Torch lamp

The torch lamp is a piece of furniture that burns wood to light an area, while also generating a small amount of heat.

Acquisition

Torch lamps can be constructed, each requiring 20 Wood and 100 ticks (1.67 secs) of work modified by the construction speed of the builder.

Once constructed, they cannot be re-installed, they can only be deconstructed.

Summary

A torch lamp outputs light in a 10 tile radius, with the nearest 7.175 tiles being above 50% light level and considered lit. It heats the room to a maximum temperature of 23 °C (73.4 °F) at a rate of 3.5 heat per second.^{[Exact mechanic unclear]}

The torch lamp consumes 2 wood per day as long as it is lit. It can hold up to 20 wood at a time, for a maximum run time of 10 days. It is constructed with a full fuel capacity. Fuel is delivered to the torch lamp by a haulers as long as refueling is enabled. It cannot be "turned off" or paused, only deconstructed, in which case no wood is recovered, regardless of any "fuel" remaining.

If under the rain and unroofed, it consumes an additional 0.0006 wood per 1 tick (0.02 secs), or 38 wood per day. It therefore lasts for 12.63 hours if in constant rain.

Analysis

Light is incredibly important for most colonies. Even if you have a colony full of night owls, darkness will impact movement speed, work speed, and surgery success rate. Any room with a roof is innately dark, so torch lamps are an effective source of light in the early game. An alternative solution, in the very early game, is to remove the roof (in the Architect/Zones tab) in the specific areas where colonists are working - such as over the interaction spot of a simple research bench. But, of course, there will be no light once it is nighttime.

Standing lamps are a strict upgrade, available once Electricity has been researched. Standing lamps provide more light and do not require refueling, just a source of power. A wood-fired generator, the most work-inefficient generator, can fuel 33 standing lamps for the cost of 11 torch lamps of wood - or, more practically, a few standing lamps and important buildings like heaters and coolers. However, torches have a few niches over electric lamps:

They are immune to solar flares and other power outages. Solar flares are too short to have a meaningful impact to productivity, but light is very important for surgeries.
They can provide light in very specific locations, without needing power conduits.
Standing lamps require 20 Steel. Steel can be very scarce at certain points of the game, and some colonies can have an abundance of wood.

The darktorch consumes wood at 75% the rate of a regular torch lamp, but has a light radius of 4.75 tiles. If the area requiring lighting is not large enough to require the additional radius of the torch lamp, the darktorch becomes more efficient.

Styles

Ideoligions allow the selection of styles which then change the texture of the certain items and buildings when constructed by the colony. These style variants can be crafted if the colony has the selected style, or can be looted from raiders from factions with the requisite style.