Engine scaling question

[Itharus]

Does engine power scale 1:1 with volume? Or does it get ever more powerful (or less powerful) as size increases?

Ie: if I have a scale=1 block (1000m^3) engine cube... would 100 engine blocks at 0.1x1 (10m^3 per, x100 to equal the same 1000m^3) have the same amount of power? I really hope so, because that might make making engines look good a lot easier :)

I guess the same question holds to all blocks that add ability with volume... shields, generators, etc.

Thanks!

[Itharus]

Dang, no one?

[Nozerone]

Give me a moment, I shall test this.

FOR SCIENCE!!!

[Itharus]

+>9000!

[Nozerone]

Ok, so this is with nothing on the ship. It's just the core block, and an iron engine, and no crew.

1x1x1 = 32.2 Thrust
2x2x2 = 34.3 Thrust
3x3x3 = 47.1 Thrust
4x4x4 = 53.1 Thrust
5x5x5 = 55.9 Thrust
6x6x6 = 57.3 Thrust
7x7x7 = 58.1 Thrust
8x8x8 = 58.5 Thrust
9x9x9 = 58.8 Thrust
10x10x10 = 58.9 Thrust
25x25x25 = 59.4 Thrust
50x50x50 = 59.4 Thrust
100x100x100 = 59.4 Thrust
1000x1000x1000 = 59.4 Thrust

So it does appear that at some point you stop getting more thrust. Though whether or not you will have more thrust once there is a crew I don't know. I figure the final thrust after crew is added would be higher for larger engines, and when you have power.

Those numbers aren't anything to go off of though. I did it because I was curious. Various things effect the amount of thrust your ship has. Mass of craft, power output, if it's properly crewed, engine placement. When I had the 1x1x1 engine on the side of the core block, it wasn't registering any thrust at all, until I moved it directly behind the block.

So here is what I suggest. Build your ship with a bunch of empty space. Once your ship is finished, with crew quarters, power, shields (if you can) and other things. Then add the engines and thrusters. It can be a huge pain to design your craft around your engines, only to realize at near the end that your engines aren't nearly big enough.

[Itharus]

Yeah, it can be a pain. I was just hoping that I could make a lot of little engines equal to the same volume I'd otherwise need, just so that I could distribute them more.

[KillerAO]

did u test that on normal or beta branch ?
As on the beta they unchained the Trust on ships, so it scales with size, so u can get a 1000 m/s trust if u have the engiene for it.

[Nozerone]

Originally posted by #KillerAO:

did u test that on normal or beta branch ?
As on the beta they unchained the Trust on ships, so it scales with size, so u can get a 1000 m/s trust if u have the engiene for it.

Normal, forgot that they are changing how the engines work.

[KillerAO]

and a quick test on beta branch, it seems that 1x1x1 vs bigger gives more or less the same max speed, but a bit less trust vs bigger blocks

[Nozerone]

Originally posted by Itharus:

Yeah, it can be a pain. I was just hoping that I could make a lot of little engines equal to the same volume I'd otherwise need, just so that I could distribute them more.

You can test this yourself. Make a box that is 5x5x5 full of 1x1x1 blocks. Look at what thrust that gives you. Then get rid of it, and set down a solid 5x5x5 block.

Although, if I remember right. Currently it will give you the same figure I think. I remember trying to stack engines like I do with thruster sheets, and I ended up getting the same amount of thrust, and top speed as when I had 1 block the same size as the 2 I stacked.

[The Reluctant Geek]

Originally posted by Itharus:

Yeah, it can be a pain. I was just hoping that I could make a lot of little engines equal to the same volume I'd otherwise need, just so that I could distribute them more.

I made a panel of little engines and then copied it into the shapes directory. It works really well for plonking down a 5x5 group of small engines, and I can even use the 'w' key to make each one even smaller as a group.