How did you decide how to size the components for the components system? We've heard that ammo bins might be able to hold fuel when they're not being used for ammo. Is this a uniquely interchangeable system or might other components also grant storage space for one resource or another when removed?asked by SloanWarrior

Great questions! So...

I'm thinking behind hidden panels,things like that. How about a fake fuel cap?

Yep! Smuggling is a topic that has come up for piracy or just being able to stow equipment safely for you, on your ship. That is a topic we're in the midst of discussion for. There was a pass on components for each of the component types, they were mostly done by, they were spearheaded by Elwin who took the, metrics that we use for the ships and for any of the buildings in FPS, the...

We're talking what metrics? Volume, length?

Right. These are the standard minimum doorway size that we have on the ship. The standard minimum walkway path that we need. Things like seats, turret sizes, weapons, any of these components we took a look at them and decided "Ok". A size one small component should be roughly this size, and no bigger than that size. So we took the maximum allowable size for the component and ensured that all those components fit that size, fit neatly in that box. So everythings boxed, box shape.That way we can ensure that when we build a ship that has a physicalised component when we swap out a size one, say radar, then we can actually implement another size one radar in the same space without having to have custom geo just for that enclosure, and that ensures the swapability of components and allows us to make components that are unique enough to, make you want to get a different type of component to suit a different need.

So it's actually something that we've discussed in the past where we're finally starting to see it come to fruition as the standardised modularity. You might have heard some of us talking on previous Ten for the Producers and Ten for the Designers that we've been look at trying to create standardisation for these sizes for a long time.And that was something that was spearheaded by Elwin. By creating standard bounty boxes you create a template for every single size one, every single size two because now we have a range measurements that we can utilise to put those onKT: Right, and that's important for us as Designers because when we're implementing a ship in whitebox we can take these bounds that we create for the ships and we know that this is going to require a size 2 component of this type. We need to ensure that it is placed in the ship roughly around here. Well we'll need access to it, because the ship does have an interior so we can communicate to the Artist that there needs to be a core goal or some kind of wall in which there is a panel that we can access this so when we go to actually repair it or swap it out or salvage it, if you're a pirate!There is the capability to physically access that object. What's also interesting about that is when we eventually have the ability to damage these components from the outside, so we'll have gameplay and you're shooting up a ship from the outside you know you can target the shield generator because you can take the shields down. Well you know where that is roughly in the ship you can start shooting around it,and you will know that it does embody a physical location on the ship, and you know where to target that particular component.On a converse when it is destroyed you will also know on the ship. The engineering can tell you, "Hey get on down to hallway A and repair the shield generator". That crew member will know exactly where to go, which panel to pop open and which component to repair.

Or in your cargo hold you could have a whole crate full of different shield generators. Your engineer runs down, take one out, go run back to the cargo, grabs the new one and throws it in there. So not actually fixing it but replacing it as wellKT: Right. So that's just part one of the question, part two was: what are the.... Are we going to allow rechangeability of components? In general no. So most components will be in a specific spot, slot put together for that component. Some of the component types though, such as ammo, fuel, I think there was one more. I can't remember off the top of my head but there is a category of components in which you can choose to fit anyone of those types, that fit in that particular range of components in that slot.So if we do have say a smuggling hold that is placeable on our pirate themed ships. That is a component type you can choose to fit onto that ship. If however if you really want to on the same ship, fit it for longer quantum travel or further distance. Maybe you'll choose a quantum fuel or a regular fuel canister instead. If you really want to fit out a ship with a lot of weaponry, well let's put an ammo box in there instead. So there is a category of component types that we are implementing in the near future. However for the most part components will fit into their actual designed slot.

I just thought of it's like a ship USB systemKT: Yeah. Not quite that modular!

But at the same time. Let's say you have one labelled as a fuel tank and technicality it's actually a cargo hold. If let's say a player's a police officer that's trying to investigate this pirate ship and he see's a fuel tank there, well he knows pirates tend to use these as cargo holds. I remember hearing someone discussing about being able to scam them and be able to trick scammers as well?

That is something that we'll have to design and implement but yeah, sureDV: Something way down the road!

Yeah. We can also design say a cargo hold that does disguise itself as a...

Fuel tank or an ammo boxKT: Fuel tank. And it actually has that, when we implement that actual scanning gameplay, perhaps there's a way in that it actually mimics the actual, the component that it's trying to pretend to be that way you can smuggle, or use it as a smoke ring canister, because we're only going to make a finite number of ships and so there's no way that we can say that "Hey we can randomly generate these smuggling holds".So each ship if you take a minute to study you'll know that "Hey it's a capability of it having this smuggling hold". So let's figure out gameplay in which you can make use of that item and still get away with that gameplay by giving us the capability to whoever is trying to scan that particular item.

If you use a car analogue. No matter how many Ford Mustangs you look at, you're going to know where the engine is every single time.

Right.