Power switch - useless?

[Hades]

Hi all,

I'm probably not seeing something - but the power switch (upgrade in Caterium tree) seems completely useless. Connecting a simple power line between two networks seems to have the same effect.

Am I missing some useful scenario?

[Vectorspace]

The switch can be used to turn the power to a network on or off. E.g. a shutdown switch for an entire factory. You can give the power switch a label inside its UI so you know what it turns on/off.
It is true though you can accomplish the same thing by deleting/replacing a powerline, with a sign to describe what it powers. But some people prefer using a ui vs deleting or rebuilding something. Plus if you shut down the power by deleting a cable, you need to leave some spare cable there, or remember to bring some with you when you return to turn it on again.

[XistenZ]

As an example if you can't find a real use case for it: I use them for all my sections of the fuel power plant for when/if one part fails reducing my power production to the point I can't have all machines on. I set it up so I can use very little power to jump start the machinery, when everything's back in order I flip all switches back on and have full production.

Set up correctly it's way more reliable and easier than jumping around disconnecting the right power lines and then finding them again

[sansee]

As a bonus; they might actually implement circuit logic to these power switches (or just via some mod), like AND, OR etc down the line.

[Huren Ogeko]

I use them all the time turn off entire factories all at once or to turn off distant miners that feed a factory especially when those nodes are in different directions from each other. Doing this allows me to let the belts clear before doing maintenance like tearing down and upgrading things.
Plus its just a little satisfying to be able to control power like this rather then snipping a wire between two poles.

[Rav3n]

Nooo, not useless. They have saved my skin multiple time. Being able to switch off an entire production change to prevent further catastrophes in the form of items backing up. They are especially usefull when you get to trains.

[Die Hand Gottes]

Yes basically you're right the power switch is pretty unnecessary have no need to turn off any equipment in between.

[Die Hand Gottes]

Originally posted by Rupert:

Nooo, not useless. They have saved my skin multiple time. Being able to switch off an entire production change to prevent further catastrophes in the form of items backing up. They are especially usefull when you get to trains.

Is useless just like the power storage if you need something like that you have done something fundamentally wrong
Always keep an eye on the energy before upgrading if there is not enough juice then first upgrade the energy supply.
the only power outage I had was before the coal because the bio crap I have pretty much neglected.

[Kitet]

I never power off any part of my factory, making sure everything fits within energy production capability of all my plants. Even when using batteries and geothermal generators, which add variable levels of production, if I use enough of them the capability line becomes more or less flat. I also can't find a use for this switch, It would be useful as an early game part when my power production was limited, but not as an optional part unlockable after tons of materials were needed for preceeding unlocks.

[Stress Tensor]

I disagree that it is useless. I like to have one power switch between each factory and the rest of the power grid. This way I can quickly determine the local energy need of the local factory, for example, to verify my calculations, or if I am expanding it, etc. And if I also have local power storage I can look at the consumption graph of just this factory to see whether it is what I expect, whether flat (ideally) or otherwise, independent of the rest of the grid.

Of course I could also do this without the power switch by deleting the power line between the factory and the grid, but the power switch is an aesthetically nicer way to do it and is closer to a "real-world" power connection.

[Man's Best Friend]

Originally posted by Die Hand Gottes:

Originally posted by Rupert:

Nooo, not useless. They have saved my skin multiple time. Being able to switch off an entire production change to prevent further catastrophes in the form of items backing up. They are especially usefull when you get to trains.

Is useless just like the power storage if you need something like that you have done something fundamentally wrong
Always keep an eye on the energy before upgrading if there is not enough juice then first upgrade the energy supply.
the only power outage I had was before the coal because the bio crap I have pretty much neglected.

"They're useless because contingency plans are useless since I play perfectly all the time, and so should everyone else. If you're making contingency plans, you're wrong."

I'm sorry that most of us are human and make mistakes where having backup plans are nice to have.

A good use for switches is combined with power storage as a way to both isolate a power production facility in the event of a failure, as well as have a kickstart source at the ready. Basically you put a set of power storage on one side of a switch, the power plants between the two switches, and then the rest of the grid on the other side of the second switch. Once the power storage is full, disconnect it from the grid. In the event of a failure, toggle both switches to isolate the power plants from the grid and connect them to storage.

