Blocks & Decoration A few suggestions for wiring features that would be extremely useful in custom maps

JereTheJuggler

Spazmatism
Chest Content Sensors
A sensor that is basically the same in operation as the ones currently in the game, but they use wires to connect two chests together and activate once the chests inventories are the same. There could be variations for having the same items in the same slots and just having the same items in any slots.
Applications for non slot-specific sensors
  • they could be used to make sure a player cannot progress unless they get rid of a certain item that the map maker no longer wants them to have
  • they could be used for a map where the goal is to collect a bunch of various items that aren't large gems
Applications for slot-specific sensors
  • they could be used to make logic puzzles using chests. "Hallowed Headgear is to the left of Terra Blade and above Copper Shortsword"
Making it compare two chests is all that would be necessary, because if a player wants to compare more than two chests, they could use more than one sensor feeding into logic gates.

Item Pressure Plates
Dropped items have hitboxes and interact with the ground, just like everything else that works with pressure plates, so why not? It would also be useful for making puzzles in custom maps because they would add more possibilities to the conveyor belts when paired with them, whereas right now there's not much of a reason to have them simply bring you items, which just leaves speeding you up and slowing you down as potential uses.

Item Dispensers
Would be 1 block items that are intangible (like the sensors) that can be connected to a chest with wires. When it receives a pulse it takes an item out of the chest and puts it into the world at it's location. Could have variations for how they handle items in stacks, so that they either take out a whole stack or just 1 item at a time.

More Weighted Pressure Plates
Would be much appreciated if there were varieties that worked with mobs and NPCs

Inventory Stealers
Would work like the Player Above Sensor, except it would be connected to a chest(s) with wires and players within its boundaries would have their items put inside it/them. Could have the following variations.
  • One that takes absolutely everything and puts in into all chests connected (looking first for chests that already have the items in them to stack and then distributing all other items randomly)
  • One that only takes items already present in the chest(s) connected to it (basically a forced quick stack to nearby chests that ignores favorite items)
  • One that takes all non-favorited items. Same as first but just not taking favorited items. This one would be useful even during normal playthoughs.
  • One that takes all non-favorited items that are already present (exactly a forced quick stack to nearby chest)
For all variations, if none of the chests connected have sufficient room for items, then they simply don't take them. This feature would allow them to be useful in the normal game because then it would let the player know their chests are full, while at the same time wouldn't interfere with a custom map maker's ability to ensure that a player's items are taken, because they can just add as many chests as necessary to provide ample room for any items the player may have.

Item Vacuums
Another intangible 1 block item. Would suck in dropped items within a certain radius and put them in chests that it finds along wires, stacking items first and randomly distributing (or possibly just dumping them in chests in the order it finds them, so shorter distance = higher priority) whatever it can't stack. If it can't find any chest that has room, the item still gets pulled towards it, but doesn't enter it and remains a dropped item. It also could be toggled on/off if it receives a pulse.

One really cool thing you could do with this if the chest content sensors and the dispenser are also added is make a sort of toll booth. You have a chest that you put what you want to be the payment inside, and check that against the input chest. If that matches, a dispenser puts the item as payment into the world and then a vacuum sucks up the item for payment and puts it into a chest owned by the operator. This would be pretty cool for use on a server because then you could charge people to be able to see your other awesome wiring creations :p.
 
Last edited:
These are all great suggestions and would spice up custom maps immensely! Here's to hope the devs are willing to implement them.
 
These are all great suggestions and would spice up custom maps immensely! Here's to hope the devs are willing to implement them.
Yeah, I wish so much that these were in the game, and none of them really seem like they would be absurdly difficult to implement.

With the chest content sensors, they already have code for finding teleporters, so why can't they do chests? They're also adding chest content sorting for 1.3.2, and if they have enough freedom to sort a chest's inventory, why can't they compare two of them?

For the item dispensers, again with the same code to find chests along wires to get the items, they already are able to make mobs drop items into the world, so what's the difference between making a mob drop an item when they die and making a dispenser drop an item when it receives a pulse other than what triggers it?

With the inventory stealers, they already have code for taking items out of a player's inventory and putting it into chests because of the quick stack to nearby chests button. They could just reuse that code for the item stealers but have it activated by the sensors and change how chests are found (again with code similar to the one for finding teleporters) in addition to changing the filter for which items to take for the different varieties.
 
