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Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:28 pm
by Nightskies
Just tested a spaceport with no energy collectors and 7 basic reactors and torpedoes in every slot. 0 Caslon.
It doesn't generate any power whatsoever, and doesn't fire at all. Conversely, one with a single basic reactor (enough to cover static energy as design requires) and enough collectors to power combat operation does indeed operate at full capacity...
Here is station with energy collectors firing torpedoes (those little yellow dots to the right of it), it is firing continuously.

- Pew pew energy.png (837.73 KiB) Viewed 829 times
Each torpedo shot requires 28 energy- from the screenshot alone, you can tell it must have recharged energy after firing at least 3 shots (84 energy out of 90 max, but station has much more than 6 energy)
Did the test again just for images

Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:55 pm
by Jorgen_CAB
Nightskies wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:28 pm
Just tested a spaceport with no energy collectors and 7 basic reactors and torpedoes in every slot. 0 Caslon.
It doesn't generate any power whatsoever, and doesn't fire at all. Conversely, one with a single basic reactor (enough to cover static energy as design requires) and enough collectors to power combat operation does indeed operate at full capacity...
Here is station with energy collectors firing torpedoes (those little yellow dots to the right of it), it is firing continuously.
Pew pew energy.png
Each torpedo shot requires 28 energy- from the screenshot alone, you can tell it must have recharged energy after firing at least 3 shots (84 energy out of 90 max, but station has much more than 6 energy)
Did the test again just for images
Yes... that is how it seems to work... to be honest I don't think this is intended behaviour. But only the developers can explain if that is the case... why do you even need the reactor to power the static in the first place... that is what the energy collectors are for. They should make sure a stationary object cover their static energy draw.
This make no sense what so every and is not how they worked in Universe as far as I know.
Again I could be dead wrong though... I guess it need the reactor to power the at least the static and then there is enough energy in the reactor storage to power the weapons and then the energy collectors power up the reactor and fills the storage instead of the fuel. The energy collectors continually power the reactor to cover the static energy consumption.
Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:26 pm
by Nightskies
I also vaguely recall that they worked as you describe in DWU. Regarding intended behavior... it could be a mere oversight to have not disabled collectors during combat for DW2. They are expressly solar arrays. By logic, they would be retracted during combat. In DWU, they also generated energy proportional to the distance to the star.
Still, remember this whole 0 fuel station thing is a patch fix to the Caslon problem with colonies getting little that arose for who knows what reason.
Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:34 pm
by Jorgen_CAB
Nightskies wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:26 pm
I also vaguely recall that they worked as you describe in DWU. Regarding intended behavior... it could be a mere oversight to have not disabled collectors during combat for DW2. They are expressly solar arrays. By logic, they would be retracted during combat. In DWU, they also generated energy proportional to the distance to the star.
Still, remember this whole 0 fuel station thing is a patch fix to the Caslon problem with colonies getting little that arose for who knows what reason.
I you try to look at it realistically... it is as if you have a powerful diesel engine (reactor) burning fuel to get energy and then you also have solar panel that collect energy from the sun. If the solar panel collect all the energy you need you only need to turn on the diesel engine (reactor) if the panels are disabled or does not work.
You also have a battery that can store energy, in the game this is linked to the reactor. Anything on your ship/station always draw energy from the battery and you can either charge it with the solar panels or the reactor... realistically you should be able to use them both.
You also should not technically need the reactor at all only the energy storage facility part of the reactor.
Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:18 pm
by Ax
I think this double function of the reactor as both production and storage of energy is the solution here.
Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:12 pm
by Ax
Ships that are out of fuel can still limp along at low speeds. I wonder if this is some kind of undocumented phantom power generation?
Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:30 pm
by AKicebear
Ax wrote: Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:12 pm
Ships that are out of fuel can still limp along at low speeds. I wonder if this is some kind of undocumented phantom power generation?
I think this is intended behavior.
Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 4:04 pm
by zgrssd
Ax wrote: Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:12 pm
Ships that are out of fuel can still limp along at low speeds. I wonder if this is some kind of undocumented phantom power generation?
Very much intended behavior. The Refueling Routines are nowhere near reliable enough to make ships out of fuel stuck in place.
Re: fuel cells on space ports
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:43 am
by Ax
Refuelling is working very well for me, no problems there. I'm so tired of ppl projecting their failures into fictitious bugs. Of course the ships need to have some method to limp along as you're not gonna have tankers for a while until researched, and then there are usually not enough of them.
The point was rather that this phantom power generation may also 'vbeen fudging the fuel calculations above, if it kicks in everytime the fuel tanks are dry?