[Rseding91] [0.15.11] Shield charges faster with 1 fusion reactor

[Jon8RFC]

1. Have an mk2 battery and two fusion reactors in your modular armor, let the battery charge for a few seconds.
2. Place multiple mk2 shields in the armor and notice the shield charge rate.
3. Remove one of the two fusion reactors and notice the increased shield charge rate.

Please see my addendum post where I figured out the issue:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=47761#p282838

[kovarex]

I can't notice the bug.
Note, that every shield has a limited recharge capacity, and when some of the shields are full and some not, the shield recharge rate can change.

[Jon8RFC]

It's strange. I tried to really showcase it with 10 shields and it didn't work. Starting with 3 fusion reactors the bar moves fine when I go from 3>2>1>2>1, but starting with two reactors and going from 2>1 is when it speeds up.
You must let the battery have a little bit of a charge first, starting with a dead battery doesn't work. It does work with the minimal equipment in the screenshot, but maybe 2 fusion, 4 shields, and any battery content is the requirement because it worked with the screenshot and with my different equipment in the video.

Hopefully you're able to find the source rather than tackle this one instance. I often tinker with my equipment when I'm running around and using blueprints, and sometimes have to let the batteries catch up, so it's unusual that I only now happened upon this.

https://youtu.be/OgcDQl1OG8M

Attached is my save if you're unable to reproduce it.

EDIT 2017-06-02: The reason it didn't work with 10 shields, is because it was 3 fusion reactors to 10 shields. That met the minimum bonus charge ratio of 3:7, and reducing it to 2 or 1 fusion reactors still maintains that minimum ratio.

[BenSeidel]

I don't suppose that with two reactors the shield buffers are being completely filled in one tick, then because they are full, not being filled in the next tick?
ie, same bug as viewtopic.php?f=11&t=47232 just in the reverse direction?

[zyklame]

Maybe the batterys switching from charge to discharge?
Do they have a higher output than a fusion reactor?

[Jon8RFC]

I tried to figure out some helpful info, but I'm not sure if you, Kovarex, have already done this. I'm actually kind of excited that I found this out!

The ideal fusion:shield (with battery) minimum charge ratios appear to be 1:3, 2:5, 3:7. Longer times are likely due to the time it takes to insert the shields, which disturbs the ratios when the earlier shields finish charging.

I can now infer that shields charge individually, but when more shields charge simultaneously (as long as the minimum ratio is met), the bonus charge rate is created. This means that--since I'm fairly certain the minimum ratio for 4 fusion reactors is 4:9--you can survive more sustained damage with 7 shields and 3 reactors than with 8 shields and 4 reactors because the charge rate receives the bonus with the 3:7 ratio having been met, once the shield level reaches a low enough level for multiple shields to be able to charge simultaneously. I tested and confirmed. I'm not sure why the times get so wildly disturbed between 1:3 and 1:8 though.

Time is in seconds; approximated and slightly adjusted to attempt to account for my reaction latency.

1:1=12.5
1:2=12.5
1:3=7.75
1:4=9
1:5=10.5
1:6=11
1:7=11.5
1:8=12

2:1=12.5
2:2=12.5
2:3=13
2:4=13
2:5=8
2:6=9
2:7=10
2:8=10.5

3:1=12.5
3:2=12.5
3:3=13
3:4=13
3:5=13.5
3:6=14
3:7=9
3:8=9.5

I suspect that if you're able to place all shields simultaneously (you must have the battery and fusion reactor place before), that the times would be more consistent.

It's impossible for me to subjectively test robo ports to see how charging affects those, because I can't see the progress bar as easily as with shields, but it has me wondering if there's an issue there as well. I also haven't even tried anything with solar panels to see how they create a bonus with a battery, so hopefully you all know what code to look at to determine that without having to do any weird, subjective testing like I did.

EDIT: Any chance on adding click&drag to the equipment grids (and chests/cargo/etc, for that matter)? I always wanted it in the equipment grid, but after testing this stuff out for so long, I realized how truly handy it would be.

[Jon8RFC]

Is there any additional information that I can share so that this isn't considered pending? The time table and the minimum ratios are pretty definitive, but I'm happy to try other scenarios if you can give me a list.

From a low/zero shield capacity, try the following scenarios with a stopwatch or enable some developer voodoo to show an in-game timer:

• 1 fusion, 3 shield, 1 battery charges drastically faster than with the same +1 fusion
• 2 fusion, 5 shield, 1 battery charges drastically faster than with the same +1 fusion
• 3 fusion, 7 shield, 1 battery charges drastically faster than with the same +1 fusion

If you enter sandbox mode and drop cluster grenades at your feet, compare the time of damage that you can sustain with 3 fusion, 7 shields, 1 battery vs 4 fusion, 7 shields, 1 battery. The "bonus" charge rate is in effect with the minimum ratios having been met. You'll see that with just 3 fusion, you'll hover at the low end of the shields' capacity for quite a while, but with 4 fusion, your shields will deplete quickly and you'll begin taking health damage.

[Rseding91]

I was able to reproduce the issue you describe and I'll have it fixed for the next version of 0.15. The correct charge speed is the slower one of the two.

[Jon8RFC]

Wow, that was fast! Thanks