Last edited:
I really am in favor of the chest comparing sensors, it effectively creates scenarios like the gem locks but for every single possible item(s). You don't even have to sacrifice your item if you just use the OR logic gates so that they remain activated once you remove the items from the chest.

Item stealers are also awesome, it could be used really well in metroidvania like maps, where you need certain items to progress, but want to remove them for use later on so that they won't break future mechanics. Or just to tease a player into retrieving said item (or as you mentioned, they could also be used to auto store your items in your base).

The item dispensers are also great, how fun would it be to be rewarded with an epic weapon falling down on you from the ceiling after you solve a certain puzzle? :D It would also create fun mechanics and additional eye-candy with conveyer belts.


The only problem I see with the dispensers is that if they have spawned said item, and you aren't aware of it, and you exit the world, the item vanishes and might break the map.
I can't think of a reliable way to fix that, since if you make it so that the chest keeps the item in its inventory at all times it could potentially spawn them infinitely so long as you keep triggering them (and if you disable infinite triggers, the item might become unobtainable again).
I don't think making the chest compare its inventory with yours to see if you (or any other chest in case you store said item) have the item won't work either, since it wouldn't work for items that you're supposed to have more of.

Of course there are currently ways to break adventure maps with finite items if you accidentally trash items, or mess up with switches and all that, but I see this one being a more common problem.

But I am definitely an avid fan of these! I'm sure people can come up with ways to make these work with the least amount of problems, though.
 
The only problem I see with the dispensers is that if they have spawned said item, and you aren't aware of it, and you exit the world, the item vanishes and might break the map.
I can't think of a reliable way to fix that, since if you make it so that the chest keeps the item in its inventory at all times it could potentially spawn them infinitely so long as you keep triggering them (and if you disable infinite triggers, the item might become unobtainable again).
I don't think making the chest compare its inventory with yours to see if you (or any other chest in case you store said item) have the item won't work either, since it wouldn't work for items that you're supposed to have more of.

Well the whole point of them is to take items out of the chest, so it couldn't possibly dupe items. Yes, exiting the world after an item is dropped could break the map, but careful planning to make sure the player gets the item as soon as possible by not taking the item out until you want the player to have it and making it so the player couldn't possiby miss it would pretty much get rid of that concern.

Not sure what you're talking about with the comparing player's inventories with chest inventories. The dispenser doesn't have anything to do with the player in my idea.
 
Oh I just meant that it won't drop said item if you already possess it (or if another chest has it, in case you stored the item you got). This was just in case the item dispenser can keep dispensing items in case you lost the item, but as I already stated, this wouldn't work well in the case you want to make multiple dispensers give the same items (or just more of an item you already have).


Clever placement would fix most issues, but it could still occur.
 
Well, I'm thinking about rewards for puzzles. Many puzzles require you to move around solving pieces here and there, and the item would spawn at a certain place, but if the puzzle is substantial enough, and you can solve the final piece on different points, chances are the item won't appear on-screen and you can miss it.

But I suppose this can be fixed with announcement boxes, or making sure the final piece has to be near the item.

Still I think it would be better to think of a more foolproof solution to this, but it's not a dealbreaker to me, and I doubt it should be to anyone :).
 
If the puzzle is substantial enough, and you can solve the final piece on different points, chances are the item won't appear on-screen and you can miss it.
Trust me, I'm thinking of rewards for puzzles too. Even if the player can potentially end a puzzle at different locations, have a dispenser at any place they could be when they solve it, and have them all linked to the chest you want to have give the player an item (multiple dispensers for once chest shouldn't be a problem. All they would look for along wires is a chest, and nothing else). Have an AND gate with two lamps, one that turns on once the puzzle is solved, and one for if the player is inside a player above sensor. Once both conditions are met then the AND gate will send a pulse to the dispenser near the player.

What I'm getting at is regardless of what you want to do with it, there is a way with already existing mechanics to *make* it foolproof, so if a player can break the map without trying to, it's the map-maker's fault, not the dispenser's.
 
Oh that's actually a great idea, that would make it all work pretty seamlessly :D.

Now I'm getting even more hyped if this would become a thing haha.
 
Ooh, yeah I saw a similar idea in another thread today; the item funnel. I really like that as well, it would help manage the dropped items, and also completely take away an item you placed in the comparison chest so that you can't take it back in some cheesy way.
 
