Solar Panels on a Submarine

[Winter]

Okay, sure it sounds like a joke involving a screen door, but when futzing around outfitting my Cyclops, I wondered if I could build a solar panel on the roof of my Cyclops and potentially use it to recharge the two AAA size batteries it seems to run off. I figure, I do some exploring, the batteries start getting low, so I take her to the surface and let the solar panels recharge.

Seemed sound in theory and it would save me constantly traipsing about for quartz, mushrooms and copper to keep making new power cells every twenty minutes and it would fit with my personal phylosiphy with this game of trying to be eco freindly as I can be and have renewable energy on my electricity guzzling Sub.

Evedently the solar panels are made from ultra dense materials, because as I built one on my sub, finding a green spot on my sub's roof, the thing instantly sank like a rock and controls would not respond at all untill I removed the solar panel.

Obviously the game doesn't support this yet, but I can't be the only one who has thought of or even tried this since solar panels were introduced. Please devs, give us some means of keeping our Cyclopses charged up, without strip mining the ocean for copper and quartz and harvesting the acid mushroom to extinction. A docking point at bases where they can charge up off base solar power, or some means of recharging depleted power cells, so we can swap out the used up ones and plug them in to charge while we use the fresh ones.

[Pooter]

makes sense - too bad this isnt in the game yet...

[Swedneck]

Eeh this is in the game, now sure if it's in the stable build but it is in experimental..

[NoOblet]

my batteries never run out for some reason

[ShadowAngel]

Originally posted by NoOblet:

my batteries never run out for some reason

Probably because you play in exploration mode.

[Khelonos]

Originally posted by Winter:

... I can't be the only one who has thought of or even tried this since solar panels were introduced....

http://subnautica.wikia.com/wiki/File:Solar_Panel_6.jpg

Originally posted by Winter:

Please devs, give us some means of keeping our Cyclopses charged up, without strip mining the ocean for copper and quartz and harvesting the acid mushroom to extinction.

Definitely needed and I think it's coming. There's 3 new power generators in the works - bioreactor, thermal plant, nuclear reactor.

[Winter]

Originally posted by n13green:

Originally posted by Winter:

... I can't be the only one who has thought of or even tried this since solar panels were introduced....

http://subnautica.wikia.com/wiki/File:Solar_Panel_6.jpg

Originally posted by Winter:

Please devs, give us some means of keeping our Cyclopses charged up, without strip mining the ocean for copper and quartz and harvesting the acid mushroom to extinction.

Definitely needed and I think it's coming. There's 3 new power generators in the works - bioreactor, thermal plant, nuclear reactor.

My question, is why didn't that sub sink like mine did with only one solar panel on it. I suspect witchcraft. Its deffinately interesting to know that newer power plants are coming, but it still doesn't answer the problem of having to constantly replace power cells.

Even with the power upgrade module (Many thanks to Jack Septic Eye on Youtube for getting us that BTW), the power runs down frighteningly fast, especially if you park up your Seamoth in it with a nearly depleted battery, which can drain almost 10% of your subs power to recharge.

To me, the Cyclops is a mobile base, freeing you to move about with all he facilities of your static base, but while it is still dependent of powercells, it ultimately comes down to being a big suit of armour to protect you from the Reapers.

[Caligula]

Well said Winter, that's exactly what I use it for. After I build the Cyclops, the only thing I ever use it for it making my way to the Aurora to repair the reactor. After that I just park it at my base and use it to recharge my Seamoth.

It's a real pity that it isn't more viable. I would have no problem using it after putting the the power module, but late-game quartz is just so damn rare, I can't justify depleting it just to keep the Cyclops running.

[Winter]

It seems the issue of quartz availability has been addressed to a degree, since exploring the new underwater islands biome and finding it very rich in crystals of all kinds, with extensive clusters of quartz, lithium and even diamond, although at present the only thing the diamond can be used for is making your diamond knife at the workbench.

That said, I don't recall finding any mushrooms or copper there, so it still requires signifigant detours to gather everything you need if another biome has been depleted, but I do beleive resources respawn after a time.