Another FUEL vs NUCLEAR topic

[Ultima]

TLDR: Stop fight about fuel or nuclear please.
Fact: 16 overclocked plant = same energy as 400 non-overclocked fuel generators
Choose your way



I've seen players automizing tens, hundreds, thousands of uneeded items, just because they want to have fun / challenge.
I've seen players automazing tens of Nuclear Pasta, which is clearly not needed to finish the game.
And it's awesome, noone should judge that.
People should just have fun doing their thing, setting their own goals, and always surpass their limits and creativity.

But. A part of these players are also the ones who criticise the Nuclear tech, like "omg y u idiot built nuclear when rocket fuel is easier ???".
So these people enjoy the challenge to build 40 Nuclear Pasta per minute, huge factory with hundreds, sometimes thousands of uneeded ressources, for nothing.
But when it comes to Nuclear they refuse to even consider it ? And almost insult players who use it ?
Been playing for years now, and a lot of players debated hardly here to defend fuel or nuclear, wether in version 1.0 with rocket fuel, or older versions like v0.8 with classic fuel.
So I am not talking about only recent discussions.

First let's just bring again the facts that has been discussed endlessly:
Fuel gives from 250MW to 625MW per generator
Nuclear gives from 2.500W to 6.250MW per plant
Eventualy it is easier to create 10 Fuel generators than 1 Nuclear plant

But I'd like to point out that "fuel players" do not have unlimited shards when they build their rocket fuel factory in mid game.
Where "nuclear players" may need only a few shards to build overclocked nuclear plant factory with same power.



Example, when I start a brand new run I usually do:
- 3.000 MW with coal generators in early game
- 20.000 MW with fuel in mid game
- 2.000 MW with geysers when exploring.
So 25.000 MW total. It was more than enough power to finish Phase 4 in v0.8 or older.

With 25.000 MW and ~160 shards (some sub items overclocked included. Yes I like to overclock a lot, whatcha gonna do ?) I automize 8 Nuclear plant and 4 plutonium plant, overclocked at 250%, means 75.000 MW.
Then with that power it's possible to extend with 4 Ficsonium plant for another 25.000 MW power.
So eventualy 16 Plants for 100.000 MW total

Fuel players will have to build 400 non overclocked fuel generators to generate 100.000 MW.

Is it faster to build 400 generators rather than a 16 plants factory ? Even with blueprints ?
I do not know.

Here is a picture of my 16 plant factory in v1.0 (Consider another half size factory for all sub items, coming by train):
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3358394867

And here are some pictures of a (wonderfull) 500 generators factory as an example. Easily 3 times bigger than my 16 plants.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SatisfactoryGame/comments/pxd2k7/75000wm_power_plant_with_500_fuel_generators/

Also today (01/11/24) someone shared it's 1200 ion fuel factory, 100.000 MW too. Consider to check the post, seems awesome !
ION fuel/Alien Matrix vs Nuclear



So let's make this easier to understand:

Fuel PROS:
- Easy approach, especially with blueprints
- Need just a few different ressources to create power
Fuel CONS:
- Hard to overclock in mid game
- Enormous factory size

Nuclear PROS:
- Smaller factory size
- Easy to overclock
Nuclear CONS:
- More complexity, need every ressources in the game to create power (SAM only for Ficsonium plants)



Use the way you want, same result for your power energy, just different approaches.
But please, stop scream at each other, it's nonesense.
It's just a player's preference

[Omega420]

The only thing I see wrong with this thinking is not factoring in the number of players using mods that makes shards a non issue.... Such as myself....

This was easier and all the math just works out...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3341381270
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3344050486

I would go as far as saying this is probably one of the best places for rocket fuel if you got the right alt recipes, Using only 450/M oil....

[Kage Goomba]

The whole fight is just stupid/silly/waste of time.

The issue I see is scale of their project.

People either go too big - or don't know enough to be efficient - and once again - rational on scale. Poor planning - the list goes on.

Also one thing being better over an another is subjective as it is - it comes down to how you approach the problem and "your way" is not always the "best way"

If it works - and its efficient - who cares.

Is one cooler than the other?
They all are in their own right.

I however will say - that I don't really respect any "end game" Satisfactory player unless they have mastered Nuclear power - don't care if you think rocket fuel is king or not.

There's something about Nuclear power that makes the game incredibly challenging.
Few ever get there and tend to find reasons not to go there.

Now am I'm going to "shame" any rocket fuel enthusiast who says they think its better?
No - but don't expect me to consider you "pro" unless you've dipped that toe in Nuclear power and it came back glowing green.

It's more of a badge of honor (or pain lol) - but then I've been at it since "Update 5" give or take so yeah.

Bottom line - you should do both - just to learn - have fun.

Fighting over which is better is kind of pointless honestly.

now if you end up preferring one over the other? Sure - just don't rub it in peoples faces and make an issue of it.

[sergetechone]

You forgot one more Nuclear CONS - Radiation

[RadioIesbian Fluid]

Its just a pointless discussion.

Let players play how they want to.
If they wanna build fuel plants, let them.
If they want to go nuclear route and face that challenge. Let them.

Theres not a wrong way to do it

[Kage Goomba]

Originally posted by sergetechone:

You forgot one more Nuclear CONS - Radiation

There is a way to avoid that problem - and I intend to attempt that.