Inventory Stealers
Would work like the Player Above Sensor, except it would be connected to a chest(s) with wires and players within its boundaries would have their items put inside it/them. Could have the following variations.
  • One that takes absolutely everything and puts in into all chests connected (looking first for chests that already have the items in them to stack and then distributing all other items randomly)
  • One that only takes items already present in the chest(s) connected to it (basically a forced quick stack to nearby chests that ignores favorite items)
  • One that takes all non-favorited items. Same as first but just not taking favorited items. This one would be useful even during normal playthoughs.
  • One that takes all non-favorited items that are already present (exactly a forced quick stack to nearby chest)
For all variations, if none of the chests connected have sufficient room for items, then they simply don't take them. This feature would allow them to be useful in the normal game because then it would let the player know their chests are full, while at the same time wouldn't interfere with a custom map maker's ability to ensure that a player's items are taken, because they can just add as many chests as necessary to provide ample room for any items the player may have.


My fav of this is definitely the fourth type (the forced Quick Stack) Inventory Thief.

If used correctly, you can have your base contain a hidden storeroom with a chest for each basic block in the game, run by from a dig and store them just by entering your base's front door.
 
Brilliant ideas, all of them. I fully support these and I hope that they will get added to the game.
 
My fav of this is definitely the fourth type (the forced Quick Stack) Inventory Thief.

That is also my favorite. It would be really useful since I always get my inventory filled really quick and I always have to go into my underground storage room to slowly deposit my items.
With that feature I would just be able to deposit my items from the surface easily and quickly.
 
Good ideas but nothing revolutionary. Chest Content Sensors might need some optimisation. If you can access both chest you could take out some stuff of the filled chest and continue without dropped anything. If you can't access the 2nd chest you don't know what you need to fill in in the other chest (maybe a transparent version of the item is shown in the chest).
Inventory Stealers could be done with quick stack and Chest Content Sensors.
I think they didn't include Weighted Pressure Plates activated by mobs/NPC for some reason. With this you could do a huge amount of actions per second.
Item Pressure Plates could be funny. With this (and Item Dispensers/ Vacuums) you could create some nice Rube Goldberg machines.

Some stuff you may add in your list:
1)Some way to use an item with wire. e.g. a robotic version of the dummy (with at least one storage place). If you activate the robot with a wire, he uses the item at his first slot. Should have some high cooldown (e.g. 10sec) so we dont get a robot army.
Usage:
-to activate boss /event items (e.g. the Mechanical Skull or Naughty Present)
-weapon usage (maybe also without damage, same as Bunny Cannon)
2) some way to destroy a tile with wires but without a placed bomb. So you could destroy the tile at this location for multiple times.
Usage:
-farming resources like Chlorophyte Ore, crispy honey, obsidian, Honey Blocks, fallen sand, ...
-don't allow the custom map player to build with blocks e.g. a bridge
 
Chest Content Sensors
A sensor that is basically the same in operation as the ones currently in the game, but they use wires to connect two chests together and activate once the chests inventories are the same. There could be variations for having the same items in the same slots and just having the same items in any slots.
Applications for non slot-specific sensors
  • they could be used to make sure a player cannot progress unless they get rid of a certain item that the map maker no longer wants them to have
  • they could be used for a map where the goal is to collect a bunch of various items that aren't large gems
Applications for slot-specific sensors
  • they could be used to make logic puzzles using chests. "Hallowed Headgear is to the left of Terra Blade and above Copper Shortsword"
Making it compare two chests is all that would be necessary, because if a player wants to compare more than two chests, they could use more than one sensor feeding into logic gates.

Item Pressure Plates
Dropped items have hitboxes and interact with the ground, just like everything else that works with pressure plates, so why not? It would also be useful for making puzzles in custom maps because they would add more possibilities to the conveyor belts when paired with them, whereas right now there's not much of a reason to have them simply bring you items, which just leaves speeding you up and slowing you down as potential uses.

Item Dispensers
Would be 1 block items that are intangible (like the sensors) that can be connected to a chest with wires. When it receives a pulse it takes an item out of the chest and puts it into the world at it's location. Could have variations for how they handle items in stacks, so that they either take out a whole stack or just 1 item at a time.

