Power Output vs Useage and Prioritization?

[oflow]

Hello,

I've read a lot of wikis and watched videos on youtube, but I'm having trouble understanding how power prioritization works.

On the main screen in outfitting I have RETRACTED, DEPLOYED AND AVAILABLE POWER

I understand that for everything to work my deployed needs to be under or equal to my available power.

My question is what happens when my deployed is slightly over the available power? For example in a loadout I am trying to use I have 15.60 available, but my deployed is 15.61 so my usage is 101% on the modules screen. The component that causing the overage is a shield booster.

Do retracted weapons/mounts still count against the power total if they arent being used? My retracted total is a good ways under the available cap at 14.75.

So far, the ships flies and I havent seen anything turn off.

Is there a way to set my priorities so this isnt a problem? I've read threads where people say they can fly a ship with usage over 100% by adjusting the module priorities.

Will that .01 shut down all my systems at a bad time? (I know the answer is yes but I'm trying to see if theres a way to work around this, my ship is a mining T7 so I'm figuring there has to be a way to prioritize my equipment thats not in use like refineries etc.)

 

[Dolphinrapture]

Hello,

I've read a lot of wikis and watched videos on youtube, but I'm having trouble understanding how power prioritization works.

On the main screen in outfitting I have RETRACTED, DEPLOYED AND AVAILABLE POWER

I understand that for everything to work my deployed needs to be under or equal to my available power.

My question is what happens when my deployed is slightly over the available power? For example in a loadout I am trying to use I have 15.60 available, but my deployed is 15.61 so my usage is 101% on the modules screen. The component that causing the overage is a shield booster.

Do retracted weapons/mounts still count against the power total if they arent being used? My retracted total is a good ways under the available cap at 14.75.

So far, the ships flies and I havent seen anything turn off.

Is there a way to set my priorities so this isnt a problem? I've read threads where people say they can fly a ship with usage over 100% by adjusting the module priorities.

Will that .01 shut down all my systems at a bad time? (I know the answer is yes but I'm trying to see if theres a way to work around this, my ship is a mining T7 so I'm figuring there has to be a way to prioritize my equipment thats not in use like refineries etc.)

When setting priorities, put your FSD, fuel scoop, interdictor, docking computer and cargo hatch to priority 5. This causes them to turn off when you deploy your weapons and since you can't use these in combat anyway, it frees up a fair bit of power.

 

[CmdrJacks]

I also manually shut down/turn on my high powered items and give them top priority. Like KWS and Cargo Scanner, then when I shut them off after using them I have more power to play with.

 

[oflow]

well that gives me kind of an idea of how it works. I'm guessing on the modules screen that the line in the usage bar shows what modules turn off at what priority?

My ship doesnt have weapons except defenses (chaff, shield cell bank) and I dont use kill warranty scanner, docking computer or interdictors. I'm more concerned with being able to get away in a hurry. wouldnt putting my FSD at 5 be a bad thing?

heres the scenario I'm usually in. I'm mining with cargo scoop down and collectors gathering and a pirate attacks me. I want to be able to put my scoop up jump away and I dont want this .01 to screw me and disable something I need to get away.

 

[who?]

well that gives me kind of an idea of how it works. I'm guessing on the modules screen that the line in the usage bar shows what modules turn opff at what priority?

My ship doesnt have weapons except defenses (chaff, shield cell bank) I'm more concerned with being able to get away in a hurry. wouldnt putting my FSD at 5 be a bad thing?

heres the scenario I'm usually in. I'm mining with cargo scoop down and collectors gathering and a pirate attacks me. I want to be able to put my scoop up jump away.

Typically, you only run into power issues when you have weapons deployed (they use a lot of power). When you have your weapons deployed, you can't use the FSD anyway, so it makes sense to have the FSD at the lowest priority (highest number) you can.