Basically Radiation isn't an issue so long as the product is continuously moving.
I know a couple of players who have done this with great success - but it takes careful planning.

Hint: Load Balancing is key - not to mention on spot math.

[Omega420]

Originally posted by Kage Goomba:

The whole fight is just stupid/silly/waste of time.

The issue I see is scale of their project.

People either go too big - or don't know enough to be efficient - and once again - rational on scale. Poor planning - the list goes on.

Also one thing being better over an another is subjective as it is - it comes down to how you approach the problem and "your way" is not always the "best way"

If it works - and its efficient - who cares.

Is one cooler than the other?
They all are in their own right.

I however will say - that I don't really respect any "end game" Satisfactory player unless they have mastered Nuclear power - don't care if you think rocket fuel is king or not.

There's something about Nuclear power that makes the game incredibly challenging.
Few ever get there and tend to find reasons not to go there.

Now am I'm going to "shame" any rocket fuel enthusiast who says they think its better?
No - but don't expect me to consider you "pro" unless you've dipped that toe in Nuclear power and it came back glowing green.

It's more of a badge of honor (or pain lol) - but then I've been at it since "Update 5" give or take so yeah.

Bottom line - you should do both - just to learn - have fun.

Fighting over which is better is kind of pointless honestly.

now if you end up preferring one over the other? Sure - just don't rub it in peoples faces and make an issue of it.

Agreed.

I'm actually playing a save where i turn all nodes pure and plan to use every node on the map which includes the biggest nuclear setup possible, while going to plutonium and then to the ficit whatever it's called. (I forgot the name lol).

[Kage Goomba]

Originally posted by Omega420:

Agreed.

I'm actually playing a save where i turn all nodes pure and plan to use every node on the map which includes the biggest nuclear setup possible, while going to plutonium and then to the ficit whatever it's called. (I forgot the name lol).

Ficsonomium (sp?)

[Ultima]

Originally posted by Omega420:

The only thing I see wrong with this thinking is not factoring in the number of players using mods that makes shards a non issue.... Such as myself....

Sorry I am not familiar at all with mods, never used. I play solo/classic game.
I assume it changes a lot indeed

Originally posted by Kage Goomba:

There's something about Nuclear power that makes the game incredibly challenging.
...
don't expect me to consider you "pro" unless you've dipped that toe in Nuclear power and it came back glowing green.
...
It's more of a badge of honor

Subjectively I couldn't agree more.

[Kage Goomba]

Originally posted by Ultima:

Originally posted by Omega420:

The only thing I see wrong with this thinking is not factoring in the number of players using mods that makes shards a non issue.... Such as myself....

Sorry I am not familiar at all with mods, never used. I play solo/classic game.
I assume it changes a lot indeed

Originally posted by Kage Goomba:

There's something about Nuclear power that makes the game incredibly challenging.
...
don't expect me to consider you "pro" unless you've dipped that toe in Nuclear power and it came back glowing green.
...
It's more of a badge of honor

Subjectively I couldn't agree more.

Anyone who is modding and argues over this discussion - isn't worth listening to in the slightest.

If they want to argue their case using mods - they can do it in a "mod" discussion thread. So don't let it bother you. Problem is - if your modding - its kind of a waste of time - there's no real challenge or case at that point.

You can "mod the challenge out" basically. (OR make it worse? But again - why discuss that - unless your bored)

The whole point of the challenge is to work with what you got.
Not much of a challenge if you circumvent it.

Yes - we are all masochists at best. :D

[MoshPunk]

Math? Planning? What are these concepts? Nuke go boom. Nuke is good.

[jvjd]

To complete the game you just need 15 GW of energy , that enough to run the factories needed to do all the objective. Now build time consideration its easy to make fuel generators than nuclear plants for that .

Imo Nuclear plants in its current iteration feels prestige and flair rather than I need energy for my factories to run.

[Dragonmaster]

Play how you want to play. There’s no wrong way to do it. Heck clear cut all of the foialage down and only run biomass with 2000 burners

[Ultima]

Originally posted by Kage Goomba:

Anyone who is modding and argues over this discussion - isn't worth listening to in the slightest.

I have so tiny clue about what you can do with mods that I don't even know. I now discovered that you can, for example, modify nodes from normal to pure. Not sure indeed if it's fair to argue after doing this

Originally posted by jvjd:

To complete the game you just need 15 GW of energy , that enough to run the factories needed to do all the objective.

15.000 MW for Phase 4 I agree, but Phase 5 ? You have everything automized or you hard craft project parts one after another ?

[jvjd]

Originally posted by Ultima:

Originally posted by jvjd:

To complete the game you just need 15 GW of energy , that enough to run the factories needed to do all the objective.

15.000 MW for Phase 4 I agree, but Phase 5 ? You have everything automized or you hard craft one after another ?

I had 24 GW of power on completion , but consumption was at 14 Gw and max con was at 22 . So yeah 15 GW is enough

[Ultima]

Originally posted by jvjd:

I had 24 GW of power on completion , but consumption was at 14 Gw and max con was at 22 . So yeah 15 GW is enough

Good to know, I didn't even try. Was too excited to make the Nuclear stuff again so I just made my thing before doing the last project parts ^^. But since they are made from the previous project parts it seems fair to not cost that much power.
Ima try next time I start a new run !