More Weighted Pressure Plates
Would be much appreciated if there were varieties that worked with mobs and NPCs

Inventory Stealers
Would work like the Player Above Sensor, except it would be connected to a chest(s) with wires and players within its boundaries would have their items put inside it/them. Could have the following variations.
  • One that takes absolutely everything and puts in into all chests connected (looking first for chests that already have the items in them to stack and then distributing all other items randomly)
  • One that only takes items already present in the chest(s) connected to it (basically a forced quick stack to nearby chests that ignores favorite items)
  • One that takes all non-favorited items. Same as first but just not taking favorited items. This one would be useful even during normal playthoughs.
  • One that takes all non-favorited items that are already present (exactly a forced quick stack to nearby chest)
For all variations, if none of the chests connected have sufficient room for items, then they simply don't take them. This feature would allow them to be useful in the normal game because then it would let the player know their chests are full, while at the same time wouldn't interfere with a custom map maker's ability to ensure that a player's items are taken, because they can just add as many chests as necessary to provide ample room for any items the player may have.

Item Vacuums
Another intangible 1 block item. Would suck in dropped items within a certain radius and put them in chests that it finds along wires, stacking items first and randomly distributing (or possibly just dumping them in chests in the order it finds them, so shorter distance = higher priority) whatever it can't stack. If it can't find any chest that has room, the item still gets pulled towards it, but doesn't enter it and remains a dropped item. It also could be toggled on/off if it receives a pulse.

One really cool thing you could do with this if the chest content sensors and the dispenser are also added is make a sort of toll booth. You have a chest that you put what you want to be the payment inside, and check that against the input chest. If that matches, a dispenser puts the item as payment into the world and then a vacuum sucks up the item for payment and puts it into a chest owned by the operator. This would be pretty cool for use on a server because then you could charge people to be able to see your other awesome wiring creations :p.

I would love all of these! You could do so much with any of these items!

Good ideas but nothing revolutionary. Chest Content Sensors might need some optimisation. If you can access both chest you could take out some stuff of the filled chest and continue without dropped anything. If you can't access the 2nd chest you don't know what you need to fill in in the other chest (maybe a transparent version of the item is shown in the chest).
Inventory Stealers could be done with quick stack and Chest Content Sensors.
I think they didn't include Weighted Pressure Plates activated by mobs/NPC for some reason. With this you could do a huge amount of actions per second.
Item Pressure Plates could be funny. With this (and Item Dispensers/ Vacuums) you could create some nice Rube Goldberg machines.

Some stuff you may add in your list:
1)Some way to use an item with wire. e.g. a robotic version of the dummy (with at least one storage place). If you activate the robot with a wire, he uses the item at his first slot. Should have some high cooldown (e.g. 10sec) so we dont get a robot army.
Usage:
-to activate boss /event items (e.g. the Mechanical Skull or Naughty Present)
-weapon usage (maybe also without damage, same as Bunny Cannon)
2) some way to destroy a tile with wires but without a placed bomb. So you could destroy the tile at this location for multiple times.
Usage:
-farming resources like Chlorophyte Ore, crispy honey, obsidian, Honey Blocks, fallen sand, ...
-don't allow the custom map player to build with blocks e.g. a bridge

This sounds so cool! I personally love to make farms, and these would be so useful for that.

You could do some crazy stuff, like an automatic fishing machine! A block destroyer thing breaks some grass, a robot-thingy uses a bug net, the bait activates an item pressure plate, the pressure plate activates another robot-thingy, the robot-thingy uses the fishing pole, a timer mechanism starts, after some amount of time it pulls up the net again, an item vacuum picks it up and puts it in a chest (call it the catch chest), a chest content sensor pulls out quest fish, which then get transferred to a chest next to the Angler (call it the quest chest), and a different chest content sensor pulls out crates (from the catch chest), which then get transferred to a robot-thingy and used, and then picked up by an item vacuum, then put into another chest (loot chest).

Here is an animation I made because I have nothing better to do.
 

Attachments

  • Terraria-Fishing-Machine.gif
    Terraria-Fishing-Machine.gif
    163.1 KB · Views: 359
Almost every suggestion here is about chests, lovely... Hahaha
Great suggestions btw, I would love Chest Content Sensors and Inventory Stealers in the game. :D
 
Back
Top Bottom