#REDIRECT [[thruster module]]

Reactor Stabilizer

2018-05-03T07:45:40Z

MacThule: Created page with "Stabilizers exist solely to reduce the vulnerability of reactors by providing stability to a linked reactor. A large reactor without stabilizers is easily destroyed and is..."

Effects

2018-05-03T07:28:52Z

MacThule:

NOTE: This article covers the old, obsolete effect system. All effects are now handled through the [[reactor chambers]] system.

'''Effects''' are modifications to a ship that can be used either offensively or defensively. When [[Linking|linked]] (slaved) to a [[Weapon_Systems|weapon]], the projectile produced from the weapon will have an added effect that modifies how that weapon behaves. When used independently, the ship will either perform a defensive action or it will create a defensive effect for the ship, so long as the computer producing the effect remains activated in the hotbar.

==Offensive Use==

Effects linked to weapon systems provide tertiary modifications to the linked weapon, primarily altering the effect a weapons' damage has on targets. Secondary modifications are detailed in the [[Weapon_Systems#Secondary_Systems|Secondary Systems]] section of Weapon Systems. A weapon system can only support one effect system and one secondary system at a time.

The strength (also referred to as efficiency) of a given effect is defined by the proportion of primary and tertiary systems. If the module count for an effect is the same as the module count of the primary weapon, that effect is applied at 100% strength. If the effect system's module count is less than that of the primary weapon, the strength of the effect is (EffectSize/PrimaryWeaponSize*100%). An effect cannot have greater than 100% strength, and any blocks added above the primary weapon's own module count will have no effect.

Example:
*A 40-block missile is linked to a Stop Effect.
**When the Stop Effect system has 10 modules, its strength is 25%. This converts 25% of the missile's damage to "stopping power".
**When the Stop Effect system has 40 modules as well, its strength is 100%, and all of the missile's damage is converted to "stopping power".
**When the Stop Effect system has more than 40 modules, its strength is still 100%. The excess modules have no effect on the weapon.

===Offensive Effects===

{|class="wikitable"
! Name !! Description
|-
| [[EMP Effect Computer|EMP Effect]] || Reduces block damage in exchange for damage that affects the target's power supply instead.
|-
| [[Explosive Effect Computer|Explosive Effect]] || For damage beams and cannons, spreads the weapon's damage to also affect the six blocks adjacent to the hit block. For missiles and pulses, increases the blast radius.
|-
| [[Ion Effect Computer|Ion Effect]] || Increases damage done to shields, but reduces damage done to blocks.
|-
| [[Overdrive Effect Computer|Overdrive Effect]] || Increases block damage, but dramatically increases the amount of power required to fire the weapon. Also increases the blast radius for missiles and pulses.
|-
| [[Piercing Effect Computer|Piercing Effect]] || For damage beams and cannons, slightly increases block damage, but decreases shield damage. For missiles and pulses, increases blast radius. For all weapons, ignores part of target's [[Defense Systems#Armor|armor]] value.
|-
| [[Pull Effect Computer|Pull Effect]] || Reduces block damage in exchange for an effect that pulls the target towards the damage source.
|-
| [[Punch-Through Effect Computer|Punch-Through Effect]] || For damage beams and cannons, increases block and [[Defense Systems#Armor HP|AHP]] damage. For missiles and pulses, slightly increases the blast radius and increases AHP damage.
|-
| [[Push Effect Computer|Push Effect]] || Reduces block damage in exchange for an effect that pushes the target away from the damage source.
|-
| [[Stop Effect Computer|Stop Effect]] || Reduces block damage in exchange for an effect that decreases the target's current velocity.
|}
===Tables===
The tables below detail how each effect, at 100% efficiency, will affect the different primary weapon categories. For the purposes of calculations, remember to factor in effect multipliers last, after calculating a weapon's total effective block count (Primary+Secondary+Effect, excluding any blocks which would add greater than 100% secondary or tertiary effect), and using this to calculate the base stats (see the [[Weapon Systems#Tables|tables]] on the Weapon Systems page for more info).

====EMP Effect Statistics====
All values are expressed as multipliers of original weapon damage.

{|class="wikitable"
|+EMP Effect
!Weapon !! Power Damage !! Block Damage !! Shield Damage
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| 20 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 20 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| 20 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 20 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|}

====Explosive Effect Statistics====
For both beams and cannons, Explosive effect is currently bugged<ref>http://phab.starma.de/T346</ref> and cannot increase a projectile's impact radius to more than 1. Therefore, this table notes that the maximum useful percentage for this effect on those weapons is 10%. Because of this bug, values for this effect are listed as they are at the maximum useful efficiency for that weapon.

Damage dealt to surrounding blocks by a 100% Explosive Effect weapon is 1/6 of total damage (to each block adjacent to the point of impact). If a weapon penetrates, explosive damage is applied again, using the remaining damage.

'''+Blast Radius (m)''' is expressed as a linear increase, measured in metres. 
'''Block Damage''' is expressed as a multiplier of original weapon damage. 
'''Max Effect %''' is the maximum useful efficiency for this effect.

{|class="wikitable"
|+Explosive Effect
!Weapon !! +Blast Radius(m) !! Block Damage !! Max Effect %
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| 1 ||style="text-align:center"| 0.95 ||style="text-align:center"| 10%
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 10 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 100%
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| 1 ||style="text-align:center"| 0.95 ||style="text-align:center"| 10%
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 10 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 100%
|}

====Ion Effect Statistics====
All values are expressed as multipliers of original weapon damage.

It is not certain how 100% Ion Effect affects missile and pulse damage, as the value listed in the "blockBehaviorConfig.xml"<ref>Line 1431, Starmade/data/config/blockBehaviorConfig.xml (StarMade v0.199.253)</ref> file, which governs such details, is 0.5. However, the same line also has the following comment: 
<code><nowiki></nowiki></code> 

This does suggest that the resulting shield damage would be the same as cannons and beams, but it is not certain. Players should bear in mind that explosion damage can often be unreliable anyway, since as much as 50% of it radiates into empty space when striking a perfectly flat surface.

{|class="wikitable"
|+Ion Effect
!Weapon !! Shield Damage !! Block Damage
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| 2 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 2 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| 2 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 2 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|}

====Overdrive Effect Statistics====
'''+Blast Radius (m)''' is expressed as a linear increase, measured in metres. 
'''Block Damage''' and '''Shield Damage''' are expressed as multipliers of original weapon damage. 
'''Total Damage''' is a value unique to missiles and pulses, and is expressed as a multiplier of original weapon damage. It is assumed that this refers to the total damage radiated from an explosion (50% of which is lost on empty space, when striking a completely flat surface) 
'''Power Consumption''' is expressed as a multiplier of original power consumption.

{|class="wikitable"
|+Overdrive Effect
!Weapon !! +Blast Radius (m) !! Block Damage !! Shield Damage !! Total Damage !! Power Consumption
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 6
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 10 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 6
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 6
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 10 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 6
|}

====Piercing Effect Statistics====
'''+Blast Radius (m)''' is expressed as a linear increase, measured in metres. 
'''Block Damage''' and '''Shield Damage''' are expressed as multipliers of original weapon damage. 
'''Armor Ignore''' is the percentage of a given block's [[Defense Systems#Armor|armor]] value which is ignored by a 100% Piercing Effect projectile from this weapon. 
'''AHP Damage''' is a percentage increase in damage done by this weapon to a ship's [[Defense Systems#Armor HP|Armor HP]] pool.

