Feature Request - "Signal" Switch

[TorchDragon]

Story - As a Dupe Colony Manager, I want to utilize data points generated by machinery to determine whether or not they should receive power.

Definition of Done - I can place a 1x1 tile into the world adjacent to a machine's power connection and that tile will provide an interface similar to other implemented switches that will allow for determining power flow based on a selected property from the machine.

Description - Currently implemented switches are based entirely on interaction with the atmosphere alone and not the properties inherent to a piece of machinery such as the machine's current operating temperature, a battery's current power level, a generator's current fuel capacity, an input and out put flow rate, etc... By attaching the Signal Switch to a machine, the colony manager can set a similar "Above/Below" and Value condition to the switch that directly compares against one (or more?) properties of the machine, allowing for a greater intelligence in managing machinery without creating significantly more complex control infrastructure.

The Signal Switch tile is placed directly adjacent to the machine's power plug tile and connects with a similar mechanism as the Heavy Wire Junction tiles. This forces the tile to be paired to a specific machine to simplify coding and implementation.

Illustration:

[O][X][W][W]
[O][O]

Key:
O = Machinery tile, as shown, a 2x2 machine such as a pump
X = The machine's power input tile.
S = Signal Switch Tile
W = Wire

[iCaughtFireOnce]

Sounds like it would have to do a need to work differently for every single machine, and I can only see it being very helpful for power generators. What An idea I've wanted to suggest was to add a feature to power generators with a SECOND signal outlet that uses like 1 mW or something tiny if connected, but will signal the generator to turn on/off. You can then add a switch based on the voltage of the wire connected (not the power currently flowing through the switch, it would work based on the total power stored on the other side of the switch. If the voltage reaches a setable value, the switch would toggle, and your generator(s) could be shut down to avoid wasting power filling up FULL batteries. You could maybe add a "surge protector" or "fuse" which would toggle as soon as the current raises too high in a circuit, preventing any damage on the other side, but needing to be repaired before power will flow through again.

I think another simpler and more general-case solution for the problem you laid out would be to add a system which allows you to have the priority of items change dynamically based on factors. Maybe a building which allows you to set dynamic priorities for up to X objects? This way you could set it so the priority of your Algae Distiller is set to 9 if your supply of algae falls below a threshold, and it falls to 1 if your Algae supply gets really high. Other than that, machines don't draw power unless they're running anyways.

Thoughts?