Power

Power is a numerical resource that is a prerequisite for all "working" entities to perform their task. It requires specific components to store or generate.

Power is shared among all consumers, generators and storage devices in a "grid": A Power Grid is required to be able to transfer power from one entity to another, be it unit or building. At first, this grid is anchored around your starting "base". Later, it is extended by "Power Field" or "Power Transmitter" antennas.

Buildings themselves don't generally have a passive power draw. The Components equipped on Buildings or Bots will draw power to fulfill their requirements for operation. Bots need power to move.

If the power grid has insufficient power, some of the consumers run at reduced efficiency. Production needs more time, canons shoot at lower rates, bots move slower.

Most components consume power, a few may generate it, and a few may store energy (power multiplied by time - just like real world physics).

If the grid generates insufficient power, at first, the power storage devices ("batteries" and "capacitors") are drawn upon - until they become empty. Energy storage devices are divided into the types "Battery" and "Capacitor". In real life, "capacitors" have much higher charge/discharge rates than batteries, but much lower capacity. In this game, however, that rule is not followed. It's more like total chaos. Just read the instructions carefully!

There are some special "variable" power generators that generate power on demand by consuming other resources. The game engine is currently programmed in a way that the variable power generators do only generate power while and as long as power is drawn from batteries and capacitors. This usually leads to the absurd situation that you may have plenty of variable power generators available - much more than the grid needs -, but your energy storage devices are sucked empty anyways. You imperatively need a sufficient lot of "constant" (not regulated on demand) power generators to recharge your energy storage devices. Bots can never recharge their batteries as long as any batteries in the grid are subject of discharge. That means that you have to have excess "constant" power available to be able to have Bots operating outside the grid on remote missions. [This may well be a bug in version 1.0]

Power generators and storage devices

variable power (regulated on demand)

Crystal Power: discharge 0...150 W; 6000 J per crystal (e.g. if your grid demands 6000 W in regulated power, one crystal per second gets consumed by all crystal power generators on average)

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constant power (not regulated on demand)

Solar Cell: discharge 50 W at daytime (2:00 ... 22:00); +50% in spring + summer season; affected by blight storms: working at night time

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Wind Turbine: discharge 50 W in valleys; +100% on plateaus; affected by blight storms: completely shut down

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energy storage

• Internal Capacitor [bug: it's actually a "battery" type]: 4 kJ capacity; charge: 800 W; discharge: 100 W
• Small Battery: 30 kJ capacity; charge == discharge: 150 W
• Medium Capacitor: 50 kJ capacity; charge: 10 kW; discharge: 1.25 kW
• Medium Battery: 100 kJ capacity; charge == discharge: 500 W

Power Grid

The power grid is depicted with "radio wave" symbols for each empty square of the landscape around units creating it. The power grid is the same as the communication grid - where entities are able to exchange requests and accept orders. It is created by entities that extend this communication: Signal towers or portable signal antennas.

antennas

• Small Power Field: Radius 8 around itself; Power rate: unlimited
• Medium Power Field: Radius 15 around itself; Power rate: unlimited
• Medium Power Transmitter: Range unlimited; Target: one unit (building or bot); Power rate (called "Bandwidth"): 100 W