I’d like to suggest a small set of electrical additions or extensions that would greatly expand what players can build in Rust without adding unnecessary complexity or server load. These ideas are based on real-world electronics and Minecraft-style redstone logic, adapted to Rust’s existing analog power system.
1. a comparator-style component or an added mode on an existing component like the blocker. The idea is to allow subtraction of one analog signal from another. For example, if input A is 8 power and input B is 3 power, the output would be 5 power. If the subtract input is higher than the main input, the output would clamp to zero. This would enable proper analog math, threshold detection, normalization, feedback loops, and more advanced logic circuits that are currently very hard or component-heavy to build.
2. splitters with more than two output nodes, such as 1-to-4 or 1-to-8 variants. Many complex circuits require a huge number of junctions, and using multiple 3-output splitters quickly explodes the number of components. Higher-node splitters would reduce entity count, improve server performance, and make large electrical builds far easier to design and maintain. also a setting on those splitters that would allow the functionality to be reverse allowing it to act as a combiner with many inputs would be cool as well.
3. a circuit compiler or module system that allows players to save a sub-circuit onto a chip and reuse it as a single component, similar to how real logic simulators handle subcircuits. This would allow reusable logic blocks like adders, decoders, counters, or control units without rebuilding them every time. It would dramatically reduce wiring complexity, improve readability, and encourage more advanced electrical designs while also lowering total entity usage.
4 a memristor-style branch component. This would behave like a normal branch, except the branch-out value is stored internally and can be modified by an analog control input basically allowing someone to change the branch out setting without having to manually do it. The branch always diverts the stored amount first, with any remaining power flowing to the main output. The stored value persists until changed, allowing the component to act as analog memory or a programmable weight. This would enable adjustable signal weighting, learning-style circuits, feedback systems, and compact analog memory.
5. a true bus component. instead of running dozens of parallel wires, you’d have a single bus line carrying analog power plus optional channels. taps could read or write to the bus. this would massively clean up large circuits like CPUs, displays, or memory arrays.