Is there an actual use to batteries

[Veylox]

I never really used any energy source apart from water, geothermal, and toxifiers, so I never used bateries. I heard they could explode during zzt events and that solar flares depleted them anyway making them useless as a back-up power source.

Is there any reason at all to use them along with stable energy sources ?

[Steelfleece]

Solar flares don't affect batteries, and zzzts can be partially countered with smart building.

Unless you have something with sporadic power requirements, though, batteries are really mainly for wind and solar setups.

[Raymond]

Originally posted by Steelfleece:

Solar flares don't affect batteries, and zzzts can be partially countered with smart building.

Unless you have something with sporadic power requirements, though, batteries are really mainly for wind and solar setups.

solar flare render all your electronic useless anyway, and "smart building" is just euphemism for hamstringing yourself.

[Steelfleece]

Originally posted by YariMurai:

Originally posted by Steelfleece:

Solar flares don't affect batteries, and zzzts can be partially countered with smart building.

Unless you have something with sporadic power requirements, though, batteries are really mainly for wind and solar setups.

solar flare render all your electronic useless anyway, and "smart building" is just euphemism for hamstringing yourself.

Solar flares affect the devices that use electricity, not the power sources. For those events, doesn't matter what power you use.

As far as smart building, using nonflammable walls and not going crazy with an abundance of batteries (just have a few spares charged and switched off the grid if required) isn't hamstringing.

[Morkonan]

Batteries are... batteries.

If you don't care to have any back-up power source, then you don't have to use them.

But, not using batteries is pretty unsmart.

"Stable" energy sources are generally not. By that, I mean Rimworld has a number of ways of upsetting things in the game the player thins are "stable." The game is based on not letting the player become overconfident...

Zzzt events occur in conduit segments, each having a chance of experiencing one. Batteries, themselves, can only zzt/short if exposed to water. Each battery connected to a conduit path when a segment on that path Zzzts contributes to the overall power-discharge, explosion. A conduit connected directly to the battery could Zzzt and the resulting explosion effect a battery.

I always use at least three batteries in a switched, connected, bank, no matter how many power sources I have.

Whoever you heard that said batteries were useless as a back-up power source is... not someone that you should be taking advice from. (Though, always ask what mods they use, since the only generally true advice possible is in reference to the vanilla game.)

Note: Batteries are also nice to have for hastily placed defensive turrets. You can reinstall a battery and turret configuration and connect them with a couple of conduits and a switch where and when they're needed.

PS: I don't use any of the DLC. So, if that Toxifier is foolproof, then maybe you don't need any batteries. /shrug I'd hope that Ludeon wouldn't introduce mechanics that obsolete basic, strategically important, ones in the vanilla game, though.

[Astasia]

Toxifier generators have rendered solar/wind and batteries pretty much obsolete. The "downside" of batteries has always been a bit questionable, it's not particularly significant as the battery discharge explosion is fairly trivial even with over 100 full batteries, but you still have to deal with efficiency loss, constant power loss, and temporary downtime if the batteries discharge at a bad time (or added micro of multiple banks and switches). It was kind of the only option early game for a while, because wood generators are awful, but now with toxifier generators there's just no reason to ever use the unstable power sources (not cells) or batteries. I guess if you start on a 100% polluted map without flowing water then wind/solar might be required for a bit.

Geothermal and chemfuel have always been better replacements for solar/wind later in the game and by mid game you generally would have gotten rid of all batteries anyway. I have done bases that relied primarily on huge solar arrays and battery banks for RP reasons, it works, it's just not very efficient or practical.

Also, in regards to short circuit events, as long as your cables are under stone walls or better, it just doesn't matter. It's actually better if you have more than a certain number of batteries because if the explosion force is high enough it will not start any fires, it just does a small amount of "bomb" damage to things nearby. So batteries make the short circuit event less dangerous in a way, even if the intention is the opposite.

[The Yeen Queen]

I mean, I still toss a couple windmills up early game until I get toxifiers researched. So batteries are useful there. They're also useful if you overrun your power generation with power usage, giving you a bit of a buffer to catch the mistake and ramp up your generation before stuff starts flickering off. Or a little time to replace a generator of raiders manage to hit one because shtuff happens no matter how well planned you think your defenses are.

[MadArtillery]

Eh batteries are kinda crap. Only useful if you want to go solar and wind which usually isn't worth doing.

[di eshor ribly]

I keep a couple batteries around for their intended purpose: emergencies.

The only time I can think of that batteries are actually a required necessity is if you're running the Rimlaser mod. The laser turrets have to have a battery in your circuit or the turrets won't fire. It doesn't matter what kind of generator or network excess you have - no batteries no pew pew.

[nosedigger]

Hm, interesting discussion. Thanks Morkonan & Astasia on the good explanation. So...

I play without flowing water, with Tribe, so I'm at disadvantage tech wise. Usually after Complex furniture and Clothing, I go down the line of Electricity, then Cooling and Batteries afterwards. However, by reading all of this information, I do not understand why you get rid of all the batteries mid-late game ?

