The Best Power Source

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YX33A

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I haven't used the XU generators so I can't comment on that, but it also comes down to how you use power. If it's a slow, constant draw, then the crystals will be quite strong. If you use a large amount of power in short bursts like I do (draining the second largest Mekanism energy cube in about 2 minutes), then it's almost useless for power needs. Sure it can help regenerate it, but I wouldn't want to run one of those as my only power method.
I'll explain the Heated Furnace Generator for you then; starts off weaker then babbies. Run it long enough and @Reika gets dethroned as the god-emperor of massive power generation.
 

Padfoote

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I'll explain the Heated Furnace Generator for you then; starts off weaker then babbies. Run it long enough and Reika gets dethroned as the god-emperor of massive power generation.

Oh wow, bit crazy there. And well defended points with the lava crystal, I can see your point completely. I personally would never use it like that, but I can see where some would do that and bypass the work required with other generators. Good debate. :)
 

WayofTime

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I suppose that you would have to also compare the crystal against a charcoal source from a tree farm, which can be essentially free after infrastructure costs.
 
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YX33A

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I suppose that you would have to also compare the crystal against a charcoal source from a tree farm, which can be essentially free after infrastructure costs.
Yup. My issue isn't so much with the Lava Crystal so much as EVERYTHING AND THEIR MOTHER SUPPORTING GENERIC FURNACE FUEL!

...Also after a certain point the power output in the heated furnace generator suffers a stack-overflow and dives into the negatives REALLY FAST.
 

Reika

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Yup. My issue isn't so much with the Lava Crystal so much as EVERYTHING AND THEIR MOTHER SUPPORTING GENERIC FURNACE FUEL!

...Also after a certain point the power output in the heated furnace generator suffers a stack-overflow and dives into the negatives REALLY FAST.
Then no, it does not exceed mine, because it is probably looping at 2 billion units. ;)
 

YX33A

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Then no, it does not exceed mine, because it is probably looping at 2 billion units. ;)
But still, the point is that it can rival yours quite easily if the stack overflows get fixed(which they're gonna have to be due to a fluid-duping exploit caused by them).
 
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YX33A

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I doubt it can do so without simultaneously being the most overpowered generator in the game.
If I understand correctly, it doesn't have geometric increases in heat, let alone exponential. My understanding is it's Linear. So we're talking some serious time investment here.
 

YX33A

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Mountains of it, probably.
Just a steady trickle, actually. They don't consume more fuel, they just emit more power. So a charcoal farm that can feed one of these can last you from weaker then babbies to insane-o-power land.
 

Chi347

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To Yx33a
Hey man, when you don't have reactor-craft and gregtech conflicts with some ids on there not many options are available but as a plus i have figured out how to have solar grids produce way more efficiently and i actually have a decent setup but i am considering of adding reactor-craft to my server but the thing is to setup and maintain one of those is very costly and i need something compact and easily transported, i don't want to have to leave behind something that can be use to produce nukes :p also my solar grid consists of ultimate solar panel and i don't care about the cost because i can produce and mine for those resources easily and with my setup i can make ultimate solar grids with ease, it just takes about a day to create two sets of them(minecraft day of course)
 

YX33A

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To Yx33a
Hey man, when you don't have reactor-craft and gregtech conflicts with some ids on there not many options are available but as a plus i have figured out how to have solar grids produce way more efficiently and i actually have a decent setup but i am considering of adding reactor-craft to my server but the thing is to setup and maintain one of those is very costly and i need something compact and easily transported, i don't want to have to leave behind something that can be use to produce nukes :p also my solar grid consists of ultimate solar panel and i don't care about the cost because i can produce and mine for those resources easily and with my setup i can make ultimate solar grids with ease, it just takes about a day to create two sets of them(minecraft day of course)
Yes, but again, solar power is the least creative option on the market, thus the worst. Lava is only slightly more creative, thus only slightly better.

Output be damned, awesome power is what we need these days.
 
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Chi347

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I Hear that but i've been trying to get more added to my custom pack and i understand you want creativity and so i want to tell you that i've actually but a nuclear grid and a fission reactor before but it's damn near impossible to keep up[DOUBLEPOST=1395279058][/DOUBLEPOST]also i have but multiple me systems and ive dealt with a particle reactor before
 

kaovalin

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Yes, but again, solar power is the least creative option on the market, thus the worst. Lava is only slightly more creative, thus only slightly better.

Output be damned, awesome power is what we need these days.