If you have no weapons in your build, then it's a different story. You might want to prioritise escape and defence (thrusters, FSD, life support, shields) and have the rest (fuel scoop, cargo hatch, any other modules) on low priority.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

Here's what I do= I never go over 2mj over my output deployed, then in my System's tab I turn of non-essential combat stuff until at 18% usage then set those I had to turn off to low priorities. Only .1 usage over mean's you should be safe as deploying gun's will just shut off the Catgo Hatch as all ship's have that set to shut off before everything else by default(it's rediculously power hungry for what it does, it seem's to always take 5% regardless of ship size or Power Plant size/grade).

 

[Tempestfox3]

You can set priorities on the modules screen on the right hand panel. Priorities range from 1 to 5. When your power demands exceed your Power output your lowest priority modules will turn off in order to reallocated that power to more important systems. That is to say anything with priority 5 will turn off first, then 4, then 3, then 2.

Personally I work my priorities in this way.

1) Thrusters, Sensors, Power distributor
2) Life support, Shield generator, Any shield cell banks (Toggle on and off manually as needed), Shield boosters.
3) Weapons,
4) Countermeasures (Chaff, Heatsinks ect) & any limpet controllers, Any scanners (Kill warrant & Cargo). Cargo hatch goes here if i'm mining / Pirating
5) Frame shift drive (If you take power plant damage and need to run away change this to priority 1 temporarily), Frame shift drive interdictor, Fuel scoop, Cargo hatch goes here if i'm not mining / pirating.

Group 5 always turns off automatically when I draw my weapons on the majority of my ships, Group 5 for me consists of modules that can't be used when your weapons are out anyway so there is little point having them powered during combat when you could allocate that power elsewhere.

You may find a different set up that works for you but this is how I run mine. Using things like this I run my Courier at 19mj (122% power) if everything was on, My vulture at around 17mj (110%) if everything were turned on. My Python would be running at 39mj (130% power draw) if everything were turned on. and my Fer De lance at 25mj (122% power draw) if everything was on.

Keeping thrusters, Sensors & Distributor on priority 1 should give you enough power available to be able to also activate your FSD (Change it's priority to 1) if you've taken power plant damage and have 50% reduced power output.

As above, I always overclock my ships power massively. However, there are some advantages to not overclocking your ship. (I've not personally tested) Other members of the community have reported that any spare power left over is passed into your Power distributor and boosts the recharge rate of your Sys, Eng & Wep capacitors depending on how your pips are arranged.

 

[oflow]

wouldnt i want my cargo scoop at a higher priority since its down when mining and i need to be able to pull it up fast?

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

wouldnt i want my cargo scoop at a higher priority since its down when mining and i need to be able to pull it up fast?

Not as long as you're not too far over power, like me I've had one ship that was 3mj above the power plant's usage which meant it couldn't power the cargo scoop at all(Vulture), but you only being .1 or under 1mj at all mean's while weapon's are retracted ther should never be an issue and if you need to deploy weapon's but that shut's it off you can always just deploy cargo scoop while the weapon's aren't deployed then deploy weapon's and it'll power down and still be open you just can't close it unless you store weapon's again.

 

[CentrumSilver]

Here is a good post on module management from Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/31ylr5/useful_tip_set_your_shield_boosters_a_lower/

• Priority 5: Cargo Hatch

It gets it's own special spot. This does nothing for functionality in your ship - Maybe if you're a trader sure, but if someone's targeting your power plant they have no interest in shooting out your hatch for your cargo.

• Priority 4: Combat Non-essentials

This is used for things like FSD, Fuel Scoop, Interdictor, and any non-essential scanners (Cargo, Wake). These things don't help you in combat, and not much of a detriment comes from having them disabled. This is what most people do anyway, and these things should be disabled if your hardpoints deploy for maximum available ship power usage.
An essential, however, is that if you're taking power plant damage and your modules are starting to disable, switch your FSD to Priority 1. While it might be hard to do quickly in a stressful combat situation, it ensures that you will always have a possible escape option.

