Lights suck too much power!

[Benzin]

According to the wiki, a single floodlight or searchlight consumes 60 energy per minute. While a Thermal power plant, placed on a place with a temperature of 71º (wich is hard to do), produces 60.7 energy per minute.

So basically, a single light requires a whole thermal reactor just to keep it powered???

No wonder i can never balance the energy on my bases if i place lights on them.
I love having my bases well lit, but this is just ridiculous!

Lately i been placing exterior growbeds with kelp on them to provide lightning instead of using lightbulbs, but its cumbersome and requires the seeds, titanium, a place to build, etc.
Like so:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1323089767

I really hope the devs balance this out. Either dramatically reduce the power usage of lights, to say 10 per minute, or multiply the power output of generators.

[Chibi Life]

It is awful. The only way to deal with it is to find a place to build that has a ton of thermal power for you to use. After I built 10 thermal plants my light problems went away forever.

[Benzin]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Mistress of Boredom:

It is awful. The only way to deal with it is to find a place to build that has a ton of thermal power for you to use. After I built 10 thermal plants my light problems went away forever.

It is awful indeed! it seems that in the far future, humanity discarded led and flourecent light sources, and went back in incandecent ones!

Just imagine, if i have a large base, and i want 10 lights, i need TEN generators, only fo rhte lights? its just silly!

[kwong20287]

Works fine if you got a generator that uses renewable energy. I got 2 spotlights and 1 floodlight with 4 solar panels.

[Ishan451]

Plant a creepvine on the outside. Costs no energy and is bright as the sun. You'll even have space to plant a tigerplant next to it to keep critters away from home.

[ImHelping]

They finally made it so light sticks have a permanent battery, so while base lighting is still an absolute joke ("It's okay so long as you use a volcano to power a 40 watt bulb!") there are a few options to deal with this longstanding shortfall.

Can't let essentially cosmetic only lights simply not drain power, it would be too casual! Or some other excuse answer.

[OverwatchJunky]

This is what I usually do when I want to have a power surplus early game. Uses a lot of copper ore and titanium but it gives you are least 1000 power to work with in case you want a lot of lighting lol
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/916918533098481916/84FA0A1796CE0B6C06F7EC65291478549C614A23/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/916918533098482363/FD3FA487156FFA142973B25C4D32B25D2A81869B/

[DonJuanDoja]

It probably does use too much but my bases are usually overpowered eventually anyways with multiple powersources.

Nuclear really solved my problems I just had to get over using the glass for it. Once I started really going after quartz I had more than I could use.

Still though, if it really does take 1 whole thermal plant to power a single light that's crazy.

[ImHelping]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από DonJuanDoja:

It probably does use too much but my bases are usually overpowered eventually anyways with multiple powersources.

Nuclear really solved my problems I just had to get over using the glass for it. Once I started really going after quartz I had more than I could use.

Still though, if it really does take 1 whole thermal plant to power a single light that's crazy.

Honestly it's down to the "Haha, constant power drain!" in a game where only one power source is fully self sustanining. You could cut the power drain of lights in half and the same underlying problem would remain.

If the wiki is still up to date, a single spotlight (and floodlight) takes "3 energy every 3 seconds, of 60 power per minute".

Roughly 1 energy per second sounds like nothing much, if you have no idea what you are doing. Turn on all your lights in your house and leave them on all day every day, because heeeeey lights don't take up that much power! Stop complaining about that power bill, don't you know the power plant has more electricty where that came from?

A solar panel has a max capacity of 75. So you need multiple, full charged solar panels, to run a SINGLE light during the night. And that's if there is literally nothing else draining power fromy your base.

A bio reactor works at night. But has a slow as mollases power output of 25 energy per minute. That 500 max capacity is because they are glorified back up batteries that only help if your base sits quietly using zero power for long stretches at a time. (Think about that every time someone brags about how the can tooootally run water filtration machines that needs 2,350 energy for a single 15 minute cycle, with only one bio reactors.)

