Generator Heat Range doesn't seem worth it?

[Rox]

It feels much more efficient to use Steam Hubs. Am I doing something wrong or does this upgrade just stink?

[Tenshin51]

Agree steam hub is just so sufficient. I can cover the entire map w/ heat w/ steam hub but I do need to worry w/ my fertilizer melting.

[arnaud_defrance]

It's cost much less coal than steam hubs, especially for houses that need to be heated 24h/24h. My advice is to redesign your city later on, remove every workplaces from generator range and surround it with houses.

So basically the limiting factors to steam hubs is your coal. Keeping steams hubs at range 1 does help though. 50% more radius is rarely worth (except for big workplaces) the double coal cost. Better to just build another steam hub.

[Ant Ra]

Endgame (maximum temperature) you will need generators range because of failing steam hubs.

[erneiz]

steam hubs cannot fail why are there people saying this ♥♥♥♥? Steam hubs generate as much heat as the central generator. It's base cost is 2 coal/hour but it's also multiplied by the central generator power increase. Ultimately if you do the math, they are actually kinda equal in how much area they heat versus their coal consumption.

[Skirlasvoud]

Extended range steam hubs eat just as much coal as the basic main core on range one, but you’ll need four extended range steam hubs (quadruple the coal consumption) to do the job of the main generator on range level four (also quadruple the coal consumption).

In other words: they’re just as good as each other.

I just prefer to rely on upgrading my main core’s range over placing steam hubs, since steel is so valuable in the beginning. I’d rather use the steel to build bunk houses. Those are passively warmer without eating coal.

[Nate Mc Bow]

Steam hubs are considerably more costly to run than the generator. I only use steam hubs for worksite clusters or residential zones if neccessary.

[Pembroke]

Central hub is more coal efficient as already mentioned. Steam hubs OTOH allow you to expand your city with "satellite districts". I think the optimal way resource-wise is to relocate your small steam hubs outwards as you extend your central hub's range. Time-limit and incoming resource stream affects this so 100% optimized city is probably not a practical goal, but as a design principle should be good.

[Alloniya]

Im currently trying to get "central heat system" achievement by playing "new home" on 3d difficulty... but i never can finish in time all the upgrades before new survaviors come. It would be much easier with steam hub.

[Lantantan]

Steamhubs are even more awesome when you realise you can regulate when they're active. Using steamhubs you can set up workplace districts which you only need to power during the day! Thats a really massive coal discount if you plan your city well.

[Demonic]

I find steamhubs more useful to setup a district of houses around a building that provides bonuses in an area.
Also I want to try to make houses around industrial buildings so that I could use 1 steamhub to heat houses and steel\coal.
I don't have any problems with coal using 2 grade area of main gen and steamhubs\heaters for other buildings (on hard)

[Solitus]

Steam hubs seem more important for an Order play through, as you wouldn't have a way to heat your production buildings otherwise.

Unless of course, by that point in the game you have transitioned to automatons and don't need to heat your steelworks/coal mines at all.

[Setzer]

The main city have around 8 ranges. The generator can cover up to 4.

On range 5 you can cover with 5-6 hubs and they will heat Range 4, 5 and 6 at same time.

In the end they are more cost effective when you go that way. If you use them to heat only 1 line they are way more expensive.

in my hard game i used reactor to lv3 and the heaters to heat everything else. Only thing outside where the mines that i could use automatons.

the other good thing is that you only need hubs where you have buildings so you can go slow as you build.

[RoaR]

Just use them for workplaces if

A) they cover more then 3+, that way it is more effecient then heaters.

B) You need more then heaters

C) It don't really matter to much before either End of scenario OR playing below hard difficulty.

Example, you drop to -40*C median temprature pretty fast on hard in just a couple of days and start to get days that is -50C compare to just -30*C that drops to -40C. It is then better to have range+1 and just overdrive mangement trough the early game then to use steamhubs to save coal since 2 of the scenarios force you to the second grid pretty fast and you really can't afford more then 1 doctor tent early on.

But yeah, they might be a little to effecient otherwise. 3 coal a hour and you can just put them on work hours is pretty good with zero downside.

[JuX]

Honestly once you perfect you strategy doesnt matter which heating you use, the game becomes immensly easy on hardmode. I even roll without steamhubs all the time