Mech node

Mech node

A self-powered mechanoid node of unknown function. Mech nodes can be deconstructed to yield valuable resources - but only if they are captured intact. The internal micro power cell will flame out and ruin the materials if the unit takes too much damage.

Base Stats

Type

Building – Special

Market Value

200 

Mass

9 kg

Beauty

-20

HP

50

Flammability

0%

Path Cost

30 (30%)

Building

Size

1 × 1

Minifiable

True

Placeable

True

Passability

pass through only

Cover Effectiveness

75%

Blocks Wind

True

Light Radius

1.65

Creation

Deconstruct yield

22 + 1

Destroy yield

nothing

Technical

thingCategories

BuildingsSpecial

Mech nodes are light-emitting buildings that can be claimed from a mech cluster once it is defeated, assuming they are not destroyed in the fight.

Acquisition

Mech nodes can be claimed from a mechanoid cluster once it has been defeated. Simply claim and uninstall it.

Summary

The white area (1 tile out) is 50% illumination, required for best surgery success chance. These tiles subsequently represent 30% or better: adequate for all general labor, avoiding mood penalties, and for growing decorative plants indoors in plant pots.

A mech node provides 50% light to tiles directly adjacent, and no further. It also provides a small amount of cover. It has a beauty value of -20, so is very ugly to look at.

Mech nodes can be deconstructed for 22 plasteel and 1 component. It cannot be sold.^[Verify]

Like all mech cluster buildings, they not only have a Flammability of 0%, but also take no damage from attacks with the Flame damage type. This is in contrast to, for example, a stone wall which will not be ignited by molotov cocktails, but will take the 10 flame damage from the initial attack.

Analysis

Mech nodes are a reward for not destroying everything in a mech cluster. If they are preserved, nodes can be deconstructed for a decent amount of resources. Whenever this is worth mostly depends on whenever it is possible to destroy the mech cluster without causing a massive explosion. This itself depends on cluster arrangement and your colony's combat prowess.

Otherwise, mech nodes aren't very useful as actual buildings. They can provide cover, but a plasteel barricade has more health. You can use them to lure raiders into (poor) cover, but stools are easier to build. They can provide emergency light for surgeries during a solar flare, but a torch lamp is easier to make, if wood is available at all.

There is also a tiny niche for emergency surgical lighting, being completely independent of fuel, power, EMI and solar flares and with light being vital for surgical success.

Version history

• 1.2.2719 - Added as Gloomlight.
• 1.2.2753 - Fix: Gloomlight would prevent a sun lamp from producing "brightly lit" cells within the radius of the Gloomlight. Due to: the glowColor of the Gloomlight not having an explicit alpha of zero. It now correctly ignores the alpha from the xml.
• 1.3.? - Renamed from Gloomlight to Mech node, possibly to avoid confusion with darktorches. Description changed from "A self-powered mechanoid light. Gloomlights can be deconstructed to yield valuable resources, or used as lights - but only if they are captured intact. The internal micro power cell will flame out and ruin the materials"

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Architect

Special

Glow pod • Infinite chemreactor • Psychic emanator • Vanometric power cell • Mech node • Monument marker • Unstable power cell

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Mechanoids

Mechanoids | Core

Centipede (Blaster, Burner, Gunner) • Lancer • Pikeman • Scyther • Termite

Combat

Centurion • Legionary • Militor • Scorcher • Tesseron

Command

Apocriton • Diabolus • War queen (War urchin )

Labor

Agrihand • Cleansweeper • Constructoid • Fabricor • Lifter • Paramedic • Tunneler

Cluster | Buildings

Condition causer • Count-down activator • Mech assembler • Mech capsule • Mech drop beacon • Mech high-shield • Mech low-shield • Mech node • Proximity activator • Unstable power cell

Turrets

Auto charge turret • Auto inferno turret • Auto mortar • Mini-slugger turret

Creation | Pawn

Mechanitor

Buildings

Mech gestator • Large mech gestator • Mechband antenna • Mechband dish