Crystal Farming

[HumanDecoy]

Any idea how you get crystal farming? I've researched power cell manufacture which says you open crystal farming but they do not appear in my farming menu as a crop.

[76561199056944839]

Hey OP!

You should unlock it automatically when you research the correct technology. Did you continue an old save or start a new save? And are you playing with any mods?

[Necromancyr]

Crystals seem broken. They get damaged sub freezing, so if you get a few coldsnaps your entire field goes poof. Basically making it impossible to make weapons. Disappointing overall.

[Actual Malice]

Not to mention there is a 24-day growing period, which means your crop must be planted in spring if that crop is not to go "poof." Twenty-four days is notable because most crops take from five (hay) to eight days (clothblossom, shrooms, etc.). But given that prolonged growing period and the prospect of poofing after a few cold snaps, practically speaking that means you can't produce power cells the first year at all, because it is impossible to "research the correct technology" in time.

That's not right.

[Mnementh]

Originally posted by Necromancyr:

Crystals seem broken. They get damaged sub freezing, so if you get a few coldsnaps your entire field goes poof. Basically making it impossible to make weapons. Disappointing overall.

Hi, Necromancyr!

It was not our intention for the energy crystals to die too easily. Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We are going to investigate the cause of the problem.

[Actual Malice]

It's not just that energy crystals die or cannot be planted during winter -- most crops do that, although a perfectly fine solution would be to make energy crystals one of those that are unaffected by winter.

But if you do not change the harsh effect of winter on the crop, then the problem becomes the extended growing period. Slamming that crop in the ground in the early spring should not involve holding your breath until fall to see if you beat the weather, (I grew up in farm country and do understand that that is every farmer's dilemma irl. Those farmers don't need railguns to beat back hordes of large shriekers, though.)

Even if the crop is successful, it won't be coming in until late in your second year.

Scavenging, even with all its randomness, is a more viable option for obtaining power cells than growing energy crystals. How crazy is that?

[mcluod]

The very long growth period and the high amounts needed for building a powercell makes crystals basically useless. On a desert map I never got the crystals ready to harvest despite fertilizing. On regular maps they aren't ready until year 3 or so.
By that time chances are I already scavenged a ton of them. Also once I have the orbital radio I can request some.
My suggestions: Drop the requirements for power cells to 20 or 10 crystals so you don't need huge fields. And make it so that the grow faster when it's hot, maybe even a growth spur during a heatwave (did none of you ever grow a salt crystal on the windows sill as a kid by hanging a thread from a pencil into a glass full of salt water ? They grow through sunlight).

[cephalod]

Originally posted by JensErik_Frontier:

Hey OP!

You should unlock it automatically when you research the correct technology. Did you continue an old save or start a new save? And are you playing with any mods?

I was about to continue an older save game, now having the same issue the OP did mention. Save for the fact that my stockpile of CPU cores almost became pointless, and save for the fact that I used to be able craft power cells, having researched Power Cell Assembly quite a while ago:

I can not plant Energy Crystals at all.

Any advise?

[OKOK]

Why u need to plant if u can buy weapons directly. It not like u need to make any weapons in trading scenarios

[wcbarney]

Originally posted by OKOK:

Why u need to plant if u can buy weapons directly. It not like u need to make any weapons in trading scenarios

Yeah, if you've got the Glacticoins to buy weapons, then go for it! In my trading games so far I hardly ever had nearly enough money to buy weapons, and found damned few weapons from scavenging either.

[Jumbo Shrimp]

There is a better way:

When weapons (or clothes) are very damaged, in the red, just replace them with fresh weapon at full strength. And dismantle the old weapon, which will return the components.

New weapon can be constructed with the same components including Power Cell. So eventually, you will not need massive amounts of Crystal.

[wcbarney]

Originally posted by Jumbo Shrimp:

There is a better way:

When weapons (or clothes) are very damaged, in the red, just replace them with fresh weapon at full strength. And dismantle the old weapon, which will return the components.

New weapon can be constructed with the same components including Power Cell. So eventually, you will not need massive amounts of Crystal.

Excellent advice. In my last trading scenario game, it was over two years before anyone had a weapon except Ken, who scavenged the only laser pistol in the area. It was, literally, years before I had enough material to assemble electronics, then grow crystals to assemble power cells, before I could manufacture another weapon.

[Gurgle]

My military base game map doesnt even have these crystals.. would be nice to get seeds from mission or something atleast.

[wcbarney]

Originally posted by Gurgle:

My military base game map doesnt even have these crystals.. would be nice to get seeds from mission or something atleast.

As I understand it, you don't have to "observe" the crystals in the wild; you just have to complete the research for power cells -- and then you can plant crystals.

[Actual Malice]

Originally posted by Gurgle:

My military base game map doesnt even have these crystals.. would be nice to get seeds from mission or something atleast.

Maybe you are talking about something different, but the capability to grow energy crystals unlocks when you research power cells, unless energy crystals are among the Farm crops already enabled when you arrive. (Not sure what the algorithm is for already available crops when you first land in the military and trading scenarios, so energy crystals at the outset might or might not be a thing.) Energy crystals are never "observable" on the map.

In the notes for the March 24th update, the devs suggest the possibility that energy crystals (along with mulchtubes, buzzshrooms, etc.) can be gathered on expeditions.

[Seelander]

Originally posted by Actual Malice:

It's not just that energy crystals die or cannot be planted during winter -- most crops do that, although a perfectly fine solution would be to make energy crystals one of those that are unaffected by winter.

But if you do not change the harsh effect of winter on the crop, then the problem becomes the extended growing period. Slamming that crop in the ground in the early spring should not involve holding your breath until fall to see if you beat the weather, (I grew up in farm country and do understand that that is every farmer's dilemma irl. Those farmers don't need railguns to beat back hordes of large shriekers, though.)

Even if the crop is successful, it won't be coming in until late in your second year.

Scavenging, even with all its randomness, is a more viable option for obtaining power cells than growing energy crystals. How crazy is that?

Recommend to dismantle your laser pike or something with a battery, to unlock battery crafting research so you can get quick access to chrystals, then prio that research so you can plant on day 4. Plant plenty.