Why are radars square?

[Skandragon]

Radars should scan a circular area around them, not a square around them. Gun turrets are circular for instance. I know it's handy to have them be square so you can tile them for full, easy coverage; however, I think it'd be more challenging to have them be circular, and perhaps even scan in an arc like real-world radars would do.

[Engimage]

Simple as it is, you can easily enumerate covered area. Especially on the initial scan you need a radially expanding scanning pattern.

[Eketek]

The radar hardware is technically capable of scanning a circular zone (and much if the weather is decent). However, the person who crafted your radars (or who configured your assembler(s) to manufacture them) is afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder and thus has coded the radar controller program to only scan a square-shaped region of space which is exactly aligned with his map. Life's tough.

[Skandragon]

In a real radar, it would scan around in an arc, and that same concept could be used here. Scanning speed would be equal to angular velocity, so it may take some time (say, five minutes) to scan along every radial from 0º to 360º. Then we could get improved radars for speed of rotation and range, and it would feel more like what a radar does.

I feel this would add one more level of realism to the game, where square radar scanning areas make no sense, even if they are easier to implement in the game.

Perhaps I'll code up something.

[Skandragon]

The radar hardware is technically capable of scanning a circular zone (and much if the weather is decent). However, the person who crafted your radars (or who configured your assembler(s) to manufacture them) is afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder and thus has coded the radar controller program to only scan a square-shaped region of space which is exactly aligned with his map. Life's tough.

Then they should be consistent and also program the turrets to only shoot in a square area.

[Serenity]

Radar range is short enough as it is. With a circle you'd need overlapping radar for full coverage

[Eketek]

The radar hardware is technically capable of scanning a circular zone (and much if the weather is decent). However, the person who crafted your radars (or who configured your assembler(s) to manufacture them) is afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder and thus has coded the radar controller program to only scan a square-shaped region of space which is exactly aligned with his map. Life's tough.

Then they should be consistent and also program the turrets to only shoot in a square area.

There are two other valid solutions:

One of them is to lay down a mosaic of stone and concrete within turret range (composite shape of all space defended by turrets), with hazard concrete to mark the boundary (such that a biter standing anywhere on a tile with hazard concrete will not be shot or burned by a turret).

The other alternative is to produce a set of turrets with progressively smaller range and use them to fill in the corners (or spaces along the edge if there are not enough resources available to build a wall of turrets).

[HurkWurk]

my guns do make a square. (once they are all lined up nice and pretty to my walls all around me)

[FactorioParadox]

my guns do make a square. (once they are all lined up nice and pretty to my walls all around me)

Except the corners are rounded.

[FactorioParadox]

In a real radar, it would scan around in an arc, and that same concept could be used here. Scanning speed would be equal to angular velocity, so it may take some time (say, five minutes) to scan along every radial from 0º to 360º. Then we could get improved radars for speed of rotation and range, and it would feel more like what a radar does.

I feel this would add one more level of realism to the game, where square radar scanning areas make no sense, even if they are easier to implement in the game.

Perhaps I'll code up something.

Gameplay > Realism

[bobucles]

Square radio waves.