Reactors

In StarMade, nearly all functional Computers, Modules and Blocks require power. As of version 0.200.311, the StarMade Power System has been overhauled with a different model to generate and utilize ship or station power. The ‘Power 2.0’ system is primarily based on a commensalistic relationship between a series Reactor Power modules and an array of Reactor Stabilizer modules. The Reactor Power block produces power, but without the required Reactor Stabilizer modules, the reactor is limited. The stabilizers however are independent, and do not require any other block for functioning or optimization.

Reactor Blocks and Overview

Reactor Stabilizer
Hit Points	100
Armor	0.5%
Volume	0.1
Mass	0.15
Luminosity	none
Data Value (ID)	1009

Reactor Power
Hit Points	100
Armor	0.5%
Mass	0.40
Luminosity	none
Data Value (ID)	1008

There are five possible components to reactors: Reactor Power blocks, Reactor Stabilizer blocks, Reactor Stabilizer Stream Node blocks, and Reactor Chambers and their connecting Reactor Conduits.

System Modules

The original info-card is used as a graphical depiction of the generic effects of the two block types working in harmony. As with the previous version of the power system, the sheer amount of raw power is dependent on number of placed reactor blocks within a group. However, group and dimension sizes no longer matter, and only the sheer number of power reactors are what determines the possible power output.

Reactor Chambers provide ship-wide buffs and special abilities, however add complexity to the reactor. Reactor Chambers are linked to the reactor with Conduits. The minimum size of the Reactor Chambers is correlated to Reactor size. This minimum size can be seen in the Reactor menu and when placing Chamber blocks. Each chamber will use a portion of Reactor Points, a virtual mechanic, that adds up to 100%. Making Chamber designs that go over 100% eventually deactivate all Chambers effecting the mother entity. This page will not discuss Reactor Chambers and Conduit usage in detail.

Finally, an optional block to add to and customize Reactor Systems is the Reactor Stabilizer Stream Node. The Reactor Stream, that is created from the center of the active Reactor group to the center of each Stabilizer Group, will be redirected through the nodes. Multiple nodes may be placed to for a multi-point form for the stream to reroute through. This allows for builders to route the stream through protected areas of the entity, protecting the stream from possible damage. Damage hitting the streams will temporarily reduce power output.

Developer Chart From Jan 20, 2018 News Update.

Power Distribution

The biggest change in power mechanic for the ship or station usage of the power system is that there is no longer a capacitance or battery power, but rather only a constant stream of limited recharging power. As such, every usage of the power system is now in terms of amount of energy per sec (e/sec) versus raw or instantaneous energy upon activation. The difference, between a resting or charging amount of energy needed is dependent on the system type and size. E.g, the basic factory will use 10 e/sec when not in use, but when activated, jumps to 50 e/sec (with no upgrades or modifiers).

The power distribution of the ship or station will depend on the individual entity, modified by the player. When power usage overtakes power production, certain systems will start to receive reduced or no power, as listed in a priority list set by the player. An entity may have more than one reactor group (a connected series of Reactor Power blocks), but only one reactor will be active, using that groups power production and size as the determining factor for active chambers, and power production available to systems on the entity. Therefore multiple reactors turn into redundant or modifying reactors to change the secondary effects of chambers to the ship. This page will not go into detail about this or other power routing systems as set in the game.

Legacy Reactors

Information on legacy power systems can be found here. However, it is strongly recommended that you no longer use legacy power. It currently remains in-game for compatibility reasons, However it is largely unsupported and will be fully deprecated in the future.

Power Generation

The current power model in simply a linear relationship between the number of reactors and amount of power generated. As of 0.200.335, the amount is set to 100 e/sec/block. However, as soon as there are more than 10 reactor blocks in a single reactor, each additional block reduces the reactor’s stability. Stability of the reactor is the second factor of power generation. As soon as the power stability goes below 25% power generation is capped, and the maximum power generation without stabilizers is 4000 e/sec., which occurs with a reactor group size of 40 blocks.

Variables

Below is a list of variables their current settings as of 0.200.335, as listed in <gamefolder>\StarMade\data\config\blockBehaviorConfig.xml:

Variables, Power

Config File Name	Meaning	Symbol	Value
ReactorCalcStyle	Active Calculation Model: Linear, Logarithmic and Logarithmic_Leveled are possible		EXP
ReactorStabilizerDistanceExpMult	Exponential Multiplier	C1	10
ReactorStabilizerDistanceExp	Exponent	a	0.333
ReactorStabilizerStartingDistance	Offset Distance, Constant	s0	-7.5
ReactorStabilizerLinearFalloffOne	Optimal Distance Constant of Stabilizers		1.0
ReactorStabilizerLinearFalloffZero	Minimum Distance Constant of Stabilizers		0.0
ReactorStabilizerFreeMainReactorBlocks	Number of Reactors that are not affected by Stability		10
ReactorStabilizerDistanceTotalMult	Final Multiplier	C0	2.0
ReactorStabilizationPowerEffectiveFull	Percent of Stability required for Full Power Output		0.25

From the following formula, the amount of reactor power generation (e/sec) inherent to a group that has zero stabilizers can be determined:

Advanced Stabilizer Placement

Stabilizer groups do not need to be placed along one axis to achieve the maximum stabilizer efficiency. While it might suffice to have stabilizers placed along one axis for a reactor this can become an issue with larger reactors.

To decrease the distance that each stabilizer group needs to be placed on either side of the main reactor group, stabilizers can be placed in zones which correspond to each of the 6 cardinal directions (up, down, left, right, forward, behind) of the reactor. When stabilizer groups are placed in multiple directions from the reactor, two new pieces of information will show up on the reticule. The first is 'Stabilizer Bonus Slot' and the second is 'bonus efficiency compared to biggest stabilizer'. An illustration of stabilizer group zones can be seen below and to the right.

Stabilizer Zones Around a Reactor

When multiple stabilizer groups are in different zones of a reactor the total distance is split between them provided that for each stabilizer group on one face, there is an equidistant and equally sized group on the opposite face. So, if a reactor calls for 17 stabilizers to be 37 meters away from the reactor the player can place 4 groups of 4 stabilizers at 14 meters each, or two groups of 8 at 19 meters each. However it is not possible to split the distance between two equidistant stabilizer groups and a third non-equidistant group, and easily manage maximum efficiency per group. All zone-centered stabilizer groups must be equidistant.

Using this mechanic the total distance required for the stabilizers to be away from the reactor can be decreased to 20% distance across all 6 sides while still maintaining mass efficiency.