Event Controller

The Event Controller is a functional automation block in Space Engineers that gives your grids "senses" for its own blocks. The Event Controller monitors the grid's block states for you, and when values change, it reacts by triggering your chosen toolbar actions. Use this automation block in conjunction with other Artificial Intelligence blocks to create logic systems.

Picture "events" as a way to give drones commands in an if-this-then-that format. For example in case of a mining drone, “If your cargo is full, then return to base”. Or in case of base automation, "If the piston elevator reaches the middle floor, stop and open the doors", and many more.

Recipe

Event Controller
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Interior Plate	10	—	2	—
Display	4	—	1	—
Computer	10	—	2	—
Construction Comp.	20	10	2	1

Advantages and Differences

The Event Controller exposes a lot of functionality to the vanilla game that was formerly accessible only through scripting and modding. Even players on consoles that disallow scripts, and any players who cannot write scripts, can use an Event Controller to do basic "programming". How is the EC different?

• Automatons, weapon AI and CTC AI detect other grids up to 2-2.5km away -- while the Event Controller monitors only its own grid.
• Automatons, Sensors, weapon AI and CTC AI react to grids, meteorites, or players -- while the Event Controller watches only blocks.
• The Event Controller can monitor a wider variety of state changes on its grid than a Sensor or an Air Vent can.
• In contrast to scripts and script mods, the Event Controller also works on consoles.

Construction

If Progression is on, build a basic Assembler and some lighting block first to unlock this block. The Event Controller is 1x1x1 blocks large and exists for small and large grid. It uses 500W power.

The Event Controller block is quite cheap to build and can be used in early game, but it's also very fragile and breaks easily when exposed in battle. The large grid version has a built-in Control Panel. To access the small grid variant, you need to add a Control Panel or use a cockpit or any other block with terminal access.

Neither block variant has any configurable LCDs, but both have a very techy looking front panel that can also be used for decoration.

Which Events Can Be Detected?

The EC monitors only blocks on the same grid, or on a connected or merged grid!

What can the Event Controller detect?

Event	Condition	Values	Examples	Blocks
Altitude	is equal or greater/less than	1-50000 metres	Keeping hovercraft or shuttles above the ground (thrusters in six directions)	N/A
Angle Changed	is equal or greater/less than	-360 to +360 degrees	Detect that Hinge/Rotor has reached a specific orientation	Hinge, Rotor
Block Added/Removed	N/A	N/A	Detect boarders, detect damage to own grid	Any blocks.
Block Integrity Percentage	is equal or greater/less than	0-100%	Detect damage on same grid, detect 3D Printer completion	A set of functional blocks of your choice, excluding armor blocks
Block On/Off Switched	is	(Select from the grid's blocks)	If H2 Generators are on, then also switch certain tanks to stockpile	A set of functional blocks of your choice, excluding armour blocks
Cargo Filled Percentage	is equal or greater/less than	0-100%	Make miner return to base if 80% full, produce ammo if running low, warn if running out of ice or uranium, ...	Any Inventory: Cargo Containers, Block Weapons (ammo), Reactor (Uranium), Block Tools, Assembler, Refinery, Collector, Connector, Cockpits, Survival Kit, Cryo Chamber, bottles in Tanks, ice or bottles in O2/H2 Generator, parachutes in hatch, chips in Safe Zone, Store, Target Dummy, ...
Cockpit Occupied	is	Yes/No	If player seated then toggle batteries, open hangar doors, etc.	Cockpit, Industrial Cockpit, Fighter Cockpit, any passenger Seats, Bathroom, Toilet Seat, (Corner) Couch, Cryo Chamber, Helm, ...
Connector Connected	is	Yes/No	If docked ship detected then extend walkway, load ammo, offload cargo ...	Connectors
Connector Ready to Lock	is	Yes/No	If close then lock	Connectors
Distance to Locked target	is equal or greater/less than	1 - 2500 metres	Ignite warheads; drop tactical decoys; launch PBWs	Cockpits and Control Seats that have target locking active
Door Opened	is	Yes/No	Switch on/off lights, (de)pressurise the room or airlock, start 2 sec Timer that closes all doors	Door, Offset Door, Sliding Door, Airtight Hangar Door, ...
Gas Tank Filled Percentage	is equal or greater/less than	0-100%	Switch O2/H2 Generator on/off, switch Tank Stockpile on/off	Oxygen Tanks, Hydrogen Tanks
Grid Speed Changed	is equal or greater/less than	0 - 100 m/s	React to own Inertial Dampers, save fuel by decreasing thrust override, prevent falling in Gravity	None
Landing Gear Locked	is	Yes/No	Rotate crane after it has picked up a block	Landing Gear, Magnetic Plate
Magnetic Gear Ready	is	Yes/No	Lock Landing Gear when close enough	Landing Gear, Magnetic Plate
Merge Block merged	is	Yes/No	3D Printer automation	Merge blocks
Natural Gravity Changed	is equal or greater/less than	0 - 10 g	Adjust speed or switch thrusters when leaving or reaching a planet	None
Piston Position Percentage	is equal or greater/less than	0-100%	Stop the elevator at a floor	Piston
Power Output Percentage	is equal or greater/less than	0-100%	Switch off H2 engine while wind/solar is producing	Battery, Reactor, Solar Panel, Hydrogen Engine, Wind Turbine
Rotor/Hinge attached/detached	is	Yes/No	3D Printer automation, truck hitches	Rotors, Hinges
Stored Power Percentage	is equal or greater/less than	0-100%	Toggle battery discharge/recharge/hydrogen engines	Batteries
Thrust Percentage	is equal or greater/less than	0-100%	Keep speed at a certain level	Thrusters

