Difference between revisions of "Unstable power cell"

Latest revision as of 21:30, 1 September 2024

An unstable power cell is a power generation unit that is of Mechanoid origin. The cell has a constant output of 400W and can be placed anywhere, but if damaged can cause a massive explosion. The cell bears some similarities to the Vanometric power cell in that it will create free energy infinitely and can be placed in fortified positions.

Acquisition[edit]

The UPC can be claimed and stolen from mechanoid clusters, once the cluster is defeated.

Beware of mechanoid turret explosions damaging the UPC, resulting in a chain explosion that can easily kill nearby colonists. Their presence presents a strategic choice; detonate the power cells from a distance to make the cluster easier to defeat, or carefully deal with the mechanoids to claim the cells for use in your base.

Summary[edit]

Explosive radius.

Unstable power cells output a continuous 400W of power without fuel or any other dependence. Only an event that stops all electric devices, like a solar flare, can interrupt this item. They glow with a radius of 4.

When damaged below 50% of their HP, they have a chance to begin to "sizzle", after 240 ticks (4 secs) they will explode. It's possible to uninstall them during "sizzle", but they still will explode on reinstallation. They also always explode on destruction, but not deconstruction. The explosion has a radius of 9.9 tiles and does 50 Bomb damage. Bomb damage is multiplied 8x against walls, 4x against other impassable structures and plants, and 2x against passable buildings.

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[edit]

As bomb damage is very effective against structures, an exploding unstable power cell is very effective against the mech clusters they generate with. Successfully retrieving a power cell can sometimes be difficult, and should be weighed against its explosion, but is usually worth it.

While cells only give a modest 400 W, they are fairly useful for power. They are mobile, maintenance free, and perfectly consistent. For example, a single cell can power 2 isolated deep drills, without the need to run a long power conduit line. They are also helpful as "free" power, as a supplement to your main grid. Over the life of a colony, many cells can be accrued. Deconstructing one is almost never worth it, due to the pitiful yield.

While their explosive nature can be concerning, it is manageable. If you fully surround the cell with walls, then it will be practically safe:

A single explosion cannot damage tiles beyond walls, even if the wall is destroyed. This means your other objects are safe if the cell is walled in.
- If you use walls made of sandstone blocks or stronger, then the walls will prevent any damage from an initial explosion, such as a mortar strike, and the resulting cell explosion.
As mechanoid buildings, they are completely immune to fires and short circuits.
Most raiders will not try to break walls if any other target is available.
- For sappers and breachers, place cells (remember the walls!) in an internal position, so they have to break your outside walls first.

Therefore, the only real risk comes from an unlucky mortar strike, which is able to destroy most things, anyway. For bases with overhead mountain, even this problem is resolved.

Acquisition strategies[edit]

The primary risks to cells are accidentally triggering them with stray fire during combat and the explosions that can result from destroying turrets. Several methods can be used to safely acquire power cells from mechanoid clusters:

The simplest strategy might be simply clearing the cluster. If the unstable power cells are far enough away from turrets, you may be able to recover the cell by luring mechanoids away from the cluster, and then avoiding explosive weapons and not causing more damage than needed while you destroy buildings.
Smoke launchers can be used to give colonists cover while you construct a wall around a power cell to protect it.
The Wallraise psycast can be used to surround turrets or cells to contain explosions or protect cells from stray bullets.
High-quality breach axes and pawns with improved melee damage can destroy turrets in one hit, preventing the low-health explosion. Keep in mind that this is not perfectly reliable when dealing with predamaged turrets as they may hit the target with the weaker, handle attacks instead of the devastatingly effective head attack, and this may drop them below the threshold for low-health explosions. Always check the turret's HP before and while attempting this strategy, including if the first several swings do not successfully destroy a previously full health turret.
Frag grenades destroy turrets in one hit, preventing the low-health explosion. Frag grenades have a forced miss radius of 1.9 tiles, which means directly targeting a turret may lead to a grenade landing anywhere in a radius around the target, potentially hitting nearby UPCs. If this is possible, aim the frag grenade throws slightly away from both the turret and the cell so that you destroy the turret with a grenade that flies off-target. Destroying turrets this way takes many attempted throws. Smoke launchers can again be used to give your colonists cover from the turrets while you work.

Gallery[edit]

Explosive Radius
Light Radius. Yellow: 50%, Orange 34%.

