Pylons are new feature of CA stable.
Read about it here:
http://trac.caspring.org/wiki/Pylons

Graphics/visualisation is still work in progress.

cool

very nice image, and good wiki page
but.. you should have posted this when the stable version containing this is already out.
i know i can play test versions... but i wont, and some others maybe neither.
make sure to bump this again when the stable is out, with updated first post.

That's because they are close to stable.

i want my old CA back

Same, implement this in 1faction thing but dont extend CA with more crazy gameplay.
It makes the intense/action rts to a more complex building game....
Nice feature^^ but I like KDRs Perimeter clone more.

Coll stuff,really.
I'd like to add though that I think the visual implementation of this could be improved instead of just lines but great idea,hope you can merge it nicely and make it fit(probably best in 1 faction right?You'v always aimed ca at less eco micro).

Released new stable - pylons are in now.

oh dear...

Everyone complains about how CA eco is too simple and once it is expanded, they want it back to the old system...

You silly guys, whatever will we do with you ^_^

Question (since I haven't had a chance to try it) - does the new system provide a visual indicator of how much overdrive flow is going on, and whether the current energy-output is capping the overdrive system?

Visual cues or not - how do I control the energy spent on this?

Also the buildings seem really expensive for what they do - spend 600 m/e/bp just to change energy to metal? Wouldnt just reclaiming energy buildings be better in almost all cases.

Tooltip has info: how much extra metal is produced and how much of connected energy is used. There is no upper bound of energy that you can put into the system. Just the efficiency goes down...

As usual, you can't (directly). Connected energy (build inside pylon radius) and if storage is above 80% is used for overdrive. Only as much energy is used so that storage won't go below 80%.
Do you need further control? Why?

Due to CA's high rate of updates (which has only advantages!!1!) we can adapt stats fast if there are balance issues.

In very short term maybe, in middle and long term: no.

What I meant was that, if a region has hit the maximum output of energy available to the network (and so surplus energy is being either wasted or overdriven into other mexes in a different network at lower-efficiency)

Like, I have a fusion on 2 mexes and a solar on 5 mexes, and almost no energy drain otherwise, then that solar will be capping the overdrive that happens on the 5 mexes. Is there any notification that this is occurring? That I've hit the output-limit from local energy sources for overdrive? Basically, a notification that I need to either link-in more E, or build more local E sources.

There is no such notification. Just connect all pylons together with transfer pylons (they are cheaper) so that all energy will be used on all mexes - with maximum efficiency. If you select a pylon you see lines to know what is all connected.

(Same effect as old communism vs. all player only overdrive their own mexes.)

All of the notifications/efficiency info you could want are in the tooltips of mexes/pylons, the manual has the meaning of these tooltips and they should be self explanatory.

When we have a resource bar that everyone is happy with using important overdrive events will be displayed on the bar.

Obviously I get more metal for my energy when I keep the overdrive rate at a constant. Not when energy storage is kept at same levels.

And if Im m stalling it would make sense to not keep unused energy stored for nothing.

How long does it take for a, say, fusion+transferpylon driven into 3 2m mexes to pay for itself?

5 minutes and 22 seconds.

The idea is to use surplus of energy for overdrive, not all.

And you get more metal the more energy is used by overdrive.


If you stall m you automatically aren't used all your e -> more e available for overdrive. And you probably want to have a reserve for all the things that need e: weapons, d-gun, reclaim etc.


It never pays, because a transferpylon does not overdrive. You need a overdrive pylon.

3x 2.28 mex, 5.65 extra metal (1600/5.65)-> repays after ~284 seconds.

Energy per mex = 35/3 = 11.67

Overdrive per mex = -1+(1+(11.67*0.2))^0.5 = 0.826

Extra metal per mex = 0.826 * 2.00 = 1.65

Total extra metal = 1.65*3 = 4.95

(1600/4.95) = 322 seconds = 5 minutes and 22 seconds


(Overdrive = -1+(1+(energy*0.2))^0.5)