For comparison:

What can other blocks detect and at which range?

Event	Condition	Values	Examples	Detector Blocks
Adjacent room pressurised	is	yes/no	Air Lock cycle	See Air Vent
Subgrid proximity	is equal or greater/less than	0.1 to 50m	3D Printer	See Sensor
Players on foot	is equal or greater/less than	0.1 to 50m	Airlocks, traps	See Sensor
Floating items	is equal or greater/less than	0.1 to 50m	ore collectors, grid damage/debris detection	See Sensor
Asteroid proximity	is equal or greater/less than	0.1 to 50m	Automatic asteroid miner	See Sensor! (For automatic collision avoidance, see AI Flight)

Which Reactions can be triggered?

Similar to Timer Blocks and Sensors, any action that is available on the Tool Bar for blocks on the same or a connected grid can be triggered.

Click Select Actions to define two actions that are triggered when the condition is (or is not) met.

• Use the first action slot to react to the event.
• Use the second action slot to "reset" to the normal state.
• Press ctrl 1-9 to get nine first and second toolbar slots.

Tip: You want to trigger more than one action? Put all actions into a Timer Block, and set the the Event Controller actions to Timer Block Start/Stop.

Some actions set a value (e.g. "unlock") while others toggle (invert) the current state (e.g. "switch lock"). The game sometimes runs triggers twice which can throw off your system if you use the EC to invert settings instead of setting a value. One workaround is to use the first EC to watch an event and then switch a light on or off, and then use a second EC to watch the light.

Examples

• When someone passes through the airlock, automatically open the doors and preserve oxygen.
• If essential blocks are destroyed, switch on self-projectors and welders for repairs.
• If a fighter drone is out of ammo or has lost its weapons, retreat to connector in hangar.
• If hydrogen runs low, then produce more and switch a tank to “stockpile”.
• If intruders are detected, then switch on a labelled beacon to call faction mates for defence.
• If the base is low on gas/fuel/power/ammo, then switch on a coloured warning light to warn faction members.
• During ascent from planet at max speed, decrease thrust override to not waste hydrogen, and below min speed increase thrust override, and switch off the override when natural gravity is zero.

And more ...!

Tip: Use an Emotion Controller LCD panel (DLC only) to display simple status changes along with these actions.

How to React to Events?

1. Build an Event Controller and open its Control Panel Screen.
2. Choose from the Event list which event you want to monitor.
3. (If applicable) Select your Condition for the event.
   Example: "value is equal or greater than the threshold value".
4. (If applicable) Enter the Threshold value of your condition.
   Example: 0-100% for percentages, -360 to 360 for rotation, and so on.
5. (For Block Events only) Choose blocks:
   1. Search the list of applicable blocks on the grid.
   2. Select blocks to monitor under Available Blocks and click Add Blocks.
   3. To remove a block from monitoring, select it under Selected Blocks and click Remove Blocks.
6. Click Select Actions.
   • Assign to the first slot the action how to react to the event.
   • Assign to the second slot the action how to reset after the event is over.
7. (For Block Events only) Choose how many of your selected blocks must fulfil the condition:
   • If all blocks must fulfil the condition, enable AND Gate.
   • If at least one block must fulfil the condition, disable AND Gate.

