It was all the production boosts, combined with all the offline refining and “pre-assembly” I did. The windmill typically produces about 467 kilowatts of power on the alien planet, and currently the idle power draw is around 520... before I install additional equipment.
And as for entertainment... while I’m glad you’re enjoying my adventures, the server crash meant I got a do-over on the side adventure I missed out the first time. Consider this a experiment in mastering this game mechanics, on how to get to where you want to go without an overly overpowered machine to assist you. I enjoy that kind of thing. As they in Dwarf Fortress...failing is half the fun.
I spawned about 80 kilometers away from home. In theory, the starting ship has everything you need to build a basic flyer. In practice, though, you won’t have lateral thrusters, until you acquire 36 motors. That requires processing a lot of stone to get that much nickel, and I had no desire to do that.
My plan was simple: build that basic flyer, process just enough stone as to build two solar panels, and roll the ship to correct for lateral drift. And chase after drop pods for more resources. After all, those things have a minimum of three motors in them, and sometimes there’s extra components. Once I had the flyer in the air, I would continue chasing pods ahead of me until I either had two lateral thrusters, or I got back to base.
In that time, I’d scrounged barely enough motors to complete the port thruster. I had also completed the port-side solar panel. So I took my new “Damselfly” out to a pod that dropped in the general direction of my base as a test flight.
After salvaging the useful parts, I filled up the survival kit with a batch if stone, and set out for home. Without the starboard thruster, Flying this thing in a straight line required me rolling the ship a bit so the ventral thrusters would compensate. Which made life interesting when a sandstorm struck.
As time passed, I developed a pattern: chase a drop pod in front of me for motors, fill up the survival kit if I’m near stone, and fly towards home otherwise. By the time the Damselfly was low on power, the starboard thruster was finished, and the last solar cell was ready to install.
I turned in for the night, trying to figure out how extend my flight time. That survival kit really cuts into my flight time. When I woke up this morning, I realized I could save power like I saved hydrogen: use thrust override. Override settings area but granular though, which is why I haven’t bothered with using it with atmospheric ships in the past. However, by pitching nose down a bit, I could manage my altitude, and also move the ship forward.
So rather than preparing my work lunch like normal, I hopped into the game, and (once I’d spawned back at the survival kit) I tried my new technique. It worked like a charm. It almost doubled my flight time, with the added bonus of not having to hold down a key to move forward.
Landing, on the other hand, proved to be rather tricky. I made the mistake of exiting “cruise mode” to low, and landed rather hard. Took out both landing gear, and I only had one spare motor. I also left a crater in the desert behind me.
All in all, a successful test run. My battery reported 17 hours to full charge, which would give me about 40 minutes of run time if I manage my thrusters carefully. Realistically, I should triple that estimate at least. By the time I login tonight, I should have ten minutes of flight time available. That’s plenty of time to get home.
Though I have been leaving creative open when I have to step away for a while...)
