Power System

This mod introduces workstations and traps that only work when connected to a power source, be it gas, heat or electricity. That means that you will have to create and maintain pipe/cable systems to connect your power sources to your devices.

Types of Power
There are 3 different types of power:

  • Heat - boilers provide heat energy (or steam if you will). Obviously they are fueled by wood or burnable objects, just like a campfire. Machines connected to this type of energy will work as long as the boiler is lit. The standard heat provider is the Boiler.
  • Electricity - generators provide electricity. A generator is fueled by gasoline by default. Machines connected to this type of energy will work as long as the generator is on. The generator fuel will be consumed while it is turned on. Generators are noisy beasts, so beware… There are different generators, with different power capability. Note that small generators spawn in the world and can be looted, allowing you access to electrical power even before you can build your own generators.
  • Gas - gas tanks distribute gas energy. Gas energy works a bit differently in the sense that fuel is only consumed on demand. What this means, is that if there are no devices requesting for gas, the fuel will NOT be consumed.

Electrical Workstation
Electrical workstations require failure relays to work. They can only be placed near a failure relay.
Electrical refrigerators, can only be placed near a refrigerator power module.

Pipe line lenght
One very important thing that you MUST keep in mind, is that pipe branches cannot be longer then 10 blocks. If you want to make a longer branch, you will have to include stop valves (or switches) on the line.
Stop valves are basically power accumulators and distributors. Once you put a valve on a branch, you can add 10 more blocks out of it, and so on. Common sense applies as to how far you wanna go.
This is a limitation that I have hard coded and it's not configurable in the xmls. It adds complexity to the piping system, and helps me try to manage the performance somewhat.
Another important note about piping/cabling, is that you can only go in main directions. That is up, down, left, righ, forward and back.
Finally, pipes / cables and valves can be locked to a certain type of energy. In that case you will HAVE to use the correct pipes / cables for the correct power source. All pipes / cables included are locked. You can have as many branches as you want, provided you keep in mind the 10 block length limitation. If you want to go over 10 Blocks you NEED to use a valve (fuse box or switch). You can bisect a line up to the maximum range, without using any valves.

Consider the generator is on the left extremity for the following example. Red means that power will not reach that position… For safety I usually put a valve at the 9th position.

Also, be aware that the fuse boxes CAN BE TURNED OFF, just like a switch but has no animation… When you turn off a valve/switch, everything that is after it will be cut off of power.

Machine usage
So machines can only be accessed when there is available power. You can leave them crafting but be aware: if power runs out during crafting YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR RAW MATERIALS! All finished products will still be there, but your raw materials will be lost.
Powered Machines NEED to be put next to a correct energy pipe / cable (depending on machine power requirement). Powered Workstations are fundamental for late game. Lathe (electric power), Mill (steam powered) and Moonshine (gas powered) allow you to craft more efficiently and give you access to new and more powerful items. They are also fundamental for you to start up your colony and start recruiting survivors.

Powered Traps
Powered traps require power to work, obviously. As long as they have power, they keep working without the need of any human intervention. They only request for energy when triggered.
Powered Traps NEED to be put next to a correct energy pipe / cable (depending on trap power requirement).

Powered Lights
Yes, we include lights that work when powered. You can see examples on the tutorial video. You can basically use any vanilla light, and use it as a powered light just by changing its class. Refer to the 2 xml examples included in MortePower to learn how to do it (powerCeilingLight01 and powerPorchLight04).
Powered lights NEED to be put next to a electrical cable.

Residual Energy
This is a concept that you should get used to, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. Some devices accumulate a bit of energy (traps and valves for example). That means that, even if you cut off the source those devices may still have residual energy and may work for a few more uses. So be careful stepping on your traps after you shut down those valves…

Transformers
Also included in this pack, are the transformers. Transformers are special devices that transform raw materials into a final product over time.
At the first sight, one would say that I could have just used a simple workstation. There is however, a fundamental difference: a transformer cannot be turned on or off, it either meets the conditions and produces final product or it does not.
This means that all you have to do, is put the raw materials inside and let it brew. The transformer will create the final product in time.
Let's take the Homemade Biogas Digester as an example. A Biogas Digester is basically a container where you put turd (yes turd), grass, and also empty gas bottles. In time, the brewing of the turd and grass will fill up the empty gas bottles (1 filled bottled = 2 turds + 10 grass + 1 empty gas bottle).
Other transformers can have different "receipts" but the principle is always the same: keep the container filled with raw materials, and it will automatically brew the final product while there is enough materials. Transformers usually tell you their “receipts” on their description.

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