How many ECs will I need?

Be prepared to need one or two ECs for basic automation, and more for more complex chains of actions. Each "If value higher than this then do this, else do that" statement corresponds to one block. Give them descriptive names so you can distinguish them.

You will typically accompany the ECs with several Timer blocks to group triggered actions that should happen together. In the end, your bridge will look like a mainframe server room and your drone will have a big brain in its skull. On large grid, you can save space and components by building only small grid ECs and Timers, and attaching them to the large grid through a locked rotor which can Connect Small and Large Blocks.

Troubleshooting the Status

The EC block shows its status by changing the color of the lights on its front panel, similar to Timers.

• Red means it's switched off or has no power
• Green means it is ready and has power but no event condition has been set up
• Blue means it's monitoring a configured event but the condition was not yet met
• Cyan means an event has triggered an action

Do I watch ALL blocks or ANY blocks?

For many events, you can monitor several blocks. In this case you need to tell the EC what exactly you mean:

• Switch on reactors when any one tank/battery is empty, or only when all of them are?
• Sound an alarm when any weapon block is damaged, or only when all of them are?
• Repressurise the room when any of its doors get closed or when all its doors have been closed?

And similar. You see the difference in meaning!

• If any chosen block meets the condition, I want the first action.
  If no chosen block meets the condition, I want the second action.
  <= Disable AND Gate
• If all chosen blocks meet the condition, then I want the first action.
  If some or no chosen blocks meet the condition, I want the second action.
  <= Enable AND Gate.

History

Before Update 1.203, there used to be unexpected AND Gate behaviour so you may need to adjust some older block set-ups.

With AND Gate disabled, the EC originally did not monitor "the state" of these blocks like a logical formula. It just reacted to events in the moment they happen .

Example: You had been monitoring if any of two doors are being opened:

1. both A and B closed -> EC slot 2 triggers
2. door A is opened -> EC slot 1 triggers
3. door B is opened -> EC slot 1 triggers
4. door A is closed -> EC slot 2 triggers?!

In both situation 2 and 4, one door was open and one was closed, but the EC reacted differently. It did not react to the state that they were in (how many are open/closed), it reacted to the event (one is opening or closing).

In-depth Tutorials

Vanilla logic gate tutorial by Wolak uses no scripts and is well suited for people who like Minecraft Redstone.