So if you install even a single light, you are in permanent drain land. A single light in the long run is worse than ten water filtration machines, because at least eventually the water filtration machines will STOP..

The power system in Subnautica has always been "Enough to get the job done". And stuff like this is an interesting case study in complacancy and being willing to excuse awkward design because eventually you can throw enough materials at it to forget the problem exists.

Yeah, and eventualy you can build a rocket. Fat lot of good that does you most of the game huh.

[Alkpaz]

60% of your power bill comes from the AC unit.. which is why you dump the AC and get a window unit.

[ImHelping]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Alkpaz:

60% of your power bill comes from the AC unit.. which is why you dump the AC and get a window unit.

Somehow, I knew someone would dive for that sidetrack and break their nose on the goalpost in their rush.

[Benzin]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από ImHelping:

They finally made it so light sticks have a permanent battery, so while base lighting is still an absolute joke ("It's okay so long as you use a volcano to power a 40 watt bulb!") there are a few options to deal with this longstanding shortfall.

Can't let essentially cosmetic only lights simply not drain power, it would be too casual! Or some other excuse answer.

Light sticks huh? ibe played almost 200hrs of this game, and i have never crafted one! but using them to light up my base is very interesting!
And i understand you can just "plant" them wherever you want? Now its only a matter of how large an area they illuminate.
I will do some experimentation.
Im off to craft a truckload of light sticks! haha

[ImHelping]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Benzin:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από ImHelping:

They finally made it so light sticks have a permanent battery, so while base lighting is still an absolute joke ("It's okay so long as you use a volcano to power a 40 watt bulb!") there are a few options to deal with this longstanding shortfall.

Can't let essentially cosmetic only lights simply not drain power, it would be too casual! Or some other excuse answer.

Light sticks huh? ibe played almost 200hrs of this game, and i have never crafted one! but using them to light up my base is very interesting!
And i understand you can just "plant" them wherever you want? Now its only a matter of how large an area they illuminate.
I will do some experimentation.
Im off to craft a truckload of light sticks! haha

Yes, they do double as a placeable object. Though I've yet to try to put them on top of a base room oddly enough, hopefully that works.

Most people ignored them for the simmilar issue of draining battery making them a moot point. It was relativly close to launch when they finally got fixed.

Bonus, the Devs once said "But they shouldn't be draining battery! We changed the code so it doesn't do that!" and it proceeded to remain a battery draining object for months to come. Kind of taking the wind out from under the sails of getting it fixed by launch.

QA to take 10 seconds to confirm if an object drains power is hard!

[Antarata]

To put 60 power per minute into perspective, a fabricator (constant use) uses more, and a water filtration machine is WAY more power hungry. Battery and power cell chargers use less, but not by too much.

These aren't hard research and data, but personal experience and observations.

[Benzin]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από ImHelping:

Yes, they do double as a placeable object. Though I've yet to try to put them on top of a base room oddly enough, hopefully that works.

Most people ignored them for the simmilar issue of draining battery making them a moot point. It was relativly close to launch when they finally got fixed.

Bonus, the Devs once said "But they shouldn't be draining battery! We changed the code so it doesn't do that!" and it proceeded to remain a battery draining object for months to come. Kind of taking the wind out from under the sails of getting it fixed by launch.

QA to take 10 seconds to confirm if an object drains power is hard!

Ok, i built some and gave them a try...
First bad news is, you cant place them above any kind of structure. Only on the ground.
Second bad news is, that if there is an obstacle on the ground (grass or whatever), they show almost no light at all (wich is understandable i guess).
And finally, the light they produce is... underwhelming.
Check it out, there are quite a few of them:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1323904289

while its better than darkness, the light they produce is significantly less than a regular light.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1323916229

[Benzin]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Antarata:

To put 60 power per minute into perspective, a fabricator (constant use) uses more, and a water filtration machine is WAY more power hungry. Battery and power cell chargers use less, but not by too much.

These aren't hard research and data, but personal experience and observations.

I dont know how much appliances use, but lets say they consume more, the deal here is that a fabricator you use for a few seconds, lights are a constant, 24/7 drain.