What is the point of the Arc Furnace 2?

[Sarda]

It takes more advanced materials to build then a 1 and it then requires more then double the workers, water AND requires computing power with it's only benefit being it gives a pitiful amount of steam. Just running the computer power will make it cost more overall in energy then the tiny amount saved on paper. I can't fathom any situation where you wouldn't just build 2 AF1's and call it a day.

[Tankfriend]

When I checked just now, Arc Furnace 1 can only produce silicon, while Arc Furnace 2 can produce any furnace recipe, so can be used to replace conventional blast furnaces.

[Sarda]

I should have mentioned I was referring to them making Silicon, but even then I'm skeptical you'd want a Arc Furnace 2 over a Blast Furnace 2. That's basically 2 MW vs 0 MW and coal is much easier to obtain and use then going thru all the effort of making Graphite and such.

[Tankfriend]

Graphite can be made directly from CO2 in the late game, so it's not actually that much of an effort. Besides combining it with hydrogen into fuel gas, it's also the only actual use of the stuff.

[Ruges]

If your using solar power and arc2. and smelting recycled. your not mining any resources for that production line.

[click]

I think the only real benefit is that it produces more for a smaller footprint. So if space is a concern then its a good option otherwise I would go with lower tier and boost them.

[Southside]

Originally posted by freshly snipes:

I think the only real benefit is that it produces more for a smaller footprint. So if space is a concern then its a good option otherwise I would go with lower tier and boost them.

footprint is identical.

Originally posted by Sarda:

I should have mentioned I was referring to them making Silicon, but even then I'm skeptical you'd want a Arc Furnace 2 over a Blast Furnace 2. That's basically 2 MW vs 0 MW and coal is much easier to obtain and use then going thru all the effort of making Graphite and such.

That's not going to work anymore. With the next patch, which is already available on experimental, this will be adjusted.


The biggest advantage is the lower exhaust emissions. The difference is enormous, especially for large-scale production. Sure, you can filter that, at least most of it. But then it still makes a difference whether you have to filter three times the amount.

But the advantages could be better, for example in the number of workers. In my last game it was worth the effort to switch to Arc Furnace 2 just because of the exhaust fumes, all 80 of them. Everything that affects the health of the pops also directly affects the Unity production.

[Varenvel The Festive Dinosaur]

Originally posted by Tankfriend:

Graphite can be made directly from CO2 in the late game, so it's not actually that much of an effort. Besides combining it with hydrogen into fuel gas, it's also the only actual use of the stuff.

if you looked it processes 2x amount of silicon in same amount of time and uses less recources( less carbon) so technicaly it uses less electricity per recource cycle

it also makes steam , i pump all my low steam to get cheap/free water from desalination so i can supply city with free water (as most reservuars are already a bit overused for industry/nuclear power so cant tap into them more or they dry up)

lower exoust benefits are nothing as by that point you will be using scrubbers to make free sulfur/carbon rods

you should alweys have toggled that production dysplays in 60's/cycle , its easier to see benefits of diffrent processes and recepies

[Sarda]

Originally posted by Varenvel The Festive Dinosaur:

Originally posted by Tankfriend:

Graphite can be made directly from CO2 in the late game, so it's not actually that much of an effort. Besides combining it with hydrogen into fuel gas, it's also the only actual use of the stuff.

if you looked it processes 2x amount of silicon in same amount of time and uses less recources( less carbon) so technicaly it uses less electricity per recource cycle

it also makes steam , i pump all my low steam to get cheap/free water from desalination so i can supply city with free water (as most reservuars are already a bit overused for industry/nuclear power so cant tap into them more or they dry up)

lower exoust benefits are nothing as by that point you will be using scrubbers to make free sulfur/carbon rods

you should alweys have toggled that production dysplays in 60's/cycle , its easier to see benefits of diffrent processes and recepies

There is no way when you factor in the tflop requirement and the water that it uses less energy, all your saving is 3 carbon rods and thats not worth the workers.