Rename Batteries

[Player 1]

TL;DR:
- Rename the "Battery" resource "Capacitors".
- Rename the "Battery MK1/2", "Accumulator MK1/2".

Reason:
- Realism.
- Players will fear using batteries in modular armor, thinking that they will permanently drain and be consumed.


Lengthy rationale:
Batteries (in the real world) are either rechargeable or non-rechargeable.
Unless otherwise specified, batteries are NON-rechargeable, i.e. consumables.
A rechargeable battery is a type of accumulator, but specifically a rechargeable battery has a LIMITED number of recharges before it is spent.

On the other hand, CAPACITORS are electronic components that are meant to store and release energy indefinitely. That's the sort of component that make up accumulators, whether they are stationary stations, or portable.

Nowhere in the game have I read that Battery MK1 and MK2 is rechargeable, leading me to assume that if I were to insert it into a modular armor slot, batteries will be drained and CONSUMED. If they would instead be called "Accumulator MK1/2" or maybe "Capacitor MK1/2", I would immediately understand how they work.

[ssilk]

That renaming will confuse many, cause what is then the difference between a capacitor and accumulator? For now that is very clear (it makes the icons simple for example); and don't forget the game plays far into the future, the meaning of that names might change a lot - even in the current times the meaning of all that stuff is changing a lot. And why does a capacitor need sulfuric acid? Realism!?

[Player 1]

That renaming will confuse many, cause what is then the difference between a capacitor and accumulator?

A capacitor is an electronic component, while an accumulator is the general term for all sorts of devices. Since there is already a building with this name, capacitors are the components which go inside these buildings. Rechargeable batteries are accumulators too, so there's a similar confusion there too.

For now that is very clear

Well, it wasn't to me. I thought that you put batteries into your modular armor at the moment when you needed them, so I've never used my modular armor because of this, because I figured that I couldn't prop in enough solar panels to use my shield without having it spend expensive batteries constantly while on.

(it makes the icons simple for example);

Oh, you could still keep the icons, since they're a general symbolic representation of a stored electrical charge.

and don't forget the game plays far into the future, the meaning of that names might change a lot - even in the current times the meaning of all that stuff is changing a lot. And why does a capacitor need sulfuric acid? Realism!?

Well, realistically, if this is set in the future, then energy storage devices would probably consist of some sort of nano tubes. I don't remember, but I think sulfuric acid batteries were typically used 25 years ago. Both sulfuric acid batteries and sulfuric acid capacitors, were invented in the 1930s.

[sillyfly]

Today, most batteries used are rechargeable - Phone batteries, Laptop batteries. Almost every consumer electronic device (which is not meant to be permanently connected to a wall outlet) has a rechargeable battery (cheap or old ones may have NiMH, but it is very common today even for cheapo Chinese crap to come with a LiPo battery).
So I don't think many people will think batteries are consumed, but I stand to be corrected

As for capacitors - they are really not practical for high-density energy storage. Super capacitors are still very expensive, and nowhere near batteries in terms of energy density.
Furthermore, even though capacitors indeed tend to have longer life spans (in terms of number of cycles), they are still bound to lose capacity, gain ESR (Equivalent Serial Resistance, basically internal resistance), and eventually fail.

There is a reason why capacitors aren't used for energy storage, but rather only for smoothing*.

All in all, I don't see a problem with the naming of batteries - not from a realism point of view, and not from a player comprehension point of view.

(*Ok, I admit - sometimes you'll have a 0.1F super-cap as a backup for an RTC, but that's in the Micro ampere range, and wouldn't even light an LED for more than a few seconds).

[bobingabout]

Portable accumulators isn't such a bad name... however, Batteries... havn't you ever heard of a rechargeable battery? I don't see the issue.

[Player 1]

Today, most batteries used are rechargeable - Phone batteries, Laptop batteries. Almost every consumer electronic device (which is not meant to be permanently connected to a wall outlet) has a rechargeable battery (cheap or old ones may have NiMH, but it is very common today even for cheapo Chinese crap to come with a LiPo battery).
So I don't think many people will think batteries are consumed, but I stand to be corrected

As for capacitors - they are really not practical for high-density energy storage. Super capacitors are still very expensive, and nowhere near batteries in terms of energy density.
Furthermore, even though capacitors indeed tend to have longer life spans (in terms of number of cycles), they are still bound to lose capacity, gain ESR (Equivalent Serial Resistance, basically internal resistance), and eventually fail.

There is a reason why capacitors aren't used for energy storage, but rather only for smoothing*.

All in all, I don't see a problem with the naming of batteries - not from a realism point of view, and not from a player comprehension point of view.

(*Ok, I admit - sometimes you'll have a 0.1F super-cap as a backup for an RTC, but that's in the Micro ampere range, and wouldn't even light an LED for more than a few seconds).

So are you telling me that BATTERIES are used as accumulators in real world power plants? Are they actually called batteries?
EDIT: Yes, they are. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_s ... er_station Cool.

Portable accumulators isn't such a bad name... however, Batteries... havn't you ever heard of a rechargeable battery? I don't see the issue.

Haven't you heard of NON-rechargeable batteries? The batteries that look like the ones in the game, are sold next to the counter, and they're NON-rechargeable.
Non-rechargeable batteries are actually referred to as accumulators in real life, to distinguish them from non-rechargeable batteries.

[ssilk]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_( ... _batteries

And please don't make double posts...

[MCorgano]

If anything, I'd much prefer them be called POWER CELLS than CAPACITOR. Power cell has a more Sci-Fi feel, is always used to refer to a power source, and usually refers to something with generally better properties to batteries already. It's like game-talk for batteries, with the implication that they don't share the same limitations as the AA's in your drawer.

[sillyfly]

So are you telling me that BATTERIES are used as accumulators in real world power plants? Are they actually called batteries?

I don't think power plants store electricity - that's still a very hard problem. The closest thing I know of is the Tesla Powerwall, which is indeed a battery.

Other technologies used on a more industrial scale usually rely on pumping water to a reservoir and using a hydroplant to restore the electricity. The future is, of course, anyone's guess. Hydrogen cells may have breakthroughs, or maybe we'll get longer-lasting batteries, or maybe higher-density capacitors.

At the moment, though, I feel most people will associate batteries with rechargeable batteries, and the term capacitor may confuse some ("I thought capacitors were those components inside the computer. Why do I need them to store electricity?").

@MCorgano: Power cells is an acceptable term I think, but then again - I personally don't really mind it staying "batteries".

[Player 1]

If anything, I'd much prefer them be called POWER CELLS than CAPACITOR.

That's sounds better, since power cells are actually the components of batteries. ...but at this point I personally don't mind them being called batteries, as long as it's mentioned that they recharge.

I don't think power plants store electricity - that's still a very hard problem.

Yes, but the article in the link I've recently edited into my post, talks about how solar panels store energy in batteries. I stand corrected.

[daniel34]

... at this point I personally don't mind them being called batteries, as long as it's mentioned that they recharge.

Until it is implemented into the base game:
[MOD 0.12.x] Rechargeable Batteries

Description

Adds the word 'Rechargeable' to batteries used for modular armor.

Image

Download

RechargeableBatteries_0.0.1.zip

(2.12 KiB) Downloaded 119 times

[Player 1]

Until it is implemented into the base game:
[MOD 0.12.x] Rechargeable Batteries

Wow! That looks alright. Thank you. =)

[Bisa]

Until it is implemented into the base game:
[MOD 0.12.x] Rechargeable Batteries

daniel sees hot topic, identifies issue, creates mod for it - priceless