Blocks

Structural Blocks Armor  Heavy Armor Block,  Heavy Armor Corner,  Heavy Armor Inv Corner,  Heavy Armor Slope,  Light Armor Block,  Light Armor Corner,  Light Armor Inv Corner,  Light Armor Slope,  Armor Panel,  Blast Door,  Blast Door Corner,  Blast Door Edge,  Cylindrical Column Windows  Diagonal Window,  Vertical Window,  Window 1x1 Face,  Window 1x1 Flat,  Window 1x1 Flat Inv,  Window 1x1 Inv,  Window 1x1 Side,  Window 1x1 Slope,  Window 1x2 Face,  Window 1x2 Flat,  Window 1x2 Flat Inv,  Window 1x2 Inv,  Window 1x2 Side Left,  Window 1x2 Side Right,  Window 1x2 Slope,  Window 2x3 Flat,  Window 2x3 Flat Inv,  Window 3x3 Flat,  Window 3x3 Flat Inv,  Half Window,  Barred Window,  Viewport,  Round Window Doors  Door,  Sliding Door,  Gate,  Offset Door,  Airtight Hangar Door,  Sliding Hatch Door,  Sci-Fi Sliding Door Functional Blocks Cockpits & Control  Cockpit,  Fighter Cockpit,  Control Station,  Flight Seat,  Helm,  Saddle Cockpit,  Saddle Cockpit Compact,  Cab Cockpit,  Buggy Cockpit,  Rover Cockpit,  Passenger Seat,  Control Panel,  Control Panel Pedestal,  Vertical Button Panel,  Sci-Fi One-Button Terminal,  Sci-Fi Four-Button Panel,  Sci-Fi Control Panel, ( Inset)  Button Panel,  Button Panel Pedestal,  Remote Control,  Custom Turret Controller Automation  Sensor,  Timer Block,  Programmable Block,  Event Controller,  Emotion Controller,  AI Basic,  AI Flight,  AI Defensive,  AI Offensive,  AI Recorder Communication  Antenna,  Beacon,  Round Beacon, ( Top Mounted)  Camera,  Laser Antenna,  LCD Panel,  Corner LCD,  Text Panel,  Wide LCD Panel,  Transparent LCD,  Sci-Fi LCD Panel,  Holo LCD,  Inset LCD Panel,  Sloped LCD Panel,  Curved LCD Panel,  Ore Detector,  Sound Block Defense & Offense  Decoy,  Gatling Gun,  Gatling Turret,  Interior Turret,  Rocket Turret,  Reloadable Rocket Launcher,  Rocket Launcher,  Artillery,  Autocannon,  Artillery Turret,  Autocannon Turret,  Railgun,  Assault Cannon,  Assault Cannon Turret,  Target Dummy,  Warhead,  Explosive Barrel Power  Battery,  Small Battery,  Large Reactor,  Small Reactor,  Solar Panel,  Colorable Solar Panel,  Hydrogen Engine,  Wind Turbine,  Twin-Blade Wind Turbine Life Support  Medical Room,  Corner Medical Room,  Survival Kit,  Cryo Chamber,  Inset Cryo Room,  Oxygen Farm,  Interior Light,  Offset Light,  Spotlight,  Offset Spotlight,  Inset Light,  Air Vent ( Full),  Air Vent Fan ( Full) Mobility  Gyroscope,  Atmospheric Thruster,  Ion Thruster,  Hydrogen Thruster,  Parachute Hatch,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 1x1,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 2x2,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 3x3,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 5x5,  Offroad Wheels Mining & Manufacturing  Basic Refinery,  Refinery,  Basic Assembler,  Assembler,  Drill,  Grinder Block,  Welder Block,  Projector,  O2/H2 Generator,  Oxygen Farm,  Yield Module,  Power Efficiency Module,  Speed Module Storage  Large Cargo Container,  Medium Cargo Container,  Small Cargo Container,  Oxygen Tank,  Hydrogen Tank,  Store,  Contracts Block Inventory Management  Connector,  Small Connector/Ejector,  Collector,  Conveyor Junction,  Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Curved Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Conveyor Tube T Junction  (Reinforced),  Conveyor Sorter;  Small Conveyor,  Small Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Small Curved Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Small Conveyor Tube T Junction  (Reinforced),  Small Conveyor Sorter;  Conveyor Frame,  Conveyor Converter Mechanical Blocks & Gravity Control  Advanced Rotor,  Rotor,  Piston,  Hinge,  Landing Gear,  Magnetic Plate,  Merge Block,  Artificial Mass,  Gravity Generator,  Spherical Gravity Generator,  Safe Zone Aesthetic Blocks Walls, Floors & Stairs  Beam,  Interior Pillar,  Interior Wall,  Passage/ (2)/ (3),  Willis Ducts,  Willis Duct Grate,  Scaffold Block,  Scaffold Block Ladder,  Walkable Scaffold Block,  Ladder,  Ramp,  Stairs,  Steel Catwalk,  Grated Stairs,  Grated Catwalk,  Half Grated Catwalk,  Railing,  Full Cover Wall,  Half Cover Wall,  Embrasure,  Fire Cover,  Pipeworks Furniture  Bed,  Half Bed ( Open),  Inset Bed,  Console Block,  Desk,  Desk Corner,  Jukebox,  Kitchen,  Inset Kitchen,  Lab Equipment,  Lockers,  Armory,  Armory Locker,  Cargo Crate,  Light Panel,  Inset Bookshelf,  Inset Couch,  Inset Aquarium,  Inset Entertainment Corner, ( Corner)  Couch,  Bathroom,  Toilet,  Shower,  Planters,  Storage Shelf,  Sci-Fi Bar Counter,  Sci-Fi Bar Counter Corner Decorations  Symbols,  Warning Signs,  Neon Tubes,  Holo LCD,  Freight,  Barrel,  Heat Vent,  Exhaust Pipe,  Engineer Plushie,  Saberoid Plushie,  Access Panel,  Conveyor Cap,  Dead Engineer,  Weapon Rack,  Anniversary Statue,  Firework Launcher,  1x1 Wheel,  2x2 Wheel,  3x3 Wheel,  5x5 Wheel