{|class="wikitable"
|+Piercing Effect
!Weapon !! +Blast Radius (m) !! Block Damage !! Shield Damage !! Armor Ignore (%) !! AHP Damage
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 1.25 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 50% ||style="text-align:center"| 50%
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 5 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 50% ||style="text-align:center"| -
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 1.25 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 50% ||style="text-align:center"| 50%
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 5 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 50% ||style="text-align:center"| -
|}

====Pull Effect Statistics====
'''Pulling Force''' is a multiplier of original weapon damage. "Pull" damage pulls the target in the direction of the source of the damage. 
'''Block Damage''' and '''Shield Damage''' are expressed as multipliers of original weapon damage. 

{|class="wikitable"
|+Pull Effect
!Weapon !! Pulling Force !! Block Damage !! Shield Damage
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|}

====Punch-Through Effect Statistics====
'''+Blast Radius (m)''' is expressed as a linear increase, measured in metres. 
'''Block Damage''' is expressed as a multiplier of original weapon damage. 
'''AHP Damage''' is a percentage increase in damage done by this weapon to a ship's [[Defense Systems#Armor HP|Armor HP]] pool.

{|class="wikitable"
|+Punch-Through Effect
!Weapon !! +Blast Radius (m) !! Block Damage !! AHP Damage
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 1.5 ||style="text-align:center"| 50%
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 5 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 50%
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 1.5 ||style="text-align:center"| 50%
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 5 ||style="text-align:center"| - ||style="text-align:center"| 50%
|}

====Push Effect Statistics====
'''Pushing Force''' is a multiplier of original weapon damage. "Push" damage pushes the target in the direction of the source of the damage. 
'''Block Damage''' and '''Shield Damage''' are expressed as multipliers of original weapon damage. 

{|class="wikitable"
|+ Push Effect
!Weapon !! Pushing Force !! Block Damage !! Shield Damage
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|}

====Stop Effect Statistics====
'''Stopping Force''' is a multiplier of original weapon damage. "Stop" damage decreases the target's velocity. 
'''Block Damage''' and '''Shield Damage''' are expressed as multipliers of original weapon damage. 

{|class="wikitable"
|+ Stop Effect
!Weapon !! Stopping Force !! Block Damage !! Shield Damage
|-
|'''Cannon''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Missile''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Beam''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|-
|'''Damage Pulse''' ||style="text-align:center"| 3 ||style="text-align:center"| 0 ||style="text-align:center"| 0
|}

==Defensive Use==

Effect computers that are placed directly on the hotbar instead of being linked (slaved) to a weapon will grant a defensive benefit when active. Some effects are termed "passives", and remain active until turned off again, while others are "burst" effects which apply their effect in a single pulse (and will continue to pulse if {{K|Attack}} is held down).

The strength of the effect produced is proportional to the mass of the ship using it, with some effects having higher "multipliers", allowing them to reach their maximum efficiency with fewer blocks in comparison to others. Defensive effects have limits in place on their strength, varying from effect to effect.

With the exception of Push and Pull, effects do not take the mass of any docked entities into consideration when calculating efficiency. Push and Pull are affected because they try to move an entity, and are therefore required to generate enough force for the total mass (their "efficiency" value is still listed as though they were unaffected, but the behavior of these effects is not precisely known).

===Summary Table===
This table briefly explains the details of each defensive effect.

Notes/Definitions:
*'''Notification''': The name for this effect which is used on its effect pop-up in game. These notifications appear on the right edge of the screen, stating the effect which is affecting the entity, as well as its efficiency.
**These names are copied verbatim from the game, including typos.
*'''e/sec/block''': The cost, in power per second, for each block of this effect which is active.
*'''% Of mass for max. effect''': This value, when multiplied by a given mass value, produces an integer (rounded up) which is the ''block count'' required for maximum effect, ''not'' the total mass of effect modules required.
*'''Multiplier''': This value is used in some formulas in the next section, as it changes the "weighting" of effects (how easily they reach a given %).

{|class="wikitable"
|+ Defensive Effects Summary
! Name !! Notification !! Effect !! Type !! Max. effect (%) !! e/sec/block !! % Of mass for max. effect !! Multiplier
|-
| [[EMP Effect Computer|EMP Effect]] || Power Damage Protection || Reduces power damage taken by EMP weapons. || Passive ||style="text-align: center| 50% ||style="text-align: center| 10 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 50% ||style="text-align: center| 10
|-
| [[Explosive Effect Computer|Explosive Effect]] || Moment Effect Protection || Reduces the effect of weapons which try to change a ship's velocity (Push, Pull, Stop). ''This effect is currently bugged, see [[#Bugs|Bugs]] for details.'' || Passive ||style="text-align: center| 100% ||style="text-align: center| 15 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 25% ||style="text-align: center| 40
|-
| [[Ion Effect Computer|Ion Effect]] || Shield Protection Bonus || Decreases damage dealt to a ship's shields. Functions like an [[Defense_Systems#Armor|armor value]] for shields. || Passive ||style="text-align: center| 60% ||style="text-align: center| 20 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 50% ||style="text-align: center| 12
|-
| [[Overdrive Effect Computer|Overdrive Effect]] || Top Speed Bonus || Increases the maximum speed of a ship. || Passive ||style="text-align: center| 50% ||style="text-align: center| 10 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 25% ||style="text-align: center| 20
|-
| [[Piercing Effect Computer|Piercing Effect]] || Armor HP Absorbtion Bonus  || Increases the absorption rate of an entity's [[Defense_Systems#Armor HP|AHP]] pool. || Passive ||style="text-align: center| 25% ||style="text-align: center| 10 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 5.56% ||style="text-align: center| 45
|-
| [[Pull Effect Computer|Pull Effect]] || Evade Burst || Propels the ship backwards. ''This effect is currently partially bugged, see [[#Bugs|Bugs]] for details.'' || Burst ||style="text-align: center| 100% ||style="text-align: center| 15 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 50% ||style="text-align: center| 20
|-
| [[Punch-Through Effect Computer|Punch-Through Effect]] || Armor HP Deduction Bonus || Reduces the damage taken by an entity's AHP. || Passive ||style="text-align: center| 25% ||style="text-align: center| 10 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 5.56% ||style="text-align: center| 45
|-
| [[Push Effect Computer|Push Effect]] || Take off Burst|| Propels the ship forwards. ''This effect is currently partially bugged, see [[#Bugs|Bugs]] for details.'' || Burst ||style="text-align: center| 100% ||style="text-align: center| 15 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 50% ||style="text-align: center| 20
|-
| [[Stop Effect Computer|Stop Effect]] || Anti Gravity || Reduces the effect of gravity (from planets and black holes) on a ship. ''This effect is currently partially bugged, see [[#Bugs|Bugs]] for details.'' || Passive ||style="text-align: center| 100% ||style="text-align: center| 10 e/s ||style="text-align: center| 25% ||style="text-align: center| 40
|}

===Defensive Effect Rules===
In addition to the formula stated above, slightly more complex formulas can be used for non-standard situations, such as finding the block count necessary for an effect efficiency less than the maximum, or finding what the resulting efficiency of a given block count will be (both of these operations requiring ship mass to be known). Both formulas use the "EffectMult" value, which is the Multiplier value stated in the table above (use the one for the effect in question).

Firstly, for calculating the block count necessary for a given efficiency (in %) on a known mass: 
''*Note: "Target%" is to be expressed as a decimal (50% = 0.5, etc.).''