Of course alternately, each power generation group can have one or more generators that only power the fuel production and support machines. So for a group of coal generators you would have one generator that powers the coal miner and one or more water extractors. That way even if the main grid goes down, that one generator is still producing fuel and water for at least itself and some of the other generators at the facility. On the up side, it doesn't require manual switching, but on the down side it slightly reduces the facility's overall output since the whole point is that one generator does not connect to the grid in any way.

[starkmaddness]

Originally posted by Die Hand Gottes:

Originally posted by Rupert:

Nooo, not useless. They have saved my skin multiple time. Being able to switch off an entire production change to prevent further catastrophes in the form of items backing up. They are especially usefull when you get to trains.

Is useless just like the power storage if you need something like that you have done something fundamentally wrong
Always keep an eye on the energy before upgrading if there is not enough juice then first upgrade the energy supply.
the only power outage I had was before the coal because the bio crap I have pretty much neglected.

If you don't understand the value of power storage you are doing something fundamentally wrong.

Power use fluctuates and leads to spikes in this game, power storage compensates. Yes, you can build enough power plants so you overproduce enough to cover any possible power spike but doing so is ... inefficient. Inefficiency is wrong.

[Die Hand Gottes]

Originally posted by starkmaddness:

If you don't understand the value of power storage you are doing something fundamentally wrong.

Power use fluctuates and leads to spikes in this game, power storage compensates. Yes, you can build enough power plants so you overproduce enough to cover any possible power spike but doing so is ... inefficient. Inefficiency is wrong.

I do not think I have done anything wrong
I don't know blackouts since coal-fired power stations
and watch the video
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2931502714
especially look at the point 2:35 or 3:27
It is not that I have not built energy storage currently 273 pieces but I do not need them but only because I can build them also not for any voltage peaks where we are back to the video.
I can shut down all 13 nuclear power plants 6 of them are even overclocked with 220% and I still produce enough electricity.
I have certainly done nothing wrong but those who really need it.
It is so easy in the game to produce electricity in abundance.

Oh yes, my factories are efficient, I partly calculate up to 4 digits behind the decimal point and are not overclocked but underclocked and save power again.
but my energy sources because I do not fackle long almost all with 250% overclocked until the black cracks there is me the efficiency is completely indifferent.

[stonbracker]

I use the power switches, for example, to be able to switch off entire biomes. Or just for fun, I can switch off the power for the whole world at my main nuclear power plant. The notorious Big Red Button^^ But hey I've never pressed it :)
Otherwise, it's just interesting to have different circuits or to be able to switch different systems on and off for test purposes. It's better not to question the meaning, I produce 669.00 MW of electricity. Why because it's possible to use the power switch? Yes, because it is possible but must .... everything is realtiev in this game :)

Greetings

[Die Hand Gottes]

Originally posted by stonbracker:

I use the power switches, for example, to be able to switch off entire biomes. Or just for fun, I can switch off the power for the whole world at my main nuclear power plant. The notorious Big Red Button^^ But hey I've never pressed it :)
Otherwise, it's just interesting to have different circuits or to be able to switch different systems on and off for test purposes. It's better not to question the meaning, I produce 669.00 MW of electricity. Why because it's possible to use the power switch? Yes, because it is possible but must .... everything is realtiev in this game :)

Greetings

I also once had switches on the nuclear power plants but now a long time no longer I need the nuclear waste
I also have a switch for the Christmas things but every now and then I fill up the snowballs and the machines for it start up again have so many gifts bunkered so many snowballs I do not consume in years.
but respect to your generators have just broken through the 100GW but still some construction projects in planning.
yes in the game you can do much simply because you can but not necessarily need.
My trains and power generation that are the favorite things I do in this game so there are still a few tracks in planning and have already laid 190Km of track.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Quanterfuntumph]

Using switches with a power storage allows you to power anything for a limited time. Useful for having your first hypertube cannon turn back off when you're airborne and giving your coal powered grid some breathing room.