There are a lot of moving parts to make constructs in Starbase work, and the brains that make these things happen are devices, little pieces of tech that handle functions from as simple as making a door open with a button push to as complex as running a factory. In the developing sandbox’s latest video, we get a deep dive into just what devices do, the different kinds of devices, and how they can be applied.
The lifeblood of devices is pumped through network cables, which link to a power generator to make things happen in a data network. These networks need to be threaded together for functions to operate, though you can create sub-networks through the use of a network relay device. Adjusting what a device does is managed through the Device Field, a UI element that is accessed from the Universal Tool.
Devices come in various forms including buttons that tell things to happen, rail systems that can move items along a given track and can even be modified with sensors to change a rail car platform’s direction or function, base-mounted devices like radio transmitters and receivers that send data wirelessly from a set distance, and robot arms. These devices can link together to allow a variety of things to happen, whether it’s using radio transmitters to create autopilot waypoints for a spaceship or a rail system and robot arms to put together your own assembly line. There are even modular display devices that can display useful information or custom messages.
If all of this sounds a bit like Engineering 101, that’s probably not by mistake; the possibilities feel nearly limitless as it stands, and there are even more devices in the works. Personally, it all made my head go foggy, but that’s probably because I’m the “learn by doing” type. For those who learn by watching, check out the video.
