Campfire

The campfire is building that produces light, temperature, allows the execution of simple cooking bills and the burning of apparel, weapons and drugs. It also functions as a social gathering spot.

Acquisition

Campfires require 20 Wood and 200 ticks (3.33 secs) of work in order to be constructed.

Summary

Gather spot gizmo toggled on

Campfires must be lit to function, which requires fuel. A lit campfire consumes 10 wood per day, and consumes an additional 0.0006 wood per 1 tick (0.02 secs), or a total of 46 wood per day, if it is lit while unroofed in the rain or snow. It can hold up to 20 fuel at a time, for a maximum run time of 2 days or 10.43 in-game hours in the rain. It is constructed with a full fuel capacity. Fuel is delivered to the campfire by a haulers as long as refueling is enabled. Campfires can be deconstructed to salvage wood that hasn't been consumed yet.

A lit campfire outputs light in a 10 tile radius, with the nearest 7.175 tiles being above 50% light level and considered "lit", preventing workspeed penalties.

Lit campfires will also heat enclosed rooms to a maximum temperature of 28 °C (82.4 °F) at a rate of 21 heat per second,^{[Exact mechanic unclear]} equivalent to a heater. Outdoor campfires, like other temperature effects, won't cause any temperature changes, but otherwise function as normal.

Campfires can act as a gather spot for colonists to recreate, even if unlit. This is toggled on by default, but can be toggled off via the gizmo when the campfire is selected.

Bills

The following items can be crafted at the campfire. Note that the campfire has a Work Speed Factor of 0.5, meaning that all bills will take 2x as long as at most other work stations.

Name	Materials	Work to Make	Required Research	Type
Psychite tea	4	000,400 ticks (6.67 secs)	Psychoid brewing	Drug - Social drug
4× Psychite tea	16	001,600 ticks (26.67 secs)	Psychoid brewing	Drug - Social drug
16× Pemmican	0.25 Nutrition (meat) + 0.25 Nutrition (vegan)	000,700 ticks (11.67 secs)	Pemmican	Food - Meal
64× Pemmican	1 Nutrition (meat) + 1 Nutrition (vegan)	002,800 ticks (46.67 secs)	Pemmican	Food - Meal
Simple meal	0.5 Nutrition (any)	000,300 ticks (5 secs)	–	Food - Meal
4× Simple meal	2 Nutrition (any)	001,200 ticks (20 secs)	–	Food - Meal
10× Baby food	0.25 Nutrition (vegetarian)	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	–	Food
40× Baby food	1 Nutrition (vegetarian)	001,800 ticks (30 secs)	–	Food

Burning

Burning bills are worked by haulers. All times are scaled by the worktable efficiency of 0.5 and the general labor speed of the hauler performing the bill. In all cases, the item is completely destroyed leaving nothing behind.

Each item of apparel requires 120 ticks (2 secs) to burn regardless of the item or material. Shield belts and smokepop packs cannot be burned.

Each weapon requires 120 ticks (2 secs) to burn regardless of the item or material. Weapons made out of stone cannot be burned since they are not flammable.

Up to one stack of any drug requires 120 ticks (2 secs) to burn.

Ritual

Campfires are used by the Drum Party ritual. If a lit campfire is used to start the ritual, the ritual will gain +20% quality, increasing the chance of a positive outcome.

Analysis

Campfires have a wide array of uses. They can heat rooms in cold climates, they can be used to cook food, and they produce light, all before you have access to before you have access to Electricity. There are multiple alternatives, even before electricity:

Fueled stoves cook x2 faster than a campfire, allow access to fine meals and lavish meals, and do not consume wood when not cooking food. They do consume a lot more wood during use. Yet fueled stoves are more efficient, so long as you have nearby trees to chop.
Torch lamps are much more efficient for light, and produce meager amounts of heat.
There is no direct alternative for heat before you have electricity. However, you can build your shelter inside a steam geyser, which creates sufficient (if too much) heat on its own.

The main benefit is that campfires are "all-in-one". If you are burning wood for heat, you might as well use it for cooking and light. Conversely, if you don't need heat and can afford to use a fueled stove, then you can skip a campfire.

After researching Electricity, Campfires are generally not resource- or work- efficient. A stable power source, heaters, electric stoves, and standing lamps all replace their functions. However, campfires don't require steel or components. Once you do have these supplies, then it is best to upgrade quickly. In the late game, campfires have a minor use, as they can be used as a heating alternative during a solar flare or other power outage.

Campfires can't be set to a specific temperature, meaning colonists are more likely to receive unhappy moods from being slightly too hot or cold when the room is heated with a campfire instead of a higher tech heater. If it's too hot, you can remove tiles of the roof or hold open doors to let some heat out.

Tips

You can place campfires near growing zones and/or dining areas, in order to reduce hauling time.
It is recommended to have a single gathering spot per colony, in your preferred "recreation area". Toggle off any campfires that don't meet this requirement.
Place a campfire under a roof due to the extra fuel consumption from rain; 1 wall and tile of roof are enough.

Version history

1.1.0 - Refueling is now toggleable.

Architect

Temperature: Campfire • Heater • Cooler • Passive cooler • Vent