<big>'''BlockCount''' = '''ShipMass''' * '''Target%''' / '''Multiplier''' * '''10''' </big>

Secondly, the formula for the efficiency (as a %) of an effect system (when block count of the effect, as well as total mass, are known) is:

<big> '''Efficiency''' = '''BlockCount''' / '''ShipMass''' * '''Multiplier''' * '''10'''</big>

==Bugs==
*Offensive Explosive Effect on cannon and beam is intended to produce a blast radius of up to 10, but instead only achieves a radius of 1<ref>http://phab.starma.de/T346</ref>.
*Defensive Stop Effect is intended to prevent black hole gravity from effecting a ship, but does not currently do so<ref>http://phab.starma.de/T59</ref>.
*Defensive Explosive Effect is intended to prevent velocity-affecting weapons (Pull, Push and Stop) from having any effect, when at 100%. Currently, it does not do so<ref>http://phab.starma.de/T1404</ref>.
*Defensive Push and Pull Effects misbehave if their acceleration would cause the ship to go faster than its maximum speed<ref>http://phab.starma.de/T1583</ref>.
*Defensive effects do not currently take the mass of docked entities into account for their effect:mass ratio. This is thought to be a bug.

==References==
{{reflist}}
==Related==
{{Game Mechanics Navigator}}
[[Category:Effect]]
[[Category:Game Mechanics]]

Reactors

2018-05-03T07:27:25Z

MacThule:

Reactors

2018-05-03T07:27:15Z

MacThule:

{{WIP}}

Reactors are a means of power generation for ships, stations, and planetary facilities. [[Shields]], [[thrusters]], [[weapons]], [[support tools]] and all other powered systems draw power from reactors. Reactors also generate [[tech points]] as a separate way to power [[reactor chambers]]; tech points do not affect normal power in any way.

Small reactors are extremely simple, and can be nothing more than a few [[adjacent]] reactor blocks. Such small reactors can easily power small shuttles, light fighters, [[drones]], scouts, and research ships as well as minor planetary outposts and small unmanned stations.

Larger reactors quickly become much more complicated. Large ships and stations often have more than one reactor.

==Stability==

Larger reactors are inherently unstable, and can be destroyed by even the most minor damage. This can be prevented both by protecting the reactor from damage, and by linking groups of [[stabilizer]] blocks placed at a distance away from your reactors.

Reactor

2018-05-03T06:47:15Z

MacThule: Redirected page to Reactors

#REDIRECT [[Reactors]]

Reactor

2018-05-03T06:46:59Z

MacThule: Redirected page to Target page name here

#REDIRECT [[target page name here]]

Reactor Chambers

2018-05-03T06:46:49Z

MacThule:

Reactor Chambers

2018-05-03T06:44:58Z

MacThule: Created page with "Reactor chamber provide special effects (mostly buffs) and abilities to an entity or specific systems of that entity. At least one block of a chamber must be linked directly t..."

Reactor chamber provide special effects (mostly buffs) and abilities to an entity or specific systems of that entity. At least one block of a chamber must be linked directly to a reactor block by a path of [[conduit blocks]]. Second-tier effects can be achieved by linking a second chamber of the same type to an existing chamber by a path of conduit blocks.

Chamber List:

*[[Defence Chamber]]
**Buffs to armor
*[[FTL Chamber]]
**Buffs to jump capability
*[[Logistics Chamber]]
**Salvage & production buffs
*[[Mass Chamber]]
**Gravity control
*[[Mobility Chamber]]
**Buffs to movement or turning speed
*[[Power Chamber]]
**Buffs to power generation
*[[Recon Chamber]]
**Cloaking, jamming, and countering stealth

Reactors

2018-05-03T06:35:30Z

MacThule:

Reactors

2018-05-03T06:31:45Z

MacThule: Reactors as of Systems 2.0

Reactors are a means of [[power generation]] for ships, stations, and planetary facilities. [[Shields]], [[thrusters]], [[weapons]], and all other powered systems draw power from reactors.

Small reactors are extremely simple, and can be nothing more than a few [[adjacent]] reactor blocks. Such small reactors can easily power small shuttles, light fighters, [[drones]], scouts, and research ships as well as minor planetary outposts and small unmanned stations.

Larger reactors quickly become much more complicated, and large ships and stations often have more than one reactor.

Larger reactors are inherently unstable, and can be destroyed by even the most minor damage. This can be prevented both by protecting the reactor from damage, and by linking groups of [[stabilizer]] blocks placed at a distance away from your reactors.

StarMade Wiki/editcopy

2018-05-03T06:29:48Z

MacThule:

__NOTOC__
{{#seo:
|title=Starmadepedia - The Official StarMade Wiki
}}

{| class="mainpagetable"

| style="width:25%;" |
<div style="text-align: center;">{{Main page/heading|General Information}}</div>
* [[Introduction]]
** [[Introduction#What is StarMade|What is StarMade?]]
** [[Introduction#System Requirements|System requirements]]
* [[Tutorials]]
** [[Tutorials/Installation|Installation]]
** [[Tutorials/Getting started|Getting started]]
** [[Crew|Hiring NPC Crew Members]]
* [[Common Problems]]
** [[Common Problems#Client|Client]]
** [[Common Problems#Server|Server]]
** [[BugTracker|How to report Bugs]]
* [[Changelog]]
* [https://trello.com/b/9Kg5Jn6g/starmade-roadmap Roadmap]

| style="width:50%;" |
<div style="text-align: center;">{{Main page/heading|Game Mechanics}}</div>
{| style="width:100%; border-style: hidden;"
| style="width:50%;" |
* [[Resources]]
* [[Production|Manufacturing]]
* [[Ship Design|Ships]]
** [[Power Systems]]
** [[Propulsion Systems]]
** [[Weapon Systems]]
** [[Support Tool Systems]]
** [[Effects|Effect Systems]]
** [[Defense Systems]]
* [[Space Station]]s
* [[Logic Signals|Logic Systems]]
* [[Commands|Admin Commands]]
| style="width:50%;" |
* [[Factions]]
* [[Fleets]]
* [[Menus]]
* [[:Category:Articles|Blocks]]
** [[ID list]]
** [[:Category:Hull|Hull]]
** [[:Category:Weapons|Weapons]]
** [[:Category:SupportTools|Support]]
** [[:Category:Effect|Effects]]
** [[:Category:Resources|Resources]]
** [[:Category:Logic|Logic Blocks]]
** [[:Category:Decoration|Decorations]]
|}
|
<div style="text-align: center;">{{Main page/heading|Documentation}}</div>
* [[:Category:General Documentation|General Documentation]]
** [[Mod API]]
* [[:Category:Server Documentation|Server Documentation]]
** [[Windows Server|Windows]]
** [[Linux Server|Linux]]
** [[Server.cfg]]
** [[Server Query Protocol]]
** [[:Category:Server Documentation|Custom Ships and Stations]]
** [[:Category:Server Documentation|Custom Factions]]

|-

{| class="mainpagetable"

| colspan="2" |
{| align="center" width="100%" style="padding: 5px; text-align: center;"
| width="33%" | Official Sites: [http://star-made.org/ StarMade Website] [http://starmadedock.net/ Forums] [https://registry.star-made.org/ StarMade Registry]
| width="33%" | Wiki Links<hr />[[Special:RecentChanges|Recent Changes]] • [[StarMade Wiki:Admin noticeboard|Admin Noticeboard]] • [[StarMade Wiki:Community portal|Community Portal]] • [[StarMade Wiki:Manual of Style|Manual of Style]] • [[StarMade Wiki:Rules|Rules]] 
| width="33%" | Community Locations: [[File:Twitter_Logo.png|20px|link=https://twitter.com/star_made]] [[File:Steam_Logo.png|20px|link=http://steamcommunity.com/app/244770/discussions/]] [[File:Twitch_Logo.png|20px|link=http://www.twitch.tv/starmade]] [[File:YouTube_Logo.png|20px|link=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtHs_Mc3LmDPxnEtsjpLoA]] [[File:GooglePlus_Logo.png|20px|link=https://plus.google.com/+schemastarmade/about]] [[File:100px-Reddit_Logo.png|20px|link=http://www.reddit.com/r/Starmade/]]
|}

|}

|}
{| width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
| style="padding:0; font-size: 85%;" align="right" | ''Changes to this main page can be proposed [[StarMade Wiki/editcopy|here]].''
|}

Topic:Ucezs49wqbuh1p0p

2018-05-03T06:25:04Z

MacThule (talk | contribs) commented on "Main page update for 2.0" (I want to remove the "what is Starmade" from the main since it is in the first 3 links of general info already, and is not practical info...)