Extra utilities IMO made solar more creative. You have to control when and how the generator is shutdown in order to pull the power out of the generator. Doesnt just trickle all the time. Sure I can slap a daylight sensor on the thing and it will be automated, but the total power potential per MC day is less than if I make it drain completely then turn back on. Also the cost of making one is relatively expensive without having an annoyingly complex recipe. Perfect for remote MFR farms with limited redstone knowledge.
 

YX33A

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I Hear that but i've been trying to get more added to my custom pack and i understand you want creativity and so i want to tell you that i've actually but a nuclear grid and a fission reactor before but it's damn near impossible to keep up[DOUBLEPOST=1395279058][/DOUBLEPOST]also i have but multiple me systems and ive dealt with a particle reactor before
It's not that hard to come up with cool power sources... Once you go beyond IC2, anyway. Some of the best power supplies out there currently are mainly for RF.

It's just that IC2 has more then enough solar spam. It's Nuclear Reactors are "meh" at best, and a crater where your house use to be at worst. Lava Power is only cool if you use a crazy way to get all that lava.

You've got the efficiency figured out. But we all spread end up coming out of our shells and letting our freak flag fly eventually. My ideal power source is from be killing myself(slowly and never fully) and using the energy released by this to power simple furnace style generators. I sometimes fancy powering my base off of essentia with golems with bowties and fezes running about filling my dynamos with that crazy liquid power.
And occasionally I want to build a full Tokamak Reactor from ReactorCraft and run it at full capacity and use every drop of power somehow.

A great place to look for inspiration(IMO) for crazy power systems is the Lets See Some Bases thread over in the community spotlight section. They're always coming up with novel ways to run their bases. Or make their bases look awesome.[DOUBLEPOST=1395280038][/DOUBLEPOST]
Extra utilities IMO made solar more creative. You have to control when and how the generator is shutdown in order to pull the power out of the generator. Doesnt just trickle all the time. Sure I can slap a daylight sensor on the thing and it will be automated, but the total power potential per MC day is less than if I make it drain completely then turn back on. Also the cost of making one is relatively expensive without having an annoyingly complex recipe. Perfect for remote MFR farms with limited redstone knowledge.
Making Solar power a tiny bit more complicated is not the same thing as making it more creative.
 
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kaovalin

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It's not that hard to come up with cool power sources... Once you go beyond IC2, anyway. Some of the best power supplies out there currently are mainly for RF.

It's just that IC2 has more then enough solar spam. It's Nuclear Reactors are "meh" at best, and a crater where your house use to be at worst. Lava Power is only cool if you use a crazy way to get all that lava.

You've got the efficiency figured out. But we all spread end up coming out of our shells and letting our freak flag fly eventually. My ideal power source is from be killing myself(slowly and never fully) and using the energy released by this to power simple furnace style generators. I sometimes fancy powering my base off of essentia with golems with bowties and fezes running about filling my dynamos with that crazy liquid power.
And occasionally I want to build a full Tokamak Reactor from ReactorCraft and run it at full capacity and use every drop of power somehow.

A great place to look for inspiration(IMO) for crazy power systems is the Lets See Some Bases thread over in the community spotlight section. They're always coming up with novel ways to run their bases. Or make their bases look awesome.[DOUBLEPOST=1395280038][/DOUBLEPOST]
Making Solar power a tiny bit more complicated is not the same thing as making it more creative.

Sorry that is contrary to your comment about lava where "if you use a crazy way to get it" which could by others be said as "just more complicated". Without seeing a novel approach to solving a small problem in action your comment is a bit bias.
 

YX33A

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Sorry that is contrary to your comment about lava where "if you use a crazy way to get it" which could by others be said as "just more complicated". Without seeing a novel approach to solving a small problem in action your comment is a bit bias.
Lava can be cooler if you use a crazy way to get it. Solar is still solar if you have to use a tiny bit of automatic redstone control.

And I don't mean things that are normal for gathering lava, like pumps, or any sort of automatic lava generation. A crazy technique is using fish to generate enough lava to run your base.
 
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YX33A

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I mainly mean this: Solar is boring... Assuming that it's using Photovoltaic Cells. A Real solar power plant uses a Solar Boiler, using mirrors to reflect sunlight onto a central boiling tower, where the water in it becomes steam and is sent through turbines to generate power. And since the only options out there that currently use solar boilers are Factorization(and they have been somewhat phased out due to the new "stomach water boiler"), and RotaryCraft(where it becomes Shaft Power and manliness), this is why solar power is lame; everyone sticks with photovoltaic cells. And those are boring as hell.