Feedback on Electricity - additonal in-game information needed

[___Ohr___]

Hey guys,

did now play twice with the new update #05 up to night 10 using electricity. Took me quiet a while and a lot of reading in the forum to figure out how power computation is intended to work - still, my electronic set-up keeps exploding once I use something more demanding than simple Pendolums, etc. Since the power computation isn't easy to understand I would recommend adding more information about it in-game to help players do the math.

E.g. traps and power equipment currently describe their power requirements with only 3 simple numbers having no units at all. Without external information the user is completely lost on how to do the computation for a proper power set-up that doesn't explode.

I know that we're talking about an early access game so no fully polished guides, etc. should be expected but a bit more in-game information on how to use the game mechanic would be very helpful.

Cheers

[___Ohr___]

Let me add an example to showcase where my confusion is coming from. ;-)

An unupgraded battery can deliver 500 (something) safely, actually it can do more but will explode then. Connect it to 3 miniguns through a power distributor (the tower). The miniguns claim to need only 30 (something) so I would naivly assume that

3x30 < 500 is ok for my set-up.

However, once they start firing the battery will explode. Reading in the forum reveals that the 30 (something) is actually meant to be counted per attack/shot. Fair enough, but how often does a trap attack per which unit? I saw someone commenting here that the minigun can fire up to 11 times per second. Which would change the equation to

3x 30 x 11/s > 500

While this now could explain the exploding battery it still doesn't tell me how to do the math correctly since the 500 is given without unit. Is it per second? Or maybe per game tick? If so, how often does a trap attack per game tick?

[Zero]

Electricity? How? By Moksha ex machina is a great help in the Guides section.

I have no experience with the minigun but I would assume its like the other traps and that the activation cost is triggered 1 per second. In that one second it very well may fire 11 rounds.

Also I do believe the units of measure are kilowatts(kw) as show in the trap controller screen. So a minigun uses 10 kw/s in standby and 30 kw/s while firing. Wind turbines generate 25 kw/s and so on etc.

[MEG]

If your devices explode ... the only reason is, that you are lack of energy! This means, your devices talke MORE out, than you PUT IN! So you have to establish more Windmills for exampe, or even a bike to do it yourself.

[IrateQuaker]

Miniguns are no different than the other traps, they trigger usage when they fire otherwise sit on standby. Your batteries are exploding because they are sending more power than they are rated for (battery = 500 E/s, Upgraded 2.5k E/s). From your comment you just need to upgrade your batteries, but all of them, not just one

[dcy665]

We have already seen some solutions to this; Moksha, Drchrisms for starters. I believe aaron, rats I don't recall his handle, he has some posts on his experience being a newbie and using Electricity for the first time.

Minigun turret uses 30. Units don't matter, but it fires multiple bullets and can easily hit >500 when target is in line of sight.

You setup is woefully under prepared.

In the future: set up the weapon you are focusing on by connecting it to ONE trap controller. Have nothing else connected to the trap controller. Then enable animals, or light zombies. You can stand by it, turn it on when something is close enough, and watch the load.

Which is how I watched my first minigun go over 500. Three running, yep, gonna blow.

Note: I have not redone this experiment since initial release. I know there have been tweaks in hot fixes, but have not tracked exactly what they are.

[deddy]

30 is the standby power just for being turned on. The mortar uses 150 per shot . I haven't used the minigun but assume the power requirement is similar.

[Shadowrun]

i blew a circuit firing 2 miniguns. well it blew the switch which has a 500 E/s limit. the miniguns, when both firing, are easily going over 600 E/s by themselves, depending on your framerate, mine is low ( i play at 15 FPS usually), and mine were firing off 2 rounds a second easily. you wouldn't think so but the minigun is a power hungry gun

[deddy]

Originally posted by aaron.mann:

i blew a circuit firing 2 miniguns. well it blew the switch which has a 500 E/s limit. the miniguns, when both firing, are easily going over 600 E/s by themselves, depending on your framerate, mine is low ( i play at 15 FPS usually), and mine were firing off 2 rounds a second easily. you wouldn't think so but the minigun is a power hungry gun

Whenever I use it I plan on putting it on it's own circuit. Right now the copper for ammo is too expensive as I build up the base.

[Shadowrun]

i'm not even using the miniguns right now. i am however trying to build a larger power plant so maybe some time in the future?