Legacy Power Systems

2018-05-02T17:13:41Z

MacThule:

This page describes the old, first-run model for power generation and storage mechanisms in '''StarMade''' and is no longer used. Data from this test version was used to design and implement Starmade's current power system, Power 2.0.

'''For information on the current system of power generation in Starmade, see [[Reactors]].'''

==Power Generation and Storage Blocks==
Power is generated using either [[Power Reactor Module|Power Reactor Modules]] or [[Power Auxiliary|Power Auxiliaries]], although the latter is greatly preferable as a supplement to the former (when they have reached or surpassed their peak efficiency), not a replacement. Entities built from a [[Ship Core]] have an innate power regen rate of 1 power per second (commonly abbreviated as "e/sec"). [[Planet|Planets]] and [[Space Station|Space Stations]] do not have this innate power generation. Ships also have a base power capacity of 50,000 energy (as with regeneration, planets and stations have no innate power capacity). Power capacity can be increased using [[Power Capacitor|Power Capacitors]]. All three types of power blocks are more efficient (in terms of power per second per block, or e/sec/block) when placed in particular configurations, as detailed in their sections below.

An important consideration is that all systems drain some amount of power from the ship's capacity, either at a constant rate for a period of time (passive effects, scanner and jump drive charging, or cloaking and jamming), or in instantaneous bursts of varying frequency (most weapons). If the instantaneous power cost of an action (eg. firing a large missile) is greater than the power capacity of the ship, the action will not occur, a "Power Failure" warning will appear below the targeting reticle (as well as a red "E" in a triangle, at the top of the screen), and no power will be drained for that action. In most situations, a ship should at least have sufficient capacity to fire one salvo of its alpha (high damage, long cooldown) weapons. Power capacity should usually also include leeway for power spikes caused by shield regeneration costs, thruster activation, and potentially even enemy [[Effects#Offensive_Effects|EMP]] attacks (which can cause significant power drain if the attacking ship is focussed on such weaponry).

Power generation will ideally be greater than the maximum expected rate of power usage: failing this, there should be a great enough combination of capacity and regen that the ship will not rapidly drain its capacity if power drain exceeds normal levels. For example, although very few large ships have regen equal to the power demand of charging a large Jump Drive, their capacity is usually greater than the cost to charge the drive.

A further consideration for larger ships is the use of Power Auxiliaries. These blocks are not more useful than Power Reactor Modules until the latter has reached its peak efficiency (as detailed below, this is approximately 2,000,000 e/sec). After this point, the output of Power Reactor Modules peters out, making way for Power Auxiliaries. They have a similar "soft-cap", but this is per physically separate group, rather than a cap placed on a ship as a whole. However, when a block in a given group of them is destroyed, that group will be affected by a series of explosions, proportional to the size of the affected group. Because of this, they serve as a useful, if risky, way for large ships to further increase power generation.

==Power Reactor Rules==
[[Power Reactor Module|Power Reactors]] have some relatively complex rules governing their power output, especially if one is concerned about efficiency (either in terms of power per block, or power per volume). Two separate formulas are used: one which deals with the output of a single group of reactors (which is only used when the ship has exactly one reactor group), and one which is used to calculate the total output of multiple separate groups on a ship.

===Single Group Formula===

The formula for an entity with exactly one Power Reactor group is as follows:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''GroupPower''' = BlockPower + SizePower</tt>

where:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''BlockPower''' = 25 * NumberOfBlocks</tt>

and:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''SizePower''' = 2000000 * 2 / ( 1 + 1.000348-0.333*(SumOfDimensions/3)1.7) - 2000000</tt>

'''GroupPower''' is the sum of the following values.

'''BlockPower''' is the base power per second per block of [[Power Reactor Module|Power Reactors]]: 25e/sec/block.

'''SizePower''' is an extra power value dependent on SumOfDimensions: the sum of dimensions of the minimum bounding box for a given reactor group. SumOfDimensions, of course, is not dependent on aspect ratio: a 3x3x3, 1x1x7, and 2x2x5 bounding box all have a SumOfDimensions of 9. SizePower is of the greatest importance to efficient reactor design as it is an exponential function, and every successive increase in SumOfDimensions has greater value than the last.

Note that SizePower has a maximum value of 2,000,000e/sec, and suffers from diminishing returns as it approaches this value. Also note that for multiple reactor groups, the above formula is modified, and results in a diminishing return to TotalPower. TotalPower of an entity is not the sum of the GroupPower of each group. See the Multiple Group Formula below, as well as the [[#Power Reactor Advanced Analysis|Advanced Analysis]] section, for a more detailed explanation of the equation.

Here are some examples of power reactor groups and how their power outputs are calculated.

<gallery mode="traditional" widths=300px heights=300px perrow=3 caption="Example power reactor groups and power values">
Image:Bounding Box 1.jpg|A power reactor by itself has a bounding box with dimensions 1 x 1 x 1. SumOfDimensions=3. BlockPower=25e. SizePower=115e. GroupPower=140e.
Image:Bounding Box 2.jpg|A power reactor group of 3 modules with a bounding box with dimensions 2 x 1 x 2. SumOfDimensions=5. BlockPower=75e. SizePower=276e. GroupPower=351e.
Image:Bounding Box 3.jpg|A power reactor group of 7 modules with a bounding box with dimensions 3 x 3 x 3. SumOfDimensions=9. BlockPower =175e. SizePower=750e. GroupPower=925e.
</gallery>

===Multiple Group Formula===

When there is only one power reactor group on an entity, the GroupPower of that reactor is equal to the total power regen of the entity. However, when there is more than one group, the total power regen of the entity is ''not'' the sum of the GroupPower of all groups. Rather, TotalPower of an entity with multiple power reactor groups is subject to diminishing returns, and is given by the following formula:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''TotalPower''' = BlockPower + GroupSumSizePower</tt>

where:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''BlockPower''' = 25 * TotalNumberOfBlocksInAllGroups</tt>

and:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''GroupSumSizePower''' = 2000000 * 2 / ( 1 + 1.000348-0.333 * GroupSumPower) - 2000000</tt>

where:

<tt style="font-size:large">'''GroupSumPower''' = (SumOfDimensionsOfGroup1/3)1.7 + (SumOfDimensionsOfGroup2/3)1.7 ... + (SumOfDimensionsOfGroup''n''/3)1.7</tt>, where ''n'' is the number of groups.

These formulas are displayed on the following [https://www.desmos.com/calculator/9bcasqoi46 Desmos graph].

===Optimal Layouts===

<gallery mode="traditional" widths=900px heights=300px perrow=1 caption="Optimal maximum-output layouts">
Image:OptimalPowerStructures.jpg|Background: Five efficient reactor shapes which all maximize the power output for 20 blocks. Foreground: A "cubic reactor", also 20 blocks: this is an inefficient design in terms of e/sec/block. Statistics for the 5 efficient reactors: BlockPower=500e/s. SizePower=3426.8e/s TotalPower=3926.8e/s.
</gallery>

Every group pictured above (excluding the 3x3x3 "cubic reactor") consists of 20 blocks arranged in an optimal pattern. An optimal pattern for a group is one in which every block increases SumOfDimensions: this of the utmost importance to creating efficient (high power per second per block) reactors. Note that, though not pictured above, a straight line of Power Reactors is also a maximum-efficiency layout for a given block count. This is because each block increases SumOfDimensions, providing the maximum SizePower for the group.

