Production and Logistics

Joined
Nov 23, 2019
Messages
42
#1
I have been watching this project for a long time and expected to try it already this year, but since you have shifted the early access date, I will ask a question that torments me for a long time.
We all saw a lot of parts necessary for building ships, but we never saw how all these parts are made. That is, I want to know how deep and vast technological chains are in the game.
How long the raw ore must go before becoming a warhead or reactor, for example. How many technological devices must be involved to make a pilot's seat or door.
And also what types of resources, gases, liquids will be involved in crafting. how is their storage and transportation organized from device to device within the production complex.
 
Joined
Nov 23, 2019
Messages
42
#2
хм, я четко создал тему не в том разделе.
Прошу модератора перенести его в соответствующий
 

LauriFB

Administrator
Moderator
Frozenbyte
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
211
#3
The metallurgy part of the crafting is still under design. However, we have a core system which supports infinite amount of materials and mixing them. Materials include both solid metals and gases for example. We have also a lot of material properties in place which support a complex system.

We also have already created a free-form automation system for factories, and as the factory tech allows very complex mechanical operations it's possible to create deep metallurgy system as well.

Short-range transportation (within factory) it's possible to use station/lot storage, but longer transportation requires physical transportation of goods.
 

Stanky

Active endo
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
42
#4
The metallurgy part of the crafting is still under design. However, we have a core system which supports infinite amount of materials and mixing them. Materials include both solid metals and gases for example. We have also a lot of material properties in place which support a complex system.

We also have already created a free-form automation system for factories, and as the factory tech allows very complex mechanical operations it's possible to create deep metallurgy system as well.

Short-range transportation (within factory) it's possible to use station/lot storage, but longer transportation requires physical transportation of goods.
So we can make automated factories by pre-made plates and stuff, correct? How difficult would it be to make automated factories for this? Would it even be practical to build an entire ship. So what purpose does the spray-painting type tool (I forgot the name) have in creating an entire ship. Will it be similar to an holographic blueprint that can be filled in by the spray tool? I just feel the manufacturing side of the game hasn't been explained to the fullest extent.
 

Burnside

Master endo
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
308
#5
I don't feel like the main question was answered in any depth, only that "we can make it really deep, if we want", so basically, we could havea simple Ore>Smelting>(Alloying)>Forming chain, simple, easy, and kinda... basic... or a complex heating/refining loop before and after the smelting and alloying steps where small inclusions of other materials as well as variations in heating change the final product in ways that bear out dozens to thousands of hours of marketing and testing every minute combination based on the various known and assumed strengths and weaknesses based on the inclusions and refining processes used or even the timing between smelting/refining/heating/forming steps. You could even complicate it further to differentiate between simple form-casting and multi-stage shaping processes which take more time and process control to get right but yields a higher quality product if you need something like superior tensile strength for beams or abrasion/impact resistance for armor.
 

LauriFB

Administrator
Moderator
Frozenbyte
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
211
#6
So we can make automated factories by pre-made plates and stuff, correct? How difficult would it be to make automated factories for this? Would it even be practical to build an entire ship. So what purpose does the spray-painting type tool (I forgot the name) have in creating an entire ship. Will it be similar to an holographic blueprint that can be filled in by the spray tool? I just feel the manufacturing side of the game hasn't been explained to the fullest extent.
Yes, current proof of concept factory builds by assembling the parts to the correct place and then bolting them. Building tool version (the spray gun) is still under design.

Entire ship building would require a lot of factory design and also ship designed for the purpose (ie. modular ship). We have made some tests on our own, but we are still far from the entire ship. However, at least frame and plating could be fully automated. The benefit(s) of having fully or partially automated ship factory are immense, so I can imagine at least large factions will build at least module factories.

I don't feel like the main question was answered in any depth, only that "we can make it really deep, if we want", so basically, we could havea simple Ore>Smelting>(Alloying)>Forming chain, simple, easy, and kinda... basic... or a complex heating/refining loop before and after the smelting and alloying steps where small inclusions of other materials as well as variations in heating change the final product in ways that bear out dozens to thousands of hours of marketing and testing every minute combination based on the various known and assumed strengths and weaknesses based on the inclusions and refining processes used or even the timing between smelting/refining/heating/forming steps. You could even complicate it further to differentiate between simple form-casting and multi-stage shaping processes which take more time and process control to get right but yields a higher quality product if you need something like superior tensile strength for beams or abrasion/impact resistance for armor.
Yes, we haven't yet designed the metallurgy fully, so there's only the potential for now. However, as Starbase is all about (complex) simulation, we will explore the deep end of this also, namely mixing freely materials for example. Time and energy are also components in the mix.

And as not everyone want to run a yolol-controlled forge we will definitely provide easy ways to do one simple mix, which results in a good all-around end result. It's also possible that we start with the simple mechanics and extend to the full metallurgy later, as the simulation behind it supports it anyway.
 

Amos.37

Veteran endo
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Messages
154
#7
I'm intrigued by the potential that advanced metallurgy could have in engineering. I'm imagining things like ultra-lightweight materials, composite armours and laminate armours with layers of different materials that have different properties.
Eg, an armour with an outerlayer good for soaking up small arms and light ordinance, and an underlayer that's resistant to explosives.
This system, if and when implemented, could lead to some really cool, specialised designs.
 
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
10
#8
I'm intrigued by the potential that advanced metallurgy could have in engineering. I'm imagining things like ultra-lightweight materials, composite armours and laminate armours with layers of different materials that have different properties.
Eg, an armour with an outerlayer good for soaking up small arms and light ordinance, and an underlayer that's resistant to explosives.
This system, if and when implemented, could lead to some really cool, specialised designs.
Would be great, automated factories and forges which works together to create ships... cool :love:
 

Azelous

Veteran endo
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
100
#9
Very exciting to hear that factories are already somewhat viable! I can understand why wiring would be problematic.. does this go for modules as well?
 

Burnside

Master endo
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
308
#10
You mean modules as in the pieces of thrusters and weapons, etc? I recall Lauri or one of the devs saying something about that being the intent behind having items be multi-part objects.
 

LauriFB

Administrator
Moderator
Frozenbyte
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
211
#11
Both ship hull modules, which are created from the single parts, as well as devices. Thrusters have something like four parts at the moment.

Ship hull modules are fully user-created, ie. first they design a ship which can be built from modules and sub-modules, then setup a factory for those modules.
 

Burnside

Master endo
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
308
#13
Both ship hull modules, which are created from the single parts, as well as devices. Thrusters have something like four parts at the moment.

Ship hull modules are fully user-created, ie. first they design a ship which can be built from modules and sub-modules, then setup a factory for those modules.
I meant the intent of having weapons and thrusters, etc, in multiple parts was for tweaking performance via the materials system, having the sub-parts alter stats based on some factor of what mats they're made with?
 
Top