I run power lines (mostly) via walls or fence, but Zzzt event is (as explained) smaller explosion than a boomrat, and it's usually in Home zone, so it gets done with quickly.
However, I never get rid of batteries, they are my fail-safe power, being event or raid.

Until recently, I've dealt with deforester/psychic ships by moving my turrets in the range of mechanoids, build barricades and roof (it always rains to stop the spreading fire from the impact, but rain is no bueno for range weapons) and just bring fully loaded battery so the turrets gets juice.

As for drill mining, bringing and rotating batteries is just more micro and stuff to think about, so I always build power conduit to the mine place, and that's it. I do have an idea of assault with turrets and batteries brought by caravan, but then I just realized that Power Beam would do much more damage and it's already carried by warrior pawns.

Edit: I play Vanilla, no DLC or mods.

[Astasia]

I don't think there is any reason to have "failsafe" power because most of the things you are going to be powering aren't important to be on 24/7. If for some reason one of your geothermals is destroyed and your power was borderline before, then you just turn off the smelter and maybe have some lights flickering until you repair it. Like the only thing you really need to keep powered is your freezer and maybe your turrets if a raid is happening, flicking workbenches off in those rare cases is pretty easy. Batteries do have a small cost, can breakdown, waste a small amount of power constantly just by existing, and take up space. If I'm not relying on wind/solar for power then I just don't see any reason not to deconstruct them because I don't see any situation happening where they would be useful to keep around.

[Vermillion Cardinal]

I've almost no practical reason to use them (aside from the early game and for powering the occasional distant drill site) but I still seize any batteries I find in work site camps and hook them up to my power grid as trophies and for looks.

Underground power lines ensure that I never worry about zzzt events.

[Bosh]

Batteries are really only necessary if solar power is your main source of electricity.

[AldouzTek]

Originally posted by Bosh:

Batteries are really only necessary if solar power is your main source of electricity.

and wind.

[Antearz]

Originally posted by Veylox:

I never really used any energy source apart from water, geothermal, and toxifiers, so I never used bateries. I heard they could explode during zzt events and that solar flares depleted them anyway making them useless as a back-up power source.

Is there any reason at all to use them along with stable energy sources ?

Batteries have 2 Primary Uses.


1.
If You have no River on your Map. And your Geothermal Energy is not Sufficient.
Solar and Wind become the only Means of Producing Energy without a constant Draw on Ressources (Chemfuel/Wood) Or which Toxify the Area.
Solar and Wind however are not Stable. So You need Batteries for them.

This is usually only the case if You really want to go Super Big with your Base and thus Require Absurd amounts of Energy.
For example if You want to make a Big Base which is Fully AirConditioned and Defended by Large amounts of Automatic Turrets etc.

A Good Example for this is if You want to have a Large Colony of 30-50 People which are Transhumanist and thus You need alot of Biosculpting Pods and Neural Superchargers etc.
Which requires alot of Energy.

But dont want to constantly make Chemfuel or Constantly Deal with Toxic Waste.


2.
The other use is as Buffer for Energy Intensive Tasks on Low Wealth Runs.
This is the Polar Opposite of the Above. It means You want as Little Wealth as Possible.
So You dont Build Stable Energy Sources to Supply all your Workbenches etc.
You instead only Build Minimal Energy Sources and some Batteries.
And then only Turn on Workbenches when You actually want to use them.
Thus using Energy from Batteries while You actually do something. And when You dont do something. You just Shut it Off thus Your Batteries being able to Charge up.

Because having a Solar Panel and a Battery or Two to Run basicly only the Lights of your Place constantly.
And everything else only being Switched on if Used.
Is far less Wealth than Building several Geothermal Generators to have all of Your stuff constantly Running.





Beyond that there is also some Niche Uses.

For example to Power Independent Positions.
If for Example You want a Bunch of Turrets half the Map Away from Your Base and dont want to have it Connected and Draw Energy from Your Main Base.
(Because if You dont put a Battery there. Any Raider Cutting the Cable will make it useless and putting Batteries there means You risk Explosions in your Base from Stored Energy)
Then the Easiest way is to Put some Solar Panels and Batteries there to Power this Independent Turret Emplacement without it needing any Connection to Your Base and without it putting any Risk to your Base.

Or Using Batteries as Portable Energy Sources.
This is something You can do as well. You can put a Battery Down and Charge it up.
And when its Full You Pack it Up and then it can be taken along for Your Colonists to have an Energy Source Available in the Field.
For example to Power something while out in the Field like Deep Drills.
But also to have Colonists on Caravans Carry some Batteries and Turrets which they can then Throw down in Combat :)

[Veylox]

Originally posted by Night Foxx:

I mean, I still toss a couple windmills up early game until I get toxifiers researched. So batteries are useful there. They're also useful if you overrun your power generation with power usage, giving you a bit of a buffer to catch the mistake and ramp up your generation before stuff starts flickering off. Or a little time to replace a generator of raiders manage to hit one because shtuff happens no matter how well planned you think your defenses are.

Considering batteries are locked behind research you're better off researching toxifiers right away instead of researching + building stuff that's gonna be obsolete right after the next short research