The goal in design of a ship's power generation should be to both maximize every group's box dimensions (netting the greatest e/sec/block efficiency) while also reserving large contiguous volumes within the ship for other systems, as well as rooms of both functional (core room and access routes) and non-functional (miscellaneous roleplay/decorative rooms) nature.

Outdated "cubic reactors", in which many small groups are tightly packed into a small cubic volume (5x5x5 being particularly common for this type), have a comparatively low e/sec/block value, and are not recommended under any circumstance. They are only an academic excercise, one used when the above formulas were first being uncovered and tested.

The key points, therefore, of efficient reactor design are:
* For over 9 or more power reactor modules, build the largest optimized single group possible within the volume of the ship, using perpendicular 1-block wide bars. (A single group up to around 1400 to 1800 blocks, or around 2 million e/sec, is about the ideal for large ships). 'Optimized' means that every Power block in the group will increase the SumOfDimensions. Simply placing long straight lines or 3-axis crosses is common, due to the simplicity of the shapes. If the ship is too small to build a single 2-million e/sec reactor, then build a second or third, depending on the volume of the ship and the power desired for that ship.
** For 8 or fewer power reactor modules, it is optimal to build in disconnected single blocks.
** The exceptions to not increasing the Sum-Of-Dimensions of a contiguous block group with every block should only be when taking a detour around other systems or another power block group.
* Once the first (and usually largest) group is placed, it is likely for smaller ships that more groups will be required to reach the desired e/sec output. For medium-sized ships, one group that maximizes the Sum-of-Dimensions within the available volume of the ship will likely not produce as much power as desired. Space permitting, then add in as many more parallel groups which each maximize the sum-of-dimensions within the remaining space.
**Where possible, run separate groups along the same path as the primary group, ensuring that they are not connected face-to-face at any point. Since the first group should have maximized the sum-of-dimensions in the available volume, a parallel group would generally be the best possible shape for the second group, depending on available ship volume.
**Diagonal adjacency (that is to say, adjacent edges, rather than adjacent faces) is normally preferable. This would result in interior block cavities in some cases that could be filled with power-capacitors, for example.
* Bear in mind that 1-block groups produce 140e/sec, compared to the 25e/sec that redundant blocks in a group will add. Therefore, if eking out more power, fill internal spaces with small, separate groups, rather than connecting more blocks to an existing large group, ''redundantly''; the latter is likely to produce significantly less TotalPower for the number of blocks used.
** 'Redundant' in this case means blocks that do not increase the Sum-of-Dimensions. An 'L' shape is optimal because all blocks each increase the sum-of-dimensions. Making a double-thick 'L' or a hollow square out of the 'L' shape almost doubles the blocks, but results in two sides of the square being all redundant blocks that only contribute 25 e/sec each. Better to make two unconnected 'L' shapes, not a square or double-wide 'L'.
* The power output from Power Reactor Blocks hit peak efficiency at 895 blocks and hit diminishing returns at around 1,200 to 15,00 blocks. Power Auxilaries are are 19.87% more resource intensive to build and usually less efficient. Once you reach 14,710 Power Reactor blocks in a single group, it becomes economical to, switch to adding groups of 10,000 Power Auxiliary blocks. Power Auxiliary blocks are most efficient in groups of 10,000 (really 9890) blocks.

==Power Auxiliary Rules==
Power Auxiliaries add a separate auxiliary power pool to a ship, and gradually refill this over time when off. This pool can be stored up and then emptied into the main power pool for emergency recharging, or if the auxiliaries are left on, they will provide a constant boost to power generation. They should only be used once Power Reactor Modules have reached or surpassed their peak efficiency. They also provide a new element of risk to manage during ship design, as the chain reactions caused by destroying part of a Power Auxiliary group can be significant if not well-mitigated.
{{main|Power Auxiliary}}

==Power Capacitor Rules==
[[Power Capacitor|Power Capacitors]] have a simple exponential equation governing their capacity.

<tt style="font-size: large">'''GroupPower''' = 1000 * '''NumBlocks'''1.05</tt>

Note that the only variable is NumBlocks (total block count of the grouping). Since GroupPower is an exponential function, subsequent blocks provide greater increments than the ones before them. This increment is labelled "BonusPerBlock" in the table below. Because of this, the ideal configuration for any number of Power Capacitors is a single physically-contiguous group. Even if there are separate "clumps" or concentrations of blocks, all of these should be connected by thinner lines of capacitors, to ensure maximum output. It is also advisable to have redundant connections between clumps, to avoid the potential for battle damage breaking these connections.

Here are some sample group sizes and their value breakdowns. Note that values are rounded.

{|class="wikitable"
!NumBlocks !! GroupPower !! BonusPerBlock
|-
|1||1,000||0
|-
|2||2,071||35
|-
|3||3,169||56
|-
|4||4,287||72
|-
|5||5,419||84
|-
|6||6,562||94
|-
|7||7,715||102
|-
|8||8,877||110
|-
|9||10,045||116
|-
|10||11,220||122
|-
|50||60,802||216
|-
|100||125,893||259
|}

==Power Reactor Advanced Analysis==

This data is mostly of use for builders of large and very large ships. Even though a mid-sized ship might be able to make use of 2 million e/sec, it might not have the internal volume to make an optimized group of 800 or more power reactor modules. However, this analysis does show that small to medium ships should still try to utilize the largest optimized block structures that they can manage within the volume of their ship: this is always more effective than using outdated "efficient cube" reactor setups.

The following table lists the SizePower value generated by an optimal group of blocks of the given number. Note that the SizePower formula only [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/asymptotically asymptotically] approaches its maximum value of 2,000,000 e/sec. At 3415 blocks, A one-decimal result rounds to 2 million.

{|class="wikitable"
!Blocks !! Max SizePower !! BlockPower !! GroupPower !! Power/Block Ratio
|-
|25||4854.7||625.0||5479.7||219.2
|-
|50||14792.4||1250.0||16042.4||320.8
|-
|100||46492.6||2500.0||48992.6||489.9
|-
|200||148300||5000.0||153300||766.5
|-
|300||292236.1||7500.0||299736.1||999.1
|-
|400||469724.5||10000.0||479724.5||1199.3
|-
|500||671237.4||12500.0||683737.4||1367.5
|-
|600||885221.5||15000.0||900221.5||1500.4
|-
|700||1098666.6||17500.0||1116166.6||1594.5
|-
|800||1298843.6||20000.0||1318843.6||1648.6
|- style="font-style: bold; background-color: green;"
|895||1467322.0||22375||1489697.0||1664.5
|-
|900||1475480.8||22500.0||1497980.8||1664.4
|-
|1000||1622409.7||25000.0||1647409.7||1647.4
|-
|1100||1738002.7||27500.0||1765502.7||1605.0
|-
|1200||1824394.0||30000.0||1854394.0||1545.3
|-
|1300||1886032.9||32500.0||1918532.9||1475.8
|-
|1400||1928219.9||35000.0||1963219.9||1402.3
|-
|1500||1956037.9||37500.0||1993537.9||1329.0
|-
|1600||1973774.6||40000.0||2013774.6||1258.6
|-
|1700||1984741.6||42500.0||2027241.6||1192.5
|-
|1800||1991332.7||45000.0||2036332.7||1131.3
|-
|1900||1995189.4||47500.0||2042689.4||1075.1
|-
|2000||1997389.4||50000.0||2047389.4||1023.7
|-
|2100||1998614.2||52500.0||2051114.2||976.7
|-
|2200||1999280.1||55000.0||2054280.1||933.8
|-
|2300||1999633.8||57500.0||2057133.8||894.4
|-
|2400||1999817.6||60000.0||2059817.6||858.3
|-
|2500||1999911.0||62500.0||2062411.0||825.0
|-
|2600||1999957.5||65000.0||2064957.5||794.2
|-
|2700||1999980.1||67500.0||2067480.1||765.7
|-
|2800||1999990.8||70000.0||2069990.8||739.3
|-
|2900||1999995.9||72500.0||2072495.9||714.7
|-
|3000||1999998.2||75000.0||2074998.2||691.7
|-
|3100||1999999.2||77500.0||2077499.2||670.2
|-
|3200||1999999.7||80000.0||2079999.7||650.0
|-
|3300||1999999.9||82500.0||2082499.9||631.1
|-
|3400||1999999.9||85000.0||2084999.9||613.2
|-
|3415||2000000.0||85375.0||2085375.0||610.7
|}

