Space Engineers - Engineer your way through space! @lemmy.world Halasham @dormi.zone 12mo ago

Choice Paralysis

Hello everyone, Figured I'd ask here 'cause I'm getting the problem that got me to quit my previous world again: When I've got a sufficiently large build I want to make I can't clearly envision how I want to assemble it. To take the current example: I've just finished building my Miner Mk2 after redesigning it (lost my BPs when I upgraded my PC) and I can already see that while leagues better than the Mk1 it will be insufficient for the big projects I want to do... so I've begun work designing it's replacement. Thing is the replacement is a Large Grid mining vessel with a special mining bore-arm that I'd designed separately and special connector-arm to be able to transfer material to my ground-base. I've got those two elements but I can see several ways to set up the internals and I'm not sure which one to go with... or how I'd want to stylize the Hull since I couldn't exactly fly a LG brick.

Anyone else get this problem? Should I design the hull first and then fit the functional bits inside it?

8 comments

I first make a feature list to map out what it’s supposed to do and what components it will need / want.

Then I try and think of a rough shape, usually the intended role gives me an idea or I just google random space ship artwork for inspiration.

Third is roughly arranging the internals for the desired shape, then some armor work around them to make a basic frame.

Next, shuffling internals and the frame shape around until everything fits well enough

Once the internals are set up, some testing of everything works as intended

And lastly, detailing and greebling to make it look good and not just a brick.
I personally tend towards building the functional parts in roughly the shape I want, then build the hull around it after confirming everything works.
Is there a sandbox/creative mode where you could try out the different designs you're considering and prototype, calibrate, then save and use in a regular game? If so that may that may help in deciding which design you might prefer, as well as styling decisions.
- Have you never actually played the game you are commenting on? Curious
  
  Only ever part of a free weekend, so not enough to know a ton about it, but I've played other similar-ish games.
- Yeah, I have a backup of my survival world I use for that kind of creative testing. I still have this problem though.
Update: I decided to try mapping out the Hull and fitting blocks in afterword... It's gotten me past the choice paralysis however the hull I went with couldn't fit thrusters to make it able to handle the amount of ore it could hold. So, I've moved that version off my prototyping platform and will be starting over with the built version as a reference model as I like the overall shape. Going to use the other method of building out the functional blocks then wrapping the hull design around that.

Will post the Workshop link once it's done as I'm really liking taking a liking to this ship.

8 comments