Closed Wires disappearing (weird stuff going on, halp!)

After some research and experimentation, I have learned why my wires keep disappearing from my contraptions:
When an input (purple) is wired to an output (red), if the input's chunk is loaded and the output's chunk is not, the connection will break.

EDIT: New patch doesn't fix this.
Wires will still break if the planet is unloaded (everyone leaves and comes back).

i.e.
Input A and Output B in two different chunks.
Wiring A to B, then leaving the area and loading B before A will NOT break the wire (this is the new fix at work).
Wiring A to B, then leaving the PLANET (no other players on planet), and then loading B before A will BREAK the wire.


It is possible to detect chunk boundaries using broken wires.

Construct a setup like this - an output (in this case, a NOT gate) connected to a long line of inputs (here, bulbs gates).
We want the output (the NOT gate) to load last, so we fly far east (to unload the chunks), and approach from the east (to try and break wires).


You will probably end up with something like this (assuming your line of inputs is long enough). You can now tell that the 4 bulbs on the right are in a different chunk than the NOT gate, allowing you to determine the chunk boundary.

Chunks are 32 by 32 blocks in size, so once you find one horizontal and vertical chunk boundary, you can figure out the rest using a ruler. I also think chunks are centered on the warp-in point, you might want to do some of your own research if you want to rely on the warp-in point for determining chunk boundaries.

Workarounds include:

- Chunk loader. You can construct these by wiring a door's input to its output, so that it starts cycling rapidly. However, this particular chunk loader fails whenever the server resets or the planet is unloaded (no players on planet).

- Optical bridges. Using a light sensor, a door and a light source, you can transmit signals over a chunk boundary.

This optical bridge was built by a friend of mine, whose door was inconveniently located on a chunk boundary. The optical bridge's electric door is in one chunk, the light sensor is in the other chunk.



Original post:

 

It's griefing. Someone waits until you leave and sneaks in and then undoes just those specific ones, then sinks back into their hiding spot to giggle at your misfortune when you come back to find what has happened, much like the fey folk.
Leave a gift of eggs and pray for a good harvest.

 

Happens to me too.

I have my doors and a switch set up, so that when my turrets target an enemy, the exterior doors close. Very simple and it's pretty neat. Downside is that one door is constantly coming unwired.. I eventually just wired it to a pressure plate because it's my "step outside to warp to ship" door anyways.

 

I can confirm this. It always seems to happen at a gun/monitor connection and a particular pressure plate/door.
I am playing on someone's server, but there aren't any griefers here; there aren't even any people on my planet.

Edit: It's like there's a wire limit or something. After reattaching certain objects with wires a different one disappeared.

 

I can confirm that. Similar Turret/Door/Console setup (turrets shuts the doors when firing) and mostly the turrets on the right side of the console are affected. Bellow are pictures of before and after.

Before (taken after rwiring)


After

 

When an input (purple) is wired to an output (red), if the input's chunk is loaded and the output's chunk is not, the connection will break.

 

thats great to know, but do you know a way to find the "chunk" boundaries or a way to keep them loaded at all times besides staying in the location?

 

I am having this same problem. I don't think it is an issue with chunk loading but rather wiring limits? Every time I rewire it seems to be my first-placed wires that come undone.

 

Yes, it is possible to detect chunk boundaries using broken wires.
I've edited my main post with a guide on how to do this.

 

It's not griefing. It happens to everyone.

 

sweet thx, though im unable to see pictures. its not really your problem (though im not sure, some pictures I can see most I cant) its mine, my computer hates me
ive got an idea on how to tell where they are, though ill have to test it

 

I used imgur to host the images

 

@Narks Just for the record, this is one of the best bug reports here. I just wish I'd seen it in support instead of General Discussion

 

Maybe a mod can move this thread to support or somewhere more appropriate? I wasn't sure where to put the original post, and now it's more of a tutorial / bug report if anything.

 

Hope it will be fixed because this is a huge inconvenience.

 

Same Problem

 

Bump, please fix this, the bug still occurs even with the wiring fix.

Wires will still break if the planet is unloaded (everyone leaves and comes back).

i.e.
Input A and Output B in two different chunks.
Wiring A to B, then leaving the area and loading B before A will NOT break the wire (this is the new fix at work).
Wiring A to B, then leaving the PLANET (no other players on planet), and then loading B before A will BREAK the wire.

 

i just learned this the hard way. :'(

 

Still broken,
/10 char

 

Bump, still needs fixing