The above table is illustrated more effectively in the following chart:

<gallery mode="traditional" widths=600px heights=400px perrow=1 caption="Graphs of SizePower and Total Power">
Image:Max_SizePower_Curve.jpg|SizePower per optimized group of blocks of a given number.
</gallery>

It is easy to see that SizePower has diminishing returns after about 900 blocks. The precise number is 895. This is the number of blocks in a group that yields the maximum GroupPower per block, 1664.5, after which it begins to fall. If the groups were simply summed, then the ideal ship would have a couple of groups of about 895 blocks, or so. However, since the group formula introduces diminishing returns for multiple groups, it is best to use as few groups as possible, preferably one, if ship size permits.
The asymptotic limit for SizePower at 2 million effectively soft-limits the number of blocks to around 1600-1800 due to diminishing returns. This effectively limits efficient ship power to around 2 million e/sec or so, in practice. The extra e/sec is not worth the doubling of power blocks to 3400 from around 1700 to gain a mere 50K. In fact, it might be better to roughly limit at around 1400 blocks or less. The first 400 blocks adds 469K e/sec to a ship. The last 400 blocks, from 1400 to 1800, only adds only about 73K e/sec. Consequently, large ships might be better served using those hundreds of blocks (or thousands if considering a higher +3K limit) in an [[Power Auxiliary]] system.

The table below illustrates the diminishing returns of multiple groups.
To get to 2 million e/sec (using optimal layouts with each group):
{|class="wikitable"
!NumGroups!!GroupSize!!TotalBlocks!!MaxSizePower!!BlockPower!!TotalPower!!Power/Block
|-
|1||1528||1528||1961859.7||38250||2000059.7||1308.9
|-
|2||983||1966||1975701.3||49150||2000276.3||1017.4
|-
|3||758||2274||1981077.4||56850||2000027.4||879.5
|-
|4||631||2524||1984801.0||63100||2000576.0||792.6
|-
|6||486||2916||1988313.8||72900||2000463.8||686.0
|-
|12||311||3732||1993938.6||93300||2001713.6||536.4
|-
|18||239||4302||1996248.5||107550||2002223.5||465.4
|-
|34||158||5372||2001017.1||134300||2004967.1||373.2
|-
|52||119||6188||1999927.0||154700||2002902.0||323.7
|-
|94||80||7520||1999194.0||188000||2001194.0||266.1
|-
|253||41||10373||2008595.1||259325||2009620.1||193.7
|}
==Related==
{{Game Mechanics Navigator}}
[[Category:Articles]]
[[Category:Game Mechanics]]

Adjacent

2018-05-02T17:12:35Z

MacThule: Defining Starmade adjacency

Adjacency in Starmade typically requires two blocks to share more than a single line in the way mathematical adjacency does. In Starmade, blocks must share at least one entire facet, adjoined along a single plane in order to be adjacent

Adjacent blocks of the same kind in Starmade typically act as a single component. Adjacency has substantial benefits for some blocks, no effect for others.

Reactors

2018-05-02T17:09:24Z

MacThule: Stub page for reactor overview

Reactors generate power for ships, stations, and planetary facilities. [[Shields]], [[thrusters]], [[weapons]], and all other powered systems draw power from reactors.

Small reactors are extremely simple, and can be nothing more than a few [[adjacent]] reactor blocks. Such small reactors can easily power small shuttles, light fighters, [[drones]], scouts, and research ships as well as minor planetary outposts and small unmanned stations.

Larger reactors quickly become much more complicated, and large ships and stations often have more than one reactor.

Larger reactors are inherently unstable, and can be destroyed by even the most minor damage. This can be prevented both by protecting the reactor from damage, and by linking groups of [[stabilizer]] blocks placed at a distance away from your reactors.

Legacy Power Systems

2018-05-02T16:53:46Z

MacThule: Power 1.9 - obsolete. Save for records.

This page describes the old, first-run model for power generation and storage mechanisms in '''StarMade''' and is no longer used. Data from this test version was used to design and implement Starmade's current power system, Power 2.0.

For information on the current system of power generation in Starmade, see [[Reactors]].

==Power Generation and Storage Blocks==
Power is generated using either [[Power Reactor Module|Power Reactor Modules]] or [[Power Auxiliary|Power Auxiliaries]], although the latter is greatly preferable as a supplement to the former (when they have reached or surpassed their peak efficiency), not a replacement. Entities built from a [[Ship Core]] have an innate power regen rate of 1 power per second (commonly abbreviated as "e/sec"). [[Planet|Planets]] and [[Space Station|Space Stations]] do not have this innate power generation. Ships also have a base power capacity of 50,000 energy (as with regeneration, planets and stations have no innate power capacity). Power capacity can be increased using [[Power Capacitor|Power Capacitors]]. All three types of power blocks are more efficient (in terms of power per second per block, or e/sec/block) when placed in particular configurations, as detailed in their sections below.

An important consideration is that all systems drain some amount of power from the ship's capacity, either at a constant rate for a period of time (passive effects, scanner and jump drive charging, or cloaking and jamming), or in instantaneous bursts of varying frequency (most weapons). If the instantaneous power cost of an action (eg. firing a large missile) is greater than the power capacity of the ship, the action will not occur, a "Power Failure" warning will appear below the targeting reticle (as well as a red "E" in a triangle, at the top of the screen), and no power will be drained for that action. In most situations, a ship should at least have sufficient capacity to fire one salvo of its alpha (high damage, long cooldown) weapons. Power capacity should usually also include leeway for power spikes caused by shield regeneration costs, thruster activation, and potentially even enemy [[Effects#Offensive_Effects|EMP]] attacks (which can cause significant power drain if the attacking ship is focussed on such weaponry).

Power generation will ideally be greater than the maximum expected rate of power usage: failing this, there should be a great enough combination of capacity and regen that the ship will not rapidly drain its capacity if power drain exceeds normal levels. For example, although very few large ships have regen equal to the power demand of charging a large Jump Drive, their capacity is usually greater than the cost to charge the drive.

A further consideration for larger ships is the use of Power Auxiliaries. These blocks are not more useful than Power Reactor Modules until the latter has reached its peak efficiency (as detailed below, this is approximately 2,000,000 e/sec). After this point, the output of Power Reactor Modules peters out, making way for Power Auxiliaries. They have a similar "soft-cap", but this is per physically separate group, rather than a cap placed on a ship as a whole. However, when a block in a given group of them is destroyed, that group will be affected by a series of explosions, proportional to the size of the affected group. Because of this, they serve as a useful, if risky, way for large ships to further increase power generation.

