Is there a trick to using the engine?

[Echo Mirage]

I'm definitely missing something here, oof.
Anyways, trying to get to Balboa, have the engine and steering wheel installed, engine powered and turned on (installed on the 'back' of my raft), raft pointed at the radar ping for Balboa, and all that's happening is that I'm slowly moving away from it. Tried moving the engine to the front of the raft with the same result. Considering turning around and slowly backing up towards the island, but that seems like a pain, lol.

[Aeven]

Do you have enough engines for your raft? You need 1 engine for 100 foundations.

[Closer of Doors]

You can tell if it's the above problem because the engine will be stuttering, with the water wheel struggling to turn.

In addition, is the engine set to forward or reverse?

[TheUntouchable]

Also do not forget to haul the anchor back in ;)

[Echo Mirage]

that might be the issue, I'll count my foundations. Also, which lever position is forward?
thanks yall

[Kampfhamster]

i needed 6 engines to move forward - regardless how many foundations i got...needed 6 with my small raft and now it is 5 times as large as before and i still need 6 engines.

you have enough engines if the water wheels rotate constantly, while
-> all engines are turned on
-> all engines are adjusted in the same direction
-> all engines have enough fuel

good luck partner ^^

[Echo Mirage]

OH WAIT
the engines are meant to go on the SIDES of your raft, they move you parallel to the orientation of the wheel, not perpendicular
think i figured out my issue lmao
happy sailing everyone

[Dakota]

They can go anywhere, but you're right about which way they're supposed to point :)

[Rio]

Yup. They are paddle wheels, like the old riverboats back in the day. Not propellers or "screws" like modern vessels.

[City Builder]

do i have to find something to make the engines or start new game? because engines and steering wheels are not in my research book.

thanks

[Closer of Doors]

You acquire the blueprints for them in the Vasagatan.

[Siestalavista]

Originally posted by Aeven:

Do you have enough engines for your raft? You need 1 engine for 100 foundations.

so that's why my engine works like a 90-year-old man.. isn't that a joke, right? Dude, I need 10 or more for my ship.. to be accurate it must be like 10 or 12 to make it balanced. is that correct?

I just started to build a ship.. approximately it has 1050 foundaions on it..

[Four Children in a Trenchoat]

Originally posted by Echo Mirage:

that might be the issue, I'll count my foundations. Also, which lever position is forward?
thanks yall

The lever simply points in the direction the raft will move when the engine is activated. There is no 'forward' or 'backward' as such.

[Player 1]

Originally posted by Siestalavista:

Originally posted by Aeven:

Do you have enough engines for your raft? You need 1 engine for 100 foundations.

so that's why my engine works like a 90-year-old man.. isn't that a joke, right? Dude, I need 10 or more for my ship.. to be accurate it must be like 10 or 12 to make it balanced. is that correct?

I just started to build a ship.. approximately it has 1050 foundaions on it..

this is correct, 1050 foundations would require 11 engines minimum. If you plan to expand then plan ahead with the 1:100 formula. However.. I built my raft with a pontoon design where I have my foundations in rails touching the water and my usable floor a level above that, this reduces the need for engines by near 60% because I can put rows of foundations at every third row and build above them. My raft's usable floor space is nearly 400 foundations, atm, and I only use 2 engines to get anywhere I wanna go.

Edit: as far as I know, the catch nets do not count as foundations, correct if mistaken.

[OceanMachine]

For anyone else looking, the number of engines required and the speed that it will allow the raft to go compared to the number of foundations you have is calculated on the raft wiki: https://raft.fandom.com/wiki/Engine