How viable is running utilities under paths?

[TheApocosmith]

I had seen in videos that people would run their utilities all over or would put their factories on green tiles, wasting space for trees or food production. I had the same idea everyone else did to solve this problem, at about the same time: dynamite the pathways to run utilities under them. I have done this to my main pathway between the district center and the river, but my city layout was well established by the time I got the explosives factory, let alone produced enough explosives to run utilities under paths. It seems like a wasted effort.

There is another, more useful bit. On the other side of the river, I ran an irrigation channel through the land to turn much of it green and allow a new district to take over a majority of the food production for other districts. I think that since this district was not developed before the channel was placed, that it was more useful.

Has anyone else found good use out of this method?

P.S. I also ran platforms on top of the utility path with roofs over top. It looks good and the beavers who use this path are quite happy with the shade.

Edit: It seems like most everyone here simply puts all powered buildings next to each other or runs power over top, but what about water? I like to think that making the map mostly green is a good goal.

[WhosYourDaddy]

My solution is to run utilities above instead of below. I put raised paths and run all my power overhead leaving the ground clear for paths or buildings or whatever. They never seem to mind the shade as you pointed out.

[TheApocosmith]

Originally posted by WhosYourDaddy:

My solution is to run utilities above instead of below. I put raised paths and run all my power overhead leaving the ground clear for paths or buildings or whatever. They never seem to mind the shade as you pointed out.

The shade was more of a reference to the roof bonus.

One thing I did discover while trying to run the utilities under the town is that it has destroyed the efficiency of my water wheel setup. If you do decide to run under, definitely make sure the power shaft comes later in the stream than the wheels. It's gonna take me a bit to figure this setup out properly. Above is probably easier, cheaper, and faster. But under might look better.

[aaror]

I use above, for a few reasons, most of which you two covered. But the other reason to like above is if you use windmills. You know how you can't place a windmill next to a building? The shape of the windmill for purposes of collision is 1x1 for a bit under 1 block high, then it is 3x3. If you put a windmill up one block it will be above most buildings and you can basically build next to them. Obviously stepping it down is a 1 block item, but since all buildings transmit power you can put a 2 story building to grab power from your second story gear network and get it to your factories that way.

[Maehlice]

I basically don't run utilities at all. Since most buildings can transfer power both vertically and horizontally, creative stacking and occasional single cross-path links is all you need.

[City Builder]

I run power on platforms when I'm running thru the town to things like the monument that needs power or to wheat grinders if I want them close to the fields.

[Nichodemous]

I haven't tried it yet, I wonder if you could run power shafts in a channel, put roads over it with platforms and then fill the channel up with water. I've been running water under my roads for a bit now.

[Momaw Nadon]

I've been playing around with running my power lines down the main river and my large built canals, in a 1 tile deep trench down the center. I've been locating all my power buildings along the waters edge, trying to go for a more cleaner look and spread my district out into small hamlets instead of one large core area. All my districts share power, which I assume most of us here do as well? It was a real "aha!" moment when I learned it was a thing.

[aaror]

Originally posted by Nichodemous:

I haven't tried it yet, I wonder if you could run power shafts in a channel, put roads over it with platforms and then fill the channel up with water. I've been running water under my roads for a bit now.

Water and gearshafts can share space (I run my power along the sea floor in the 1000 islands map), so I don't see why not.

[TheApocosmith]

Originally posted by Nichodemous:

I haven't tried it yet, I wonder if you could run power shafts in a channel, put roads over it with platforms and then fill the channel up with water. I've been running water under my roads for a bit now.

If you already have water under your roads, then this would be easy to install. just change your build layer view to allow you to see under your roads and you're good to build as many power shafts as you please!

Edit: This is what I have been trying to implement for a while, but it can be difficult to do without rebuilding your town and moving all of your production buildings off of green space by your farms.

[TheApocosmith]

Originally posted by Momaw Nadon:

I've been playing around with running my power lines down the main river and my large built canals, in a 1 tile deep trench down the center. I've been locating all my power buildings along the waters edge, trying to go for a more cleaner look and spread my district out into small hamlets instead of one large core area. All my districts share power, which I assume most of us here do as well? It was a real "aha!" moment when I learned it was a thing.

I have been trying, but the map I play does not make it easy. The only way to bring power through a mountain is to move the mountain or bring the power up using a 2x4 wide layout of platforms and shafts. Quite expensive.

[crowtalker]

In my builds, I have observed that the bigger the object placed the bigger the difference in flow physics. In a single square "river" path, placing a platform has little effect. Placing a gear inside the platform will slow water down. The water "path" method should only be used for irrigation/gears and not for production of power.

[krunjar]

There's a lot of factors. I mean green land is important but it isn't everything. If putting your factories on a little green land that you don't really need improves your production significantly it's a decent tradeoff. At a certain point once you have the water on the map tamed you can always make more green land. And if you fill up the map hey .. you're done.