Talk:Observer

To do list
–Preceding unsigned comment was added by Sealbudsman (talk • contribs) at 20:24, 05 June 2016 (UTC). Please sign your posts with
 * update BlockSprite
 * add a discussion of what it detects, including any differences from a PC BUD
 * duration of the redstone signal
 * numeric ID
 * data values
 * block entity data (or at least, does it use a block entity?)


 * Answers to some of the bullets in your To-Do list:
 * It detects any changes to a block; more specifically, it detects anything that would change a block's ID or data value.
 * It always outputs a 1 tick pulse.
 * ID is 251
 * The data values appear to be:
 * {| class="wikitable"

! DV !! Description
 * 0 || Facing Down
 * 1 || Facing Up
 * 2 || Facing South
 * 3 || Facing North
 * 4 || Facing East
 * 5 || Facing West
 * }
 * It doesn't appear to be block entity (there isn't any game code indicating it is).
 * Jocopa3 (talk) 04:10, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
 * 4 || Facing East
 * 5 || Facing West
 * }
 * It doesn't appear to be block entity (there isn't any game code indicating it is).
 * Jocopa3 (talk) 04:10, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Jocopa3 (talk) 04:10, 6 June 2016 (UTC)


 * It sounds like it detects more than what a BUD detects; from what I recall, a BUD wouldn't detect data value changes
 * Can I ask, I'm curious, how does a person look into the game code of pocket edition? –  Sealbudsman talk/contr 12:12, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Piston BUDs can detect data value changes, for example, increasing the number of ticks on a repeater or change the signal strength of redstone dust. I haven't found any differences between the two contraptions yet, but I still have quite a few configurations to test.
 * Pocket Edition and Win10 Edition are compiled into machine code (assembly), so a disassembler like IDA or Hopper would work. However, you can't decompile the game back into working C++ code, only assembly. The Android version of the game is the most useful version to disassemble as almost all of the game's classes and functions are named and labeled. Here is an example of what the assembly code generated by IDA looks like: http://i.imgur.com/4ddRRgm.png
 * Jocopa3 (talk) 23:38, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
 * That's cool, thanks for pointing me in the direction of some good disassemblers. – Sealbudsman talk/contr 20:53, 10 June 2016 (UTC)

What IS an observer
How can we characterize the difference between PE observers and PC observers, besides listing the specific things they do / do not detect? Are they detecting different classes of things? "Block updates" versus "block state changes"? – Sealbudsman talk/contr 17:45, 9 November 2016 (UTC)