Trying to understand power draw ...

RocketRocket Join Date: 2018-01-14 Member: 235036Members
edited January 2018 in Subnautica General Discussion
So I created a base. It has four thermal plants for power and I add two water filtration machines. Power drops from 1000 to 750 and does not go below while the machines are active. Actually it does, but only a fluctuation between 748-750.

So I add two more water filtration units. Now the power drops to 250 and does not go below while the machines are active.

It really shouldn't work this way. The first two water filtration machines drop 250 combined, but the second two drop 250 each. What's going on? Should I post this in bugs? There's no sense to this at all.

EDIT: Insert "while the machines are active"
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Comments

  • FathomFathom Earth Join Date: 2016-07-01 Member: 219405Members
    IIRC power is only produced when their capacity is tapped. So the first thermal plant gets drained as it cannot maintain power on its own, which then tabs into the second power plant, which starts to produce and maintains the power level together with the first plant. And so on. Only wish we had more control over the order in which draining occurs.
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  • adel_50adel_50 Join Date: 2016-09-01 Member: 221973Members
    Expect everything related to bases to change after 1.0 as its too basic and not much interesting (maybe buggy?)
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  • RocketRocket Join Date: 2018-01-14 Member: 235036Members
    Fathom wrote: »
    IIRC power is only produced when their capacity is tapped. So the first thermal plant gets drained as it cannot maintain power on its own, which then tabs into the second power plant, which starts to produce and maintains the power level together with the first plant. And so on. Only wish we had more control over the order in which draining occurs.

    In each case (two vs four water filtration machines), I'm starting from 1000/1000 power with all water filtration machines at a stand-still with their inventories full (two water, two salt). I then empty them into my inventory. So this is two vs four water filtration machines tapping four thermal plants from scratch.

    I'll do some more testing and move this to bugs.
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  • BlrgBlrg Join Date: 2013-09-01 Member: 187580Members, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Gold, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited January 2018
    Fathom explained it perfectly.
    Power plants don't produce energy depending on your total base capacity, but on their individual capacity. And they get depleted 1 by 1.
    It is weird, but it is not a bug

    Go to your Thermal Plants and look at them 1 by 1. When you have 2 Water Filtration Machines, you will see that you have:
    - 1 plant indicating 0/250
    - 1 plant fluctuating around 248/250
    - 2 plants at full 250/250 (those 2 will not start generating energy every second until they get their energy reduced below the maximum capacity)

    Each Water Filtration Machine spends 51 energy/minute and each thermal plant gives around 60 energy/minute so you need:

    a) 2 Water Filtration Machines scenario
    2 thermal plants (=120 energy/minute) to power 2 water filtration machines (=102 energy/minute)
    So with 2 WFM, your total base power will reduce up to 750/1000 because then is when your second thermal plant starts generating energy

    b) 4 Water Filtration Machines scenario
    4 thermal plants (=240 energy/minute) to power 4 water filtration machines (=204 energy/minute)
    In this case your total power will go down to 250/1000 because then is when your fourth termal plant starts working
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  • RocketRocket Join Date: 2018-01-14 Member: 235036Members
    Blrg wrote: »
    Fathom explained it perfectly.
    Power plants don't produce energy depending on your total base capacity, but on their individual capacity. And they get depleted 1 by 1.
    It is weird, but it is not a bug

    Go to your Thermal Plants and look at them 1 by 1. When you have 2 Water Filtration Machines, you will see that you have:
    - 1 plant indicating 0/250
    - 1 plant fluctuating around 248/250
    - 2 plants at full 250/250 (those 2 will not start generating energy every second until they get their energy reduced below the maximum capacity)

    Each Water Filtration Machine spends 51 energy/minute and each thermal plant gives around 60 energy/minute so you need:

    a) 2 Water Filtration Machines scenario
    2 thermal plants (=120 energy/minute) to power 2 water filtration machines (=102 energy/minute)
    So with 2 WFM, your total base power will reduce up to 750/1000 because then is when your second thermal plant starts generating energy

    b) 4 Water Filtration Machines scenario
    4 thermal plants (=240 energy/minute) to power 4 water filtration machines (=204 energy/minute)
    In this case your total power will go down to 250/1000 because then is when your fourth termal plant starts working

    Thank you.
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  • authorizeduserauthorizeduser Join Date: 2018-01-24 Member: 235663Members
    It would be cool if we could add banks of power cells to our habitat and have power sources contribute their power to those banks, instead of delivering power directly to devices. Also, a circuit breaker that allows you to connect power sources and devices to different circuits and assign priorities would be sweet.
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  • Racer1Racer1 Join Date: 2002-11-22 Member: 9615Members
    UWE had "Accumulators" for this exact purpose at one time. I guess they were cut because they weren't technically needed. Still, would have been nice.
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  • DrownedOutDrownedOut Habitat Join Date: 2016-05-26 Member: 217559Members
    I hope they get added back in for backup energy. "Not technically needed" doesn't mean "not another way to fancy up your base and feel like you're making progress". Plus, I rather like the design.
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