Whats with the data limit?

Fat Barry

Fat Barry
Why is there a limit of 500 for engineering data? It is just data, so I imagine it is stored on some sort of HDD.

I had a quick look at the rate of increase in HDD space. Between 1990 and 2010 it went up by (approximately) 1000GB, and the rate has been linear since the early 1980s. So, by the year 3303, we should be looking at HDDs with an approximately 130000GB capacity. That's assuming there are no revolutions in technology - such as holographic storage (which is on the horizon).

Given that we only have space for 500 data "files", the files are either a) HUGE or b) we are using crappy HDDs
 

EValve

E
What are HDD's? Is it some future storage-device that hasn't been invented yet?

I'm not sure what you're talking about... Here in 3303 we use Atari cartridges to store system information. Get real man...
 

MottiKhan

MottiKhan
The data is stored bit by bit on an abacus. Humanity lost the ability to store data digitally sometime in the late 2990s.
 

Cmdr Tel

Cmdr Tel
Fat Barry said:
Why is there a limit of 500 for engineering data? It is just data, so I imagine it is stored on some sort of HDD.

I had a quick look at the rate of increase in HDD space. Between 1990 and 2010 it went up by (approximately) 1000GB, and the rate has been linear since the early 1980s. So, by the year 3303, we should be looking at HDDs with an approximately 130000GB capacity. That's assuming there are no revolutions in technology - such as holographic storage (which is on the horizon).

Given that we only have space for 500 data "files", the files are either a) HUGE or b) we are using crappy HDDs
Click to expand...
Apparently we're still using MS OS..... can you imagine how big that will be....plus anti virus etc. yeah 500 is all that's left. Could'nt even squeeze in a nav plotter for planets. ��
 

khaos526

khaos526
If there wasn't a limit, you'd probably end up maxing up all the engineering materials you would ever need just by normal game play and never really need to work for your upgrades. So it caps it out to make you work for it and get mad and angry as in real life trying to up grade anything.

Engineering is made to keep you coming back for more, kind of like that next Pringle chip (or Cheese and Onion Walkers crisps for those in the UK)...
 

Fat Barry

Fat Barry
khaos526 said:
If there wasn't a limit, you'd probably end up maxing up all the engineering materials you would ever need just by normal game play and never really need to work for your upgrades. So it caps it out to make you work for it and get mad and angry as in real life trying to up grade anything.

Engineering is made to keep you coming back for more, kind of like that next Pringle chip (or Cheese and Onion Walkers crisps for those in the UK)...
Click to expand...

The key difference being that Pringles are delicious, whereas the Engineers are like licking an old boot...
 

Teh Smoo

T
The entire material/data storage system is unwieldy, and annoying. You have a whole laundry list of types, you might need most of them at some point. And you can never stash them for later, you have to carry them around everywhere you go.

And you can't stash cargo either- so you'll need modular terminals EVENTUALLY to unlock that engineer, but unless you want to carry them around in your hold for ages, you have to get there, THEN spam annoying missions, hoping for one specific type of loot reward? Lame.
 

khaos526

khaos526
Fat Barry said:
The key difference being that Pringles are delicious, whereas the Engineers are like licking an old boot...
Click to expand...
Yes at first, kind of like the first long range exploration trip, it totally sucked. Then you miss it and next thing you're back enjoying it the 2nd or 25th time around a little more...
 

Lucian667

Lucian667
Fat Barry said:
Why is there a limit of 500 for engineering data?
Click to expand...

Xenith said:
The limit is there specifically to annoy us, there is no other logical reason for it.
Click to expand...

Yeah its annoying but it stops you from saving up too many mats for the RNgineering grind which forces you to grind even more to collect more mats once you free up some space. And lets face it, grinding is what currently passes for gameplay in ED....
 

metatheurgist

metatheurgist
These threads are hilarious. Sure, in 3300, in your imaginary spaceship, with it's imaginary FTL drive, it's imaginary data store can probably store an unimaginable about of data.

But guess what?

FD's game is still running on 21st century servers and HDDs that sadly take up realistic amounts of capacity.
 

Querty Out

Q
The most likely way to store this information seems to be one number per data type. Since you could have 500 units of one data type you'd need that number to be at least 9 bits and since you'd normally store numbers in multiple of bytes it is likely to be a 16 bit number. If that all holds true then there should be no difference, storage capacity wise, between storing a maximum of 500 data units in total and storing 65,535 units per data type. I'd say that the data limit is a slightly annoying game design choice rather than a compromise to reduce storage requirements.
 

Valethar

Valethar
khaos526 said:
Engineering is made to keep you coming back for more, kind of like that next Pringle chip (or Cheese and Onion Walkers crisps for those in the UK)...
Click to expand...

I prefer Walker's shortbread myself. :D

And RNGineering wasn't made to make you come back for more. It was made to punish you for purchasing and playing the game.
 

Jenner

I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
Jenner
Fat Barry said:
Why is there a limit of 500 for engineering data? It is just data, so I imagine it is stored on some sort of HDD.

I had a quick look at the rate of increase in HDD space. Between 1990 and 2010 it went up by (approximately) 1000GB, and the rate has been linear since the early 1980s. So, by the year 3303, we should be looking at HDDs with an approximately 130000GB capacity. That's assuming there are no revolutions in technology - such as holographic storage (which is on the horizon).

Given that we only have space for 500 data "files", the files are either a) HUGE or b) we are using crappy HDDs
Click to expand...

Because things. :)

Also, nice avatar.
 
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