Advanced Electrical Options

[NAKEDnick]

Electricity adds a really neat layer of complexity to the game, but there are a lot of way that I think it could be improved and/or expanded on.

 

A minor gripe that I’ve had since the beginning is that there should be a simpler way to switch two inputs for a single output. I almost always route solar panels into a battery bank, but I like to have a spare generator nearby. It would be nice to be able to throw a switch to change the input to the battery bank rather than having to rewire them, since I don’t carry the electrical tools on me all the time.

 

Another simple change I’d like to see is to have the option for normally closed circuits as opposed to the normally open that everything is currently. What I mean here is that when something is triggered, it becomes disabled instead of enabled. Powered doors are the perfect example. In their normal state, powered doors are closed when de-energized and open when power is supplied. Being able to reverse this option would mean that you could have a base that is always open, but then a switch could be thrown to enter lockdown, closing all the doors and turning on lights and defenses. The doors, like lights, could then be manually controlled while powered, but revert to standard when power is disabled. This could also be very beneficial in the event that power is lost during an invasion. Instead of becoming trapped in the bunker, loss of power opens the escape route automatically.

 

It would also be nice to see more devices be capable of accepting electrical connection. For instance, you can craft end tables with lamps, but you can’t power the lamp on it. Why not? But there’s lots more you could do with this as well. An electric range/stove could be powered and provide an alternative or upgrade to the campfire. It could cook faster and quieter at the expense of consuming a lot of power to operate. In the same vein, you could add powered workstation upgrades like a hydraulic press, saws, drill presses, etc. to increase crafting speed and yield. Again at the expense of power. You could add jukeboxes with 7Days radio and stuff. Colored lights and light affects. The list could go on and on.

 

But one of the more complicated thoughts I have is to add “functional” computers. I played Space Engineers a lot and one thing I absolutely loved was playing with the programming blocks. Heck, even Minecraft was able to do incredibly complex computing functions with simple triggers, it just took an immense amount of work. I think it would be really cool to be able to place a computer within a power circuit and then be able to have more advanced control over said circuit, without the need for multiple physical devices. Various inputs could be fed into the computer and it could then feed out to various outputs. All the controls for said devices are located in one central place, and any input could be used to control any output. To add to this, set some limits to the number of devices that it can control. You could have multiple computers setup, or for a power trade-off, you could put in server stacks with a connected computer. More servers require more power, but they allow you to centrally manage more devices from one computer.
 

Additionally, the computer could be used to access video streams from any motion sensor or turret. This could also be fed as an output to a TV. This addition would allow a user to have a surveillance system around their base that they could quickly assess their surroundings from inside.

 

And like most things, accessing these things could be locked behind skill tree points. First tier gets you basic electrical  skills as we know currently. Second tier gets you electrical appliances and workstations. Third tier (or more) unlocks computer use and potentially advanced programming.

[zztong]

I like this, as well as similar suggestions that have been made over the years.

[Suxar]

Electric doors can be opened manually. So power loss is not critical for them.

 

But switching power to an alternative source is a good idea. I would like something like what is done in Factorio.

[Riamus]

1 hour ago, NAKEDnick said:

Electricity adds a really neat layer of complexity to the game, but there are a lot of way that I think it could be improved and/or expanded on.

 

A minor gripe that I’ve had since the beginning is that there should be a simpler way to switch two inputs for a single output. I almost always route solar panels into a battery bank, but I like to have a spare generator nearby. It would be nice to be able to throw a switch to change the input to the battery bank rather than having to rewire them, since I don’t carry the electrical tools on me all the time.

 

Another simple change I’d like to see is to have the option for normally closed circuits as opposed to the normally open that everything is currently. What I mean here is that when something is triggered, it becomes disabled instead of enabled. Powered doors are the perfect example. In their normal state, powered doors are closed when de-energized and open when power is supplied. Being able to reverse this option would mean that you could have a base that is always open, but then a switch could be thrown to enter lockdown, closing all the doors and turning on lights and defenses. The doors, like lights, could then be manually controlled while powered, but revert to standard when power is disabled. This could also be very beneficial in the event that power is lost during an invasion. Instead of becoming trapped in the bunker, loss of power opens the escape route automatically.

 

It would also be nice to see more devices be capable of accepting electrical connection. For instance, you can craft end tables with lamps, but you can’t power the lamp on it. Why not? But there’s lots more you could do with this as well. An electric range/stove could be powered and provide an alternative or upgrade to the campfire. It could cook faster and quieter at the expense of consuming a lot of power to operate. In the same vein, you could add powered workstation upgrades like a hydraulic press, saws, drill presses, etc. to increase crafting speed and yield. Again at the expense of power. You could add jukeboxes with 7Days radio and stuff. Colored lights and light affects. The list could go on and on.

 

But one of the more complicated thoughts I have is to add “functional” computers. I played Space Engineers a lot and one thing I absolutely loved was playing with the programming blocks. Heck, even Minecraft was able to do incredibly complex computing functions with simple triggers, it just took an immense amount of work. I think it would be really cool to be able to place a computer within a power circuit and then be able to have more advanced control over said circuit, without the need for multiple physical devices. Various inputs could be fed into the computer and it could then feed out to various outputs. All the controls for said devices are located in one central place, and any input could be used to control any output. To add to this, set some limits to the number of devices that it can control. You could have multiple computers setup, or for a power trade-off, you could put in server stacks with a connected computer. More servers require more power, but they allow you to centrally manage more devices from one computer.
 

Additionally, the computer could be used to access video streams from any motion sensor or turret. This could also be fed as an output to a TV. This addition would allow a user to have a surveillance system around their base that they could quickly assess their surroundings from inside.

 

And like most things, accessing these things could be locked behind skill tree points. First tier gets you basic electrical  skills as we know currently. Second tier gets you electrical appliances and workstations. Third tier (or more) unlocks computer use and potentially advanced programming.

 

Yeah, there are definitely options for improvements to electricity.  Many suggestions have been made over the years and we're still hoping at least something will be done with it.  Note that a security camera system connected to a video screen may not be a great option.  There's a CCTV mod that does it and it was having trouble with FPS because it's basically drawing multiple camera views all at once.  I'm not sure if they ever found a way to sort that out.  But the rest is good.

 

2 minutes ago, Suxar said:

Electric doors can be opened manually. So power loss is not critical for them.

 

But switching power to an alternative source is a good idea. I would like something like what is done in Factorio.

Powered garage doors cannot, unless that has changed without me noticing.