Exposing Power Generation to Modding API?

[WarStalkeR]

Dear developer,

I'm humbly asking you, please expose Power Generation to Modding API more deeply, to allow modmakers to create custom power plants that consume resources, which modmakers select.

Suggestion Code Examples

Suggestion code example of weird power plant's energy_source, when two resource sets are available for usage:

Code: Select all

energy_source =
    {
      type = "electric",
      usage_priority = "secondary-output",
      production = "1500kW",
      consumption = {
	    resource_set = {
		  name = "Wood Mode",
		  description = "Uses wood and warm water to generate electricity, no efficient as coal, but hey, it works!",
		  icon = "__base__/graphics/icons/energy_wood.png",
		  cycle_timer = 120,
		  efficiency = 0.75,
		  resources = {
		    {
			  name = "wood",
			  isliquid = false,
			  amount = 2
			},
			{
			  name = "water",
			  isliquid = true,
			  temperature_min = 25,
			  temperature_max = 100,
			  temperature_opt = 45,
			  amount = 0.5
			}
		  }
	    },
		resource_set = {
		  name = "Coal Mode",
		  description = "Uses coal and any water to generate electricity.",
		  icon = "__base__/graphics/icons/energy_coal.png",
		  cycle_timer = 150,
		  efficiency = 1.0,
		  resources = {
		    {
			  name = "coal",
			  isliquid = false,
			  amount = 1
			},
			{
			  name = "water",
			  isliquid = true,
			  amount = 0.5
			}
		  }
	    }
      }
    }

Suggestion code example of Steam Engine's energy_source:

Code: Select all

energy_source =
    {
      type = "electric",
      usage_priority = "secondary-output",
      production = "600kW",
      consumption = {
	    resource_set = {
		  name = "Boiled Water",
		  description = "Uses steam from hot water to generate energy.",
		  icon = "__base__/graphics/icons/energy_water.png",
		  cycle_timer = 30,
		  efficiency = 1.0,
		  resources = {
			{
			  name = "water",
			  isliquid = true,
			  temperature_min = 25,
			  temperature_max = 100,
			  temperature_opt = 100,
			  amount = 0.1
			}
		  }
	    },
      }
    }

Suggestion code example of inexistent Antimatter Power Plant's energy_source:

Code: Select all

energy_source =
    {
      type = "electric",
      usage_priority = "secondary-output",
      production = "8500kW",
      consumption = {
	    resource_set = {
		  name = "Antimatter from Wood",
		  description = "Converts wood to antimatter and uses it for energy generation. Really inefficient.",
		  icon = "__base__/graphics/icons/antimatter_wood.png",
		  cycle_timer = 1500,
		  efficiency = 0.35,
		  resources = {
			{
			  name = "wood",
			  isliquid = false,
			  amount = 100
			}
		  }
	    },
		resource_set = {
		  name = "Antimatter from Coal",
		  description = "Converts coal to antimatter and uses it for energy generation.  Still inefficient.",
		  icon = "__base__/graphics/icons/antimatter_coal.png",
		  cycle_timer = 1500,
		  efficiency = 0.45,
		  resources = {
			{
			  name = "coal",
			  isliquid = false,
			  amount = 50
			}
		  }
	    },
		resource_set = {
		  name = "Antimatter from AM Cells",
		  description = "Uses antimatter stored in antimatter cells to generate energy. Right choice!",
		  icon = "__base__/graphics/icons/antimatter_amcells.png",
		  cycle_timer = 1500,
		  efficiency = 1.00,
		  resources = {
			{
			  name = "coal",
			  isliquid = false,
			  amount = 1
			}
		  }
	    }
      }
    }

Notes & additional information about suggestion:
• Interface to choose one of the resource sets is required, unless there is only one resource set in power plant, or power plant will detect resource set automatically based on resource input.
• cycle_timer - for example it is set to 120, it means that selected set or resources will be consumed every 120 ticks, i.e. every 2 seconds. If power output is more then required by power network, then cycle_timer can be increased by same multiplier as one used to reduce production parameter, i.e. if only 600kW are needed out of 1500kW, then to produce only 600kW cycle_timer of 120*(1500/600) = 300 will be used.
• efficiency - needed to define that certain resource sets will be less or more efficient in energy production then others.
• isliquid - flag that defines if selected resource is a liquid and allows usage of optimal temperature flags.
• temperature_min - optimal temperature flag. If liquid's temperature is less then temperature_min, it won't be used in production. If not set, then temperature doesn't have minimum limit.
• temperature_max - optimal temperature flag. If liquid's temperature is more then temperature_max, it won't be used in production. If not set, then temperature doesn't have maximum limit.
• temperature_opt - optimal temperature flag. Optimal temperature for energy production, the more different current temperature from temperature_opt, the less efficiently power is generated. Formula works like this: current production = production * efficiency * temperature_efficiency (if current_temperature is less then temperature_opt, then temperature_efficiency = current_temperature/temperature_opt, else temperature_efficiency = temperature_opt/current_temperature). If there is more then one liquid resource used for energy generation, then formula could look like this: current production = production * efficiency * temperature_efficiency_res_1 * temperature_efficiency_res_2.
• If none of the optimal temperature flags are used, then liquid will be used for energy generation regardless of it's state.

[cartmen180]

+1