Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

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Galacticruler
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Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by Galacticruler »

So I'm unsure of where to post this, so if it is in the wrong spot please let me know.

I'm currently thinking of how to make a set of aircraft designed with cargo transport over gargantuan (or hostile) distances...my few ideas are as follows:
1. A special kind of "rail" and locomotive with a huge storage, make it have no collision boxes when in flight and only (un)load/fuel up at airport buildings.
2. something like the Satellite Uplink mod that would let you place infinite numbers of the invisible Flight Path "Rails"
3. allow for complex custom airports via the use of a different rail that functions similar, but adds collisions back to the aircraft in a "landed" state(thus posing a risk to your health when they land)

Anyone have any ideas on how to do this?
PC is best.

S0ulstr34m
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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by S0ulstr34m »

Hi! I'm new to the forums but I think you have posted at the right place :)

Also, I would like to add that this would be a great idea! I love to think about the idea of having remote base (maybe 1 or 2 fueling distance away - to add some extra fun) to bring me some goods to my main base. I imagine you would kinda need to setup some defenses around your airports too which would be fun I think.

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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by dewast »

For start ther is an AIRPLANE MOD
http://www.factoriomods.com/mods/aircraft
http://www.factoriomods.com/mods/aircraft,
the rest would have to copy from Trains (travwling betwen stations LUA and train stations LUA)

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Galacticruler
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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by Galacticruler »

dewast wrote:For start ther is an AIRPLANE MOD
http://www.factoriomods.com/mods/aircraft
http://www.factoriomods.com/mods/aircraft,
the rest would have to copy from Trains (travwling betwen stations LUA and train stations LUA)
I am aware of the Aircraft mod. I was wondering more about the infinite free flight-path rails and ATC tower to deploy them from.
another issue, is if I use the code from the vanilla trains I'd run into problems with multiple planes on one flight path being...weird. they would also have to render 100% above everything else and not collide only when in flight. so its a bit more challengint than that. then theres the art hurdle.
PC is best.

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Adil
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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by Adil »

I believe I've seen somewhere that traffic lights don't differentiate rails of different kind and while not colliding or able to follow them, locomotives would be hindered by planes flying around.

Adding a realistic airplanes is not a simple thing to do.

I'm actually currently working on custom flying paths that can be traversed automatically. But rl presses me so hard that I'd be willing to participate in collaboration project, despite deriving most pleasure from doing things myself and being very protective of my designs.
I'd estimate that finished state aircraft mod would be thousands lines of code.
How far are you actually willing to go?
All the way through
I can do it - Programming challenge
Still interested - Coworking conditions
Graphics needed
I do mods. Modding wiki is friend, it teaches how to mod. Api docs is friend too...
I also update mods, some of them even work.
Recently I did a mod tutorial.

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Galacticruler
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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by Galacticruler »

Adil wrote:I believe I've seen somewhere that traffic lights don't differentiate rails of different kind and while not colliding or able to follow them, locomotives would be hindered by planes flying around.

Adding a realistic airplanes is not a simple thing to do.

I'm actually currently working on custom flying paths that can be traversed automatically. But rl presses me so hard that I'd be willing to participate in collaboration project, despite deriving most pleasure from doing things myself and being very protective of my designs.
I'd estimate that finished state aircraft mod would be thousands lines of code.
How far are you actually willing to go?
All the way through
I can do it - Programming challenge
Still interested - Coworking conditions
Graphics needed
I can probably do this, and I'll probably try soon. My knowledge of LUA is quite basic, and while growing I do sometimes get stuck on things so if you don't hear back its probably something that's got me stuck.
PC is best.

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Adil
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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by Adil »

Well, feel free to ask for help. There's a few people around here giving advices.
I do mods. Modding wiki is friend, it teaches how to mod. Api docs is friend too...
I also update mods, some of them even work.
Recently I did a mod tutorial.

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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by The_Destroyer »

I've always wanted an Aircraft mod. This sounds promising. While I normally code in C# I might dig around some resources to help

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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by Wyrframe »

To completely dodge the flightpathing and takeoff/landing cycles entirely... I'm making Cargo Zeppelins. Basically planning on them being loaded and unloaded by Logistics robots, having them fly between specified points and turn themselves into Passive Provider or Requester chests during specified sections of their patrol and contributing to whatever logistic network they are overflying at that time.

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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by Supercheese »

Wyrframe wrote:To completely dodge the flightpathing and takeoff/landing cycles entirely... I'm making Cargo Zeppelins. Basically planning on them being loaded and unloaded by Logistics robots, having them fly between specified points and turn themselves into Passive Provider or Requester chests during specified sections of their patrol and contributing to whatever logistic network they are overflying at that time.
Yessssss that sounds very good! :D

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Re: Ideas on how to make automated cargo aircraft?

Post by kyranzor »

I have already mentioned/discussed this idea with those on the IRC channel a few weeks back.

My general idea was to make a "drop zone" building which has inventory, and when you build a second "drop zone" building and they can be linked with a simple GUI. Once linked, they auto-spawn a cute little cargo hovership thing that is a non-collision entity (a "Unit" type entity btw) that is commanded to move to the location of the other drop zone building. Once there, the inventory that exists in the drop zone just reached is saved as a temporary object in LUA (to the global table for persistence), and the inventory that existed at the time the craft left the original drop zone is instantly inserted into the destination drop zone. This allows for simultaneous pick-up and drop off of the current state of each drop zone allowing bi-directional transportation of cargo between two locations.

The ideas I was throwing around on the IRC channel also covered having this cargo ship armed with machinegun or tank cannon style turrets so that if it encounters enemies it can deal with them on the way.

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