Architect

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

Architect

Power: Power conduit (Hidden, Waterproof) • Power switch • Wood-fired generator • Chemfuel powered generator • Wind turbine
(research): Battery • Geothermal generator • Solar generator • Watermill generator • Toxifier generator • Bioferrite generator
(uncraftable): Vanometric power cell • Unstable power cell
Related: Ship reactor • Electroharvester

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

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Royalty}}{{infobox main|building|
+{{Royalty}}
+{{Infobox main|building
 | name = Unstable power cell
 | image = Unstablepc.png
 | description = A mechanoid power generation unit. The vanometric power core will run forever, extracting energy from quantum foam fluctuations. An internal amplifier system makes it unstable. If damaged, the unit will generate a massive explosion. Some brave humans steal these from mechanoids for their own use as power plants or defensive bombs. However, an unintentional detonation can be devastating.
 | type = Building
-| type2 = Mechanoid cluster
+| type2 = Special
 | placeable = false
 | path cost = 42
@@ Line 22: / Line 23: @@
 | marketvalue = 400
 | thingCategories = BuildingsSpecial
-| deconstruct yield = {{Icon small|Component}} 1
+| deconstruct yield = {{Icon Small|Component}} 1
-| destroyyield = {{Icon small|Component}} 0.5
+| destroyyield = {{Icon Small|Component}} 0.5
-}}{{Info|An '''unstable power cell''' is a power generation unit that is of [[Mechanoid]] origin. The cell has a constant output of 400W and can be placed anywhere, but if damaged can cause a massive explosion. The cell bears some similarities to the [[Vanometric power cell]] in that it will create free energy infinitely and can be placed in fortified positions.}}
+}}
+{{Info|An '''unstable power cell''' is a power generation unit that is of [[Mechanoid]] origin. The cell has a constant output of 400W and can be placed anywhere, but if damaged can cause a massive explosion. The cell bears some similarities to the [[Vanometric power cell]] in that it will create free energy infinitely and can be placed in fortified positions.}}
 == Acquisition ==
-The UPC can be claimed and stolen from [[mechanoid cluster]]s once the cluster is defeated. Beware of mechanoid turret explosions damaging the UPC, resulting in a chain explosion that can easily kill nearby colonists. Their presence presents a strategic choice; detonate the power cells from a distance to make the cluster easier to defeat, or carefully deal with the mechanoids to claim the cells for use in your base.
+The UPC can be claimed and stolen from [[mechanoid cluster]]s, once the cluster is defeated.
+Beware of mechanoid turret explosions damaging the UPC, resulting in a chain explosion that can easily kill nearby colonists. Their presence presents a strategic choice; detonate the power cells from a distance to make the cluster easier to defeat, or carefully deal with the mechanoids to claim the cells for use in your base.
 == Summary ==
-Unstable power cells output a continous 400W of power without fuel or weather dependence, only stopping during [[solar flare]]s and equivalent events that disable all electric objects. They glow with a radius of 4. When damaged below 50% of their HP, they have a chance to begin to "sizzle", after {{ticks|240}} they will explode. They also always explode on destruction, but not deconstruction. The resulting explosion has a radius of 9.9 tiles, and does 50 [[Damage types#Bomb|Bomb]] damage.
+[[File:Unstable power cell boom.png|thumb|left|Explosive radius.]]
+Unstable power cells output a continuous 400W of power without fuel or any other dependence. Only an [[event]] that stops all electric devices, like a [[solar flare]], can interrupt this item. They glow with a radius of 4.
+When damaged below 50% of their HP, they have a chance to begin to "sizzle", after {{Ticks|240}} they will explode. It's possible to uninstall them during "sizzle", but they still will explode on reinstallation. They also always explode on destruction, but not deconstruction. The explosion has a radius of 9.9 tiles and does 50 [[Damage types#Bomb|Bomb]] damage. Bomb damage is multiplied 8x against [[wall]]s, 4x against other impassable structures and plants, and 2x against passable buildings.
+Like all mech cluster buildings, they not only have a [[Flammability]] of 0%, but also take no damage from attacks with the [[Damage Types|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 ==
-Their large blast radius, high damage and the multipliers [[Damage types#Bomb|Bomb]] damage has against buildings all mean that they are very effective at damaging or outright destroying the mech clusters they spawn in. However, the value of a mobile, maintenance free, and perfectly consistent power source makes them very useful if they can be successfully retrieved from mech clusters without accidentally or intentionally destroying them. If they are captured intact, their deconstruction yield is pitiful and while it is possible to do, it is almost never worth it.
+{{Image wanted|section=1|reason=Clear, bright, image of honeycomb of walls and UPCs with sandstone walls}}
