Space Engineers | Mechyard Survival: Episode 08 - Mechs Best Friend

[@AegirBuildsAndBeats]

Great name choice for the dog mechs! Really great episode. I enjoy the idea of the Mantis mech too.

[@dread_mechanic]

Thank you! It was a name someone suggested a while ago so I thought I'd use it for the new version of the Dog-Bot. I enjoy the idea of the Mantis too, although because of his size the leg/tail rotors are a little weak. I either need to redesign a few things or find a rotor strength mod that doesn't break 3x3 rotors. Also the AI blocks still don't seem to work all that well with 3x3 block tools. The Grinders & CTCs still have a few issues that I'm trying to work around.

[@randallvolk8437]

Maybe it’s about time you made some flying defender drones! Also, a nice challenge that be entertaining to see you tackle in this series is to build one of your armored core mechs for some extreme offense. Maybe even do a new model from scratch!

[@cjsutherland2448]

You are a wizard with your walkers and automation. Great stuff. The quad walkers I especially like. Nicely done!

[@dread_mechanic]

Thank you! No wizardry here, just a bit of maths and a lot of patience 🤣

[@theterminado8638]

Just seen the mantis, my gosh. Absolutely stunning

[@dread_mechanic]

Thank you! It's still only half finished, but I should be publishing a prototype version in the next few days and then it'll get gradually updated like the rest 👍

[@Dagonius.]

Just when you think you've seen everything. Builds an aggressive wreck salvaging Mantis mech. Next up: Grinder drones!😋 I'd love to see them latch on to enemy ships and "climb" around inside like bugs feeding off the insides. Especially cool if they only go for power or something.

[@dread_mechanic]

I've been experimenting with some different types of grinder drones. The flying & the grinding are easily done but the AI controls are still being difficult. I've been able to get them to clean up small grids pretty easily but large grids are still proving a bit tricky 🤔

[@Dagonius.]

@dread_mechanic Yeah and they get larger with increasing complexity. I hope The 25cm Grid System will change this.

[@dread_mechanic]

@@Dagonius. The biggest problem I've been having with getting some grinder drones to work is Stations. Half the time the AI will just target the central point of a building which is usually empty space and the drone just sits there doing very little 😑

[@Dagonius.]

@dread_mechanic Aha. Same behaviour as drones with fixed weapons. They target center of mass. Maybe having the grinder as a custom turret could help somehow?

[@dread_mechanic]

@@Dagonius. Yeah that's the biggest problem, they just target the middle. I've also been experimenting with CTCs, had mixed results so far. 3x3 block tools seem to have some very moody targeting. I'll come up with something eventually 🤔

[@tinytexasfarm]

12:54 I love this drone song.

[@dread_mechanic]

Yeah I really like it too, it's sort of become the theme for when my mechs are doing AI stuff 🤣

[@EngineeredCoffee]

So cool! You are a genius of automation! My Skeeter drones need a lot of work to catch up with your systems! I may have to rewatch these a few times. I love that your vanilla turning system is spinning a mass of gyros to act as an actual reaction wheel would.

[@dread_mechanic]

Cheers dude, watch as many times as you like 🤣 And that vanilla turning system isn't even my idea. I adapted it from the Advanced Walker script by Beesoldier. Their script basically does the exact same thing to make mechs turn using keyboard input, I just found a vanilla way to do it.

[@tinytexasfarm]

You pick the best songs. I swear. Sometimes I put on old videos to listen to the songs

[@dread_mechanic]

All the music I use in these videos is from the SE Deluxe Edition except for the music in the Intro video I made which I wrote 👍

[@shadenphoenix]

Woohoo! So awesome 😍👍

[@dread_mechanic]

Thank You!

[@chadp6307]

As things are configured currently, if an enemy ship/drone gets shot down and crashes onto a road that is part of a mech patrol path, how do the mechs deal with the obstacle? Is this something where if a patrol mech detects enemy blocks in the path, it can call for a grinder mech (like the Mantis) to come clear the crash site? A thought that just made me chuckle... as the scrap walkers walk around on patrol, they occasionally sing a little patrol shanty song. That would be an unusual sight.. a singing mech.

[@dread_mechanic]

At the moment, the mechs have a sensor on the front of them that detects blocks & voxels. When that triggers it stops the walk cycle and if the AI Task blocks can’t move towards their target they will skip to the next waypoint. Eventually they will skip enough that they will turn around, the sensor will stop being triggered and they’ll continue walking. It’s very basic at the moment because I’m working with limited space & logic commands, but I’ve got a few ideas to make them navigate around obstacles. If I build some larger walkers I can fit more Timers & ECs in for more complex stuff.

[@chadp6307]

@dread_mechanic Cool. Working with the limited basic logic commands, would it even be possible for 1 mech to "summon" another to a specific location? Trying to wrap my brain around how that might be accomplished.. perhaps re-doing all the waypoints, and placing them in groups (like A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, etc) to communicate to the "trash collector mech" where the enemy block obstruction is located. Then that raises a new question, how would the 2nd mech know how to return from said location, back to a known path and then back to it's hangar. UGH!, and I thought path-making for flying drones was complicated. Terrestrial pathing is a whole other level.

[@TheCountess313]

Would love to see more bipeds.

[@dread_mechanic]

Oh don't you worry, there will be more 👍

[@tinytexasfarm]

I wish you would add sound blocks to the mechs, that way they have music playing as the walk past you. Much like how we listen to music in our cars

[@dread_mechanic]

I've actually been toying with the idea of rebuilding my Jameson bot and adding a sound block that just plays that annoying 8-bit song on a loop and have him just wander all around the base 🤣

[@tinytexasfarm]

@dread_mechanic I would love that. I'm sure others would too. What an Easter egg to hear it passing by your engineer at random intervals based on your location

[@theterminado8638]

I strive to be more technical with SE like you and Engineered Coffee

[@dread_mechanic]

It just takes a bit of practice and lots of trial & error. Play around with stupid ideas and deliberately do clangy things so you can learn where the limits are 👍

[@theterminado8638]

@ thanks for the tip! I’m rewatching the series right now too, taking notes 📝 😂

[@UKJamie]

Here's another idea try and make the spider mech from WILD WILD WEST 😆

[@dread_mechanic]

What makes you think I’m not already planning to do that? 😉

[@UKJamie]

@dread_mechanic I thought of the idea cus i think you'd be the 1st to replicate the spider mech from wild wild west cus I haven't seen any other vids who has done that kind of build

[@UKJamie]

Hey so here's an idea let's say your base get damaged but you have other things to do i was thinking maybe drones that can repair the damages that has been done to your base

[@dread_mechanic]

I am currently experimenting with a few ideas for Welder & Grinder drones. And I’ve got the beginnings of an idea for a base repair system…it might be quite a lot of work though 😂

[@finchat2382]

Any plans on expanding your mech yard? And making running mechs?

[@dread_mechanic]

Oh I'm definitely expanding the yard, I've got lots more ideas I want to try. The tricky part with running mechs in survival mode is the amount of force and speed required to propel the mech quickly is often about the same amount it takes to smash blocks to pieces. I'd probably have to figure something out with suspension blocks to prevent damage 🤔

[@thegreatnull6270]

you ever tried to make AT-AT or AT-ST walkers from Star Wars?

[@dread_mechanic]

I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but I have got some plans for a larger AT-ST type mech 👍

[@thegreatnull6270]

@dread_mechanic hell yes!