Gamers are not to be underestimated
a % indicator is pretty poor imo.
Give us more information about energy production and usage.
energy/time, stuff like that.
a Powercell is 200...
200 what? potatoes ?
Now you're just being silly. You'd think a Power Cell would have 200 Power Units, I mean...come on man!
-
Edit:
On a serious note, you'll notice that looking at any Power Cell says this: Charge: 100% (200/200). Batteries are the same. The numbers are there, so I'm not sure now what you're on about?
The energy system in Subnautica (like far too many other games) isn't really logical or consistent and is generally a set of more or less arbitrary numbers. If we go by the PDA description that an Ion crystal stores the same amount of energy as a small nuclear detonation, then 1 power unit is a (very) large amount of energy. If we assume small means small by modern standards, then that means something at least 1kT or 1162 MWh of energy (I'm doing these calculations on Wolfram Alpha).
A single ion power cell holds 1000 units of energy and takes two ion crystals (thankfully batteries and power cells are consistent in terms of energy stored vs resource cost), so by this measure one unit of energy is at least 2.3 MWh, or 2 tons of TNT. This is an incredible amount of energy. The battery pack in a Tesla Model S P100 is 100kWh, which is about 4% of one energy unit. Remember that these calculations are based on the smallest practical nuclear devices.
Going from this, it would appear that devices in Subnautica, especially lights and propulsion systems, are incredibly inefficient. The energy has to go somewhere, and the waste heat dumped by these devices would likely kill the player and nearby wildlife. The flashlight would be putting out enough energy to be a high power directed energy weapon and vaporize/cook fish in a large cone in front of the player. A single sonar ping would release enough energy (20 tons of TNT) to explode fish and shatter rocks (remember that shockwaves underwater don't disperse as fast as in the air). The subs would be propelled by superheated plasma jets (the water would get so hot it would go beyond steam into plasma) and the exosuit would be turning sand into glass as it walked.
Even if we assume that the PDA description is wrong and 1 energy unit is far less than this calculation, energy usage of lights and sonar still doesn't match up at all with the energy usage of movement, and the energy usage rates aren't consistent between different flashlights and vehicles.
Not to mention the unrealistically high solar panel output, even when the highly accelerated timescale is taken into account.
Sorry for the long post, unrealistic energy usage in games is a pet peeve of mine.
The energy system in Subnautica (like far too many other games) isn't really logical or consistent and is generally a set of more or less arbitrary numbers. If we go by the PDA description that an Ion crystal stores the same amount of energy as a small nuclear detonation, then 1 power unit is a (very) large amount of energy. If we assume small means small by modern standards, then that means something at least 1kT or 1162 MWh of energy (I'm doing these calculations on Wolfram Alpha).
A single ion power cell holds 1000 units of energy and takes two ion crystals (thankfully batteries and power cells are consistent in terms of energy stored vs resource cost), so by this measure one unit of energy is at least 2.3 MWh, or 2 tons of TNT. This is an incredible amount of energy. The battery pack in a Tesla Model S P100 is 100kWh, which is about 4% of one energy unit. Remember that these calculations are based on the smallest practical nuclear devices.
I actually ran the numbers before I saw his math and got an even higher result. Using the Little Boy weapon as a baseline (15kT) and a conversion constant of 4.2e15 joules/megaton-equivalent, I came up with 1.133 GWh per kiloton. Now, I am sleep-deprived and have a smashing headache, so it's possible I slipped a number somewhere. And, really, at 1.162 GWh versus 1.133 GWh, we're splitting hairs, but both calculations support the same conclusion: a single ion cell should power all of New York City for about three full days. Consequently, our tools in Subnautica are less efficient than a first-generation incandescent bulb...and since that was around 1% energy-light conversion efficiency, well...that's just sad.
Comments
-
Edit:
On a serious note, you'll notice that looking at any Power Cell says this: Charge: 100% (200/200). Batteries are the same. The numbers are there, so I'm not sure now what you're on about?
Pirate-ninjas.
Also, opportunity cost. This is a really minor thing that'd take a lot of time to implement.
A single ion power cell holds 1000 units of energy and takes two ion crystals (thankfully batteries and power cells are consistent in terms of energy stored vs resource cost), so by this measure one unit of energy is at least 2.3 MWh, or 2 tons of TNT. This is an incredible amount of energy. The battery pack in a Tesla Model S P100 is 100kWh, which is about 4% of one energy unit. Remember that these calculations are based on the smallest practical nuclear devices.
Going from this, it would appear that devices in Subnautica, especially lights and propulsion systems, are incredibly inefficient. The energy has to go somewhere, and the waste heat dumped by these devices would likely kill the player and nearby wildlife. The flashlight would be putting out enough energy to be a high power directed energy weapon and vaporize/cook fish in a large cone in front of the player. A single sonar ping would release enough energy (20 tons of TNT) to explode fish and shatter rocks (remember that shockwaves underwater don't disperse as fast as in the air). The subs would be propelled by superheated plasma jets (the water would get so hot it would go beyond steam into plasma) and the exosuit would be turning sand into glass as it walked.
Even if we assume that the PDA description is wrong and 1 energy unit is far less than this calculation, energy usage of lights and sonar still doesn't match up at all with the energy usage of movement, and the energy usage rates aren't consistent between different flashlights and vehicles.
Not to mention the unrealistically high solar panel output, even when the highly accelerated timescale is taken into account.
Sorry for the long post, unrealistic energy usage in games is a pet peeve of mine.
Maybe you don't. Arr matey, de gozaru.
Nice work, @gamer1000k!
I actually ran the numbers before I saw his math and got an even higher result. Using the Little Boy weapon as a baseline (15kT) and a conversion constant of 4.2e15 joules/megaton-equivalent, I came up with 1.133 GWh per kiloton. Now, I am sleep-deprived and have a smashing headache, so it's possible I slipped a number somewhere. And, really, at 1.162 GWh versus 1.133 GWh, we're splitting hairs, but both calculations support the same conclusion: a single ion cell should power all of New York City for about three full days. Consequently, our tools in Subnautica are less efficient than a first-generation incandescent bulb...and since that was around 1% energy-light conversion efficiency, well...that's just sad.
Alterra: Batteries not included.
https://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/151808/energy-in-subnautica