• Priority 3: Defense

Priority 3 focuses on surviving. You might think "Well, why aren't these higher?", and the answer is "Because your defenses have failed if your power plant is getting shot you dingus." This level is for shield boosters, chaff, life support, and essential combat scanners (KWS). These things are all normally on when your hardpoints deploy.
Shield boosters are here because if you're getting hit hard to lose power, you're going to need your shield back ASAP. Having them auto disable on a bit of power loss lets them recharge quicker, even if it's at base shield capacity. Some shield is better than none.
Take special note of Life Support being here. If your power drops below Priority 3 then your Life Support will turn on. This is a good signal that you are losing the fight, losing power, and that you need to get the hell out of there. At non-critical levels, having your hardpoints retracted will re-enable your life support, but if you deploy your guns and are suddenly relying on emergency oxygen, take a hint.

• Priority 2: Fighting Back

This Priority is reserved for weapons and sensors. It ensures that taking a fair bit of power plant damage will still allow you to fight back and possibly destroy your aggressor before you're destroyed yourself. You might consider dropping one or two low power weapons to Priority 1 to be able to put damage out when your other weapons get shut down, but realistically you should be focusing on running at that point. Sensors are an important mention here, as being unable to lock onto your target (or a neighboring system for a jump) renders you unable to fight back (or run).

• Priority 1: OHGODEVERYTHINGISDISABLEDWHATDOIDO

This level is for the must haves. The "If these ain't working I'm dead." This level is for thrusters, shield generator, and power distributor only. Anything else you put on this priority runs the risk of shutting down your whole system if the power output from a damaged power plant drops too low.
Usually your drives will be shot out before your power goes far enough down to dip below Priority 1. However, there are some cases there this isn't true, and setting it up like this ensures maximum survival. If you want to increase your chances even more, have thrusters the only thing on Priority 1, and instead leave your shield generator for Priority 2; Though this runs the risk of not being able to regenerate your shield as you're fleeing a bad situation where your shields have already dropped and your power plant is taking damage - giving them ample time to have recharged.
Distributor is simply because if it goes offline you can't boost. And if you can't boost, there is nothing you can do to run from an aggressor.

 

[Mr Cynical]

That ^^^

Although in the gpp I had a ship, Vulture I think, that was 0.01 over limit but when I deployed hardpoints nothing went off... There may be a bit of leeway built in, or it may have changed in an update.

You can test it and any power priorities you set from the comfort of the station by going from outfitting to your right-hand side module screen very quickly (as the hardpoints are deployed in the outfitting bay) and seeing exactly what powered down (in red). You might need to check a couple of times if need to scroll on the modules screen.

 

[EponymousCowherd]

A couple of things worth thinking about.

If your FSD is powered it will start spooling up as soon as you retract your weapons and hit jump. If it is de-prioritised, then you won't be able to engage it untill your weapons have fully retracted (several seconds) This could be the difference between life and death if things go bad.

Also, always test your setup before you go into combat. Get out of the station no-fire zone and deploy weapons. It really isn't much fun dropping in on a USS, deploying weapons, and hearing "Shields offline, thrusters offline, life support offline....."

 

[oflow]

thanks i appreciate the replies and i think i understand the concept better now.

I'm currently having a different issue now that I dont understand why its happening.

I reconfigured my setup so my available power 15.60 is now equal to my deployed power 15.60 using different modules so the .01 shouldnt be a factor now.

I went to my mining spot and as soon as I deployed my mining setup all my systems shut down. On the modules screen I have 100-percent output available and 99-percent deployed with everything set to priority 1. This didnt happen BTW when I did the same thing when I had .01 over on my deployed power which is strange to me.

I dont really understand why this is happening I wonder if someone could explain it? I understand its probably user error but I just died twice because of it (first died in an interdiction and couldnt get my fsd to come online, second time I was reading the forum and died because i forgot life support turned off too) so I would really like to know.

