Other ways to power a base?!?

Hi guys, noob here J


I have my first improvised main base that I’m still working on in survival mode - star system scenario currently on earth.

I got the basics set like a container, assembler, o2 / H2 generator and tank, refinery, 3 large battery’s.

As a roof I used 4 large solar panels, and 2 on the side to catch the sun as it goes under.


They seem to work because in the daylight I see the green lights lighted on them. I keep having this problem where my battery’s keep running out of power I’m constantly struggling to switching them off when I’m not doing anything. Then when day breaks turning them on recharge but it is just not enough…


I’m not using conveyor systems.


Am I doing something wrong, or is there an alternative way to power my base.


Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

Kenneth

 

If you have enough resources to build a small reactor do that. The solars are not strong enough to recharge your batteries efficiently. The small reactor will take care of that for you, and once the batteries are charged they will take over as your main source of power. The small reactor will not require too much Uranium. That should get you back on track.

If you are not near a Uranium deposit and you are not against using mods in your world this mod will net you small amounts of Uranium from anything that you refine (and get ice from stone): Uranium and Ice Mod

 

Thank you for the reply! do i need to put the small reactor in a specific place? Or is anywhere on my base floor good?

 

The reactor only needs to be physically attached to the structure, but it's better for maintaining power unattended if it's connected either directly or via conveyor/s to a conveyor port on the refinery so that refined Uranium is fed directly to it. Batteries and solar power have never worked in a sane or consistent way in the game and are a very poor substitute on any structure that has constant and variable power requirement.

 

Ok, i will put one on the rifinery then! thank you for the tips! I suppose that the hatch of the rea ctor neet to be facin so i can reach in?

 

The reactor has two faces on the small one so one can face refinery (Or can be on a conveyor system that runs through the refinery system), and the other face you can point it to where you can interact with it directly if you wanted to.

The reactor will pull Uranium into itself automatically you will not have to baby sit it if you connect it to the refinery itself or in a well built conveyor system.

 

Unless I’m really desperate or there’s no uranium to power a reactor, I never use solar panels and batteries. It takes a couple dozen (or more, I’ve never really checked) solar panels to charge a single battery, and those suckers are really fragile. Remember, too that you can use small-grid small reactors (from drop pods) on your large grid to power it until you get your large-grid reactor built. Just stick on a rotor frame, grind off the large head, then go into the control menu and attach a small head. Now you can attach a dinky reactor to that small head and be in business. Also, 20 interior plates for a passenger seat is all you need to recharge your suit. You can even build a small-grid small reactor right there in front of you on the ground (you just can’t attach it to the ground) and stick a passenger seat right to it. Those are the minimum parts you need to recharge. These little tricks are what make survival possible.

 

Yeah, that´s one comfortably point of playing only single player, with asteroid disabled: you can harvest for nearby ores right at the very beginning of the survival landing, and then build a lot of solar panels.

Despite the fact I´m a newbie too, I am really enjoying the way I´ve been doing. There must be at least 20 solar panels in my base, and they keep more than 10 batteries charged (not fully, of course), as well of three refineries, nanobot and all other basic stuff. I only need the small reactor when I decide to build too many things during the night, so Nanobot uses the energy.

Besides all the tips above - which I greatly appreciate! -, I just needed to "cheat-create/install" the overclocked ore detector at the very beginning of the landing, to help me finding some trusty resource spots, before to land and to make many, MANY runs harvesting ores.

(y)

 

Thank you for the tips guys


The reactor in addition to my panels is working like a charm. I also took the advice of getting conveyors running… works also very good J ( no more running around to get materials ).

My base is slowly taking shape, like J-Cataclism is saying im also pleased with the result so far. Space engineers is a fun game! The next thing I would love to do is be able to travel to other planets in my star system


Kind regards.

 

wELL, please keep us updated, if you don´t mind!
It will be fun to see another rookie on the try for his space-thru endeavours . I´ve been beaten so many times by my attempts on ground operations in Kerbal Space for the last months that now I wanto to enjoy some fine land-evolving stuff for a long as I can - maybe to reach the closest moon as a tourist in a few weeks. ;-)

 

You'll need lots of gold for superconductor components for a jump drive or two so you can travel to the other planets. You'll need to become a major miner.

 

That´s for sure. But if he manages to build a rover - which, of course, has its costs too -, he might have things going faster, as it makes possible to bring a lot of raw ores (inside one or two small containers) for processing in each travel. Yeah, but it´ll need one (or two) moduled (upgraded) refinery as well...

 

Nonsense. You can reach Mars from Earth in under 6 hours of travel in stock game conditions at 100m/s

 

By the way, you may have already noticed, but if you spend some time installing also some horizontal solar panels, they WILL make a difference.
I´d say that the regular ones (standing) can´t get "4 greens" along 20%~30% of the sunlight hours, when the light come from the zenith. But the horizontal ones, they get it all!

Just pay attention so the ladder ones don´t cast a shadow above the standing ones, and vice-versa.

...........
The horizontal ones work fine for rover as well. In fact, they appear in a yellow rover in one of the game loading screens.

.

 

OK, OK, you’ve got me there!
--- Automerge ---

You’ll get even more juice out of those panels if you install a post with a vertical rotor and, attached to that rotor, a horizontal rotor that has your solar array attached. Then build a programmable block and subscribe to Isy’s Solar Alignment Script (https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=699142028 )and you’ll have maximum power output all day long. (For clarification, scripts are not mods).

 

If you do want to use the scripts make sure you have experimental mode enabled (Checked in options )

And also make sure in world settings you have enable scripts checked!

 

Wow! That´s cool! I haven´t even used a single rotor yet. This will be a nice debut!
And despite I´ve enabled script every single time I start a gem, I haven´t tried them either (afraid of get addicted :-D ).

thank you! I will run for this upgrades.

 

Oh yeah, there are some really great scripts out there that will get you addicted for sure. I am hoping Keen changes their mind and moves PB back to the core game and out of experimental.

 

Hmm, I have never used scripts either. I need to check that out. I would love to have some rotating solar panels.

Now that I think about it I have not used rotors much either.

For getting off a planet do most people use a ship with ATMOS thrusters and H2 Thrusters? That is what worked for me once. Any other options?

Thanks,
Duncan

 

Most people would say that you cannot escape a planet's gravity well without the use of hydrogen thrusters. Although not practical, I have proven that an ion-only powered vehicle can indeed make it to space: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1512644544

It proves the old adage that says if you put enough engines on a rock you can make it fly.

 

Of course when 1.189 drops you will have the option to add wind turbines as well!!(To stations only of course.) Just make sure you have them up high with no obstacles in their way.