Real time vs Game Time

[Kicks]

Maybe this is available and I don't know about it. I would like the game to recognize the passing of time based upon the system clock instead of in-game time only. For example, let's say I've set up a production line, and it's going to take 2 hours to produce the number of items I need. Currently, If I start producing then exit the game, that production stops. This forces me to leave my PC on for the 2 hours in real time. What I'd like is to turn off my PC, and when I come back 2 hours later, the production would be done. I've played other games that do this, for example No Man's Sky. I realize it would be pretty complex having to calculate everything like this, but the real works savings in energy use would be huge. I've left my PC on overnight many times just to let the game continue producing. If you think of the thousands of people playing this game, the energy savings would be considerable.

[Maehlice]

I'll go off on a tangent here and say that the amount of savings is a pittance in the grand scheme of things.

Commercial buildings use sometimes 10 times as much energy as a typical house.

Ever looked out at your city and seen that one building with all the dancing RGB lights? Those lights sometimes draw more power in one night than your entire house does all year.

Ever seen a 2000 HP motor sitting atop an industrial chiller? And then realize there are 4 or 5 of them right next to each other? And then realize one of them literally never stops running -- even during winter?

That one motor draws the power of a thousand houses!

---

I'm certainly not saying we should all disregard what we can each do, but I think it's worth getting a broad perspective.

If you're going to leave your computer on but want to conserve energy still, run the dedicated server on the same computer and leave that on instead. Cutting out the GPU is a considerable reduction from what the computer would normally draw.

[LostME]

Use mods - !additem. Problem solved, world saved.

[Kicks]

I get that in the bigger picture this is not world changing. I still like to do what I can. Of course,multiplying this by a million customers, and it starts to add up. There's also the inconvenience of hogging the PC while I could be playing another game rather than waiting for 200 computers to finish being produced. I'm avoiding mods until I finish the game. I just unlocked phase 4, and I'm revamping my factory. My production lines were starting to turn into spaghetti.

[Rymorea]

Originally posted by Kicks:

I get that in the bigger picture this is not world changing. I still like to do what I can. Of course,multiplying this by a million customers, and it starts to add up. There's also the inconvenience of hogging the PC while I could be playing another game rather than waiting for 200 computers to finish being produced. I'm avoiding mods until I finish the game. I just unlocked phase 4, and I'm revamping my factory. My production lines were starting to turn into spaghetti.

Be patient, I start 3 times from mass cleanup, rebuilt all lines buildings again and again after each new tier. I am now 500+ hours of same save and reach 9 tier uranium and still dont rush. Minimize the game do whatever other thing and come back :)

[Gameboy Nitro]

Originally posted by Kicks:

Maybe this is available and I don't know about it. I would like the game to recognize the passing of time based upon the system clock instead of in-game time only. For example, let's say I've set up a production line, and it's going to take 2 hours to produce the number of items I need. Currently, If I start producing then exit the game, that production stops. This forces me to leave my PC on for the 2 hours in real time. What I'd like is to turn off my PC, and when I come back 2 hours later, the production would be done. I've played other games that do this, for example No Man's Sky. I realize it would be pretty complex having to calculate everything like this, but the real works savings in energy use would be huge. I've left my PC on overnight many times just to let the game continue producing. If you think of the thousands of people playing this game, the energy savings would be considerable.

Go play Idle RPG. The point of a game is to play it. All those things "automated" are supposed to be hand-crafted when you first need them (protip: it's actually faster to hand-craft things for milestones, you craft faster than a machine, unless you have 3 or 4 machines working at a time).

There are so many things to do in 2 hours in-game: go build a complex, go explore for new nodes or hard-drives, etc.

This post makes me facedesk. Like, just install a cheat mod because you obviously have no interest in the actual game mechanics. Better yet, sounds like No Man's Sky is perfect for you.

