OC guide

[gdarai]

One of the strongest features of this pack is presence of OC (OpenComputer mod). But it has some catches: Very few players can imagine, how to use it and...Player needs to know how to write LUA code to use it. Or maybe not?

I would like to show player the power of computers and robots even without teaching them to code. But what would that require? Please write here ideas what would you use them for, so we can work on something together.

[gdarai]

Right now, I have following ideas what I would have to do, to make this mod more friendly to nonprogrammers: 1) Thorough guidebook specially for OC. With examples, how to assemble the computer and what are the use cases. Show tham that it is usefull and what for. 2) Prepared programs which can be just downloaded, configured and used. 3) Set up downloader which will be helping the players with getting those programs from the internet. 4) Very easy and unified way to configure every program

[gdarai]

It is good thing to notice that simmilar effort is allready here, it is called oppm and it is part of OC... the only issue is that it is 1) general = people were adding programs here left and right without targetting nonprogrammers 2) nonmoderated = I already saw there some programs which were not working 3) linux-like = It expects user to know something about linux environment. A little bit, but something yes

I want to avoid those: Basically I want to do the difference between Linux and Apple

• Giving user a very simple and straightforward downloader
• Supplying mainly programs which has real usage for people who does not want to spent time inside the computer
• Supply a very straight forward configurator for every program.. ideally with unified interface.

[gdarai]

What programs I have in mind for now: For computer

• Item Filter: configurable and dynamic. Working stack-wise with 'unlimited' space for items-instructions. Also working as a configurable hopper.
• Inventory Display: It shows what and how many is in the inventory and gives redtone signal if outside limits.

For robot

• Digger: configurable, simple, capable of digging and placing torches, capable of droping it's inventory in preplaced chest
• Builder: building simple structures out of given material - it also gives estimation, how much of the material will be needed
• Crafter: crafting simple recipes using items from the given inventory

[OlorinCZ]

Well, some sort of guide or program "blueprints" would be handy. I personally have not advanced much and therefore I have not felt the need to use the computers, powerful or not, as it would require me to learn yet another thing...

Your proposed program ideas seem very useful and certainly cover the most needed uses. I might add another idea, which is the - block replacer robot: Variation of the builder/ digger; basicly the equivalent of thaumcraft's wand focus of equal trade. Select a block and it automaticaly replaces all the visible connected blocks of the same type in either vertical or horizontal plane with another preselected block from given inventory.

Well now that got me thinking. How difficult would it be to make some Netheraland-o-bot to fill part of the ocean with dirt from bottom to surface? I do not like my artificial islands having water underneath :D

[gdarai]

The netherland idea is possible, but not easy since the robot cannot go into the water, (I think I red it), But It would be possible to make him fill it with something with gravity, like gravel or sand. That would certainly be possible.

A pro po, railcraft bore can do the same on your level of technology.

Replacer robot would certainly be possible, the only thing is that it would be unbelievably slower than the wand of equal trade. Do you thing that it would still be usefull?

[gdarai]

I KNOW what computers can do and other things cannot: They can on demand transfer specific amount of liquid.... well that is something Fluid Transposer can do as well, BUT computers are much better in it.

So another possible program is TANK controller.

[OlorinCZ]

No underwater robots? Sad.

As for the replacer, I see it's purpose in decorating mostly, so the speed would not matter as long as it saves you the trouble of "Oh my, I wish I did not make my factory floor out of cobble but something fancier..." I have no idea if anyone would use it at all, so you might as well skip it :)

[gdarai]

I also noticed, computers can transfer items from inventories translocators cannot, like drawers... I will check if they can possibly access the tconstruct tank.