What is wrong with base power in Sub Zero? Can't run scanning room.

[Buzz*Light*Beer]

My base is at 50 meters, I have a bio reactor running, with a solar cell on top my main base, a tube going up to 6 meters which has another 4 solar cells at the shallow depth.

And with the scanning room not scanning, it barely produces power.

When I try to run the scanner, it drops about 2 power per second even during the day. It's like none of my power is actually working even though the max total shows 800.

This is very frustrating because in the original, I could run a scanner full time with just a bio reactor.

Thoughts?

[Bobucles]

The scanner room is an insanely hungry beast. I have 3 thermal generators at 80C+ and they still struggle to keep a scan room going. If you run out of power, the scan room will shut down and not reboot. That's probably a good thing, because it means your base won't be stuck in a permanent blackout.

There aren't too many power demands in Subnautica. Tools and vehicles only need to be charged as fast as they can get used, which is a few solar panels at best. Water filters are the next biggest drain, and crafting is a tiny demand on resources. Beacons are free. We don't need anything like a heavy duty radio, and there aren't tools like mining drills or vehicle crafting to suck down base power. The only other thing that can really chew through power is the scan room.

It would be nice to have more small drain options, since a bunch of small things will add up to needing big power. There's a fridge and a drink machine, maybe there could be a few trinkets to play with? Maybe something to fabricate Ion cubes? I doubt Alterra will give up the tech though.

[VDmitry]

Build command room and you'll see the power usage.

Build some kind of reactor, ensure you got full power and then you can enable scanning (for some time)

I got thermal reactor connecting it from 300m distance. That was not enough. I built bio reactor in addtion. With these too I can use scanning if I need to.

[Buzz*Light*Beer]

Ok so it's not just me or a bug per se, it's just a different game mechanic. I just know in the first subnautica it wasn't such a power beast.

Thanks!

[Fabea]

I never used the scanning room even when I had one up and running, those drones are a pain in the neck also, I prefer to go out searching.

[VDmitry]

Scanning room can be very useful. It's not a requirement of course. That's also probably the main reason to build more bases, as scanning range is very lmited.

There were always problems with scanning however. Like it shows already explored datapads. Or it shows fragments, but when you close to one the location disappears, etc... But you can quickly locate needed resource or heat area etc.

Sabnautica is very difficult game mostly because of exploration on very rough terrain. It doesn't have any map, so having scanner room might help a bit..

As an example I've just returned from Crystal Caves. I don't know how I located what I wanted there. Not even sure how I survived. It was luck. Normally I would better build a base with scanner room first, to get an idea what I can find there and how it looks like, before going there.

[Ignis]

It is intended that way.

In Subnautica:
Idle: 0 power per second, scanning: 0.5 power per second.

In Below Zero:
Idle: 0.5 power per second, scanning: 3 power per second.

As you can see, it drains also when you don't use it. Use the control room to totally unpower it.

[Etherealtroll]

Bio Reactor + Nuclear Reactor + 4 (low temp) Thermal Reactors + 14 (low depth) Solar Reactors beats 1 Scanner room + 1 Water Filtration unit....

Looking at the control room shows the scanner room is not just one of the biggest power consumers, its one of the ONLY power consumers, the base is almost zero power usage elsewhere but I need so much power upkeep for a single scanner it really does not feel like they have balanced it properly.

I mean I understand it should be a high cost...but surely a single Nuclear Reactor could power it?

[VDmitry]

Yeah, likely not very balanced atm. Still I have near surface base with 4 solar panels and remote thermal plant and getting +5 power. Should be enough for everything. Just in case I have also bioreactor. (looks like solar panels above surface give +1 each)

[Buzz*Light*Beer]

I use the scanner rooms to find resources and get layout of subterranian caves, know where rarer resources can be found etc.

I also use the HUD but man they need to have some changes to that. Last night I had a distant scanning base set on Limestone chunks with my closer base looking for lithium. having something like Limestone which is all over makes the screen hard to look at with so many orange circles all over. I actually had to just remove the HUD chip from my gear so I could see the cave walls right in front of me.

Maybe they should have a way to turn off scanner results for each base remotely or at least change colors. Bright orange on dark background is too intense.

[Halliwax]

For small remote bases with no control room, I recommend deconstructing the scanner room to 99% when you're not using it.

[LittleGrim]

Originally posted by Etherealtroll:

Bio Reactor + Nuclear Reactor + 4 (low temp) Thermal Reactors + 14 (low depth) Solar Reactors beats 1 Scanner room + 1 Water Filtration unit....

Look at the percent power output of each of those, by hovering over them with the builder tool. At a depth below 200m, solar panels produce almost no power. In a low temp area, thermal reactors produce no power. Nuclear reactors require reactor rods, which I believe the fuel source hasn't been implemented yet. Bio Reactor is the only thing in your base that provides power, and you could probably be using the wrong plant matter.

I have 12 solar panels and 1 Bio Reactor and I power a battery charger, power battery charger, scanner room, fabricator, advanced fabricator, jukebox, 3 alien containments, control room, and that one building where I store my sea truck.

My base is near the surface of the water and solar panels are 87% efficient.

[VDmitry]

I believe I can build reactor rods, but never did as I found too many of them.

Advanced Fabricator? What is this?

[#1 Slime NA]

I feel like it's bugged and power is only drawing from one source at a time or something. I notice that when I build several bioreactors my power capacity grows but it doesn't seem to be generating much faster, and in fact when I check reactor fuel it seems to only be consuming materials from one reactor at a time, which I don't remember being the case in the OG.