In the outfitting bay when I goto modules with hardpoints deployed nothing turns red, but out in space everything shuts off when I deploy my hardpoints

 

[Mr Cynical]

You need to be very quick checking the modules screen in the station, as once you exit outfitting the hardpoints begin to retract.
Also, if you don't have enough power but all your modules are set to the same priority (as it seems in your screen above), when you deploy hardpoints everything will shut down - always set some lower priorities in the module screens for certain things (for example, your docking computer, which wont work when under attack anyway) - see centrumsilver's post above for more suggestions.

That said, you might want to file a bug report if the power available should be enough when the hardpoints are deployed.

 

[oflow]

thats why i showed the screen shot. my power output is at 100% my usage is 99% but all my systems shut down. i think its a bug or the power ratings are using decimal places that arent showing.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

thats why i showed the screen shot. my power output is at 100% my usage is 99% but all my systems shut down. i think its a bug or the power ratings are using decimal places that arent showing.

You have too much set to priority 1, ship's can be wierd like that(I saw 99%, but you're obviously over 100%). Set cargo hatch to 2, should fix it.

 

[Akyra]

Quick question, is there any point to still having my cargo hatch active at all on a combat build ship? (I'm guessing no, but not sure if I'm overlooking anything, sorry if it's an extremely noob question)

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

Quick question, is there any point to still having my cargo hatch active at all on a combat build ship? (I'm guessing no, but not sure if I'm overlooking anything, sorry if it's an extremely noob question)

It depend's, straight combat no as you have no cargo rack's. I recently bought a Viper and put 12t cargo in it along with a 1A Fuel Scoop just to fill out the internal's and give it the abillity to smuggle or do illegal salvage if I want so I set mine to stay on unless I deploy weapon's.

 

[oflow]

see thats the weird thing I was actually kitted out over by 0.01 point so I redid my build to be equal (15.60 deployed 15.60 available in the screenshot) but soon as i deploy mining lasers the whole ship shuts off. When it was still .01 over it actually showed 101% usage over 100% available and was in red but nothing shut down. It sucks i lost 3.5 mill fooling around with this so I just downgraded my shield gen back to A4 to give me .2 leeway and it stopped.

I'm not really in a combat vessel so I dont really like playing around with the power allocation. I just want to be able to put 4 pips to shields boost and jump away if I get attacked.

I tried putting cargo hatch to 2 and my fsd wouldnt come online and I died. I've been bleeding money today lost like 7 million total dying stupidly or pirates getting lucky subsystem hits on me its enough to where I'm calling it a night. All I want to do is get enough to get a Python and I've been stuck on 15mil for the last three days due to stupid stuff like this.

I got a parked Vulture but it already bored me enough to start mining which I enjoy I just get tired of running from even the smallest pirates. I guess I could go Asp but I like the bigger hauls in the T7.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

see thats the weird thing I was actually kitted out over by 0.01 point so I redid my build to be equal (15.60 deployed 15.60 available in the screenshot) but soon as i deploy mining lasers the whole ship shuts off. When it was still .01 over it actually showed 101% usage over 100% available and was in red but nothing shut down. It sucks i lost 3.5 mill fooling around with this so I just downgraded my shield gen back to A4 to give me .2 leeway and it stopped.

I'm not really in a combat vessel so I dont really like playing around with the power allocation. I just want to be able to put 4 pips to shields boost and jump away if I get attacked.

I tried putting cargo hatch to 2 and my fsd wouldnt come online and I died. I've been bleeding money today lost like 7 million total dying stupidly or pirates getting lucky subsystem hits on me its enough to where I'm calling it a night. All I want to do is get enough to get a Python and I've been stuck on 15mil for the last three days due to stupid stuff like this.

I got a parked Vulture but it already bored me enough to start mining which I enjoy I just get tired of running from even the smallest pirates. I guess I could go Asp but I like the bigger hauls in the T7.

Just fly into a random part of the belt, you'll take a few % hull & module damage but no NPC's will bug you.