how come collector limpet control is so stupidly massive ?

[aardappelianen]

yet a refinery has no mass ? shoulnd that be the other way around ?

a 128 ton device to control 4 limpets wich are only 1t each ? how does that even make sense ?
what makes a collector limpet so special ? especially since an slf also remotely operated and it can go up to 30 km
yet 6 slfs and its production facility is only 20 tons on a size 5 slot

i mean come fdev cant you see how mindnumbingly stupid that is ?
how are these dank stats supposed to be immersive?

 

[Daitya Zo]

When you put a collector limpet controller on your ship, you:

Add a hydraulic or otherwise computer-controlled hatch, on your ship, for dispensing limpets.

Add some sort of row or rolling feeder line which can hold however many limpets you buy, whether it's two or 100, and feed them by computer control flawlessly to the hatch and out the hatch on command. How much does a frictionless feeder line weigh, that can hold 100 1-ton limpets, and feed them flawlessly out a ship hatch into space, on command?

Add some sort of pressure lock to that hatch, or install a mechanism for exposing a variable amount of your cargo hold to vacuum, depending on how many limpets you stock.

Add some sort of loading receiver to the limpet feeder, so that it can be stocked by machine through your cargo hatch.

Edit: Sorry OP.

I forgot that you can selectively eject cargo in whatever numbers you want (I rarely do that).
I was picturing a shell-feeder or torpedo-feeder as on a Navy ship, except commercial-weight, instead of torpedo-weight.

If the limpets are ejected like normal cargo, then my entire argument is void, and OP is correct.

This actually means that our cargo holds can magically juggle and rearrange tons of cargo to the hatch, apparently almost instantly.

I would prefer less cargo-ejection magic, and continued very large weight on all limpet controller mechanisms, personally. A limpet dispenser which takes a variable number of very heavy limpet machines should weigh a huge amount, if fitted into a spaceship. And if I fit 4 tons of cargo into a tight 4-ton cargo space, I shouldn't be able to simply eject one from the rear of the compartment. You'd think that the design constraints for space-faring craft would be slightly different than for Amazon warehouses, as far as volume constraints. Half the valuable cargo space must be taken up by discrete unit management automation.

 

[Loskene]

When you put a collector limpet controller on your ship, you:

Add a hydraulic or otherwise computer-controlled hatch, on your ship, for dispensing limpets.

Add some sort of row or rolling feeder line which can hold however many limpets you buy, whether it's two or 100, and feed them by computer control flawlessly to the hatch and out the hatch on command. How much does a frictionless feeder line weigh, that can hold 100 1-ton limpets, and feed them flawlessly out a ship hatch into space, on command?

Add some sort of pressure lock to that hatch, or install a mechanism for exposing a variable amount of your cargo hold to vacuum, depending on how many limpets you stock.

Add some sort of loading receiver to the limpet feeder, so that it can be stocked by machine through your cargo hatch.

Oh, wait. Your immersion is all magic and fluff-bunny wands?

Don't be so bloody cheeky, the dude makes a fair point. Things that should be heavy are not, and things that shouldn't be heavy are. You cannot reconcile one without addressing the other.

 

[aardappelianen]

Don't be so bloody cheeky, the dude makes a fair point. Things that should be heavy are not, and things that shouldn't be heavy are. You cannot reconcile one without addressing the other.

and besides the feeder line argument makes no sense since regular cargo would also require such a thing and a cargo rack also weighs nothing wich logically it should

 

[TorTorden_VR]

Yeah, there is absolutely no logic to this.

You wouldn't need a computer bigger than my phone to operate the limpets, and that's with current tech.
The limpets themselves would be sent out via the automated cargo conveyer system, no additional hardware required.

There is only one way that would make the weight of limpet controllers to have weight sensible, and it is simple.
Make the limpets part of the controllers like munitions.
It opens up cargo slots, and you could use the synthesis to re-arm on the go.

 

[askavir]

Yeah, there is absolutely no logic to this.

You wouldn't need a computer bigger than my phone to operate the limpets, and that's with current tech.
The limpets themselves would be sent out via the automated cargo conveyer system, no additional hardware required.

There is only one way that would make the weight of limpet controllers to have weight is simple.
Make the limpets part of the controllers like munitions.
It opens up cargo slots, and you could use the synthesis to re-arm on the go.

This would be cool!

 

[Sentience]

I read this as, "why are limpets massively stupid"?

Because that's also a true statement. Collector limpets always explode as soon as I launch them, so I stopped using them.

 

[Lima]

Because computers in the 4th millenium are house-sized mainframes.

 

[Iskariot]

yet a refinery has no mass ? shoulnd that be the other way around ?

a 128 ton device to control 4 limpets wich are only 1t each ? how does that even make sense ?
what makes a collector limpet so special ? especially since an slf also remotely operated and it can go up to 30 km
yet 6 slfs and its production facility is only 20 tons on a size 5 slot

i mean come fdev cant you see how mindnumbingly stupid that is ?
how are these dank stats supposed to be immersive?

Computers in the ED universe resemble steam machines.
They know no miniaturization. The knowledge has been lost during the 9th world war.
Even a wrist watch has to be transported in a wheelbarrow.
That is why they are called wheelbarrow watches now.

 

[aardappelianen]

When you put a collector limpet controller on your ship, you:

Add a hydraulic or otherwise computer-controlled hatch, on your ship, for dispensing limpets.