[Aven]

Originally posted by Kicks:

I get that in the bigger picture this is not world changing. I still like to do what I can. Of course,multiplying this by a million customers, and it starts to add up. There's also the inconvenience of hogging the PC while I could be playing another game rather than waiting for 200 computers to finish being produced. I'm avoiding mods until I finish the game. I just unlocked phase 4, and I'm revamping my factory. My production lines were starting to turn into spaghetti.

I really don't understand having vacant time in the game, even waiting for product.

I am about 30 hours into my Update 5 game, and while I have finished the tier 3 and 4 unlocks, I am still operating on my original biomass complex. I've got factories for basic iron, basic copper, concrete, advanced iron, quartz, caterium, and steel, and I'm sinking a total of about 5k/m in product from three of the factories, with my steel plant not quite to capacity to overflow. My coal power plant and nobelisk factory are both planned out but construction has only just begun. I have yet to set up factories for any project assembly products or encased industrial beams. My two largest factories need facades and interior walkways, another needs a building, and my self-transport network still consists entirely of ziplines. I also only have about 10 alternative recipes unlocked. My to-do list is days long, and I am not even out of phase 2.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by G△MEBOY NITRO™:

There are so many things to do in 2 hours in-game: go build a complex, go explore for new nodes or hard-drives, etc.

Originally posted by Aven:

I really don't understand having vacant time in the game, even waiting for product.

.... My to-do list is days long, and I am not even out of phase 2.

Ditto.

Even if you make the phase part factories to "only" supply a single end machine to make that part, by the time you finish the next factory, the previous one will have long since finished its quota.

Maybe it's just a lack of multi-tasking or of planning ahead. IDK.

[DrNewcenstein]

Definitely thinking too small. There are dozens of nodes to tap and transport those resources to a larger manufacturing system. Expand your power to handle the larger factory and keep expanding. If you can't build your target "now", build until you can build everything "now".
A wall of Manufacturers feeding a wall of Manufacturers. Once you reach a certain point, there's nothing you should be waiting on.

[JonathanM]

No mods? Run your own dedicated server, set it to keep running when you log out. Still using your computer, but it's doing a lot less without the GUI. And you can use your computer for whatever you like while it runs along...

[Kicks]

[quote=
There are so many things to do in 2 hours in-game: go build a complex, go explore for new nodes or hard-drives, etc.

This post makes me facedesk. Like, just install a cheat mod because you obviously have no interest in the actual game mechanics. Better yet, sounds like No Man's Sky is perfect for you. [/quote]

Except it's not always 2 hours. To finish phase 3, I had the PC running overnight many times. This is my first pass through this game, so I'm sure there are better ways to do things. And yes, I have great interest in the game mechanics, and thanks for assuming you know what I'm thinking. It's because of my interest in game mechanics that I'm trying to get better. I appreciate the comments from most everyone here.

And yes, I'm in the middle of the big redesign of my factory. Now that I have a lot of resources, I can do it right, build big, and come up with something that's fun to play with. My biggest problem is spending too much time playing when there are other things in my life that are going on.

[DrNewcenstein]

This is not a good game for people with "other things to do" LOL

[Kicks]

Originally posted by DrNewcenstein:

This is not a good game for people with "other things to do" LOL

No kidding! It's one of the most addictive games I've ever played, and I've played quite a few.

[kimba-rip]

I'M ON 2300+ HRS ON ORIGINAL GAME SAVE AND STILL NOT COMPLETED TIER 9, I'M IN NO RUSH AS MAKE'IN SURE EVERYTHING RUNS ALMOST PERFECTLY WHICH INCLUDES SOMETIMES RE-BUILDING COMPLETE SECTIONS AS KEEPING TRAINS RUNNING AS I BUILD OR HAVE TO RE-BUILD IS TIME CONSUME'IN TOO SAY THE LEAST BUT STILL ENJOY'IN THE GAME AND CAN'T WAIT TO START NUKE POWER AS THAT IS GUNNA BE A CHALLENGE