Suggestion: Electricity overhaul

[Falco]

The game's model of electricity is somewhat odd. It only allows one power source per circuit because the wiring is modeled as a directed tree type graph. This not only prevents redundant connections and high power circuits with more than 300W draw (the current maximum power output), but also doesn't model real life electricity very well.

 

I propose the following system:

1. Wire length should not be based on the player position when he's connecting devices but rather on the actual distance between blocks. This distance should be consistent. I propose the current maximum of 14 blocks space, not counting the actual devices. Wire placement should be canceled when the player is 2x the maximum distance away, LMB is pressed or the player puts away the wire tool. Trying to connect a device above the maximum range should yield an on screen popup informing the player of that, as well as indicating how many meters he's away from the maximum range. Using LMB on a device's connector should disconnect all wires from that connector. (see point 2 for connectors)

 

2. Get rid of connection direction. Everything is allowed to connect to everything else. Switches (Switches, trigger plates, tripwires, motion sensors, etc) should have 2 connectors (perhaps color coded when the wire tool is in hand), selected by pointing at the one you want to use. Both are different/disconnected circuits (unless connected in another place), when the device triggers it merges the circuits into one. This also has the side effect of allowing both AND and OR configurations easily by putting the switches in series or parallel (as in real life). This also allows tripwires to be connected on only one end to the device they should trigger, with the actual wire pointing to a dead end. Electricity should not flow through that wire (it's just a string, really).

 

3. If multiple power sources are on the same circuit there should be a priority. I suggest a default priority of Solar cells, battery bank, generator bank, possibly with the option in the battery bank to be flipped to a lower priority than the generator bank to permit recharging batteries with generators. Multiple power sources of the same type should provide equal amounts of power, unless it's not possible. For example a generator bank with one engine (50W) and one with 2 engines (100W) are supposed to power 120W, then one will supply 50W and the other 70W, because both doing 60W is not possible for the first generator. If they are supposed to power 80W, then then both should provide 40W each. Battery and fuel consumption should be dependent on wattage.

 

4. If insufficient power is supplied to the circuit the highest wattage devices should fail first. If there are multiple devices with the same wattage, they should all fail together to avoid guesswork. If insufficient power is supplied, then this should somehow be visually represented. Perhaps by changing the wire color or to have sparks fly out of the connectors or something (unless the power supplied is 0W because it's behind a disconnected switch or the generators are going offline).

 

5. If excess wattage is supplied to a circuit, then batteries will use all excess wattage to charge themselves. If multiple battery banks are connected, then the excess wattage is divided equally.

 

6. Looking at a device should provide information about the maximum and current power usage of the entire circuit as a tooltip in addition to it's own power draw.

 

7. Relays and switches should not draw power. Cable length should be putting a strain on the power supply. I propose 0.1W per 1m cable. This one is probably the least important change.

 

 

The proposed changes allow more options and are more realistic. They also prevent such ugly and unintuitive workarounds such as sensor pass-through and hassle such as not being able to connect wires when standing next to the device but able to do so when standing 3 blocks away, forcing players to dismantle walls in order to connect wires, then build them up again. This also allows to have redundancy in that you can give multiple paths for electricity to flow and it still functions if one path is disrupted. It also avoids unnecessary bugs that happen right now when a solar cell and a battery are on the same circuit and the solar cell can't supply power spikes, yet the battery does not supply any power because the solar cell is still providing some wattage.

 

Also electric ovens please to cook without putting fuel in. I propose 50W-200W while in use. If you have electricity, might as well have it there as a convenience, right? The oven should automatically turn on while crafting and turn off when done. If power is lost while crafting the timer should be put on pause, turning on again whenever enough power is supplied once again.

[meganoth]

There have been lots of suggestions been posted by players to enhance the electrical system. But there are comments by TFP that it is final for the release version. They current plan is to implement the features they deem essential for the release version, foremost bandits and with that the story.

 

I suspect the only reasons that will prompt them to touch the electrical system at this point will be bugs and optimizations.