A good guide on settlement power?

[Nathan]

Guys,

I am struggling with getting a building of mine powered properly. Its 3 stories high (Ground, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, roof) and if I put a power pylon on the roof the ground and first floor dont get powered.

I also dont know the proper use ot the conduits, other pylons etc.

Anybody have a detailed explaination?

[GM Pax]

Yeah, um .... this isn't Starcraft, and you're not playing the Protoss. Those pylons do not MAKE power, and they don't magically transfer it from your generator. You need to run WIRES to transmit power.

In Sanctuary I, too, have a three-story building. Two of them - one is the bunkhouse / workshop, the other is a mostly-empty Gatehouse. I parked two Windmills and four LArge Generators all together on one of the house foundations, and ran a line of Large Pylons out to the Gatehouse, passing by one corner of the Bunkhouse. These are all connected by wire (when in Buld mode, and with no structure selected: look at anything that makes or uses power; one of the prompts at the bottom will be to attach a wire - on my xbox controller, it's (Y) - press it, then look at ANOTHER item that uses or makes power, and press the button again. BAM, you now have a black wire running between them).

Wires can only go so far, mind - when putting down a line of Large Pylons, I tend to build the next one very close, attach wire to it, then move the newest pylong as far as I can withut it going Red.

At my Bunkhouse, the only power I need is for lights. So I left an open balcony, popped a small Pylon on it, and used the wall/ceiling connectors to run a loop around the perimeter of that floor (it's just one big room, which helps).

Lights do not need to be directly connected, thank heavens. If they're close enough to one of those full-on Wires, they will get power just fine. So, by Wiring my second floor (I probably could have done it around the OUTSIDE of the building, come to think of it), I can light up all three floors.

At the Gatehouse, things were more complicated - I have laser turrets on a second-floor balcony, the switch for my traps right between the laser turrets, a trio of spotlights on the roof, and a Guard Post at the inside end of the (trapped) serpentine entry tunnel with a pair of Shotgun turrets and a Siren to call the settlement to arms in an attack. So I had to wire to the guard post, and also to the second floor ... from the second floor, I kept a clear line to wire to the roof. On the second floor, I have a small Switched pylon, that controlls power to all the traps - four flamethrowers by the main entrance, and two laser tripwires rogged to Tesla mines in the Serpentine.

All of which is powered by that very over-abundant array of generators, by RUNNING WIRES from pylon to pylon to carry said power to where it's needed.

[Mr Chopsticks]

How the hell did you make a 3 story high building?

[Jirki88]

Originally posted by Mr. Chopsticks:

How the hell did you make a 3 story high building?

Easy actually. Just use that indoor stair thing, then dont use roofs but keep laying floor and more stairs. I don't know how high you can do, but I've done 3 story building too. :P

[GM Pax]

Originally posted by Mr. Chopsticks:

How the hell did you make a 3 story high building?

Um ... one of the "floor" options is specificaly "shack upper floor". So you build your first-story walls, and "roof" it with those. Include stairs, of course. Now, wall in the new level, roof IT with the same flooring, and include stairs yet again.

Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary. :)

(And remember, I have the roof as well, which is technically yet another floor - I DO include stairs to get up there, never know when I might need to repair something ... like those spotlights.)

[GM Pax]

Originally posted by Jirki88:

Originally posted by Mr. Chopsticks:

How the hell did you make a 3 story high building?

Easy actually. Just use that indoor stair thing, then dont use roofs but keep laying floor and more stairs. I don't know how high you can do, but I've done 3 story building too. :P

There's a couple options for stairs, actually. The ones that start and end on small, 1x1 panels of flooring are GREAT to use; you can essentially stack them up, one over the other, and put your entire stairway in a 1x4 area (where the standard roof and floor panels are 2x2). Use sme of the 1x1 floor elements to fill the gap, or not - put railings on the edge regardless ... and bam, stairs. Nice, neat, and efficiently compact.

[Mr Chopsticks]

So that is what the stairs are for... With the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ power generator. After 2 hours on figuring out how to use the power, putting up poles, lights and connecting all the wires around the Sanctuary. Then, power generator only generates 3 energy. Wasted all my resources. My defense is well... ♥♥♥♥ your ♥♥♥♥♥♥ energy source, Self batteried turrets. Too lazy to connect. ♥♥♥♥ it.

[Nathan]

Originally posted by GM Pax:

Yeah, um .... this isn't Starcraft, and you're not playing the Protoss. Those pylons do not MAKE power, and they don't magically transfer it from your generator. You need to run WIRES to transmit power.

In Sanctuary I, too, have a three-story building. Two of them - one is the bunkhouse / workshop, the other is a mostly-empty Gatehouse. I parked two Windmills and four LArge Generators all together on one of the house foundations, and ran a line of Large Pylons out to the Gatehouse, passing by one corner of the Bunkhouse. These are all connected by wire (when in Buld mode, and with no structure selected: look at anything that makes or uses power; one of the prompts at the bottom will be to attach a wire - on my xbox controller, it's (Y) - press it, then look at ANOTHER item that uses or makes power, and press the button again. BAM, you now have a black wire running between them).

Wires can only go so far, mind - when putting down a line of Large Pylons, I tend to build the next one very close, attach wire to it, then move the newest pylong as far as I can withut it going Red.

At my Bunkhouse, the only power I need is for lights. So I left an open balcony, popped a small Pylon on it, and used the wall/ceiling connectors to run a loop around the perimeter of that floor (it's just one big room, which helps).

Lights do not need to be directly connected, thank heavens. If they're close enough to one of those full-on Wires, they will get power just fine. So, by Wiring my second floor (I probably could have done it around the OUTSIDE of the building, come to think of it), I can light up all three floors.

At the Gatehouse, things were more complicated - I have laser turrets on a second-floor balcony, the switch for my traps right between the laser turrets, a trio of spotlights on the roof, and a Guard Post at the inside end of the (trapped) serpentine entry tunnel with a pair of Shotgun turrets and a Siren to call the settlement to arms in an attack. So I had to wire to the guard post, and also to the second floor ... from the second floor, I kept a clear line to wire to the roof. On the second floor, I have a small Switched pylon, that controlls power to all the traps - four flamethrowers by the main entrance, and two laser tripwires rogged to Tesla mines in the Serpentine.

All of which is powered by that very over-abundant array of generators, by RUNNING WIRES from pylon to pylon to carry said power to where it's needed.

Thanks for the detailed response. I should have included an image of the setup I had. I have a large generator, connected to a large pylon, connected to a normal pylon which is now in the middle floor of the building.

Image: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=553955310

What are the uses of conduits?

[GM Pax]

Originally posted by Nathan:

What are the uses of conduits?

Like Pylons - to string wires between them. And, I think, in doing so: transmit power to nearby Lights.

Just, they mount directly to floors/roofs, walls, or ceilings. Rather than comign with their own pole or steel tower. :)