+As bomb damage is very effective against structures, an exploding unstable power cell is very effective against the mech clusters they generate with. Successfully retrieving a power cell can sometimes be difficult, and should be weighed against its explosion, but is usually worth it.
-Some players are wary of their explosive natures, however it is manageable. Their explosion will deal 400 damage to surrounding walls which is sufficient to destroy any wall weaker than sandstone. But even if it does destroy the wall, the explosion won't damage tiles beyond them. Thus, when used for static power production, they can be kept safe by surrounding them in stone wall cells even if such cells are placed directly next to each other. The fact that they are not only non-flammable like stone walls, but also take no damage at all from [[Damage types#Flame|Flame damage]] renders them completely immune to fires and [[Events#Zzztt...|short circuts]], making only the rare risk of a direct mortar strike possible and even then only if they are not placed under thick rock roofs.
+While cells only give a modest {{P|Power Consumption}} W, they ''are'' fairly useful for power. They are mobile, maintenance free, and perfectly consistent. For example, a single cell can power 2 isolated [[deep drill]]s, without the need to run a long power conduit line. They are also helpful as "free" power, as a supplement to your main grid. Over the life of a colony, many cells can be accrued. Deconstructing one is almost never worth it, due to the pitiful yield.
-They can be used to power isolated [[deep drill]]s without the need to run a long [[power conduit]] line.
+While their explosive nature can be concerning, it is manageable. If you fully surround the cell with [[wall]]s, then it will be practically safe:
+* A single explosion cannot damage tiles beyond walls, even if the wall is destroyed. This means your other objects are safe if the cell is walled in.
+** If you use walls made of [[sandstone blocks]] or stronger, then the walls will prevent any damage from an initial explosion, such as a mortar strike, ''and'' the resulting cell explosion.
+* As mechanoid buildings, they are completely immune to fires and [[Events#Zzztt...|short circuits]].
+* Most raiders will not try to break walls if any other target is available.
+** For sappers and breachers, place cells (remember the walls!) in an internal position, so they have to break your outside walls first.
+Therefore, the only real risk comes from an unlucky [[mortar]] strike, which is able to destroy most things, anyway. For bases with overhead mountain, even this problem is resolved.
 === Acquisition strategies ===
-{{Stub|section=1}}
+The primary risks to cells are accidentally triggering them with stray fire during combat and the explosions that can result from destroying turrets. Several methods can be used to safely acquire power cells from mechanoid clusters:
-Wallraise, precision grenades to prevent turret explosions, etc
+* The simplest strategy might be simply clearing the cluster. If the unstable power cells are far enough away from turrets, you may be able to recover the cell by luring mechanoids away from the cluster, and then avoiding explosive weapons and not causing more damage than needed while you destroy buildings.
+* [[Smoke launcher]]s can be used to give colonists cover while you construct a wall around a power cell to protect it.
+* The [[Wallraise]] psycast can be used to surround turrets or cells to contain explosions or protect cells from stray bullets.
+* High-quality [[breach axe]]s and pawns with improved melee damage can destroy turrets in one hit, preventing the low-health explosion. Keep in mind that this is not perfectly reliable when dealing with predamaged turrets as they may hit the target with the weaker, handle attacks instead of the devastatingly effective head attack, and this may drop them below the threshold for low-health explosions. Always check the turret's {{HP}} before and while attempting this strategy, including if the first several swings do not successfully destroy a previously full health turret.
+* [[Frag grenades]] destroy turrets in one hit, preventing the low-health explosion. Frag grenades have a forced miss radius of {{Q|Frag grenades|Miss Radius}} tiles, which means directly targeting a turret may lead to a grenade landing anywhere in a radius around the target, potentially hitting nearby UPCs. If this is possible, aim the frag grenade throws slightly ''away''  from both the turret and the cell so that you destroy the turret with a grenade that flies off-target. Destroying turrets this way takes many attempted throws. [[Smoke launcher]]s can again be used to give your colonists cover from the turrets while you work.
-== Trivia ==
+== Gallery ==
-Like all mech cluster buildings, they not only have a [[Flammability]] of 0%, but also take no damage from attacks with the [[Damage Types|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.
+<gallery>
+File:Unstable_power_cell_boom.png|Explosive Radius
+File:Unstable power cell light.png|Light Radius. Yellow: 50%, Orange 34%.
+</gallery>
-<noinclude>
+{{Nav|special|wide}}
-{{nav|power|wide}}
+{{Nav|power|wide}}
-{{nav|mechanoid|wide}}
+{{Nav|mechanoid|wide}}
-</noinclude>
+[[Category:Special]]
 [[Category:Power]]