[1.5] Long range antennas

Big problem with rednet is its severely limited range.

Let's say there are two computers, both separated by thousands of blocks. How would you make them communicate between each other? Currently only way is to place router computers between, but it's not a very good solution, because "router chunks" must be also loaded to send message around. This would mean that you have to find players to stand nearby routers just to enable long range communication.

I think it would be cool if we would have some sort of long range antenna that would have very long range (couple thousand blocks). But to balance it off, there could be some limitations:

1. Antenna could communicate to one another antenna. That means that 1 computer can communicate only to 1 another computer and vice versa. To achieve that, long range "pairs" would have to be manually picked by player.

2. Because long range needs a lot of power, it can't be attached to turtles (their redstone engine is too weak for that).

3. There can be only one antenna attached to 1 computer (so you cannot place two antennas for example at left and right side).

Well modem range at higher heights is already increased in CC 1.4

Pinkishu, on 25 July 2012 - 12:45 PM said:

Well modem range at higher heights is already increased in CC 1.4

multiplicative or additivity ?

Max range is now max range at Y=1, and there is a new number which is high altitude range at max height, which is 384 by default. The same goes for storm ranges, though at the moment they are both 16.

I don't know what the values are between, but I assume it is linear.

Also its "symmetrical"
so it matters that either receiver or transmitter have enough range (e.g. if a low modem wants to send something to a high one thats not in its range then it can still send that as long as the high ones range is wide enough to encompass the low-one) if that makes sense lol

Pinkishu, on 25 July 2012 - 04:58 PM said:

Also its "symmetrical"
so it matters that either receiver or transmitter have enough range (e.g. if a low modem wants to send something to a high one thats not in its range then it can still send that as long as the high ones range is wide enough to encompass the low-one) if that makes sense lol

That is quite a odd way of doing things I guess the atmosphere intensifies wifi signals ha

BigSHinyToys, on 25 July 2012 - 05:12 PM said:

Pinkishu, on 25 July 2012 - 04:58 PM said:

Also its "symmetrical"
so it matters that either receiver or transmitter have enough range (e.g. if a low modem wants to send something to a high one thats not in its range then it can still send that as long as the high ones range is wide enough to encompass the low-one) if that makes sense lol

That is quite a odd way of doing things I guess the atmosphere intensifies wifi signals ha

Well without it you'd still have to lay out lots of PCs on the ground that carry the signal for a short range to a receiver or to a tower that transmits it upwards fro long-range transmission xD

Pinkishu, on 25 July 2012 - 06:40 PM said:

Well without it you'd still have to lay out lots of PCs on the ground that carry the signal for a short range to a receiver or to a tower that transmits it upwards fro long-range transmission xD

Ok so it kinda makes sense but it is still odd how a computer at bedrock can't communicate with the turtle near it but both can communicate with the same satellite ??

By my math the radius at bedrock is 284 M. I'm yet to be convinced about this but i guess I will get used to it.

[EDIT]

I kinda like the idea the +range..
I think we need more of an "Internet system" where you can like setup a server that enables rednet.

It would make more sense if the communication range were based on the average of the range of both units. So you'd only get the full max range communicating between two high points. But then again I'm always in favor of having more range rather than less.