[CLOSED PR] Multitool powernet ID on unpowered cables

[github_bot]

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[QOL][INPUT]
About the PR

The multitool only showed powernet ID's of powered cables, but power isn't necessary for a powernet. This gimped this functionality somewhat.




Why's this needed?

Same reason this was added, diagnostics good.



PULL REQUEST DETAILS

[penny]

So yeah players can only create a powered testnet by building an APC which is almost always beyond the scope of my test networks, and they can't be positioned well by players. I'd say this is about half the time I want to use this functionality.

[warcrimes]

i'll reconsider this if you can explain the use-case and why reading the ID on an unpowered net is necessary for regular gameplay

[penny]

Mostly the data nodes and the way data terminals work, players (including myself) often fail to correctly install a knot under our data terminals and powernetid information diagnoses this.
Separately some devices like the PR6 radio/telepads don't like to connect every time you place them and the powernetid helps reveal things like this

My same reasoning for wanting the original basically: network functionality is so deep that we might as well be maintaining real networks

The workflow is like this- create test network with PR6 radio
- try to ping it
- it's not there?
- jab with multitool that just complains there's no power
- rip up the radio, put it back down
- still not there
- rip off the radio again, adjust the cables
- install radio
- finally appears in ping

If I had a Powernet ID I'd see it's unchanged when I removed the radio and I'd fix my cables

[penny]

I talked to Azure and one of their concerns is players shouldn't have the literal ID PN.Number for unpowered cables so I've removed that from the output

[zjdtmkhzt]

I think this sounds good to me?
God knows that connecting newly made networked stuff is often really finicky and weird, and always hell to debug. We get plenty of mhelps about it too, I feel like, and I don't really see any issues with giving the players this information?

[penny]

warlord is saying that Powernet is, a a design choice, intentionally obtuse. This isn't my first PR that adjusts that. DWAINE's design itself is is where the obtuseness comes imo, it will still be painful retrofuture garbage even if our tools for dealing with it are actually capable.
I want players to be able to learn in game with hands on experience

[Boxta]

+1 to this, would be incredibly usefull for making new networks and such, of which are difficult to make. Theres a fine line between something being mysterious and hard to learn and just being a pain in the ass

[penny]

I've decided on something that will solve these problems in a way that's even easier and friendlier for new players to use that I discussed with ZeWaka so we can close this thread, thanks for the input everyone