==Power Reactor Rules==
[[Power Reactor Module|Power Reactors]] have some relatively complex rules governing their power output, especially if one is concerned about efficiency (either in terms of power per block, or power per volume). Two separate formulas are used: one which deals with the output of a single group of reactors (which is only used when the ship has exactly one reactor group), and one which is used to calculate the total output of multiple separate groups on a ship.

===Single Group Formula===

The formula for an entity with exactly one Power Reactor group is as follows:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''GroupPower''' = BlockPower + SizePower</tt>

where:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''BlockPower''' = 25 * NumberOfBlocks</tt>

and:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''SizePower''' = 2000000 * 2 / ( 1 + 1.000348-0.333*(SumOfDimensions/3)1.7) - 2000000</tt>

'''GroupPower''' is the sum of the following values.

'''BlockPower''' is the base power per second per block of [[Power Reactor Module|Power Reactors]]: 25e/sec/block.

'''SizePower''' is an extra power value dependent on SumOfDimensions: the sum of dimensions of the minimum bounding box for a given reactor group. SumOfDimensions, of course, is not dependent on aspect ratio: a 3x3x3, 1x1x7, and 2x2x5 bounding box all have a SumOfDimensions of 9. SizePower is of the greatest importance to efficient reactor design as it is an exponential function, and every successive increase in SumOfDimensions has greater value than the last.

Note that SizePower has a maximum value of 2,000,000e/sec, and suffers from diminishing returns as it approaches this value. Also note that for multiple reactor groups, the above formula is modified, and results in a diminishing return to TotalPower. TotalPower of an entity is not the sum of the GroupPower of each group. See the Multiple Group Formula below, as well as the [[#Power Reactor Advanced Analysis|Advanced Analysis]] section, for a more detailed explanation of the equation.

Here are some examples of power reactor groups and how their power outputs are calculated.

<gallery mode="traditional" widths=300px heights=300px perrow=3 caption="Example power reactor groups and power values">
Image:Bounding Box 1.jpg|A power reactor by itself has a bounding box with dimensions 1 x 1 x 1. SumOfDimensions=3. BlockPower=25e. SizePower=115e. GroupPower=140e.
Image:Bounding Box 2.jpg|A power reactor group of 3 modules with a bounding box with dimensions 2 x 1 x 2. SumOfDimensions=5. BlockPower=75e. SizePower=276e. GroupPower=351e.
Image:Bounding Box 3.jpg|A power reactor group of 7 modules with a bounding box with dimensions 3 x 3 x 3. SumOfDimensions=9. BlockPower =175e. SizePower=750e. GroupPower=925e.
</gallery>

===Multiple Group Formula===

When there is only one power reactor group on an entity, the GroupPower of that reactor is equal to the total power regen of the entity. However, when there is more than one group, the total power regen of the entity is ''not'' the sum of the GroupPower of all groups. Rather, TotalPower of an entity with multiple power reactor groups is subject to diminishing returns, and is given by the following formula:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''TotalPower''' = BlockPower + GroupSumSizePower</tt>

where:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''BlockPower''' = 25 * TotalNumberOfBlocksInAllGroups</tt>

and:

<tt style="font-size: large">'''GroupSumSizePower''' = 2000000 * 2 / ( 1 + 1.000348-0.333 * GroupSumPower) - 2000000</tt>

where:

<tt style="font-size:large">'''GroupSumPower''' = (SumOfDimensionsOfGroup1/3)1.7 + (SumOfDimensionsOfGroup2/3)1.7 ... + (SumOfDimensionsOfGroup''n''/3)1.7</tt>, where ''n'' is the number of groups.

These formulas are displayed on the following [https://www.desmos.com/calculator/9bcasqoi46 Desmos graph].

===Optimal Layouts===

<gallery mode="traditional" widths=900px heights=300px perrow=1 caption="Optimal maximum-output layouts">
Image:OptimalPowerStructures.jpg|Background: Five efficient reactor shapes which all maximize the power output for 20 blocks. Foreground: A "cubic reactor", also 20 blocks: this is an inefficient design in terms of e/sec/block. Statistics for the 5 efficient reactors: BlockPower=500e/s. SizePower=3426.8e/s TotalPower=3926.8e/s.
</gallery>

Every group pictured above (excluding the 3x3x3 "cubic reactor") consists of 20 blocks arranged in an optimal pattern. An optimal pattern for a group is one in which every block increases SumOfDimensions: this of the utmost importance to creating efficient (high power per second per block) reactors. Note that, though not pictured above, a straight line of Power Reactors is also a maximum-efficiency layout for a given block count. This is because each block increases SumOfDimensions, providing the maximum SizePower for the group.

The goal in design of a ship's power generation should be to both maximize every group's box dimensions (netting the greatest e/sec/block efficiency) while also reserving large contiguous volumes within the ship for other systems, as well as rooms of both functional (core room and access routes) and non-functional (miscellaneous roleplay/decorative rooms) nature.

Outdated "cubic reactors", in which many small groups are tightly packed into a small cubic volume (5x5x5 being particularly common for this type), have a comparatively low e/sec/block value, and are not recommended under any circumstance. They are only an academic excercise, one used when the above formulas were first being uncovered and tested.

The key points, therefore, of efficient reactor design are:
* For over 9 or more power reactor modules, build the largest optimized single group possible within the volume of the ship, using perpendicular 1-block wide bars. (A single group up to around 1400 to 1800 blocks, or around 2 million e/sec, is about the ideal for large ships). 'Optimized' means that every Power block in the group will increase the SumOfDimensions. Simply placing long straight lines or 3-axis crosses is common, due to the simplicity of the shapes. If the ship is too small to build a single 2-million e/sec reactor, then build a second or third, depending on the volume of the ship and the power desired for that ship.
** For 8 or fewer power reactor modules, it is optimal to build in disconnected single blocks.
** The exceptions to not increasing the Sum-Of-Dimensions of a contiguous block group with every block should only be when taking a detour around other systems or another power block group.
* Once the first (and usually largest) group is placed, it is likely for smaller ships that more groups will be required to reach the desired e/sec output. For medium-sized ships, one group that maximizes the Sum-of-Dimensions within the available volume of the ship will likely not produce as much power as desired. Space permitting, then add in as many more parallel groups which each maximize the sum-of-dimensions within the remaining space.
**Where possible, run separate groups along the same path as the primary group, ensuring that they are not connected face-to-face at any point. Since the first group should have maximized the sum-of-dimensions in the available volume, a parallel group would generally be the best possible shape for the second group, depending on available ship volume.
**Diagonal adjacency (that is to say, adjacent edges, rather than adjacent faces) is normally preferable. This would result in interior block cavities in some cases that could be filled with power-capacitors, for example.
* Bear in mind that 1-block groups produce 140e/sec, compared to the 25e/sec that redundant blocks in a group will add. Therefore, if eking out more power, fill internal spaces with small, separate groups, rather than connecting more blocks to an existing large group, ''redundantly''; the latter is likely to produce significantly less TotalPower for the number of blocks used.
** 'Redundant' in this case means blocks that do not increase the Sum-of-Dimensions. An 'L' shape is optimal because all blocks each increase the sum-of-dimensions. Making a double-thick 'L' or a hollow square out of the 'L' shape almost doubles the blocks, but results in two sides of the square being all redundant blocks that only contribute 25 e/sec each. Better to make two unconnected 'L' shapes, not a square or double-wide 'L'.
* The power output from Power Reactor Blocks hit peak efficiency at 895 blocks and hit diminishing returns at around 1,200 to 15,00 blocks. Power Auxilaries are are 19.87% more resource intensive to build and usually less efficient. Once you reach 14,710 Power Reactor blocks in a single group, it becomes economical to, switch to adding groups of 10,000 Power Auxiliary blocks. Power Auxiliary blocks are most efficient in groups of 10,000 (really 9890) blocks.

