anything you dream up within the available map space.

I plan on posting a video guide in the future (with voice instead of just annotations) to make it much easier to understand the basic components and how to integrate them.

Many of my ideas are based on the snowball effect - the more I learn about basic mechanisms (whether from my own investigation or based on what others discovered), the more grand and elaborate ideas I end up with!
 
DicemanX said:
Maybe this thread might be the push you're looking for :).

You mentioned not having much of an interest in the computers ZeroGravitas and I have constructed, although they are still worthy of examination for their mechanisms. They showcase how to build hoik path changers, flip-flops and other feedback/feed-forward mechanisms, state detectors (used in reset mechanisms), etc. Basically, they feature the tools that can be used to put together just about anything you dream up within the available map space.

I plan on posting a video guide in the future (with voice instead of just annotations) to make it much easier to understand the basic components and how to integrate them.

Many of my ideas are based on the snowball effect - the more I learn about basic mechanisms (whether from my own investigation or based on what others discovered), the more grand and elaborate ideas I end up with!
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Something that interests me is cooperative play. I'm not really asking to play on a world with you, but I want to share a world with someone and make engines and contraptions with someone. I like interaction with like-minded individuals, getting to know them, and have friends whom we can hang out and do the same things and explore the possibilities.

I blame my autism for that. xD
 
DicemanX said:
it's more of a question of getting inspired and having the time to build!
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And the 'thinking juice'....

And your Dove-shoot game sounds like a good starting point.

Predious said:
I want to share a world with someone and make engines and contraptions with someone. I like interaction with like-minded individuals
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Think we should have a thread for sharing world downloads and exchanging server IPs, etc? Someone's welcome to start one. :) (I'm not offering to hang out, although I might like to, now and then, I just don't have the resources.)
 
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ZeroGravitas said:
Think we should have a thread for sharing world downloads and exchanging server IPs, etc? Someone's welcome to start one. :) (I'm not offering to hang out, although I might like to, now and then, I just don't have resources.)
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Well, I could open a server using hamachi or something. I might make a new thread and make a voting thingy on what the opinions of the group is for that.

I'm a little excited to do it because it would be awesome to meet you all and build stuff and have fun. :)
 
ZeroGravitas said:
Well, if you do, post in here: http://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/t-mec-related-terraria-servers.10551/ ;)
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Roger that.

Now, beyond the multiplayer thread and this post, any projects that might need attention to? I've been experimenting with spawn controlling in my flat surface world were I was testing vertical hoik farms.

Also, for auto farms... Is there a guide for it somewhere? I've wanted to try those too, but didn't understand all that went into it. Specifically the one where you activate a slime statue that continuously damages you, but since you activated it before say starting the frost moon event, you only take damage from the slime, and nothing else.
 
ZeroGravitas said:
That covers nearly all of Dicemans builds, in the general guides sub-forum...
Jagged pixels showed making an "invulnerability machine", but the instructions aren't iron clad. I'm sure Diceman'll cover it, if I don't get around to it any time soon. Although, may all change with update.
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I never covered the invulnerability mechanic since tuxlar did it already (he was the first to discover the mechanic as far as I know around a year ago - it was quite a significant find back then). Jagged Pixels suggests some unnecessary components, such as a heart statue. If I end up using the invulnerability trick with statues in the future I'll make sure to give more detailed info, such as what is sufficient to counter-balance the 1 point of damage you receive from the slime.

Right now I need to get back to something this thread actually inspired me to do - I am working on a jukebox and had a massive brain wave in the shower triggered by something tiny mentioned in this thread :).
 
DicemanX said:
I never covered the invulnerability mechanic since tuxlar did it already (he was the first to discover the mechanic as far as I know around a year ago - it was quite a significant find back then). Jagged Pixels suggests some unnecessary components, such as a heart statue. If I end up using the invulnerability trick with statues in the future I'll make sure to give more detailed info, such as what is sufficient to counter-balance the 1 point of damage you receive from the slime.

Right now I need to get back to something this thread actually inspired me to do - I am working on a jukebox and had a massive brain wave in the shower triggered by something tiny mentioned in this thread :).
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: D

IT WORKED! I hope its amazing.
 
Predious said:
: D

IT WORKED! I hope its amazing.
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Already built a big portion of it already, and after testing it works perfectly. My secret: I actually keep two massive worlds with tons of contraptions and sketches of various things, so if I need to put something together I can just fuse various components to make a working build. That's my way of churning out content relatively quickly! However, it takes time to get inspired or have a eureka moment, and often certain triggers are needed (such as something mentioned in this thread ;)).

The hoiktronics contraption will be combined a moon event fight, so I have to practice my fighting skills first before I can generate a video. I need to figure out if the Blizzard Staff is indeed the weapon of choice for non-AFK approaches, or if other weapons are superior.
 
DicemanX said:
had a massive brain wave in the shower triggered by something tiny mentioned in this thread
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Sounds like a slip hazard... Anyway, if it's a tiny thing that *I* said, I want a tiny cut of the non-existent profits!...
DicemanX said:
The hoiktronics contraption will be combined a moon event fight, so I have to practice my fighting skills
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Good idea, use a hoiktronic contraption to make the moon events *harder*! Randomise traps firing at you and spawns coming in from all over the place, where you'd least want them... :naughty:
 
ZeroGravitas said:
Sounds like a slip hazard... Anyway, if it's a tiny thing that *I* said, I want a tiny cut of the non-existent profits!...
Good idea, use a hoiktronic contraption to make the moon events *harder*! Randomise traps firing at you and spawns coming in from all over the place, where you'd least want them... :naughty:
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Sounds like my awful early attempts at farming moon events. I would set up these "elaborate" trap mechanisms, but once the moon event was well underway and I had to start running for my life from the event bosses it was like trying to go through a deadly obstacle course that would end in my inglorious death a few moments later ;).

Oh those were the days before I knew anything about anything in this game!
 
Here's a small preview of what this thread inspired:

JsQIxMw.jpg


This isn't the final version - it's a working prototype that will be part of something larger (the final version will have a nicer presentation too). The key question is...what the heck is it? A puzzle until I release the video, which will involve a moon event fight ;).
 
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