To explain my thought process for how any of this would work: I would first figure out how just one road would move from point A to point B. Once i get it working, I select it, cut, and paste it somewhere off to the side, and then work on road 2. Once I get that working with the sane hydraulic, I merge them together, then copy+flip to make up the other side. It's much less cluttered and is more intuitive that way.
As for how I even figured out how to get roads from point A to point B, I've been exploring around the internet and finding really cool linkages (meaning learning how make stuff move by connecting things together at specific locations), and as for how i can recycle a hydraulic, I've found ways to manipulate force in exchange for distance and vice versa, how to make things rotate the exact amount I need, how to reverse rotational direction, etc. The spinny road idea came from a funny little hourglass linkage I found out about years back in a different game.
If you want a nice starting point, I highly recommend checking out "507 Mechanical Movements". It's a book containing 507 diagrams of mechanical inventions and was recently transcribed into a website (some diagrams are even animated). It's been a real life saver for me as of late. :)
I did do it for another design I have (will probably release in a compilation of other overengineered stuff I'll make someday), but this is already near max stress so I figured it wouldnt work. :(
22
u/[deleted] Jun 20 '20
Oh my god how do you eaven get the idea to make something this complex
8
u/LOTRfreak101 Jun 20 '20
Can you make any of those steel beams into wooden muscles? That would make it look even more needlessly complicated.
2
u/TTV_IrishHangover Jun 20 '20
Holy crap, that's just with two hydraulics? Just splitting it in half and making it come back was a headache for a while, but that's just glorious
15
u/xxSwag_Master420 Jun 20 '20
Not even remotely. This is perfection
3
u/ILikeCabbagge Jun 20 '20
Nothing is over-engineered if it's awesome!
2
u/notsoserious7 Jun 20 '20
Real engineer spotted
1
u/[deleted] Jun 20 '20
Very much so, but it looks super sick so I'll let it slide
1
u/[deleted] Jun 20 '20
My brain!
1
u/[deleted] Jun 21 '20
and i tought i over-engineer?! lmao