==Power Auxiliary Rules==
Power Auxiliaries add a separate auxiliary power pool to a ship, and gradually refill this over time when off. This pool can be stored up and then emptied into the main power pool for emergency recharging, or if the auxiliaries are left on, they will provide a constant boost to power generation. They should only be used once Power Reactor Modules have reached or surpassed their peak efficiency. They also provide a new element of risk to manage during ship design, as the chain reactions caused by destroying part of a Power Auxiliary group can be significant if not well-mitigated.
{{main|Power Auxiliary}}

==Power Capacitor Rules==
[[Power Capacitor|Power Capacitors]] have a simple exponential equation governing their capacity.

<tt style="font-size: large">'''GroupPower''' = 1000 * '''NumBlocks'''1.05</tt>

Note that the only variable is NumBlocks (total block count of the grouping). Since GroupPower is an exponential function, subsequent blocks provide greater increments than the ones before them. This increment is labelled "BonusPerBlock" in the table below. Because of this, the ideal configuration for any number of Power Capacitors is a single physically-contiguous group. Even if there are separate "clumps" or concentrations of blocks, all of these should be connected by thinner lines of capacitors, to ensure maximum output. It is also advisable to have redundant connections between clumps, to avoid the potential for battle damage breaking these connections.

Here are some sample group sizes and their value breakdowns. Note that values are rounded.

{|class="wikitable"
!NumBlocks !! GroupPower !! BonusPerBlock
|-
|1||1,000||0
|-
|2||2,071||35
|-
|3||3,169||56
|-
|4||4,287||72
|-
|5||5,419||84
|-
|6||6,562||94
|-
|7||7,715||102
|-
|8||8,877||110
|-
|9||10,045||116
|-
|10||11,220||122
|-
|50||60,802||216
|-
|100||125,893||259
|}

==Power Reactor Advanced Analysis==

This data is mostly of use for builders of large and very large ships. Even though a mid-sized ship might be able to make use of 2 million e/sec, it might not have the internal volume to make an optimized group of 800 or more power reactor modules. However, this analysis does show that small to medium ships should still try to utilize the largest optimized block structures that they can manage within the volume of their ship: this is always more effective than using outdated "efficient cube" reactor setups.

The following table lists the SizePower value generated by an optimal group of blocks of the given number. Note that the SizePower formula only [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/asymptotically asymptotically] approaches its maximum value of 2,000,000 e/sec. At 3415 blocks, A one-decimal result rounds to 2 million.

{|class="wikitable"
!Blocks !! Max SizePower !! BlockPower !! GroupPower !! Power/Block Ratio
|-
|25||4854.7||625.0||5479.7||219.2
|-
|50||14792.4||1250.0||16042.4||320.8
|-
|100||46492.6||2500.0||48992.6||489.9
|-
|200||148300||5000.0||153300||766.5
|-
|300||292236.1||7500.0||299736.1||999.1
|-
|400||469724.5||10000.0||479724.5||1199.3
|-
|500||671237.4||12500.0||683737.4||1367.5
|-
|600||885221.5||15000.0||900221.5||1500.4
|-
|700||1098666.6||17500.0||1116166.6||1594.5
|-
|800||1298843.6||20000.0||1318843.6||1648.6
|- style="font-style: bold; background-color: green;"
|895||1467322.0||22375||1489697.0||1664.5
|-
|900||1475480.8||22500.0||1497980.8||1664.4
|-
|1000||1622409.7||25000.0||1647409.7||1647.4
|-
|1100||1738002.7||27500.0||1765502.7||1605.0
|-
|1200||1824394.0||30000.0||1854394.0||1545.3
|-
|1300||1886032.9||32500.0||1918532.9||1475.8
|-
|1400||1928219.9||35000.0||1963219.9||1402.3
|-
|1500||1956037.9||37500.0||1993537.9||1329.0
|-
|1600||1973774.6||40000.0||2013774.6||1258.6
|-
|1700||1984741.6||42500.0||2027241.6||1192.5
|-
|1800||1991332.7||45000.0||2036332.7||1131.3
|-
|1900||1995189.4||47500.0||2042689.4||1075.1
|-
|2000||1997389.4||50000.0||2047389.4||1023.7
|-
|2100||1998614.2||52500.0||2051114.2||976.7
|-
|2200||1999280.1||55000.0||2054280.1||933.8
|-
|2300||1999633.8||57500.0||2057133.8||894.4
|-
|2400||1999817.6||60000.0||2059817.6||858.3
|-
|2500||1999911.0||62500.0||2062411.0||825.0
|-
|2600||1999957.5||65000.0||2064957.5||794.2
|-
|2700||1999980.1||67500.0||2067480.1||765.7
|-
|2800||1999990.8||70000.0||2069990.8||739.3
|-
|2900||1999995.9||72500.0||2072495.9||714.7
|-
|3000||1999998.2||75000.0||2074998.2||691.7
|-
|3100||1999999.2||77500.0||2077499.2||670.2
|-
|3200||1999999.7||80000.0||2079999.7||650.0
|-
|3300||1999999.9||82500.0||2082499.9||631.1
|-
|3400||1999999.9||85000.0||2084999.9||613.2
|-
|3415||2000000.0||85375.0||2085375.0||610.7
|}

The above table is illustrated more effectively in the following chart:

<gallery mode="traditional" widths=600px heights=400px perrow=1 caption="Graphs of SizePower and Total Power">
Image:Max_SizePower_Curve.jpg|SizePower per optimized group of blocks of a given number.
</gallery>

It is easy to see that SizePower has diminishing returns after about 900 blocks. The precise number is 895. This is the number of blocks in a group that yields the maximum GroupPower per block, 1664.5, after which it begins to fall. If the groups were simply summed, then the ideal ship would have a couple of groups of about 895 blocks, or so. However, since the group formula introduces diminishing returns for multiple groups, it is best to use as few groups as possible, preferably one, if ship size permits.
The asymptotic limit for SizePower at 2 million effectively soft-limits the number of blocks to around 1600-1800 due to diminishing returns. This effectively limits efficient ship power to around 2 million e/sec or so, in practice. The extra e/sec is not worth the doubling of power blocks to 3400 from around 1700 to gain a mere 50K. In fact, it might be better to roughly limit at around 1400 blocks or less. The first 400 blocks adds 469K e/sec to a ship. The last 400 blocks, from 1400 to 1800, only adds only about 73K e/sec. Consequently, large ships might be better served using those hundreds of blocks (or thousands if considering a higher +3K limit) in an [[Power Auxiliary]] system.

The table below illustrates the diminishing returns of multiple groups.
To get to 2 million e/sec (using optimal layouts with each group):
{|class="wikitable"
!NumGroups!!GroupSize!!TotalBlocks!!MaxSizePower!!BlockPower!!TotalPower!!Power/Block
|-
|1||1528||1528||1961859.7||38250||2000059.7||1308.9
|-
|2||983||1966||1975701.3||49150||2000276.3||1017.4
|-
|3||758||2274||1981077.4||56850||2000027.4||879.5
|-
|4||631||2524||1984801.0||63100||2000576.0||792.6
|-
|6||486||2916||1988313.8||72900||2000463.8||686.0
|-
|12||311||3732||1993938.6||93300||2001713.6||536.4
|-
|18||239||4302||1996248.5||107550||2002223.5||465.4
|-
|34||158||5372||2001017.1||134300||2004967.1||373.2
|-
|52||119||6188||1999927.0||154700||2002902.0||323.7
|-
|94||80||7520||1999194.0||188000||2001194.0||266.1
|-
|253||41||10373||2008595.1||259325||2009620.1||193.7
|}
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