Add some sort of row or rolling feeder line which can hold however many limpets you buy, whether it's two or 100, and feed them by computer control flawlessly to the hatch and out the hatch on command. How much does a frictionless feeder line weigh, that can hold 100 1-ton limpets, and feed them flawlessly out a ship hatch into space, on command?

Add some sort of pressure lock to that hatch, or install a mechanism for exposing a variable amount of your cargo hold to vacuum, depending on how many limpets you stock.

Add some sort of loading receiver to the limpet feeder, so that it can be stocked by machine through your cargo hatch.

Edit: Sorry OP.

I forgot that you can selectively eject cargo in whatever numbers you want (I rarely do that).
I was picturing a shell-feeder or torpedo-feeder as on a Navy ship, except commercial-weight, instead of torpedo-weight.

If the limpets are ejected like normal cargo, then my entire argument is void, and OP is correct.

This actually means that our cargo holds can magically juggle and rearrange tons of cargo to the hatch, apparently almost instantly.

I would prefer less cargo-ejection magic, and continued very large weight on all limpet controller mechanisms, personally. A limpet dispenser which takes a variable number of very heavy limpet machines should weigh a huge amount, if fitted into a spaceship. And if I fit 4 tons of cargo into a tight 4-ton cargo space, I shouldn't be able to simply eject one from the rear of the compartment. You'd think that the design constraints for space-faring craft would be slightly different than for Amazon warehouses, as far as volume constraints. Half the valuable cargo space must be taken up by discrete unit management automation.

yeh as far as cargo automation goes it should definetly have mass and power draw but for control id like the ships main computer be introduced as the main hub module for all sensors and controll systems
make the multitask capacity of a ship depend on the computers cpu and memory and the amount of functions to the modules class

A rated would have everthing D rated would be explorer focus or somthing
and the range of scanners should be ship size related

because an A rated sensor of ANY size gives you the same performance on any ship currently and that makes no sense either

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

This is why a class 7 limpet controller weighs 128 tons

 

[Mikey2305]

Never had a class 7. I use 3 x class 5 on my annie. I think they are 16t each? And you can mod them to reduce their mass by up to 80%. I must confess that i havent stopped to think about the logic of it. Tis the way the ED world works and im ok with that. And to be honest it doesnt bother me or spoil my immersion in any way shape or form...

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

Never had a class 7. I use 3 x class 5 on my annie. I think they are 16t each? And you can mod them to reduce their mass by up to 80%. I must confess that i havent stopped to think about the logic of it. Tis the way the ED world works and im ok with that. And to be honest it doesnt bother me or spoil my immersion in any way shape or form...

I think you are missing the point.

Class 1 2 tons 1 limpet
Class 3 8 tons 2 limpets
Class 5 32 tons 3 limpets
Class 7 128 tons 4 limpets

It's a bit of a ridiculous progression. There is no logic to this whatsoever. As I demonstrated in my earlier post what you can get for 128 tons, including controlling 4 limpets.

I actually had to fit armour and B rated modules to a Courier to get it up to 128 tons. And it has very good shields, and guns, as well as controlling 4 limpets.

- - - Updated - - -

It's dumb it even does that. I hate mining anyway. No reason to use collector limpets.

Single use mode is good when pirating or scavenging to quickly get the few cannisters you want from a cloud of cannisters you don't want. So no, this isn't dumb at all.

 

[askavir]

This is why a class 7 limpet controller weighs 128 tons

This is absolutely precious

- - - Updated - - -

Single use mode is good when pirating or scavenging to quickly get the few cannisters you want from a cloud of cannisters you don't want. So no, this isn't dumb at all.

It could simply pick up the specifically targetted stuff only, without having to commit seppuko in the end... That way it could be used for more specifically targetted stuff.

 

[Dbrn47]

The logic seems to be that it's equivalent to a loaded size 7 cargo rack. Just a number to put across the board. Conversely, all other size 7 modules are either 60 or 80 tons. So they do seem to just directly link it to the weight of a full cargo rack.

It's also relevant to each size controller.

 

[insanephoton]

The bigger question is why are there different types of limpet controller? The limpets themselves are standard, they only function as different types depending on the controller. Surely the only difference between the controller types is software.

 

[Morbad]

I can understand the mass of the smaller controllers as I see them as small scale assembly facilities that physically reconfigure a base limpet for a specialized job. However, the scaling in size and mass is just there for balance reasons.

Surely the only difference between the controller types is software.

Not necessarily.

 

[Lima]

The bigger question is why are there different types of limpet controller? The limpets themselves are standard, they only function as different types depending on the controller. Surely the only difference between the controller types is software.

Because computers in the 4th millenium are house-sized mainframes and they can only store one program.

 

[Dbrn47]

I can understand the mass of the smaller controllers as I see them as small scale assembly facilities that physically reconfigure a base limpet for a specialized job. However, the scaling in size and mass is just there for balance reasons.

Well, they all fit the size of the cargo racks for those slots.

 

[Morbad]

Because computers in the 4th millenium are house-sized mainframes and they can only store one program.

Magnetic-core memory.

Well, they all fit the size of the cargo racks for those slots.

Yes, but the reason we need a class 7 slot, which is sixty-four times the mass/volume, to configure four times the number of limpets, is pretty arbitrary.